The Last Grimm_Red's Hood

by H. L. Wampler

  I now understood why Blanche had gone completely bat shit crazy about him.

  I frowned, trying to focus my attention back to work or at least to something more than Connor’s body. As I sat there, trying to think of some vague resemblance of a conversation, I couldn’t help but notice a slight smile crossing his lips. His eyes appeared to be trained on me. A small part of me hoped he was thinking some wicked thought. I knew I was.

  “What do you like to do in your spare time?” I asked trying to break the increasing silence.

  “I hunt.”

  “You hunt?”

  “Yes,” he responded. “You seem shocked.”

  “I am,” I confessed.

  “Why?”

  “You don’t strike me as the hunting type.”

  “Sometimes there are things that need taken care of.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “Not everything belongs in this world, Abigail.”

  “That’s an odd way to view hunting,” I wasn’t sure if I should be concerned, disgusted, or intrigued by his answer.

  He sat there staring at me with such an intense curiosity that I could feel my heart beat speeding up and my cheeks were flush yet again. What a way to spend a morning at work, and if this keeps up with Connor, I won’t need to buy blush ever again. I could feel the muscles in my stomach clench, and my throat went dry. The work atmosphere became increasingly unhealthy for me. He drove women crazy. Literally.

  “Do you enjoy reading?” he asked suddenly.

  “I’m sorry, what?”

  “I was curious, with your last name being Grimm, do you favor fairy tales?” he asked.

  “Not particularly. I read other things. My mom likes them though. That’s all she does, all day.”

  “All day?”

  “Yeah, she sits at her desk and reads fairy tale after fairy tale. Sometimes I think she would rather live in one than be here.”

  “Any in particular?” he seemed persistent about the reading.

  “No, just whatever she finds online or in book stores. Why are you so interested in my mother’s reading habits?”

  “I’m not. I suppose, just curious about you. I should probably get back to work,” he leaned forward and squeezed my hand.

  An intense rush surged through my body. His hands were so warm and soft.

  “Okay,” I whisper.

  “We’ll have lunch together again tomorrow. There is an amazing restaurant a few blocks away.”

  I simply nod and watched as he walked out of my office. His black slacks hugged tightly at his waist and accentuated the well-toned behind beneath.

  Oh that ass.

  Chapter Seven

  I couldn’t wait for work to be over. Hell, I couldn’t wait for the day to be over. I was tempted to skip class, but I could already hear Anna’s never ending stream of questions.

  Maybe class will help the rest of the day go by faster. Maybe.

  It didn’t. I sat there trying to pay attention to my professor, I tried paying attention to the material she was going over, but it felt like everything was in slow motion. The hands on the clock even seemed to be going backwards, taunting me with the twenty minutes that were left. Somehow I managed to follow along the lecture enough to scribble down a few notes and highlight a few paragraphs in my book.

  “Are you alright?”

  “I’m fine, Anna. Just tired.”

  “How was it?” she asked.

  “Good. I’ll call you tomorrow, I have a lot to do before I actually get to sleep,” I waved, power-walking across campus to my car; not even bothering to give my friend time to ask questions.

  If I did, I’d never get away from Oakland.

  The traffic getting out of the city was nonexistent. The entire drive home the only thing on my mind was what to wear. I was nervous about lunch with Connor again. I’d never wanted to impress a guy so much in my life before. I felt like a crazy school girl going on her first date. Inside, I was jumping up and down. Outside it took everything for me to not jump up and down.

  ***

  I stood in front of my closet the following morning debating what to wear still. I had never really cared so much about what I looked like going to work, but at the moment things were different. I went through each outfit at least five times. For once an air of giddiness came over me. I wanted to look amazing for lunch with Connor. I fell into his trap. I wanted him all for myself. I grabbed a black pencil skirt, a red blouse, and a pair of black pumps. I was actually surprised how well the outfit looked on me. The plunging neckline showed just enough, and the slit up the back of my skirt stopped in just the right spot. I did have to admire my legs for a minute, all those years of swimming and track really paid off. I had killer gams.

  I looked good. No, I looked hot.

  I somehow managed to avoid Blanche and her poodle hair at the front of the office. She wasn’t at the front desk, which was a relief, and I didn’t even bother to look in the kitchen. The less I saw of her, the better. I scooted into my office quickly, and sat down at my desk staring at the clock. My new ritual was to stare at that clock. Get to work, sit down and stare as the clock ticked away. At the rate I was going, papers would never leave the in box, and I was going to burn a hole through that clock. How likely was it that I would be fired from an internship? That man did me and my career no good.

  His influence was bad for me. Hell, he was bad for all women. Even though, I’m not entirely sure he did it completely on purpose. I still don’t think he realized the power he held over the females of the world. It was like a super power. Every now and then I could hear his door open and shut. I wanted to leave my chair and bump into him, unfortunately I could not think of a reason to get up. Reluctantly I stayed put waiting on lunch time.

  As the clock reached noon I jumped up from my desk and ran to the door. I caught myself and remembered acting like a giggling, school girl probably would not give off the impression I strived for. I straightened my skirt and smoothed my blouse before causally opening my office door. Connor stood right there. He flashed a quick smile at me.

  “Ready for lunch?” I asked.

  “Yes. You look amazing today,” he said, still smiling.

  “Thanks,” I could feel my cheeks start to burn.

  We walked out of the office and into the bitter cold, unfortunately the snow picked up again. High heels and snowy cement did not mix. As I stepped off the steps at the front of the building I slipped and almost landed on my backside. Luckily, Connor was right behind me and managed to catch me before I hit the ground.

  He offered his arm to me, and I graciously took it. I could feel the heat coming off his body even through the coat.

  “Careful. I’m not sure Walter actually salts the steps.”

  “Thanks for catching me. That would have been embarrassing,” I looked down at my shoes making sure the heels of them didn’t break.

  I probably would have been more heart broken about the shoes than the skirt getting dirty or wet.

  He led me down a street to a beautiful restaurant. The word Autumn was scrawled across the sign in a beautiful orange-gold color. I was shocked by how busy it actually was. Most of the people who were murmuring amongst themselves seemed to be business people. I guess that’s how most of the restaurants around here stayed open in the winter months. Even business people need to eat sometimes. I glanced around the restaurant as we headed toward the hostess podium, the walls were a soft gray color, and the tables were clad in dark purple cloth. The china was black, and the napkins white. The rich wood tables were close together, but seemed so separate and romantic. Small stain glass bowls with candles sat in the center of each table. I could only imagine the colorful light dancing on the tables at night when the room light turned down.

  This was definitely no Primanti’s.

  “This place is really nice,” I said.

  “Yeah, it’s one of my favorites for lunch.”

  “Oh?”

  “Yeah, the chef he
re is amazing,” Connor said.

  “Two for lunch?” a tall, brunette asked with a big smile.

  “Yes. A seat near the windows if one is available,” Connor said flashing his own, swoon worthy smile.

  The girl blushed slightly and walked away quickly. I wasn’t sure if she just had to regain her composure, or check to see if there was a window table available. Most likely both. She came back a short time later, grabbed two long, skinny, black menus, and led us to a row of tables that sat in front of enormous windows. I could see everything around the point to the center of downtown.

  We chatted over salad and mused about our interests over the entrees. I didn’t want lunch to be over. The hour went by so much faster than I wanted it to. We slowly made it back, and attempted to get work done. I tapped away when I heard shuffling around in the hallway. I was such a curious person I had to listen

  “Hi, Connor,” I stopped typing at the sound of Blanche’s voice outside my door.

  “Hello, Blanche,” he sounded somewhat irritated.

  “Who’s the coffee for?”

  “Why does it matter, Blanche?”

  “I was going to say, if it’s for me, we can sit in your office. I wouldn’t mind just sitting and talking,” her voice was soft and sultry.

  I didn’t think she could do sultry. I thought she only did scorn and bitterness.

  “Sorry, but it’s not.”

  I snickered. No, it was more than a snicker. I laughed. I had to put my hand to my mouth to stifle it. I could just see her standing there mouth wide open.

  “Then who is it for?” she asked angrily.

  “Abigail.”

  I heard her humph and proceed to stomp down the hall. My office door slowly opened and I saw a mug and head appear.

  “Um, coffee?” he asked holding up the cup.

  I smiled warmly, “You read my mind.”

  He placed the mug on my desk and sat down.

  “Why the sudden interest in bringing me coffee?” I asked.

  “You said you liked it, and I like having someone to drink it with. If you want me to stop, I can.”

  “No!” I said hastily, “I was only curious because Blanche seems willing to do pretty much anything to be near you.”

  “That girl is crazy.”

  “I know. She warned me to stay away from you.”

  His laugh echoed off my walls, “Oh did she? Do you plan on staying way?”

  “If you don’t want me to, no,” I mumbled.

  He put his cup down on the top of my desk, leaned forward and grabbed my hand. His brows stitched together and his lips formed such a thin, tight line. Small wrinkles formed on his usually smooth forehead and the corners of his mouth tugged down at the corners. His face was so serious, “But I do.”

  I melted into his gaze. The feeling of my hand in his turned me to putty.

  “Okay.”

  His smile returned and extended from ear to ear. He released my hand, finished his coffee and left. As it neared four I began putting my work away. My fingers were crossed that Connor would be done too.

  Unfortunately he was not. I didn’t want to seem clingy and crazy, so I left. The snow had picked up even more from when we had come back from lunch. Market Square looked deserted and only the wind howling through the streets could be heard. As I trudged through the ankle deep powder, my stomach began to do somersaults, and my heart leapt to my throat. I don’t know why the uneasy feeling started, but something didn’t feel right. I kept looking over my shoulder and around the square, but it was empty. I turned a corner and saw Blanche’s red hood bob up and down as she headed toward her bus stop. A low, throaty growl began in the alley beside me. I turned my head quickly, looking for whatever made the noise. It sounded like a sick dog. Instead of a mangy dog, a disheveled man stumbled out of an alcove toward me. He staggered to his right a bit bumping into a building, but kept his strange golden eyes trained on me. He looked like a rabid animal. I took a few steps back, slipping on the ice and falling hard on my elbows. I tried scrambling to my feet, but I just could not get my footing. My breathing sped up, my head spun, and my heart felt like it was going to jump out of my chest and go running down the street without me. I kept my eyes glued on the man as his body contorted and seemed to break in front of me. A rough looking, sandy colored hair sprouted from under his clothing, which now strained against his changing body. The shirt and pants split up the seams revealing him to be completely covered in the fur. His face came next. It twisted and changed. A snout sprung from where his nose and mouth were. His ears elongated, and a horrible, bone crunching noise carried on the wind as his torso looked as though it was thrown to the ground by some unseen force. His screams of pain gave way to a loud, long howl. His lips pulled bag to reveal gnarly, long, white fangs. His hot, steamy breath puffed out of the snout. The man had transformed into a really big, brown wolf right there in front of me.

  “Holy shit!” I yelled out.

  I wanted to close my eyes. I really didn’t want to watch as he ate me. I didn’t want to feel it either, but I somehow managed to keep my eyes open and winced, ready for the attack. He leapt into the air, teeth bared, and landed behind me. I gasped when a bushy tail smacked me in the face. The fur was rough, and it felt itchy against my forehead.

  “Oh what the fuck is this!” I screamed. Once the shock subsided, and I checked to make sure I had not peed myself, confusion took over. I took hold of the lamp post next to me and used it to pull myself up.

  It took a few seconds, but I realized that I was not the intended target. Dead ahead the bobbing red hood came to a stop, and leaned against a post. She reached for a cigarette putting it to her lips. Things seemed to be moving in slow motion as I stood there, paralyzed, while the giant wolf charged at her. My voice froze in my throat. No sound emanated from my mouth. My scream of terror was locked somewhere inside.

  What the fuck is going on! I need to warn her!

  The wolf was nearly on her when a sound finally escaped my mouth, “Blanche!”

  Chapter Eight

  Blanche stood on a corner two blocks up. She never heard me screaming at her to run. She never saw the charging beast, and I couldn’t run that far fast enough to save her. The man that turned into a wolf was on her in no time. He pounced on her chest, sending her to the ground hard, and pinning her poor body there. Her arms and legs flailed in the air, trying to get the furry demon off her. It didn’t work. In what felt like hours, but really was seconds, she lay motionless.

  I screamed as loud as I could. Nobody heard. Nobody was around. I desperately searched for a weapon, for anything that I could use to beat off the beast.

  Lying in an alley, I found a thick, broken 2x4. I picked it up and ran at the wolf, swinging wildly. It lifted its head and glared at me, blood dripping from the now red snout. The animal howled and charged at me.

  “Get down!” a voice shouted behind me.

  I turned to see Connor running down the street, a silver axe in his hand. My eyes bulged, and I quickly dropped to the ground as he leapt over me. I managed to turn my head in time to see him slam into the wolf, landing with a loud thud on the ground. They rolled around for a bit. Connor would swing the axe at the wolf, the wolf would slam its enormous paws into Connor’s body.

  How the hell does a well-dressed IT guy know how to fight a wolf?

  I hugged the lamp post next to me watching the battle of beasts. Connor’s shirt was slashed and blood dripped down his chest. The wolf’s fur was a bit disheveled, but he looked as though he were winning. At least that’s what I thought until I heard a horrendous whimper. The wolf lay on its stomach with the axe buried in its shoulder blade. Connor put his foot on the beasts back, and yanked it out. The animal winced and lay there in pain. The man raised his arm, about to give the final blow, until the wolf's eyes shot open, and he sprang up knocking Connor over.

  He looked up at me with wild eyes and shouted, “Run!”

  I stared back, my eyes still bugging. My legs d
idn’t want to listen. I couldn’t seem to get my brain to process the words that were being screamed. I wasn’t entirely sure I believed what was going on right in front of me.

  The wolf turned his attention back on me, compelling me to clamber to my feet and run as fast as I could through the snowy sludge on the streets. I knew I wouldn’t make it far. Nobody could out run that thing. It could clear an entire city block in four bounding strides. I quickly dodged down a small alley, and hid in an alcove behind a dumpster listening for anything. The wet snow soaked into the butt of my skirt, and I began shivering. Nothing but silence echoed through the alleyway. I held my breath, and ducked into a dark corner as I heard footsteps sloshing toward my hiding spot. I held onto my knees tighter and buried my head in my arms. I did not want to be eaten.

  “Abs? Are you back there?”

  I lifted my head, crept from the darkened corner, and looked out. Connor stood in the middle of the alley; panting hard with a bloody axe in his hand. His shirt ripped, and he had a scratch on his face. I crawled out of the hiding spot, and headed back into the light. I couldn’t help it, I ran into his arms. I was terrified. He led me back into the slushy street. I looked toward the motionless body, and walked away from Connor. I still didn't see anybody around.

  How is it possible that all of downtown is empty? Where the hell is everyone?

  The closer I got the more red snow I saw. She didn’t move. I slowed down even more as I neared her. Fear crept in as I neared the body. I had no idea what I was going to see.

  “Oh my God,” I leaned into the street and vomited.

  The tips of my shoes were in red snow. I looked back down at what used to be Blanche. Her lifeless eyes stared straight forward, her mouth frozen in a scream, and her throat was missing. The crimson liquid stained the ground beneath her, and small drops disgraced her once blemish free, porcelain face. The red hooded jacket she wore was torn at.

  I could feel the vomit rise in my throat again.

  I removed a glove, and shakily reached my hand out for what remained of the girls’ neck. I knew there was no point, I knew she was dead, but I had to be sure. I had to try and find a pulse. Her blood was still warm and sticky. Using my teeth I pulled the other glove off, and fished through my pockets for my phone.