The Last Grimm_Red's Hood

by H. L. Wampler

  “Abigail! What is wrong with you?” he asked.

  “It’s mine! Give it back to me!” I shouted at him, wrenching my arms, trying to free myself from his iron grip.

  “Knock it off! Why are you acting so crazy?”

  “I need the cloak!” I wailed.

  Chapter Fifteen

  I kept trying to break free of Connor’s hold on me while he picked me up, and slung me over his shoulder. My focus was trained on that cloak. Nothing else mattered, or seemed important. All I knew was that I wanted that cloak. I squirmed and wriggled under his iron grip.

  “Let me go! Put me down, Connor!” I wiggled more, his hands only tightened around my body.

  “No, Abigail. Stop fighting me. You need to get away from that thing.”

  When he got me to his office, he casually deposited me onto the sofa. I just sat there trying to contemplate a way to escape back to my office to get that cloak back on. Suddenly a wave of sleepiness washed over me. All I wanted to do was lay down and sleep. My body was shaking, and my head felt so foggy. I wanted nothing more than to go to sleep. He knelt in front of me, staring at my face, watching my eyes. I wasn’t sure why I felt so confused and out of it.

  What’s wrong with me? Was it that cloak?

  “How are you feeling?”

  “I don’t know. I feel so weird,” I said shakily.

  “What happened to you in there?” he asked.

  “I’m not sure. I just felt so possessed by that thing.”

  “I think it is enchanted.”

  “It’s what?”

  “Enchanted. A spell. Somehow fucked up.”

  “Oh come on now. A spell on a cloak?” I asked skeptically.

  “How else would you explain your psychotic behavior in your office?”

  “I’m not sure,” I let my head fall into my hands.

  It was still so foggy, and a migraine was beginning to set in. I rubbed my temples, and kept my eyes closed. The warmth of Connor’s body felt so comforting for at least a moment. He held me close, his arms encircling my entire body. I felt like I could get lost in his embrace. All I could do was cling to him.

  “Have you gotten any work done?” I asked.

  “Not really, no. You?”

  I chuckled and just shook my head.

  “We’ve been so productive today.”

  “I’m so drained.”

  “Let’s get out of here,” Connor suggested.

  “Will Belinda mind?”

  “I doubt it. She hasn’t been out of her office all day. She’s probably on the phone with the big shots from New York.”

  “I hope so,” I said meekly, “What do I do about that cloak?”

  “I’m not sure yet. I want to compare it to the book and go from there. I have no idea why it made you act so weird though. You definitely shouldn’t wear it again unless you have to.”

  “Why would I need to wear it?”

  “It could possibly help lure out the wolves and maybe the Great Evil.”

  “So I would be live bait?”

  “Essentially,” he said stroking my hair.

  I should have been upset that he so casually suggested that I be live bait. Instead, I nuzzled my head into his hand. His cool palms felt good against my still warm forehead. Things were moving at a quicker pace than I liked. Eventually I was going to have to come face to face with at least one of two baddies in the world.

  “Should we start tonight?”

  “Sure, why not?”

  “Where?”

  “I guess at the beginning,” I sighed.

  “Which is where?”

  “The books. You know how to kill the wolves’ right?”

  “Yeah, but in the story there is only one wolf, not an entire pack, and they are definitely not shape shifters.”

  “So add in a few more wolves and a new ability.”

  “How many are there though?” he asked.

  “I have no idea. You’ve been dealing with them longer than I have.”

  “Then I suppose we’re finding out together.”

  “Connor, I don’t think this is a good learning experience. If we mess up, that’s one big shit storm that will hit.”

  “You mean this isn’t already a shit storm?”

  “Okay, smartass, it will be a bigger one,” I said while rolling my eyes.

  “I feel bad,” he mumbled.

  “Why?”

  “Because, you weren’t supposed to just be thrown into all of this.”

  “I wasn’t supposed to? So how was I supposed to learn about all of it?” I asked.

  “I planned on telling you a little bit at a time, but when Blanche was mauled it threw a bit of a wrench in the plan.”

  “Connor, no matter how you would have told me, I would still be acting the same way. This is still completely unbelievable and if I had not seen that wolf, I would never believe you.”

  “Do you want to get going to your house?”

  “I guess. I don’t know what else to do besides read the book,” I said.

  “Do you think that it will tell us anything?” he asked.

  “I have no idea.”

  “Maybe it will give us a clue about the cape. Maybe there will be a picture, or something in it to help.”

  “We can only cross our fingers.”

  “Stay here. I’ll put it back in the box.

  “Okay.”

  I sat and waited. When he returned the box was tied tightly, and the cloak was out of sight. But unlike the saying, it was not out of mind.

  Chapter Sixteen

  I clutched the box with the cloak to my chest. Connor’s BMW flew smoothly over the bumpy roads. The scenery changed from skyscrapers to trees and grass like always. The drive back to my house seemed to just fly by. The long driveway and sporadic trees dotting the land did a fairly decent job keeping my home hidden from street view. The old farm house at the end of the winding drive had been in my family for a long time. With there being just mom and myself it was lonely. Before dad picked up and left us the place was lively. There were parties and people all the time. Then, for whatever reason, things changed. Dad left, mom became withdrawn from the world, and I was born. She kept a happy face for me, and encouraged me to have friends over, but her sadness broke through the façade. It was awkward hearing the other moms’ gossip about mine. They had wild, sordid, and embarrassing theories about the absent father. I always found it pathetic how catty the older women could be. I also hated the looks of pity they would shoot my way as if I was nothing but some casualty in a horrible divorce. The house sat dark and still. There were no signs of movement or life. It looked normal.

  “No offense, Abigail, but your house is creepy.”

  “I know.”

  “Oh,” he said.

  “Let’s go in,” I said yanking on the door handle.

  Mom was sitting in the office with a book. She always sat at the oversized desk. At one point it was my father’s; now it was hers. She sits there and reads, or stares at her wedding photo.

  Happier times for her.

  There were moments when I wondered if she regretted ever having me. If it weren’t for me, she would still have a husband.

  “Mom, we’re going to the attic.”

  She didn’t look up.

  “Good evening, Elaine.”

  Her eye lashes fluttered, and she looked up forlornly at Connor. Her delicate mouth pulled down at the corners, and her forehead wrinkled. She looked so much older than thirty-nine. Her eyes drifted back to the book, and that was the interaction with mom.

  “Is your mom okay?”

  “That is normal mom,” I muttered, clutching the box to my body as we climbed the stairs.

  “Why is she like that?” he asked quietly peeking behind him.

  “She’s always been like that. My gram and pap said it started the day after my dad left and never went away. It’s really like not having a mother at all. Sometimes I forget she’s even here. She’s like a really quiet,
crazy roommate.”

  I pushed open the not-so-secret door and walked in. The space was still musty and dusty, but with the flashlights and shutter opened it wasn’t quite as dreary as it was. I sat in front of the old trunk and dug around for Little Red Riding Hood.

  “Do you think anything useful is in here?” I asked flipping through the yellowed pages.

  “Possibly. It has been a long time since I’ve seen the real cloak,” Connor said taking the book off me.

  He flipped through until he came across a picture of a young woman.

  “Here we go. Okay, take out the cloak.”

  I gingerly took the lid off and pulled out the garment. I buried my face in the softness. An odd smell wafted out and pretty much smacked me in the face.

  “Conner?”

  “What?”

  "I don't think the cape was ever enchanted," I said.

  "What makes you say that?" he asked.

  “Smell this. Shove your face in the fabric and sniff. Do enchantments smell?”

  “Um, okay,” he tentatively raised the cape to his nose and took a deep whiff.

  “Do you smell it?”

  “Yeah, what is it?”

  “I don’t know,” I said quietly, “Do you think it has anything to do with me acting crazy at the office?”

  “Possibly,” he said hovering a beam of flashlight light over the fabric, “There’s some kind of powder on it.”

  “Where?”

  “Near the neck line,” he began shaking the cape furiously.

  So the cape was drugged. Awesome.

  "If the cape wasn't enchanted and actually drugged could that mean the Great Evil is losing her power?" I asked.

  "I have no idea. Maybe she's just reserving her power."

  While Connor messed around with the cape, I looked at the book. The drawing seemed somewhat out of place with all of the color. The girl in the drawing had soft blonde hair and piercing green eyes. The red cape she had on was a deep shade of red, like the one I had. The tie around her neck was a blood red colored cord, and the inside of the cloak was the same color. There were odd specks on the back of it that I thought were dirt at first, until I realized they were in the same swirling patterns as the one I have.

  “Hey, we have a match.”

  “What?” he asked surprised.

  “Don’t sound so surprised. This was all your idea.”

  “I didn’t really think it would lead to anything it was just a wild shot in the dark,” he stressed dropping the cloak and snatching the book.

  “Here, I’ll put it on, you compare,” he stared at me, “Connor, I’m sure with how hard you shook this thing there isn’t anything left on it.”

  I flung it around so it was resting on my shoulders and quickly tied it. The garment felt heavier than before. Maybe the drugs really did affect me more than I thought.

  “You’re right, Abigail, it’s the same cape,” he said in amazement.

  “I still don’t know why you’re surprised. With everything else that is going on, a cape matching a book is a shocker?”

  “Come on, who would know what this picture looks like? I doubt there are many first edition Grimm books floating around.”

  “You can’t think of a single person who would know?” I arched my eyebrows at him.

  “Just one and if it is her, she knows where you work.”

  “Knowing where I work is better than knowing where I live,” I said.

  “Do you honestly think she wouldn’t be able to find that out? If she doesn’t already know.”

  “Hey, I have an idea, let’s freak me out some more,” I rolled my eyes.

  “These are things you have to think about now.”

  “Can we please just focus on the task at hand?”

  “Yeah, turn around again. It’s so uncanny how much they look alike.”

  “I wonder if the real red riding hood misses her cape,” I pondered out loud.

  Connor just looked at me.

  Chapter Seventeen

  I plopped down to the floor, swallowed by the flowing fabric, and stared into the trunk. Connor stayed in the chair, his focus divided between the book and examining the cape. It was as though he were looking for some discrepancy. Something to show him that they weren’t the same. He was looking for something that wasn’t there. The creepy attic was silent. Too silent for my taste.

  “What now?” I asked, awkwardly breaking the deafening silence.

  “We figure a way to lure the wolves out of hiding and deal with them.”

  “Deal with them?” I asked tentatively.

  “Yes. I’ll kill them, and then you send them back to the story.”

  “You want me to drop dead wolves back into the story?”

  “Why not?” he asked apparently seeing no problem dropping dead bodies on unsuspecting people and places.

  “What if they end up in somebodies yard? Or what if the wolf bodies turn human when they die?”

  As he was about to answer something caught my attention. I got up and went to the window facing the driveway, shushing Connor. The unmistakable sound of gravel crunching under car tires drifted up to the attic.

  “Shit,” I muttered.

  “What?”

  “It’s Anna,” I sighed rubbing my temples.

  “Who’s that?”

  “My best friend from school.”

  “Oh, you don’t sound happy to see her. Were you expecting her?”

  “No. But that’s Anna. She just shows up from time to time,” I said.

  “It bothers you?”

  ‘Normally no. I love it when she does that, but sometimes it’s inconvenient.”

  “Right now is one of those inconvenient times?”

  “Yes, it is. With all the shit going on, now isn’t the best time for a surprise visit.”

  I untied the cloak, and tucked it into the trunk with the book. As much as I liked Anna at times she was a gossiper, and this would give her fuel for weeks.

  “Abby!” came the bellowing voice from the first floor.

  I began the descent down when I heard the girl’s cheerful prater with my mom. Mom of course gave short, monotone responses.

  “Awesome, Elaine. I’m going to Abby’s room!” the loud soprano voice sang up to me.

  “Hurry down the hall. Last door on the right is mine,” I whispered to Connor.

  I blocked the top of the stair until he was safely in the room and out of sight, “Anna. Hi, what are you doing here?”

  “Way to sound happy to see your best friend,” she pouted.

  “I’m always happy to see you, just wasn’t expecting you to come over today.”

  “Does the surprise have anything to do with that shiny obviously-not-your-Volvo sitting in the driveway?” she asked smacking my arm.

  I slowly closed my eyes and groaned, I had forgotten about Connor’s car. There was no getting rid of Anna now.

  “So whose is it?” she pushed.

  “Not important,” I moaned.

  “Of course it is! It’s a guy isn’t it! Why are you hiding a guy from me?” she squealed.

  “Calm down, Anna. He’s just a guy I work with.”

  “The one you told me about?” she beamed.

  “Yes, Anna.”

  “Why is he here?”

  “We were working on things for work.”

  “Uh huh.”

  “Seriously, that’s it. Just work stuff,” I said.

  “Is he cute?”

  “He’s not bad,” I said taking quick glances down the hall.

  “Well, where is he? Don’t keep mystery man hidden!”

  Sighing heavily I pointed down the hall. The ridiculous girl squealed than danced down to my room.

  “Knock, knock, mystery man! Be prepared to meet the best friend!” she burst into a fit of giggles.

  “Oh stop, giggle queen,” I opened the door wide and let the friend in.

  “Oh,” she gasped when she saw Connor in all his glory sitting on my blue b
ed spread.

  He sat on the edge of it leaning back on his elbows. His brown hair hung down in his face, and the long sleeved, stripped, button-down shirt hugged tightly in all the right places. He flashed his perfect teeth in an amazing smile while standing up awkwardly and extending his hand.

  “I’m Connor.”

  “Hi, Connor, I’m, um, Anna.”

  “Nice to meet you,” he said with a voice like melting chocolate.

  Both Anna and I stood there staring at the man. My heart did a quick somersault.

  Why does he have to be so damn good looking? I thought to myself.

  “You work with that?” she whispered.

  “Mm hmm,” I whispered back.

  “If you don’t want him, I’ll take him,” she whispered again.

  “You can go ahead and try,” I said suppressing a smile.

  “So, Connor, how old are you?” she asked.

  “I’m twenty-one.”

  “And you work where Abigail interns?”

  “I do.”

  “Girlfriend?”

  “No, not at the moment.”

  “Ah,” she smiled coyly while sitting next to him on my bed.

  She leaned forward a bit, making sure he got a good view down her shirt, and just smiled. She was starting off using her best assets. The girl was serious; she wanted to bag this one. Her glossed lips slid into a sultry smile, and she gently bit at the bottom lip. I have seen her use this move a million times, and each time the guy turned to putty in her hands. But for some reason, Connor just seemed put off by it. It was very perplexing. He kept looking from me to her nervously. Anna put her hand on his knee and ran her hand up his thigh. Connor’s face turned beat red. The harder she flirted with him, antsier he got. I sat down in a chair across from them, and observed as she tried to work her charms on the poor man. The entire time she got closer and touched, he slowly inched away. I couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight. I bit my lip, and enjoyed the spectacle as it unfolded in front of me. She eventually had him on the edge of the bed, put a hand on his shoulder, and walked her fingers down his arm.