“Who are you?” I demand as the two of them grab my arms before I can get to my crossbow. “What do you want?”
They help me to my feet, and suddenly, Dog is nowhere to be found. Some guard dog he is.
“We’re just looking for shelter,” the man insists as the two of them help me to my cabin door.
My head is ringing, but it doesn’t hurt too much, so it’s probably not a concussion. I’ll live. I look the couple over as we walk into the house. I don’t see any weapons, but they could be hidden in their packs.
I nod at them. “Leave the packs at the door,” I say as I sit down on the sofa.
The two of them take off their packs and do as I say before sitting at the little kitchen dinette.
“Do you have any medical supplies?” the woman asks. “That wound is bleeding a lot.”
“I’ll get them. Just…stay there.”
I get up, feeling less dizzy, and glance at them as I pass by. In the bathroom, I find a rag and pour some ancient peroxide on it. I hiss as I hold it up to my head. A pretty good bump is forming, too, but I ignore it.
I step out to check on my guests, but they’re just sitting there, staring at one another. I don’t like it, but I know, if they’d wanted me dead, they could have killed me outside. So, I decide to give them the benefit of the doubt, at least for now.
“I’m Charlotte,” the woman finally says. “And this is my husband, David.
David gives me a little wave, and I nod back at him. He’s trying very hard not to stare at my scar.
“We didn’t mean to startle you like that,” Charlotte continues.
“We just thought it would be a good idea to announce ourselves,” David finishes.
“It usually is,” I admit with a smirk. “I’m Violet.”
“Hi, Violet,” Charlotte says. “That’s a lovely name.”
I grunt in acknowledgment. It’s been a long time since I’ve heard that. It’s like these two just stepped out of a decade ago, and I wonder where they came from.
“How’s your head?” David asks.
“It’s fine,” I answer. “The bleeding stopped. Look, did you two bring any food in those little packs of yours?”
The two of them look at one another hesitantly. They are either really good actors or they have no idea what they’re doing out here.
“Well, I don’t have much either at the moment, so the plan was to go hunting after I fixed the roof.”
“Hunting?” Charlotte repeats.
“Haven’t done any of that in a while,” David said.
“It’s okay. I can tell you’re townies,” I reassure them. “What are you doing all the way out here, anyway?”
They glance at each other again, and then David says, “We thought we’d get an early start on Migration.”
My eyebrows creep up, but I shrug. If they don’t want to tell me the truth, that’s their business. I let it go and start gathering supplies for the hunt.
“You’re going hunting right now?” Charlotte says, surprised.
“The day’s only getting shorter,” I point out as I grab my own pack from one of the overhead storage compartments. Then I walk past them again and step outside to rescue my crossbow from the snow.
After a few moments, Charlotte and David appear in the doorway.
“If you’ve got any food in those packs, you’d better bring it,” I call over to them. “We’ll probably need it.”
“You’re going to hunt with that?” David asks when he spots the crossbow.
“Might as well,” I answer. “I’m good with it.” I’m having trouble not imagining the man with a sweater draped over his shoulders and a tennis racket in his hands.
“Don’t you have a rifle or something?”
“I do, but bullets are expensive, and arrows are reusable.”
“What about us?” Charlotte asks.
“Well, I’m not leaving you here without me, so you’re going to be very quiet and watch.”
With that, I sling my crossbow over my shoulder and call for Dog.
I’m lucky enough to live near a patch of woods, where there’s still enough food for animals to eat, and enough animals for me to do the same. There are even a few predators left, so I keep my eyes open as we head into the forest.
“That’s a large dog you have there,” Charlotte casually says in my ear, breaking my concentration.
“He’s not mine,” I reply without looking at her.
“Oh,” she says.
“We have a mutual understanding. We need to be quiet now, though.”
“Oh, alright,” she whispers and steps back over to her husband.
The two of them trail behind me, and I can almost pretend they aren’t there. Almost. A few minutes later, I hear Charlotte scream, followed by a roar filling the forest. My heart starts to race immediately, and I spin around, expecting to see wings and fire.
My mind starts to flashback to a different time and place before I can calm it, but then I see that it’s not a dragon but a black bear. They aren’t the biggest in the woods, but they’re still dangerous.
David yells as the bear knocks him to the ground with a swipe of its paw. I shout for Charlotte to move back, and then I run toward David and the bear. Dog passes me, barking and risking his own life for the stranger. Looks like restocking the freezer’s gonna have to wait.