Chapter Five - Ava

Day two is a little more settling than the first in the family home, and even with that lurking car sitting out front, for some reason I feel safe and tucked in. The beauty of the rugged wilderness has stolen a piece of my heart, and I don’t know why. Maybe it’s because both my parents are dead, and knowing my father enjoyed his childhood at least is bringing me solace and peace of mind.

I’ve been able to study without the traffic outside distracting me, and Gunther constantly calling me to fill in graveyard shifts. Aiden wasn’t lying when he said the fridge was stocked with food. Everything and anything I could want to eat is inside it. I pick out the eggs, studying the label on the side. Raven’s Peak eggs. Local chickens. Smiling, I turn on the vintage radio near the kitchen sink, the sentimental touch making me think differently about my grandparents.

The smooth voice of the breakfast host sets me at ease as I wash the tomatoes to go with the omelet, sink toast into the toaster, and put the coffee pot on. Wow. I’m never going to get over this view. In Chicago, it would likely be some nighttime reveler recovering and pissing in the alleyway to look at. That way I would have to step out and bask in the smell of stale piss. No, not here. There’s wildlife I would never see back home here. Wild deer munching on grass, and blue jays sitting on the windowsill.

This place can’t be mine. I can hardly believe it. There’s a trail map on the side of the kitchen wall and it looks easy enough to follow for myself. I’m pumped up a little by the upcoming adventure. Grinning from ear to ear, I whip up the eggs, dropping them into the hot sizzling pan, thinking this might be a great change for my life.

Would I be too lonely out here or would I be okay and find community in Raven’s Peak? From the sneak peek I saw at the funeral, there wouldn’t be anybody my age to connect with, but that’s not exactly what I’m doing here. I slide my omelet onto my plate along with my tomatoes and spinach.

This house is holding long-buried memories from my family tree that are giving me what I need right now, and that’s fine by me. Recalling Aiden’s conversation, I think about how prosperous Raven’s Peak could be for me. Maybe I can pull myself out of this poverty cycle and set my future up the right way. A warm feeling spreads through my chest as I stare out at the thick clouds in the sky.

Rain’s coming, and I can smell its crispness in the clean country air. Inhaling, I close my eyes maybe thinking I won’t have enough time to explore the lush grounds like I want to. Setting up, I head out to the back decking that faces out to the sprawling expanse of my new property. Putting my plate down, I hold on to my coffee as I look out over the majestic expanse, blown away by its lushness and all the nature sounds.

I find my phone and text my friend Donna.

ME: Dreams do come true. Holding my phone up, I take a quick video of the place. She’s the only one I’ve told so far.

Immediately my phone rings. “Where are you? I’ve been looking for you in class everywhere!”

“If I tell you, I don’t think you’ll believe it,” I gush, spotting a deer and a fox on the property.

“Try me. I need some gossip. Class has been boring without you.”

“Okay.” I can’t stop grinning. “I’ve inherited this property in Wisconsin.”

“No way! You have? It looks freaking huge! What are you going to do with all that? Are you going to sell it?”

“I don’t know what I’m going to do yet.” I don’t tell her about the lucrative nature of the property, not wanting to reveal too much until I fully understand what I’m in for myself.

“Wow. That’s insane. How? What? You gotta give me something go on here.”

“Alright. Apparently, my father’s uncle left it to me. Dad never spoke much about his dad. All he said was they didn’t get along and stuff. But get this,” I bumble out, “he didn’t have any other offspring, so I’m next in line to inherit Raven’s Peak.”

“Wow. Just wow. This is like something out of a movie. He gave it to you? Just like here you go? How big is the place?”

“It’s about ten thousand acres.”

“Shit. That’s big, isn’t it? Wow. I can’t stop saying wow,” Donna repeats mirroring back some of what I’m feeling inside.

“Me neither. Right now, I’m taking it all in. I love it here. It’s been a great escape from Gunther.”

“Ugh. That guy.”

“Yep. Him.”

We talk a little more, and it’s nice to hear her voice amongst the solitude, where I thought I might feel alone, but I don’t. After milling about and studying the house and all its nooks and crannies, I decide the billowing clouds probably aren’t going to produce any rain and head out to check out the property.

There’s a path marked around the property that Jackson left on the map. I leave the back-porch light on so I can see where to return to as a starting point. I was told to wear boots and bring a waterproof jacket before I came, and now I’m glad I did. I head out, not seeing a soul, letting the marked dirt trail guide me. I come to a stop, discovering a ramshackle shack near a small dam on the far north of the property. I turn the knob on the door, not knowing what to expect.

“Maybe they have bears out here,” I tell myself, but when the rusty door swings back all I see is an outhouse toilet. Spooked, I quickly shut the door, moving on quickly. That’s not a toilet I’m going to be using. Giggling, I keep going as an eagle flies overhead circling the property. Next, I find another small hut-like structure in better condition, and it looks as if somebody has actually made good use of it. There’s a tiny kitchen with a small porch and a sink and table with a kerosene lamp on it. I can barely see, and there’s no light, so I use my phone, shocked to see there’s a single bed and a mattress.

Somebody could live in it if they got desperate. Maybe Jackson used it, but why would he? According to Aiden, the man was highly influential and practically a trillionaire. I’ve stumbled onto a mystery of Raven’s Peak. Dusting off the dirt I’ve picked up from the table, I back out of the small hut, and keep walking, but the dark clouds are turning charcoal, and I know they’re brimming with rain.

Shit. A whipping crackle of thunder sounds off preceding the rain as I take note of the forest shortcut to my left. I haven’t lost my sense of direction, and I’m confident I’ll be able to find my way back through the woods and avoid the half-hour trek from where I’ve come, plus there’s still enough daylight.

It should only take me ten minutes if I go through here. It’s not as if there’s not a trail marked out. There’s enough of a clearing, but as soon as I walk in, the dappled light from the trees quickly changes color, the sky deepening to a dull gray. “Shit!” I’m going to get caught out if I don’t hurry.

There’s no more sun and the rain is pouring enough for the wetness to seep in under the tongue of my shoe. Picking up the pace, shards of rain pelt down, but a pure shot of adrenaline shoots through my heart as the sound of a tree branch breaking speeds me up. No. Can’t be. Who would be out here? Without the light it’s tougher to see, and the rain’s plastered my hair to my head before I had a chance to tuck my hair under my waterproof hoodie.

Whipping around, I let my eyes cut through the gaps in the trees checking directly behind me, but I almost wish I didn’t because it’s my worst nightmare . Fuck. There’s the shadowy outline of a large, looming figure in the far distance that I can only just make out. Squinting through the sheets of pelting rain, I pick up the pace searching for the gap between the two tallest spruce trees to make a run back to the property, and call for help.

Maybe I’m dreaming it up. Checking again, my first instinct was right; the shady figure is gaining speed. I turn back in front of me, wheezing as the cold rain slams against my face. I’m more determined than ever to get out of the wet woods to safety. Chills of cold run down my spine with the realization I’m not alone. Is it really a person?

Or is it that bear I was worried about earlier?

Maybe I’m being delusional. “It’s not a person,” I huff, starting to run, branches reaching out to scratch up my jacket, tearing at its sleeves. I can’t risk figuring out if it’s someone dangerous or a predatory animal. At the end of the day, both are going to be a problem.

The footsteps behind me start to get louder, and I run faster, not thinking about the trees piercing through to my flesh, cutting me up. No. I have to get out here. Alive. Pounding sounds off in my head as I take a wrong turn, tripping over an inconvenient log in front of me. My knee hits the branch cracking against it. The sharp ache in my kneecap slows me down as I stumble on the rain-slicked log. Freefall spans a matter of seconds as I brace myself, putting my arms straight out in front of me, my wrists taking the brunt of the strain. The rain continues to pelt down, but I can’t stay here. He’s going to get ahold of me if I do. Grunting, I crawl forward dragging my back foot off the log, but my knee is killing me.

“Leave me alone!” I scream out, sobbing in terror as I scramble, wet leaves stuck to my palms. I crawl forward, but every time I do a shooting pain pierces through my knee. I do the unthinkable glancing backwards at the man to see what I’m dealing with.

He’s wearing a puffer jacket, he’s big, but I can’t see his face because of the baseball cap hanging low over his eyes. There’s too much rainfall for me to see. I suck in as much oxygen as I can as the man comes closer baring his teeth like a wild wolf. They’re white, and a stark contrast to the darkness of the woods.

“You should give up now, don’t you think?” A raspy-coated voice offers through the rain as I scratch around through the mud, dirt caking up under my nails. Desperate, my hand lands over the cold solid surface of a rock, and I find whatever strength I have left to dislodge it from the soil, picking it up and launching at him, but there’s not enough power behind my throw, so it becomes a pitiful pitch in the predator’s direction. He opens his hand like a Venus flytrap, catching it with ease and throwing it behind him.

Horrified, I kick out my foot, doing my best to keep him at bay, but it doesn’t deter the man. I’m no match for him. He’s towering over me, and my hair’s plastered to my face. “No! Fuck off!” I yell out, but the words are muffled by the hallowed echoes of the wind through the pine trees.

“You are a stubborn one,” he comments as he straddles me, bending down to my height. I can’t feel my face it’s so numb from the icy rain pelting down on it, but I can feel the thumping beat of my heart.

Shit. I’m done for. I’m going to die out here, all alone in the Wisconsin woods. Nobody’s going to know.

Kicking out again with my bad leg, I wince as the man pulls a blue rag out of his pocket, the lightning flashing providing me a glimpse of his face. The edges of his hair hanging out from under his cap are blond, and his eyes are the ice-cold blue of glaciers. There’s no soul in him, and before I have time to scream out for help, a chemical is placed under my nose smothering my face.

God his hands are so strong. So strong. I can’t get away from him even if I try. Why can’t I see? Why is everything so blurry? Oh no… I’m fading. It’s over….