The Truth About Kadenburg by T. E. Ridener Page B

Bamey had snatched them up to do laundry? And besides-it
wasn’t her fault she left in such a hurry. Uncle Arnold had shown up
and she knew he was angry with her. It was a fight she didn’t want to have.
    A calm breeze swept over the hospital grounds then,
picking up leaves and carrying them short distances as she shivered from the
air licking at her naked legs. She curled her toes against the soft grass as
she swallowed the growing lump of dread in her throat.
    What if her Uncle Arnold had followed her somehow?
    Impossible, she thought. He was still inside
when I took off. There’s no way he knows which direction I went.
    A frown tugged at her lips as her brows furrowed and
Presley’s eyes scanned every direction. She didn’t see anyone, but she could feel them. Someone was there.
    “This isn’t funny,” she gulped.
    There was still no reply.
    Maybe she was just being paranoid. It had been known
to happen before. Of course, back then it was because she’d discovered the
joys and wonderments of marijuana and she was always so sure the cops were
waiting right outside the door to take her in for lighting up.
    The rustling of the leaves as the wind picked up caused
her to jump as she whirled around to gaze in the direction of the wooded area
behind the hospital. Her heart was pounding in her ears as she licked her dry
lips, eyes darting back and forth to catch any signs of movement. She still
couldn’t see anybody.
    Presley’s hands curled into fists as the muscles in her
body began to tense up. That often happened when she felt scared. Maybe she
didn’t have anything to be afraid of, but her gut instinct was rarely wrong.
There was something or someone watching her and she didn’t like
it.
    “I’ve got mace,” she called out. Lie. She didn’t have anything at the moment. She wasn’t even sure where she’d left her
cellphone and even if she did have it, there was a good chance she wouldn’t get
service in this area anyway.
    You’re a genius, Presley, her mind scolded as
she whirled around upon hearing the sound of a twig snap. The quick rhythm of
her heartbeat echoed in her ears as she willed her breathing to remain steady.
She wasn’t in the dark and she could see everything right now, why did she feel
like she was stuck in a corny 80’s horror film?
    Flashbacks from the night before suddenly flooded her
mind as she recalled the wolf that stared her straight in the eyes. The image
seemed so vivid.
    It wasn’t a dream.
    She remembered now. She remembered everything. Jim
had given her a lift home but they never made it there. Oh God, poor Jim! Was
he okay? A hand quickly darted to her mouth as Presley’s eyes widened and a
thick feeling of dread pooled in her stomach. Her chest ached as she realized
the bear and wolf nightmare had in fact been a reality.
    Presley’s knees nearly gave out on her as she took a
step backwards and then turned around to run in the direction she’d come from.
She was only a mile or so out from the main road and she suddenly felt very
threatened. She had to get out of here.
    As her right foot swung forward, her legs gave out on
her when her eyes fell upon the colossal gray wolf that stood near the path
she’d walked on only moments before. Presley collapsed against the grass as
her mouth fell open and a silent scream ripped past her lips.
    This wasn’t real, right? This couldn’t be real. Logic
and irrational fear began to collide in a waging war in her mind as she pressed
her palms against the grass beneath her body, trying to push herself up. Every
nerve in her body screamed for her to stay still, but her mind told her she
needed to run.
    A low growl sounded from the wolf as it lowered its
head, paws as big as Presley’s head moving, bringing it closer to her as she
stood on shaking legs and took a step backwards. Her eyes lowered to the wolf’s
black muzzle, watching as its mouth opened to reveal razor sharp fangs.
    Better to eat you with, my dear, Presley thought
as