Maya

I knew something was wrong the moment I woke up.

There's blood splattered across the snow.

I can smell it. The wind carries it across the clearing, the scent sticking to my skin and clothes like a second layer.

I kneel to get a closer look. Blooded tracks lead into the woods but I'm not sure if they're a dog's or a wolf's.

"Maya?" Rayan calls from the back porch. He hides behind the rocking chair, his eyes wide. "Can I come out?"

I shake my head and stand back up. "Stay right there, Rayan."

I scan the tree line. The sun is setting and the trees cast long shadows. Autumn retired, giving way to an early winter. That means more predators in the woods searching for food.

I don't know what type of animal could bleed that much and not be roadkill.

What could be strong enough to kill a wolf? A grizzly bear? Perhaps a pack of coyotes? I can't make much sense of it.

There's not much I can do. I scatter the evidence and walk back to the back porch.

"Was it a wolf?" Rayan asked. He wrapped his arms around my leg.

I ruffle his hair and herd him back inside. "I'm not sure, kiddo."

"Will it come back?"

"No," I lied.

—

Safia sits in the office, doing her homework. Suspension from school is just a small drop in the bucket of problems.

Emma, the girl with the blue eyeshadow, drops off homework and information packets.

Watching those two interact is like seeing a house catch on fire. Safia is a little bit more gently around her, like a fox tiptoeing around a hunter.

Drew is at the counter, talking in hushed tones with a customer. After two months on the job, I'm slowly starting to recognize faces and names.

Mrs McKinnon nods her head sadly, clutching her necklace with a gold cross hanging from it.

"I can't explain it, Drew." She said. "They got Fish and Wildlife Services out there but they can't get either heads or tails of it."

"Poor, son of a gun. I can't imagine going out like that." Drew sighed, taking his hat off and pressing it against his chest. "Chester harmed nobody. All he's ever done is work."

I place the bag of horse feed on the counter. "Morning, Mrs McKinnon. What's going on?"

She looked surprised, fluttering her eyelashes. "You haven't heard?"

"I'm all ears if you wanna tell me."

"Well, you didn't hear it from me," she said, lowering her voice. "One of the ranch hands down by Clearwater Ranch got mauled to death. I heard it from one of the girls that they found Chester's body this early morning."

My mind flashes back to the splash of blood I found this morning.

"Wolves?" I ask tentatively.

"Looks like it." She purses her lips. "Maybe a grizzly bear that didn't go into hibernation."

"Are these types of things common?"

She gives me a sad smile. "Oh, dear. You're not from around here are you?"

No kidding.

Drew sighs and puts his hat back on. "It's a real shame, Kay. I just didn't expect it to happen. Man and wolf don't belong together."

Something feels off after that. Drew closes the shop early and heads to the car on the corner. He invited me but I declined and decided to go for a drive to clear my head.

There's no evidence that something is wrong. And it's so frustrating because I'm on edge. I've learned to trust my gut and my gut is telling me that something unnatural is lurking around.

The small town is normal and quiet. The run-of-the-mill place your mom or pop used to shop at. There's a diner on the corner where people greet each other by name. Town hall is a small concrete building with a nice, tidy garden. There is even a community cemetery that has plaques for the town's founders.

It's the last place you'd expect to hide a killer.

Wolves and Mankind is a story as old as time. A pack of Wolves kill man's livestock and then man kills wolves and on and on it goes till one side is driven to extinction.

I drive down the road, watching my rearview mirror till I reach Clearwater Ranch. The large gate opens and I can see the sheriff's car in the long driveway. A black news van is just outside the perimeter.

A woman in a blue coat and earmuffs talks into the mic. I can't hear what she's saying but I read her lips.

—

"A local ranch hand was found early this morning. The authorities have not released a statement but there has been speculation that it is a possible mauling by local wildlife."

Rayan and Carlos are upstairs.

I take a sip of my water as the Newswoman prattles on, the camera focuses on the Coroner van where police officers are carrying a body bag.

"Authorities have warned local residents to be wary of being alone after hours and to stay vigilant. The sheriff's department has chosen to not disclose if this is a result of human or wolf involvement—"

Annette presses herself against my side, her eyes on the screen. I place my arm around her.

"Can we change the channel?" She asks.

"Sure, kiddo," I say, picking up the remote and switching over to something that is less traumatizing.

Safia meets my eye. I shake my head and return to the TV.

—

I'm back in the same place I started.

The sky's alight with stars but the stars are going out one by one. I don't feel at peace anymore.

No one is humming and there is no wind.

It's so unnaturally still.

"Are you there?" I ask, hopeful that someone might answer me.

The silence persists and more stars wink out of existence.

My body won't move. I can't even wiggle my big toe. My chest feels heavy with dread as a cold presence descends over me.

I can feel the aura of danger and death as they circle me like a predator stalking an injured animal.

"You are so far from home, little one." The voice says. I can feel something trying to slither into my thoughts, probing for a weakness. "And so are the others. Who will protect you?"

I grit my teeth. "I will."

They laugh. It echoes all around me. I can even hear them laughing inside of my skull.

"You?" A hand caresses my cheek but there's nothing tender in the gesture. "You fear your own powers. I can see your mind so clearly; the fear of death and ruin hunt you, the inability to feel love for yourself, the distance of those closest to your bleeding heart."

I laugh but it comes out high-pitched and breathy. "You're just a figment, a stupid little phantom created by my brain. You can hurt me."

"Oh?" Their hands cradle my head, cold fingers pressed against my temples. "Shall we test that?"

—

I wake up with a scream, a knife in my hand.

Someone yanks the knife out of my hand and tosses it across the room. My vision is red as I grab the person, twisting around in their grip and pinning them to the ground.

"Stop!" Safia screams, bracing her arm against my throat. "Maya! It's me! For fucks sake—!"

I scrambled off her as I realised what I'd nearly done. My back hits the wall as I feel my chest heave. I place my head in my hands trying to chase away that feeling of dread that haunts me like a waking nightmare.

I control my heartbeat, forcing it to go back to a normal baseline.

"I'm sorry," I gasped. "I'm so sorry. Safia, I—"

Safia watched me carefully, rubbing her arm. I didn't mean to hurt her. An apology is on the tip of my tongue but she silences me. Safia looks at me, her eyes narrowed. She pressed a finger against her lips and pointed outside.

I pause and then close my eyes, feeling around the house and around it.

Someone is here. I can feel them lurking around. Their heartbeat is faint, barely a whisper.

I nod and retrieve my gun from the nightstand. It's fully loaded. I make sure to tug my jacket on as I get up slowly. I wince as the floorboards creek as I press my feet against them. I'm barefoot and the bitter cold is determined to sneak into my bones.

I stop at the corner of the hallway, leading into the living room. The blinds on the windows are closed and there's hardly any light. It's so quiet, the wind doesn't even blow and the hum of the fridge is low.

I duck back, pressing my back against the faded wallpaper.

Whatever is out there is impatient. It prowls the perimeter looking for a way in. The only thing between it and the kids is me.

I didn't know such a fear could exist.

Until now, that is.

"Safia," I call her name, nodding my chin towards the stairs. My voice is a hissed whisper, full of urgency. "There's a phone inside my nightstand. If I'm not back in thirty minutes, you dial the number 28364377. I've written it down on a sticky note if you forget."

She looks offended, her eyes flashing briefly blue. "Are you kidding me?" She argues. "If we go out there together there's a better chance of us stopping them."

"No."

"I can fight." She tries to walk past me but I grab her by the back of her shirt and yank her back.

"Absolutely fucking not. You're a kid and it's my job to protect you, not the other way around." I tighten my grip on her. "There will be times when I'll need you to fight, that is not now. If anything happens to me, you'll have to get your siblings to safety. Do you understand that? I need to know if I can depend on you. Please, Safia. My first priority is you. All of you."

Her eyes turn towards the door. I can see the wheels spinning in her head. It's not easy to ignore years and years of instinct. When all you've done is fight for survival, the mere thought of running away seems unbearable.

She going to hate me. That's fine. As long as she and the others are safe, nothing else matters.

Safia lets out an indignant huff and looks me in the eyes. "Fine," she says. "Thirty minutes."

"Thirty minutes," I confirm. "Now go wake the others. You remember where the To-Go bags are?"

"Linen closet. Under the ugly pink towels."

"Good." I raise the gun and turn the safety off, ready to shoot. "Now, go."

Safia acquiesces, much to my relief. She silently tiptoes up the stairs, heading towards Carlo's room. Once I hear the door to his room open I start walking towards the door.

I can't even begin to explain the fear that threatens to paralyse me. Adrenaline floods my system as I twist the door knob of the main door open and creep outside. It's pitch black out here, on the dim porch light provides some form of light.

"Whoever the fuck is out there, I'll happily remind you that I am armed and I will fucking shoot you in your stupid face," I announced, making my way around the corner to get to the back porch. "If you give up now, I'll probably just maim you."

There's no answer.

My steps are slow and steady. My breath is even.

They're no longer close, their heartbeat fading away as if they've simply lost interest.

It doesn't take long for me to find bloody footprints. They're fresh on the new snow and they lead to the old tree trunk where I chop my wood. I can't feel them anymore, it's as if they've faded away light a ghost in the night. Chills run down my spine as I follow the footprints, my heart thudding so hard it might break my ribs.

There's a mass of fur and blood next to the tree stump. The wind picks up, tugging at my hair and clothes. The fresh scent of death and blood is carried in the wind, marking the end of a life.

The moon peaks through the clouds for a single moment, allowing to me see the carnage before me.

In the snow, five wolves lay dead.