Chapter 2 He Is The One

• Lyra's POV
• Josephine and I dug while Abigail packed the coals we unearthed into the canvas bags we’d brought. After a few minutes, Abigail made a face, uncomfortable.
• “Pee,” she rasped.
• I blinked at her, frowning. “What?”
• “Pee.”
• “You wanna pee?” I asked, confused.
• Aby nodded.
• “Be an adult. You don’t need permission.”
• She scrambled up the rocky slope that led to the cave entrance and vanished into the forest beyond.
• “Where’s she going?” Josephine asked.
• I didn’t answer. Silence settled over us for a moment, broken only by the scraping of metal on stone.
• “You know,” I began, “I’ve been meaning to tell you—you're quick to anger, Josephine. That doesn’t quite suit a girl with such beauty.”
• She kept working, and didn't look up. “What do you mean?”
• “Not everyone has to agree with us all the time. Sometimes, we agree to disagree. That’s life. And with time, we learn to let go of certain attitudes. This... should be one of them.”
• Josephine dropped her gaze, hiding her expression. We worked for a while longer, sweat collecting in my palms.
• “I think we’ve done enough,” I said. “Let’s take as much as we can carry.”
• “Right.” Her voice had softened.
• I hoisted the cotton bag, sturdy enough for the weight of coal.
• “Ain’t Aby supposed to be back by now?” Josephine asked.
• I froze.
• A prickling tension shot through my ears and into my skull. She'd been gone too long—no one pees for ten minutes or even more.
• “What’s she still doing out there?” I muttered.
• Silence settled in for a moment.
• “You hear that?” Josephine said, her brows drawing close.
• “Hear what?”
• “A scream.” Her voice tightened. “I think I heard someone scream.”
• My heart skipped.
• “Aby,” I whispered. “Abigail. That had to be her.”
• I bolted for the entrance, Josephine right behind me. My body surged with adrenaline. I wasn’t sure how I cleared the red cedar tree we passed on the way in—but I remembered doing it in one motion, like a deer chased by a predator.
• “Abigail!” I shouted, scanning the trees. “Aby!”
• Josephine joined me, her voice high with worry. Another scream pierced the silence, this time to the west.
• We ran.
• “I smell blood,” I said suddenly, stopping. “Josephine—I smell blood.”
• “You what?”
• “Blood. Aby’s hurt. I know it.”
• “How do you—?”
• “I don’t know. I just do.”
• I turned to her. “We should split up. We’ll cover more ground.”
• Josephine frowned and brushed dirt off her chest. “Are you sure that’s smart? Wouldn’t we be safer sticking together? What if we’re attacked?”
• It was a good point. Too good. It could be exactly what the attacker wanted—to separate us.
• “Do you have a better idea?” I asked.
• She hesitated, the fear showing in her eyes. Despite her tough exterior, Josephine’s heart had always been tender.
• “Please,” I said, taking her hand. “Anything you see—scream and run to the cave. That’s our rendezvous point. I’ll come for you.”
• She sucked in her lips, then nodded.
• We took off in separate directions. I followed the trail where I’d last heard the scream, eyes scanning the forest floor. Blood marked the leaves—fresh, small drops, but enough for a trained ranger like me to follow.
• The trail led into a quiet, shaded grove beneath towering trees. Some trunks were as wide as my grandfather’s truck. The silence was suffocating.
• I paused.
• Goosebumps prickled my arms. Something was watching me. I scanned the shadows, my instincts screaming danger.
• I couldn’t defend myself. Not without a weapon.
• I tried to breathe slowly. Stay calm. Think.
• Josephine. Was she safe?
• I should’ve never let her go alone.
• Then I heard it—a faint, mournful whimper.
• “Aby?” I called. “Abigail, is that you?”
• No answer.
• I knelt by a tree root—and there she was.
• Abigail lay crumpled, her white top shredded and soaked in blood. Her lips looked like torn cardboard, red and trembling. Her eyes were glassy, bloodshot.
• “Jesus Christ,” I whispered, kneeling beside her.
• I cradled her damp head, voice trembling. “What happened to you, Aby? Who did this?”
• She coughed weakly, blood sputtering from her mouth. I grabbed a handkerchief and wiped her face, her shirt. “Just breathe. I’m here. Breathe.”
• She lay her head in my lap, breathing shallowly.
• “N-Not who,” she whispered.
• “What?”
• I leaned closer.
• “Not who,” she repeated. “It’s a what.”
• I tensed.
• “What do you mean?”
• “Wolf... is... here.”
• I snapped my head up.
• Behind me stood a massive wolf, canines gleaming red—Abigail’s blood dripping from its mouth.
• My pulse pounded.
• I gently lowered Abigail’s head to the ground and rose, facing the beast.
• “Dangerous,” she murmured, her breath fading.
• “I know.”
• The wolf paced in a circle, gauging me.
• I had no weapon. Not even the shovel, we’d left those back in the cave. This thing could kill us both.
• Then I saw it—a rock buried near Abigail. It was the size of both my fists clenched together.
• I dug my fingers around it, trying to pry it loose.
• The wolf noticed. It snarled and charged.
• I dove, narrowly avoiding its claws, though one scraped my stomach, tearing my shirt and grazing my skin.
• The rock rolled beside me. I grabbed it.
• But Abigail wasn’t so lucky. The beast slammed her into the tree. Her head struck hard. She slumped, unconscious.
• “No!” I screamed. “You motherfucker! Come at me!”
• The wolf let out a deep howl— as though the idiot was laughing at me.
• It charged again. I waited, then I hurled the stone straight at its face. The impact landed. The wolf howled, staggering back, one eye gushing blood.
• I didn’t smile long but I did a little. The beast wasn’t done.
• I had nothing left to throw.
• It lunged. I dodged, but it anticipated my move. Its claws raked across my thigh, tearing into flesh.
• “Damn!” I cried, clutching the wound.
• The wolf snarled, eyes gleaming with vengeance.
• It lunged again. I faked right and dove left. The move tricked it once, but it wouldn’t work again from the way I see it.
• This time, it was faster.
• It leapt, claws outstretched. I caught its front legs, but its hind legs drove me back. I lost my balance and hit my head on a rock.
• Pain exploded in my skull. Blood ran into my eyes.
• I was going to die.
• As the wolf reared to strike, a blur of movement slammed into its skull. The beast tumbled, yelping, until it hit a tree with a sickening thud.
• A figure stood between me and the wolf, tall and motionless. He turned slowly.
• My heart skipped.
• “W-who...” I gasped, vision blurry, “what are you?”