﻿ Winterland. Published By Amanda Shepherd at Smashwords. Copyright 2011. Amanda Shepherd Smashwords Edition, License Notes This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, Please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author. Winterland Day One. He carried her over the thresh hold and she wrapped her arms around her loving husband of one year, Adam. "This is perfect". She whispered, as she tenderly kissed him. Outside of the cabin, the snow fell steadily, creating a beautiful still, white winter land. The landscape was a perfect sheet of white and the wooded area that surrounded the cabin was capped with white. It was the sort of scene that Cassie had only ever witnessed in the movies. Right now, her current surrounding felt surreal to her. Cassie let herself down from Adam's strong arms and stood in the open doorway. Even though she was donned in a heavy jacket, jeans and boots, the icy bitterness of the air nipped at her. As she breathed out, she could see her warm breath turn white and dissipate into the cold air. Cassie's long orange, wavy hair cascaded from under her beanie, keeping her neck warm. Her pale smooth skin was speckled lightly with faint freckles and they emphasised her blue eyes. Her petite frame had made it easier for her husband to carry her through the snow to the cabin door. A smile broadened across her face. Winter was her favourite time of the year and the snow made the season perfect. What made this getaway even better, was that on their journey to the cabin, there had been no sightings of any other property for about forty kilometres. No property that could be seen, anyway. She loved the romance of it all. They were away from the hustle of the streets, their jobs and just day to day life. Cassie felt safe and secure in the presence of her husband. They had six days of complete quiet out here and Cassie and Adam were going to make the most of it. They had planned to make the most one another, without the interruption of the modern world, including mobile phones, television and even other people. Hearing the crackling of the fire, Cassie turned to see that Adam had lit it, to warm the cabin. She stood in awe of the beautiful fire place and the atmosphere that it had created. Adam quickly went around and pulled off the dusty white sheets covering the furniture, revealing vintage style lounges and armchairs that were a little worn, but otherwise in great condition. The rose pattern on the furniture comforted Cassie as it reminded her of her Grandmother’s house. She momentarily wondered how many people had sat upon this old lounge. Dust covered everything else, but it didn’t bother Cassie. No one had been here in years, not since Adam's parents had passed away. Being the only child, he'd inherited two properties including this one and some money. But this was the first time he had ever bought his new wife here. It was the first time, since his parents had passed on that he had set foot in this cabin. The last time he was here, he was with his father spending quality time with him. They had drunk beer, fished and hunted. Cassie knew that this was a symbolic moment for him. Adam slowly approached her and gently took her hand. He was taller than she and of solid build. His hair was dark, short and ruffled on top from where his beanie had been pulled off. Those big brown eyes had captured her from the very first time they had met. She had looked into them and he had captured her, they were so large and kind. He squeezed her hand in a loving gesture, as he brushed past her and out the door towards the Ute. After he had finished bringing in their bags and supplies, he headed down to underneath the cabin, where there was a generator to supply their electricity. The machine whirred into motion, after a few attempts to start it. The smell of petrol filled Adam’s nostrils and he was glad that the odour had never managed to reach the inside of the cabin. Cassie slowly walked around the inside of the cabin; it was much larger on the inside, than it had appeared on the out. There were two large bedrooms, a bathroom, a small lounge room and a little kitchen with a bench top and stools. The floors had once been polished throughout, but now were a little dull and lacked shine. Instead of curtains to cover the windows, there were wood shutters on the inside. Cassie loved the chic style of it all; in the city people would pay a reasonable amount for a cabin decorated in this style. Looking up at the ceiling, Cassie realised that there was an attic hatch. On the hatch of the ceiling, there was a pull chord. Reaching up, she jumped a few times to try and grab it, but it was just a little out of reach. "What are you doing?" Adam's deep voice startled her, as she spun around. "Nothing, just wandering what was up there" Adam put the car keys on the bench top in the kitchen. "Nothing. There's nothing up there. Mum and Dad never stayed here long enough to store anything up there. Now let’s make something to eat, the sun is going down and we need to get this place and ourselves warmed up and settled in". The First Night Adam tenderly ran his hand down the middle of Cassie’s back, as they lay together on the floor, upon their warm blankets. The fire crackled and the heat radiated throughout the cabin. The lounge room was so warm that it felt as if it were summer. Cassie rolled over, holding the blanket over her naked body as she did so. She took another sip of champagne. She couldn't have asked for a better way to celebrate their wedding anniversary. Adam joyfully watched her and he knew that his wife was happy and that was what made him happy also. Sitting up, he reached for his flute of champagne and sipped it also. Gently clinking their glasses together, they toasted to many more years of wedded bliss. Day Two The First Morning Cassie’s skin felt the chill, as she opened her eyes to the early morning. Adam wasn’t beside her and as she noticed that the fire place was dark and dead, she realised that he must have got up to collect firewood from the wood shed. She pulled the thick quilts up around her ears, as she fought to keep the air out. The door clanked open and Adam stepped in, immediately he slammed the door behind him as he attempted to shut the icy air out. In his arms, he carried a large wooden bucket full of wood for their fire. Placing it near the fireplace, he took his wet boots off and threw them near the front door. He pulled on his wool boots and knelt beside his beautiful wife. "Feel like some breakfast?”. Cassie poked her head out. "Something hot would be nice". She requested. "Scrambled eggs it is then" Adam pulled some wood from the bucket and arranged in the old fashioned stove in the kitchen. As he fired it up to heat the hot plate, Cassie stood with the quilt wrapped tightly around her and headed for the bathroom to have a shower. The furnace to heat the water in the old bathroom had already been lit. Cassie was thankful that she had a thoughtful husband that did these things for her. Grabbing some warm clothes from the bedroom, she went back into the bathroom and shut the door. The smell of a warm breakfast filled her senses as she came into the kitchen. Her eggs and coffee were waiting for her and she was looking forward satisfying her hunger. The cabin was toasty warm again and the crackling of the fire made her feel relaxed. Adam sat beside her and began to eat. "I thought that we might go to the lookout today. We could walk. It's only a ten minute hike." The suggestion sounded great to her, but she was concerned about the icy temperature. Adam could see this. "We'll take a thermos and blanket and sit and enjoy the scenery. The walk will keep us warm.” Adam stated. Cassie didn't have to respond, as her husband herself knew each other so well. He knew she would love this idea and she knew that he was right about being able to keep warm. She trusted that he wouldn’t let her freeze out there. After they both finished breakfast, Cassie cleared up while Adam fixed the fire place so that it would still be burning on their arrival back to the cabin. The Lookout She was speechless. They were on the edge of a cliff with only a little barrier dividing them and the long drop down. She stepped closer to the edge and looked down. There was an inlet, surrounded by cliffs. Cassie could imagine this being a beautiful swimming spot in the summer. There was a little gap between the circular pattern of the surrounding cliffs and rock faces that allowed water in and out. She looked further out and the ocean stretched out before her. Even in winter, the ocean was inviting. She could hear the surf pounding in the distance and the smell of the salt water. Just as she was about to turn and comment on the view, she doubled over in pain. She clenched her teeth, as the sharp pain in her stomach worsened. Racing to his wife's side, Adam bent down and took her by the arm. The pain subsided and Adam helped her up from the ground. "What just happened with you?" He assisted his wife over to the comfortable spot they had made with the blanket. "I don't know. A bad stomach pain, I guess." Cassie replied. He opened the stainless steel thermos and poured some coffee into the cup. "Have this. It will warm you and make you feel better". Cassie took the cup and sipped the warmth. It settled her a little and after a short while, she did feel a bit better. Packing up the blanket, Adam put it into his backpack along with the thermos. After walking for a couple of minutes, Cassie slowed down a little. Her head began to throb. "I'm sorry Adam, but I don't feel well. I think I should go back to the cabin". Adam didn't argue with this, as he could see that she wasn't feeling well. An uneasy feeling came over him as he helped his wife back to the trail. Back at the Cabin As Cassie relaxed on the couch, the fire warmed her skin, but on the inside she was cold and shivering. Beads of perspiration rolled down her forehead, but she continued to shiver as if she were standing naked in the snow. Adam took the quilt off her and replaced it with a lighter blanket, in an attempt to bring her temperature down. He had tried to put the fire out, but Cassie had protested so much, he decided to just leave minimum wood on the hearth. He was rugged up in a jumper and jacket to fend off the cold. It worried him that his wife was both hot and cold at the same time. Squatting down beside her, he looked into her eyes. "I think that she would go home and take you to the doctor". Cassie once again protested. "No. It's fine. I will feel better in the morning. I just need a good night's sleep." Adam gently touched her hair and reluctantly agreed. Cassie was one of the most stubborn women he had ever encountered. "At least let me make you some soup. You need to keep your strength up." Beautiful colours flowed in through the windows of the cabin, as the sun was setting. Even in this perfectly white, cold terrain, the sunset was still breathtaking. An empty cup sat beside the couch and the soup had warmed Cassie from the inside. She laid peace fully; ready to slip off into a deep sleep. Adam knelt beside her. "I'll have to go and get some more petrol for the generator. I'd forgotten how much that thing uses. I'll only be an hour. I'll be back before you wake again." He kissed her forehead and she remained relaxed. Adam was pleased to see that his wife was obviously feeling a little better than the hours before. Wind whistled through the trees outside as Cassie opened her eyes again. She had slipped off into sleep without realising it. There was no light in the cabin, as her eyes adjusted to the darkness room. The only light was that of the faint glowing embers in the fireplace that had died down while she had slept. She glanced at her watch. It was nearly nine o clock and Adam wasn't back yet. Sitting up and throwing the blanket off, she realised that the frosty air had already filled the cabin. Cassie shivered. She touched her skin and it was cold. But that was good, if she felt cold on the inside and out; it had to mean that she was recovering. It was a large improvement on how she'd felt a few hours before. Standing up, she slowly walked over to the window. Cassie felt a little more wrested, but her stomach was tender and there was a slight thump inside her head. Adam's Ute was gone and she wondered how long it would be before he returned. She flicked the light switch beside the door. The light flickered on and off. She tried again, but nothing happened this time. Cassie went to the bedroom and layered herself with warm clothing. She thought that if she could just get the generator to work for a little while, then she wouldn’t have to sit alone in the dark. Picking up the torch, she made her way out the front door and around the side of the house. A creepy feeling crept into her body, as the wind whistled around the trees and the cabin, seeping into her bones the frosty wind made her shiver. An eerie feeling overcame her as clouds crept across the moon, creating long huge shadows in some areas and making the snow iridescent in others. Turning her attention to opening the wooden door, leading under the cabin, something passed in the corner of her eye. Heart pounding, she turned and shone the torch around. Her body trembled and her eyes begun to water out of fear. She knew that she wasn't alone. There was someone or something watching her. Pulling the latch up, she was frightened by a loud thud. Cassie looked down at the ground and realised that a large rock had been thrown at her head. Pulling the little wooden door open, she threw herself inside, near the generator and pulled the door shut. She crouched down, shivering with fear and tears rolling down her cheeks. Her heart was pounding so hard, that she felt her pulse was going to explode. It was so quiet now. All she could hear was her own heart beating and her breathing. Her fear had overcome her as she realised that the door could only be locked from the outside and that she had dropped her torch out there. Crawling over to the wall, she could see outside, through the gaps in the wooden slats. Clouds had passed completely across the moon, rendering the snowy landscape dark. She strained her eyes making and attempt to see who was out there. It was as if the whistling of the wind had stopped and the world had turned silent, to focus on her. Her breathing became heavier as she slowly brushed her fingertips against the rough wooden slats. "Bang!" The slats vibrated as Cassie threw herself back beside the generator in fright, as her heart pounded faster and heavier. The sound of feet running through the snow terrified her and she sat fixed to the cold ground. Even too scared to breath, she had realised that someone had locked her in. But there was no one there now. She was alone again. Her headache intensified and so did her stomach pains, as the stress of the situation bought on her illness. She pulled the thick collar of her jacket up as far as it would go and she pulled her beanie down as far as it would stretch. The ground beneath her was icy and the draught crept in between the slats, nipping at her hands, nose and cheeks. Cassie knew that she couldn't stay long, in this cold and hoped that her husband would soon pull up, to get her out of here. Slowly, she crawled over to the wooden door and pushed hard on it, but as she expected, the door had been latched. Weakly beating her hands against the latched door, she made an attempt to call for help, but her voice refused to work. Snow fell outside and her limbs were becoming harder to use. If it was possible for the air in the lungs to freeze, then Cassie guessed that the air in her lungs was frozen solid. What else could prevent her from calling out? As her face remained gently pressed against the slats, her mind had unintentionally drifted away. She thought of the warm fire, a hot cup of tea and her husband. She drifted back a little, as she realised that she was breathing so heavy that she could clearly hear it herself. She slowed her breathing, to calm down, but realised that the loud breathing continued. A slight warmness radiated through the slats and as she stopped breathing to hold her breath, the breathing continued. Cassie realised that it wasn’t her breath that she was listening to. Quickly peaking between the slats, she screamed in fright as an eye peered back at her. She threw herself back in fright as she stumbled out of control and hit her head on the generator. Waking Up "Cassie. Wake up." Adam was kneeling over Cassie as she slowly woke and opened her eyes. For a few moments, he and everything around her was blurry. But it didn’t take long for things to come into focus. Adam had refuelled the generator and as a result, it was whirring away and had heated the little draughty room a little. An old kerosene lamp sat near them both, providing much needed light. Adam helped his wife to sit up and she rubbed the back of her head. A huge lump had formed on the back of her head where she had fallen and knocked it. She knew that she was lucky she didn’t have a big gash in her head. Never had she been so relieved to see her husband. Adam sighed with relief as Cassie appeared to be ok. He wrapped his strong arms around his beloved to warm her up. She gently pushed him away, but kept hold of his arms. “What time is it?” She questioned. “Just past 11pm.” Adam answered. Cassie’s head throbbed and so did her body from lying on the hard dirt floor. As the warmth crept through her body, she felt a little better. “What took you so long, where were you?” She asked him as the memory of what had happened came back. “The car broke down between here and St. Eve. I had to walk to town. Then I had to wait for the snow tractor to come back from the city. They towed it to town, but because of the sudden snow fall, they couldn’t bring be back here until it eased. The car will be fixed tomorrow and they’ll bring it here then”. Adam explained. He was tired from a long day of walking and waiting to get back to the cabin. Cassie sat up straighter and grasped his jacket tighter. “We have to leave, Adam. As soon as the car is bought back, we have to leave”. The urgency in her voice and the tenseness of her body spoke volumes. “Calm down, Cass. What happened?” He enquired. She sat up a little taller and tucked her legs beneath her. “There’s someone here, Adam. They locked me in here and tried to get me. We have to leave.” Adam calmly stroked his young wife’s arm. “No, there’s no one here, just us. I should have told you not to come down under here. The door is faulty. It will close on you and sometimes the latch falls down.” Adam explained with a slight smile on his face. It annoyed her that Adam wasn’t really taking her seriously. She looked towards the door and it was half open, with the rock that had been thrown at her, propping it open. “That rock, someone tried to hit me with it. Someone wanted me to be injured”. “Listen to me” Adam began as he made her look into his eyes. “That rock has always been there. Ever since I was a little boy. I came in here to play hide and seek and accidently got locked in. It was in the middle of summer and I nearly died from dehydration. Ever since, there has been that rock there to prop the door open.” Cassie took in what her husband was saying, but she knew what she saw and heard. “No, there was someone here. I heard them breathing on the other side of the wall. I’ll prove it.” She leapt towards the open door. Adam followed suit and bought the lantern with him as he did. Cassie dove onto the snowy ground. As she knelt, her knees sunk into the deep snow. Underneath her, the snow melted from her body heat and seeped into her clothing. She failed to notice as she brushed her hands gently but quickly over the snow, as if brushing it aside. Adam sat the lamp down and grasped his wife’s arm. “What are you doing, Cass?” Snatching her arm from him, she resumed. “Foot prints, there would be footprints.” The distraught woman replied. Spinning around in the snow, she began to dig furiously near the doorway of the little room. “My torch, I dropped it here after that rock was thrown at me”. Adam let her dig, until she gave up, realising that it was futile. The torch was gone. She quietly sat as tears began to roll. She was tired and sore. Now she was starting to feel the freezing cold from her wet clothes. Adam came closer and helped her to her feet. “As soon as the car is fixed tomorrow, we will go home.” Adam assured his frightened wife. They slowly walked toward the front door of the cabin. “I don’t know what happened here tonight Cass, but I can assure you that we are the only ones here. You haven’t been well. Maybe that has something to do with it.” Cassie didn’t have the strength to argue with her husband. She began to doubt just a little bit, that what had occurred had really happened. Maybe she was sicker than she thought. Adam was relieved that she had calmed down. He closed the cabin door behind them and sat her on the couch. He flicked the switch beside the door and the lights came on. “I’ll heat the water up in the bathroom and you can have a nice hot shower. We’ll have some dinner soon, you’ll feel much better.” Cassie just sat and listened to the soothing sound of her husband’s words. He draped a blanket around his calmed wife and took the lighter into the bathroom. As Cassie sat in silence in the lounge room, Adam took some coal lumps and small kindle form the box beside the small water heater. He arranged the kindle and coal in the space beneath it and lit it, to heat the water. Outside, a lone figure stood in the centre of what would be the front yard. He was dressed in dark clothes and his face was partially covered by the hood of his snow jacket. The snow began to fall again as he peered at the closed front door, un-afraid of being seen. After Dinner They both sat at the counter top on the bar stools as they finished their hot dinner. Cassie felt her head ache returning, but this time it was different. Her limbs began to ache and her stomach tightened, as if it were going into a painful spasm, similar to the stomach pains she had at the lookout. Cassie sat her cup of tea down, as she thought that she was going to drop it. She had felt better an hour ago, after she took her shower, but now she felt awful again. “Something wrong?” Her concerned husband questioned. “I feel sick again.” She replied as she rubbed her sweaty forehead and made an attempt to leave her stool. Adam rushed around and helped her to the couch. For a few moments, she just sat still as a metallic flavour filled her mouth. For a second, her eyes became unfocused as she put her finger inside her mouth and pulled it out again. Blood and saliva covered the tip of her finger. She looked at her husband who was still beside her and managed to speak before the focus of her eyes wavered in and out. “My gums are sore.” Adam knew that she was worried about the blood in her mouth, but so was he. He fixed up the pillow on the couch and gently laid her down. “I promise when the Ute comes back tomorrow we are leaving. We have to get you to a hospital.” Adams words seemed to settle Cassie as she no longer resisted the urge to close her eyes. As long as he was looking after her, she knew that she would be fine. Day Three In the morning Cassie awoke in the warm be of their bedroom. Adam had carried her in during the night and had carefully put her to bed. Her watch read 7am, but the overcast snowy day made it seem much earlier. Cassie sat on the edge of the bed with her tip toes brushing the floor boards. She felt a little better, although her head was still aching a little and her stomach felt tender. Raising to her feet she slowly walked to the bedroom door. In the distance, the dark lone figure stood, looking straight into her bedroom, watching as she opened the door. For a moment, she froze. An uneasy feeling crept inside of her. She turned and made her way over to the window. Looking out through the pane of glass there was nothing but white sheets of snow that blanketed the ground and tree tops. Cassie still held an uneasy feeling as the left the room and slowly walked into the little kitchen. Once she was in the kitchen, she saw a covered over plate with a note on top. Cassie picked up the paper and stared at it. Collecting fire wood. Back soon. Enjoy xxx. Cassie smiled as she put the piece of paper on the counter top beside her. Pulling the cover off the plate, the aroma of warm scrambled eggs wafted up. She knew she wanted to eat them in a second, but wasn’t sure if she should. Her stomach protested with a growl and she realised that it wouldn’t hurt to have just a little. After all, she needed to get her strength back. Slowly she ate the breakfast, feeling better as she realised that after no time at all, she had ate it all. Cassie had washed her plate up before sitting down with her hot cup of tea. She groaned in pain once again, as her stomach went into a painful spasm. Her tea cup hit the floor and broke in two, sending tiny pieces of shards across the floor. Sweat began to bead like tear drops on her forehead and drip down. Slowly she made it to the toilet, where her stomach had forced up her scrambled eggs. After ten minutes of sitting on the cold toilet floor, her stomach felt slightly better. Cassie knew that she had made the wrong decision in eating her breakfast. Her head was pounding and her vision was feigning in and out. Tears began to roll down her face, but they were a mixture of fear, sickness and loneliness. A huge single bang on the front door made her jump. Cassie’s heart was thumping out of control and she sat fixed on the floor. “Adam?” She called out. Cassie waited a few moments before moving. Her was pounding hard all she could her was her pulse racing. Pushing herself up, using the toilet bowl, she made her way to the front door. Everything was dead quiet. No fire crackled in the fireplace and no animals stirred outside and no wind blew. Cassie stood at the big wooden front door. Leaning against it, she pressed the side of her face against the door with her hand on the door handle. She reeled back as there was another single loud bang on the other side of the door. She stood with distance between her and the door. Her eyes again feigned in and out of focus, but she had forgotten about her stomach and head ache. Cassie concentrated to focus her eyes. To her horror, the latch was up on the door; whoever was on the other side could easily enter the little house. One slow step at a time, she approached the door. As she readied herself to open the door, she heard the sounds of whispers. She took a deep breath before speaking. “Adam, are you out there?” The scared woman knew in her heart that Adam wasn’t there, but she had to ask, even though she didn’t really know why. The whispering ceased and Cassie could imagine whoever was out there, whispering were now just staring at the door. She knew of course that it wasn’t Adam out there, but she hoped that if whoever was out there would be scared off by the thought that someone else was due back. Taking a firm grip on the door handle, Cassie mustered up all of her strength and bravery and she pulled it open. The brightness of the stark white snow made her place her forearm over her eyes, until her eyes adjusted. It hit her; the iciness of the air. The snow continued to fall and Cassie suddenly realised that if it fell any harder, they would be stuck here indefinitely. Cassie didn’t know what true fear was until right at this moment in time. She not only felt isolated, but scared. Taking her arm from her eyes, there was nobody there. Taking a few steps forward, she felt her foot kick something. Cassie couldn’t believe it when she bent down to pick up her missing flash light that she had lost when she hid in the generator room. A bright red stain in the snow had caught her attention, it was only then that she had realised that there were several others as well. Her heart sank as she assumed that this person had killed Adam. It all came back. Dropping her flash light and being terrorized under the house. She flicked the on switch, but nothing happened. Glancing around, she knew that someone had put it here and that they wanted to scare her. Maybe the flashlight wasn’t hers, maybe it was Adam’s. Maybe something had happened to him. Without another thought, she went back inside and made sure the door was locked behind her. Cassie’s head began to pound again, and her vision was still blurring a little. Never the less, she managed to check that all of the windows in the house were locked and that all of the shutters were closed. Sweat continued to bead on her forehead and under her clothes. The fever was coming back. She took the poker from the fireplace and sat at the kitchen bench, perfectly still. She would wait another hour and if Adam failed to return, she would have to go and look for him. Cassie’s eyes were now feeling a little tired. Under normal circumstance, she would just go to bed and sleep it off, but she was not in normal circumstance, so she had to stay awake. As she sat there in silence, she hoped that Adam would turn up soon. When their car was bought back, they would leave and if Adam was not back by then, she would ask the mechanic to send the police back. Her thoughts were bought back to the present, as the wind chimes out the front of the house clanked. Silently and cautiously, Cassie approached the kitchen window and slid the shutters open half way. She glanced out. From the corner of her eye, she thought she saw a dark figure. Once again, she made sure that the door and windows were all locked. As she passed under the attic door, she glanced up at the pull chord. There was something inside if her that wanted to go into that attic, although Adam told her that there was nothing up there; Cassie needed to see for herself. There was an uneasy feeling growing inside of her as she pulled down on the chord. The door opened with ease and she gently pulled down the wood ladder attached. For a few moments she had forgot about her sickness and the predator that was lurking outside. Above her there was only darkness. There was an eeriness feeling about the situation. Carefully, she climbed the ladder to the attic and even though it was well made, it groaned with each foot fall. In her hand she still held the poker as she stepped up high enough to peer into the darkness of the attic. The silence made her as nervous as the darkness did. A musty smell filled her nostrils and she assumed that no one had opened the attic hatch for years. As she breathed in, she sneezed as disturbed dust floated in the atmosphere. Cassie’s eyes adjusted to the darkness. She could make out the ceiling beams and as she glanced around, she could see that the attic was empty. She took a step higher so she stood on the dusty attic floor. Glancing to the other end of the attic, her curiosity was aroused as she saw a small wooden table, with cardboard boxes neatly stacked beside it. As she slowly moved towards it, she noticed there was something covered up with a torn piece of bed sheet. Cassie slowly knelt down before the small, low table and noticed a battery operated lamp on the floor beside her. She found it interesting that where she was kneeling, was dust free, as was the lamp and the table with the cloth. Cassie turned on the small lamp and noticed that even though the boxes themselves were dusty, the top flaps weren’t, it was as if someone had been up here recently and had tampered with them. Her heart pounded out of control, as her hands began to tremble. Maybe it was the person who had been trying to scare her. Could he or she had been up here while she and Adam were in the house? The thought made Cassie feel insecure and scared, but not enough to leave the attic. The different sized shapes beneath the cloth interested her as her trembling hand slowly removed it. Jars and small boxes sat before her. She picked up one jar and opened it. Peering in, she saw dried mushrooms. Screwing the lid firmly in place, she wondered why there were the mushrooms. Opening up one of the small boxes, she was shocked to see a collection of over the counter drugs. Some of them she had recognised to be cold and flu capsules and some appeared to be sleeping tablets. She picked up another jar, or what appeared to be powder. Taking the lid off, she carefully sniffed it and realised it was dried mushroom that had been ground into powder. Cassie was lost in thought, as she tried to figure out the connection between the tablets and the drugs. Then it came to her. The mushrooms were the common variety found in backyards, the type that you weren’t supposed to eat. Poisonous. They were poisonous mushrooms. She then remembered the sleeping tablets. She had been undeniably tired as well as sick. Had someone been poisoning her? The cold tablets combined with other drugs would make you sick. Then it had dawned on her. Someone had been up here, while she and Adam were in the cabin. Her thoughts were interrupted as she heard the front cabin door open. She rushed to the attic hatch and quickly, but silently, pulled it up. Her heart pounded and her body shook as she lay on the dusty floor and peeked down between the tiny cracks of the hatch. Cassie didn’t know if it was Adam. He would have called out as soon as he opened the door. She wasn’t even sure if he was still alive. He silently and slowly crept through the cabin. The only thing that gave him away was the slight creaking of the boards under foot. It didn’t bother him if she was in here and stumbled upon him. The struggle and chase were half the thrill. The catch and kill was the other half. His hand remained in his coat pocket. His dark coat and hood concealed his identity as he crept into the small hallway and stopped. Cassie fought the urge to whimper out of fear as she peaked straight down through the crack of the attic hatch. He stood directly below her. The hooded menace. She took a deep breath in and held it, in fear that he might hear her breath. He glanced around at the hallway doors. One was the bathroom door and the other was the bedroom. The hooded menace knew that she had been poisoned. So by now, she would either be in the bathroom, or in bed. Above him, Cassie laid deathly still. Her sickness quickly returning. She closed her eyes to calm herself. Below her, the menace looked up at the attic hatch. If he had thought she was expecting him, he would climb up and have a look, but luckily she had no idea he was coming. His attention returned to the bedroom door. Slowly, he opened it and to his surprise, the bed was empty. He checked the bathroom, but it too was empty. The front door opened and Adam stepped in. The intruder spun around, with the knife in hand. “Cassie, sorry it took so long.” He called out, as he shut the door behind him. The frightened woman wanted to call out to her husband and warn him, but she froze. The assailant turned to the bathroom and kept out of sight. Cassie found her surge of energy and silently pushed open the hatch and came out. She didn’t know where her tormentor was, but she didn’t want to run straight into him. She could hear Adam in the kitchen, but she was hesitant. What if the tormentor was waiting for her to go towards the kitchen? Cassie pressed her back against the wall of the hallway. “Adam.” She tried to call out, but nerves and fear turned the words to a whisper. “Adam”. She tried again, this time the words came out, just loud enough for her husband to hear. “Cassie? Where are you?” Adam called back. She heard him close the cupboard door. The stayed still against the wall. The poker remained in one hand while she remained in the position to be able to see all of the doors in the hallway. Her hand and body begun to shake with fear, the end of the poker rhythmically tapping against the hallway skirting board in time with her shaking body. Sweat formed in droplets on her forehead, and rolled down her face. The hairs on her arms prickled up as she knew he was watching her. Safety was only a short walk away, to her husband. He watched her through the crack in the door. Her sickly sweaty body clinging to the wall. Her pale face with dark rings around the eyes, too scared to move an inch. Her fear emanated from her like a potent aphrodisiac. He gripped the knife inside his pocket and like a salivating animal; her vulnerability gave him the urge to spill blood. A maniacal grin spread across his face at the thought of finishing her off. Cassie’s head turned toward the kitchen door, away from the bathroom. Silently, he opened the door and slid out. As he stood beside her, with knife in hand, her attention remained on Adam. “Cassie?” Adam opened the kitchen door. He ran to her, as she still clung to the wall. She fell into his arms as the fireplace poker fell to the floorboards with a clunk. Tears streamed down her face as she clung to her saviour. The sight of his sick, hysterical wife alarmed Adam, as he tried to calm her down. “What’s wrong, Cass?” Slowly, she turned her mouth to his ear and whispered as her sobbing subsided. “There’s someone in the cabin. He’s after me.” The serious tone worried the young husband. Placing his hands upon her shoulders, he made her look at him. “No, Cass, there is nobody but us here.” He spoke as he was convinced she had either been dreaming, or hallucinating. “He’s here.” The sick woman insisted, this time in a louder, stronger voice. Adam knew that this would be a hard argument to win, so he compromised in a bid to keep her rational. “Ok. Ok. Listen, I will check the rooms.” Adam stated. Cassie grabbed his arms. “Please be careful.” Cassie pleaded. Gently, Adam pried her fingers away and nodded at her. “Just give me a few minutes.” Adam instructed. Many thoughts ran through his head, as he approached the bedroom door. A part of him wanted to believe his wife. He wanted to believe that she was coherent enough to be able to tell between reality and her imagination. But he then thought about how sick she had been; about the hallucination she’d had of the man trying to scare her in the generator room. Either way… he worried. If she was coherent, then it meant there was or is an intruder in the cabin, but if there wasn’t anyone, then it meant Cassie was sicker than first thought. Cassie stayed against the wall in the hallway, watching her husband approach the bedroom door. Adam slowly pushed open the door and looked around. He cautiously looked under the bed and inside the closet. His actions reminded Cassie of when she was little and her father would check under the bed for monsters. The scared woman watched him emerge as he closed the door behind him. Next, he walked toward the bathroom door that was slightly open. “Adam, that door was shut before.” Cassie’s words worried Adam, as he silently pushed the bathroom door wide open. An icy breeze hit him as he realised that the bathroom window was open. The light curtains, fluttered in the breeze. Adam glanced around the small room, knowing that there was nowhere in here for anybody to conceal themselves. He gripped the window and slid it down, pushing the top latch around as he did so, to lock it. He stood for a moment, in the freezing room. He would like to have believed his wife, but quite often in the last couple of days, since Cassie had been sick, she had a habit of opening the windows in an attempt to relieve her of her temperature. Either way, she was beginning to make him feel paranoid about the whole situation. Adam turned and emerged from the bathroom. His wife nervously waiting for him. Shaking his head, Cassie knew what he meant. “There was someone here, I saw him.” Adam helped his wife to her feet and led her to the kitchen. It was time for him to set things straight. After Adam had shut the bathroom window, the intruder sat on the snowy ground beneath the window, relieved that the man hadn’t decided to investigate the woman’s claims. Satisfied, that it was safe to move, he rose to his feet. He pulled the chord to his hood tight, as he noticed a storm brewing. The icy wind pushed itself through his thick jacket, chilling his skin. Un-noticed, he made his way into the white forest. The third night It had grown dark outside as the fire in the fireplace raged. Different hues of yellow, orange, red and blue flickered and danced on and around the wood. Cassie sat on the couch while Adam quietly stoked the fire. She could see that he was in a world of his own, that he was deep in thought. But when she spoke, her voice bought him back to the present. “There was someone in here today, Adam.” Cassie insisted with a strong tone. The small boiling pot on the old oven top began to over boil and the sound of sizzling rose him to his feet. Adam sat the stoker in its holder and went and made them both a hot chocolate, as he thought about what his wife had just stated. Steam rose from the mug as he carefully handed it to his wife, being very careful not to burn her fingers. He sat beside her. “I don’t know what to say, but there was nobody here today but you and I”. Adam spoke as he took a sip from his cup. Inside he was worried, but his tone remained calm and rational. “I saw blood in the snow at the door. I thought something had happened to you. Somebody put it there Adam” Cassie commented. “Cass, there was no blood. I would have noticed it”. Adam replied. Cassie hid her frustration by taking a big sip of her hot chocolate. The warmth comforted her and so did the softness of the couch beneath her. She took another mouth full to taste the chocolate. The two of them sat for a little while in silence as they sipped their drinks, both thinking of the others’ spoken words. Cassie sat her cup down on the floor beside her. Her stomach started to churn a little and she knew that her illness was coming back again. “When will the car be back?” Cassie asked as she leant her head onto the head rest of the couch. She closed her eyes for a second. Day Four It felt as if she had been sitting in the lounge room forever. Cassie opened her eyes and looked down at her watch. She had been sleeping for three hours; cuddled under thick blanket that Adam had covered her with. She hadn’t even remembered drifting off to sleep. The fire had burnt down, but the beautiful orange embers underneath still glowed. Cassie rubbed her forehead, as her head throbbed. Her eye sight was blurred and as she rubbed them, he realised that it wasn’t helping, but somehow making it worse. A sick feeling grew inside of her stomach. It was strange that only last night she had felt a little better, fallen asleep and now was sicker than she was before. She was getting frustrated at this sickness. Instead of it being like a virus, where she would get really sick for a day and then recover, it was repeatedly coming and going. Cassie was hungry, but knew that if she were to eat, she would vomit. Her stomach was empty and wanted to be fed, but her body and head had turned her off eating anything. Standing up, she had to steady herself. It was 2 am and time to climb into a warm bed. She slowly walked along, noticing how even with two pairs of thick socks on, she still felt the freezing floorboards beneath her feet. Through her blurred vision, she knew that Adam wasn’t there with her. She folded her arms and held them in front of herself tightly. Before she moved, she stood there with fear. She feared that the tormentor was in the cabin with her, possibly even watching her right now. Other than the sound of the crackling embers in the fireplace, the only other sounds were the wind outside. It whipped around so much that the old but sturdy cabin groaned and complained. The complaints of the old cabin scared Cassie. It was an eerie groan and it was pitch black inside. The wind engulfed the cabin, blowing an icy breeze under the gap of the front door, invading her safe area. Cassie’s ears were frozen as a snowy breeze brushed past Cassie. She felt the sensation that the icy wind not only bought the cold, but death as well. It felt as if death itself was breathing on the back of her neck. Her eyesight was still a little blurred as she slowly and cautiously made her way to the bedroom door .Holding out her hands she was ready to take the impact of anything that she would walk into. The darkness not only swallowed the frightened woman’s outstretched arms, but her whole body. Cassie made it to the opened bedroom door. Walking toward the bed, Cassie could vaguely see her husband under the doona. Even though she was relieved that he was here, beads of sweat began to form on her forehead. She knew that at any moment she would break into a cold sweat. It had made her wonder why her husband hadn’t just carried her into bed like the night before. Before climbing into bed, Cassie decided it would be a good idea if she freshened up and took some aspirin. At least she might sleep a little better if she could make her head ache bearable. Looking at her blurred reflection in the bathroom mirror, she had washed her face in an attempt to make herself feel better. Two minutes were lost in thought, as she just stood in front of the bathroom mirror. In the afternoon they would be going home. It was promised that the car would be delivered and ready to drive away. All she had to do, was to hold on until then. A blurred face looked back at her. It was a good thing that she couldn’t see properly as her previous peaches and cream complexion was now pale and blotchy. Dark circles ringed her eyes and small red blemishes dotted her cheeks. But in her mind, she looked a little better, even if it was all in her mind. Her eyesight wasn’t as blurred as it was before, surely that had to be a good sign. Cassie heard a loud whirring sound and then a bang. She knew that the generator had broken down, but she didn’t care as she was heading off to bed. The already dim bathroom light flickered and went out. Slowly she made her way to the kitchen. Grabbing the flash light, she turned it on to find her way. Finding the right cupboard, she opened it and grabbed the aspirin bottle. It was a relief to think that pain relief was now within her grasp. Her eye sight had improved and as she looked closer at the bottle, she realised that she had grabbed the wrong one. The label said vitamin C tablets. She sighed. It wasn’t what she was after, be it wouldn’t hurt to take a couple. Popping the lid, the contents spilled out onto her hand. A fine grey powder fell out. Cassie stood silent, not knowing what to think. She was reminded of what she had discovered in the attic. In her frustration of trying to convince Adam of the intruder, she had forgot to mention her discovery. Now, it seemed that it was a good thing that she hadn’t. Something was very wrong. Bringing the powder to her nose, she smelt it and gagged at the smell of mushrooms and toxins. She was reminded of last autumn, when she had found all the little mushrooms growing wild in the backyard. Cassie had bought some poison to get rid of them, but Adam had ripped up the little mushrooms and had thrown them away. That was what he had told her. There had been patches of them all over the yard; there had been dozens of them. Cassie remained still, in the cold with the powder still in the palm of her hand. The mushrooms in the backyard were poisonous, but what if the sleeping pills and flu tablet were being mixed with it? There was no need for Cassie to evaluate the situation any longer to know that it would certainly produce a lethal outcome. She was being poisoned by her husband and who was this intruder that was lurking around? Questions had formed in the woman’s head that had melted into one big confusing question. She quickly threw the poisonous dust from her hand and emptied the remaining powder into the sink. Her rational mind prevented her from panicking, knowing that she had to stay calm and rational. Calmly as she assessed the situation, she grabbed a glass and filled it from the tap. Something like a gleam outside the kitchen window had caught her attention. Cassie shone the torch through the window. She was speechless and her mind momentarily refused to produce any thoughts. Silently, she made her way to the front door, looking around to make sure that Adam wasn’t watching her. It creaked as she opened it, but she assumed that Adam would be in such a deep sleep that he wouldn’t hear it. It was snowing and windy, although Cassie hadn’t seemed to notice the snow beneath her thick socks that was melting beneath each step. Her toes were wet and cold, but she was focused on what she had come out to look at. Cassie walked around the side of the cabin, near the kitchen window. The wind swirled the snow around it and immediately melted as it landed on her hair and clothes, making her beautiful flamed orange hair, heavy and limp. Her footfalls left prints in the snow as she approached the Ute, with two or three days’ worth of snow all over it. Deceived, that was how she was feeling right now. First the powdered mushroom and now the Ute, she now knew that it had been here the whole time that she had been sick. Cassie was in such deep thought that she failed to notice the intruder, slipping through the front door of the cabin. She now knew what she had to do. Cassie knew where the spare keys were kept. It would be a few hours at least, before Adam would wake, so she had to grab this opportunity to escape. A few hours should be long enough to warm up the car and leave and be in a safe place in town. She turned and ran into the cabin. The door remained open, as she rustled around in the kitchen. Her finger tips hit them and she sighed in relief as she pulled them out. Rushing over to the cupboard, she pulled out her handbag. “Going somewhere, Cass?” Without a sound she secretly and silently slid the keys into her pocket. She turned to be facing her husband. Her heart felt like it was going to stop beating through fear, but she kept up her clam façade. “No. I had a head ache. I Thought I had some aspirin in my bag.” Slowly, she turned her back to her husband and placed her handbag back inside the cupboard. Cassie took a deep breath in to steady herself before she turned to look at him. “The door’s open.” Adam suspiciously stated. “Fever” Cassie replied as she pressed her palm to her forehead and then continued “I woke with a fever, one of those strange ones where I can’t figure out whether I am sweating or shivering. But I was hot.” Adams casted his eyes down to the floor boards and noticed wet foot prints. She had been outside. She could sense that her husband was suspicious. She could also sense that she had to get away from this man before it was too late. Adam turned and walked toward the door. A sudden thought had entered Cassie’s frightened mind. If she didn’t get away from her husband, she would be in mortal danger; it was no doubt that he would kill her. Cassie couldn’t push past him to the outside, as he would easily grab hold of her. She ran and lunged, shoving Adam hard. He tripped and fell face down in the snow. Before he could understand what was going on, the door was slammed behind him and locked. Inside, Cassie ran and rummaged through the kitchen drawer. She had found a set of old fashioned keys, while she had looked for the car keys. There was one for the bathroom, one for the bedroom and one for the front door. She locked the front door with the old lock and the new. Cassie then quickly made her way to the bedroom. She shut the door and locked it from the outside. If Adam or the intruder were to try and enter from the bedroom or bathroom window, they wouldn’t be able to enter the cabin. She ran to the bathroom door and locked it as well. Running into the kitchen, she slammed closed the shutters and after she found some thin rope, the tied them together so that it would be harder to force them open. She repeated the same on the sitting room shutters. At least she would hear them if they tried to open the shutters. Remembering the other set of keys, she ran for the kitchen junk draw, but failed to find them. In a panic, she searched all of the drawers and the key rack. Fear grew inside of her. It was possible that either Adam or the intruder had the spare set of keys. It was only a matter of time before they got inside. She stood in the centre of the cabin, a carving knife in one hand and the torch in the other. It was unclear to her, how long she could keep it up. Day break was hours away and then what? It was eerily quiet, except for the wind rushing around outside. It was so strong that it pushed its way through the tiny gaps between the window and the shutters as it slightly shook them, putting the terrorized woman on edge. Her grip on the knife was so tight that her knuckles had turned white. She was perspiring, but not from her sickness. She was damp from fear. Cassie knew that he had to get to the ute and if she couldn’t get it started, then she would simply have to run. Outside, the wind briefly died down. The shutters ceased to rattle and everything seemed to be perfectly still. It was worse with the dead silence, as she waited for them to try and bang the door down, or smash in the windows. The suspense made her shake a little. It wasn’t until now that she noticed how icy her cold wet socks were and how her toes began to feel a little numb. It was now that Cassie realised how cold her shoulders and back was due to her drenched hair. Cassie wondered where Adam was. It un-nerved her that she didn’t know where he was. Without making a sound, she slowly and tensely crept to the front cabin door. Still, she held tightly to the knife, yet kept the torch shining directly on the door. Placing the torch under her arm, she slowly reached for the door, with the keys in her hand. If she was able to think rationally and straight, she wouldn’t even consider opening the door, but right at this moment, she wasn’t thinking like she normally would. Concentrating, she blocked everything else out. Temporarily, her hand stopped trembling. As she bought the key close to the lock, there was one huge bang on the other side of the door. Cassie tripped backwards and landed on her bottom. The knife, keys and torch slid across the floor. There was another huge bang, so forceful that the frightened woman was convinced that the wood door was going to splinter. “I’m gonna get you, Cassie.” Adam yelled. Cassie had never heard her husband so crazy with anger. She wanted to yell back, to at least defend herself with words, but nothing would come out. She scrambled on to her knees and quickly grabbed the knife, torch and keys. Beneath her, her knees wanted to give way and buckle, but she was determined to stay strong. It was silent again. One minute felt like ten. The window shutters began to shake again and the wind was howling this time. There was a smashing sound and immediately Cassie knew he was trying to get in via the bedroom. Adam stood on the outside of the bedroom window, holding the rock that smashed it. Letting it drop to the snowy ground. Reaching in, he unlatched the window. Pushing it up, he climbed through. Tiny droplets of blood stained the white fluttery curtains, but he did not notice the fine cuts on his hands from the broken window. All he could think about was his wife. He stood in the freezing bedroom. It was time to end this. She should have died by now. He had increased her dosage of poison every time he had put it in her food or drink. Now he had figured it out, it was time for plan B. Flee or Fight Anger seethed inside of Adam, like it had never done so before. There was no love for this woman, only hatred. He had gone through this charade of loving Cassie for a year now and he had spent that year planning this getaway, waiting for the right time to become a widow. It was time to be rewarded with the life insurance from his wife. With each step toward the door, the floorboards creaked under foot. An evil grin spread across his face as he reached for the door handle. There was blood smeared across his face, from where he had unintentionally swiped his bloodied, injured hand across his cheek. Cassie waited on the other side, her knife held tight. She waited for the lock to click and for the handle to turn. She pressed her ear to the door. He stood so close on the inside of the bedroom door, that through the inside of the silent cabin she could hear his heavy breathing. He drew a heavy breath in anticipation and his hand gripped the handle. Cassie prepared to strike down upon Adam as soon as he made an appearance. Adam readied himself to pounce on her as soon as he set eyes on her. He would drag her to the look out and push her over, but not before he punished her severely. He was sure that his wife would have heard the bedroom window smash and he was also sure that his wife would be hiding. She was easily scared, making her easy prey. Cassie’s fear was still lingering but it had subsided a little. This woman knew that there was nowhere to hide in this cabin, where Adam wouldn’t find her. The only other option was to face him and fight him. Her fear had subsided a little, as determination crept in. She would hurt him, temporarily disable him, maybe even lock him inside, long enough to get to the Ute. Cassie decided that she wasn’t going to be the victim. Her only chance was to fight back and fight back strong. The handle slowly turned. Cassie relaxed slightly as she realised that no key had turned inside the lock. Adam jiggled the handle. His anger was like an erupting volcano and he punched the door with great force. He was in such a rage that he hadn’t noticed the grazes on his knuckles. Cassie threw herself backward as he violently kicked the bedroom door, just as he had with the front door. “Bitch!” He yelled through the door, before he continued. “You think you’re the only one with a set of keys?” Adam spoke as he continued to bash at the door. Suddenly it was quiet. It wasn’t the smashing of his foot into the door that frightened her most. It wasn’t even the sound of the wood door weakening under the pressure. It was the threat that Adam possibly had the other set of keys. If he did have them, then they weren’t on him or he would have used them by now. Adam exited the bedroom through the window. Cassie stood in the darkness. She had turned off her torch to preserve the battery as she knew that she would need it later. She moved close to the bathroom. She watched it, waited for the smash of the bathroom window, not sure if he had retrieved the other set of keys. In the darkness, he stood and watched her. He had slipped into the cabin under darkness and a dark hooded jacket. Adam was in bed at the time and Cassie had just discovered the car. Now he stood in the darkness near her, perfectly still. His hood pulled down over his forehead and his hand in his pocket, gripping the knife. Cassie stood with her side toward him, concentrating on the bathroom door. Adam slid the bathroom window up, relieved that he didn’t have to smash it. He knew that if the bedroom door was locked, then it was a probability that the bathroom door would be too. But he didn’t want her knowing where he was right now. He silently walked across the cold bathroom floor. Outside, the wind blew up again, snow floated into the bathroom through the open window and gently settled on the floor. On the other side, Cassie watched the door handle jiggle a little, but still no turn of the lock. It had suddenly dawned on her that Adam kept his big jacket in the bedroom. Most of the time, he usually threw his wallet and key or whatever into one of those large pockets. It was possible that he may have forgotten where he put them. Sometimes he would then throw the contents into the bedside table draw. The intruder still stood concealed from Cassie within the darkness of the cabin. He wasn’t sure now, if he could kill this woman. The shadows of the darkness made her beautiful. Her flaming red hair, although limp and straight, was still beautiful. Her pale skin reminded him of a porcelain doll, even with the blotches and lack of healthy colour. She was petite and womanly, with the way she moved. But he could see that she was strong and brave. He realised that his grip on the knife had loosened. He tightened his grip again as he suddenly hardened his feelings and thoughts. Cassie was nervous; she knew what had to be done. She had to go in that room and find those keys. At the moment, inside was safer, but only if she had the other set of keys. Adam would soon find his way in and it wouldn’t be safe in here any longer. Cassie approached the bedroom door and pressed her ear firmly to the door. She took a moment to concentrate as she listened for any sounds that may be present inside the room. Satisfied that Adam wasn’t in there, she lowered her knife and turned on the torch. Quickly, she pulled off her sodden socks, reducing the chances of slipping over. She glanced around for shoes and saw her wool slippers nearby. The wool lining comforted her numbing toes and the grip on the bottom of them gave her false confidence that made her feel that she could run faster in them. Cassie held the knife and torch in the same hand as she perfectly slid the old fashioned key in the lock. She was so quiet that even the intruder failed to hear the click as the lock opened. The intruder was preparing himself to strike out at her. He had done this sort of work many times before, but never had he faltered like this. The way she smelt, the way she moved and her doll like face was making it hard for this man to complete what he had set out to do. Taking a big breath in, she left the key in the key hole and turned the handle. Slowly, she opened the door. The door opened with an aged groan as Cassie held the shiny knife in one hand and the torch in the other. Standing inside the door, she shone the light to the left of the room and then to the right. The bed was left just as it had been when Adam had slept in it last. Cassie was terrified, but she refused to let it show. She shone the light behind her to make sure that no one was sneaking up behind and the intruder ducked around the outside of the bedroom door. He wished now that he had attacked her while he had the chance to just moments before. Cassie noticed the bloodied smears on the inside of the door and the droplets on the floor. She hoped that Adam was heart bad; she hoped that it was enough to slow him up. The torch and knife only trembled a little. Keeping some of her attention on the smashed window, she made her way to the old wardrobe. She had to make sure that her husband wasn’t waiting to ambush her. The cupboard door opened with a creak. Cassie looked in but it was empty, a little dust floated into her nasal cavity, forcing out a single sneeze. Cassie was both relieved and disappointed. She was relieved that at this second, she was still safe, not having to face Adam. But in a way, she was disappointed. It meant that he could be anywhere near or around the cabin, maybe even watching her. Under the bed was the next place to check. Crouching down, she shone the light beneath. Other than dust, there was nothing to see. Cassie quickly jumped to her feet and went straight for Adam’s thick jacket that hung on the back of the chair. The pockets were empty, so she went straight to the draw of the bedside table. As she suspected, his wallet was in there and she felt a slither of hope as she held the other set of keys in her hand. An unbearable pain coursed through Cassie’s head as she fell to the floor. It was so quick that she didn’t know what was going on. She felt as if she were going to choke, as a hand tightly wrapped around the back of her neck, pulling her up. Adam was on the opposite side of the window, leaning in. She dropped the torch as she tried to pry away his finger. Cassie had never seen her husband this furious and pleasured at the same time. She knew he was here to kill her. As she forced herself, Adam tumbled through, convinced that his wife wasn’t going to get away again. Cassie threw herself down. Not only to dodge his lunge but to grab her knife. She swung it wildly and quickly in all directions and the sharp, shiny blade made contact with Adams shoulder. He fell to the floor, grabbing his wounded shoulder. He grimaced as blood dripped between his fingers. It was now that Adam realised his wife wasn’t as weak minded and bodied as he had assumed. He looked around and she had disappeared. It was unclear whether she had escaped through the window, or back into the cabin. He hadn’t seen her pass him to get to the window, so he assumed she had fled back into the cabin. She waited for her husband on the other side of the opened bedroom door, with her knife raised. Blood smeared the edge of it, but it remained shiny and lethal. She held the knife handle with both hands, level with her face. Cassie knew he would come after her, so now she waited. Cassie could hear Adam climbing to his feet. She listened to him walk towards the door and as she prepared to strike out, she saw the reflection in the stainless steel knife. The hooded figure stood behind her, glaring at her. Adam rushed in through the door as Cassie struck out once again. She caught Adam’s other shoulder and without another thought she grabbed her husband and threw him onto the intruder. She knew straight away that she had reacted effectively. Both of them stumbled backward as Cassie ran inside the freezing bedroom. She slammed the wooden door and grabbed the keys from her pocket. She fumbled as Adam furiously kicked into the door, threatening to come hurtling in at any second. As she slipped the key into the lock, the handle rapidly moved but Cassie had already locked it. Quickly, she stepped backwards. Her torch lay on its side near the bed. Scooping it up, she climbed out the window into the punishing elements. It was then that she had realised two things. That she had dropped her trusted weapon on the other side of the door and that her two tormentors were locked in the cabin together. Cat and Mouse Cassie stood in the snow; her slippers were sinking into the snow. The wind and snow whipped into her. She had to hurry. Locking the two men inside the cabin was just a delay. She was just buying herself more time to get away. Running around to the other side of the cabin, she stopped before the snow covered Ute. She jingled the car keys, inside her pocket. If she ran or hid, she could possibly freeze to death before any help came her way. But if she could successfully start the ute, she may be able to escape. Running to the door, she shone the light on the driver’s side. She put the key in the door and turned it. Her hands and fingers froze as she pulled the frozen door handle. Nothing happened, she knew it wasn’t locked. As her hopes of escaping faded, her frustration took over and with all of her strength, the door flung open. Throwing herself inside, she slammed the door shut and locked it. It seemed just as cold inside the car, but Cassie was thankful that she was out of the bitter wind. She slammed her hand down hard upon each door lock, making herself feel just a little more secure knowing that if Adam or the intruder were to find her, they wouldn’t be able to get in. It hadn’t occurred to her that she may trapping herself. It was impossible for the frightened woman to see out of any of the windows. They were all covered with snow and ice and her only priority right now was to get the car going. As quickly as she could, she forced the key into the ignition. Cassie knew that if after five minutes, the engine didn’t kick over, then she would make her get away on foot. After the first attempt, nothing had happened. She could hear pounding coming from the inside of the cabin. The wind carried the sound of the banging, making Cassie’s heart pulse with anticipation and fear. It would not be long before both, or one of them were out. It would not be long before one or both would discover where she was. With the second attempt, the engine made a fleeting whirring sound, but then cut out. More hope flooded into the worried woman, she now held hope that the engine would start if she persisted. She didn’t bother to wait this time. Turning the key again and again, the engine roared to life. She furiously pumped the accelerator, determined to keep the rough sounding engine rumbling. Cassie smiled for the first time in days. Without delay, she turned the heater on to gain some sensation back into her fingers and toes. Cassie quickly rummaged around inside the ute floor. She had to find something that she could remove the snow and ice from the windows. As the inside warmed up and she began to look, she failed to hear the smash of the cabin window after the wood shutters had been ripped off. Finding a small tool set under the driver’s seat, she pulled out a flat screw driver, knowing that it would be perfect to clear the windscreen. Flinging open the door, her warmed body was shocked by the snow infused wind. She used the screwdriver to quickly brush the snow from the front windscreen. As she came to the ice on the window, she stabbed away at the thick layer ice, unconcerned about the possibility of chipping the glass. To her delight, it broke away and she pushed it off. Jumping back into the driver’s seat she shut the door and went to turn the ignition key. Feeling for the key, there was nothing there. Hurriedly, she felt around the floor near her feet, thinking that she must have pulled the keys out and dropped them. She was sure that she had left them in there. “No, No”. Cassie frantically whispered to herself. She sat in the darkness of the early morning. Cassie checked everything, even her pockets. The wind whipped against the newly exposed windows. Cassie shook with fear as she knew that if she hadn’t removed the keys from the ignition or lost them herself, then someone must have removed them. Cassie was terrified. Either her husband or the tormentor had them. It terrified her to think that they both had them. She put her hand to her eyes and furiously cried. She could stay in the cab of the Ute with the doors locked and keep her false sense of safety, or she could get out and run. If she were to remain where she was, she would have nowhere to run and hide. If one of the men were to attack, it was only now that she realised she would be trapped. If she ran right now then she would get lost. Adam knew this area well, it wouldn’t take him long to find her. She reached for the headlight switch, steadying her hand as she did so. Twisting it, the headlights flicked onto high beam. Cassie let out a high pitched squeal, as Adam stood before her, with his hand wrested in front of him on the bonnet of the car. In his other hand he jingled the car keys between his thumb and his forefinger. He held a satisfied look upon his face. He moved his other hand and held up the stainless steel carving knife that Cassie had attacked him with. He was thinking how satisfied he would feel when he got to use the knife on the woman inside the car. He thought about how great it would feel to slice her flesh like she had done with him. The light from the headlights gleamed off the shiny knife as Adam turned it slowly to different angles. In the background, her tormentor fled from the cabin, towards the woods. His dark clothing was a stark contrast to the beautiful deceitful white winter land surrounded them. But as he fled into the masses of trees, the darkness seemed to swallow him like the mouth of a huge monster. Cassie knew straight away that they weren’t only making a game of this, but they were both covering their bases. Adam was here to flush her from the car and if she escaped and ran the intruder was in the forest would be waiting for her. She also knew that they were the hunters and she was the intended kill. Her concentration had momentarily focused on the fleeing intruder and when her attention came back to her maniacal husband, he had vanished. The windows were quickly fogging. A combination of the freezing atmosphere and her warm breath clouded the glass. The only sounds were the wind outside and her terrified, heavy breathing. Time and time again, she checked the locks on the doors. Cassie’s arms were crossed in front of her as her body shivered. It was this moment that she had felt the need to breakdown and cry again. Emotions of everything from the past days were only just starting to hit her hard. Everything that she had perceived to be true only a few days ago was lies. Cassie’s whole body shivered from the freezing cold. As she breathed out, the surrounding air turned white as it quickly dissipated. Wriggling her freezing toes, she felt the wetness from her slippers. Cassie knew that her feet would be frozen in no time when she made a run for it. Her feet would get wet and frozen and by sunrise they would surely be black from frostbite. Bending over, she hurriedly felt around the floor. Cassie pulled out a plastic shopping bag and threw off her slippers. She pulled the plastic bag in half and wrapped one half of the bag around one foot like a plastic sock. She tied the top, so that it squeezed just above the ankle. Repeating the same on the other foot, she slipped her plastic covered feet back into the slippers. Cassie knew that her feet wouldn’t get any warmer, but at least they wouldn’t get wet. Cassie had to muster up the courage to get out of the Ute and run. Just for a few minutes more, she would sit and wrest to prepare for the coming hours. She stared straight ahead at the windscreen. Closing her eyes, she imagined being at home. Sitting in front of a hot crackling fire with a cup of tea warming her on the inside. Her thoughts slowly drifted to her friends and before Cassie realised it, she had slipped into a micro-sleep. Her eyes flew open as she heard two clicks. She looked at both of the door locks and they were still pushed down. Cassie’s heart rate slowed a little as she calmed down and realised that she must have been dreaming. It was time to move, before she slipped off to sleep again. Cassie had to make a getaway. She reached over to the passenger side to grab her torch, but it was gone. “No, No” she whispered, looking on the floor and under the seats. Her worst scenario was coming true as she realised that she had not lost her car keys. One of her tormentors had taken them from the ute ignition as well as her torch, when she was clearing off the windscreen. Cassie used her sleeve to wipe the inside of the windscreen, so she could see out. She flicked the headlights, but there was nothing to see. The snow covered everything as it still fell and the wind blew it around, scattering the flakes. Another click. This time, the passenger side lock had popped up. Cassie slammed her hand down, back into lock position. Her emotions took over as fearful tears descended down her cheeks. There was another click as the driver’s side lock popped up. Again, she slammed her hand down, locking herself in. Once again, she swiped her sleeve across the fogged window of the driver’s side and looked out. She glanced into the morning darkness. She couldn’t see Adam. Cassie let out a shriek as the sound of breaking glass and slight movement of the ute overwhelmed her. Looking out of the windscreen, she saw a figure, presumably Adam, running away. He had smashed the headlights, leaving the frightened woman in the dark. Her hearing was strained, carefully she listened. If she was going to run, she would have to know where Adam was right now. She couldn’t risk running right into her husband. There was another bang, this time on the passenger side. The Ute rocked a little; Adam had dented the door with a large rock. He smiled in great satisfaction as he knew that his wife was frightened of him and would now possibly be confused. Cassie sat in the centre of the bench seat, trying to watch both the passenger door and the driver’s door. The driver’s door clicked up again. She threw herself over to the door; she hurriedly clicked it down and wiped the window once again. A bright light was shone straight into her eyes, momentarily blinding her. Instinctively, she shielded her eyes from the light as the door flung open and the snow invaded. Cassie wildly kicked around as the blinding light faded and her sight returned. Adam stood at the open driver’s door, making every effort to grab Cassie’s feet. She scrambled back towards the passenger side, as she continued to furiously kick at Adam, not only trying to escape, but to hurt him. He caught her by the leg and pulled her toward himself. Adam leant into the Ute to gain a better grip. Cassie refused to allow him to get a better grip on her. The man before her wasn’t the man she married, but a cold hearted killer. Flinging her arm behind herself in a panic, she unlocked the door behind her. A natural burst of adrenalin gave her inner strength as she forced her foot out of his grip and kicked him in the mouth. Blood spilled from his mouth as Cassie pulled the door handle. He cursed at her, but she didn’t hear what he had said. The struggling woman pushed her back against the door and fell backwards as the door pushed open. She stumbled backward, landing on the snow, hitting the back of her head on a rock as she hit the ground. As fast as she could, she pulled herself up to look inside the Ute. Adam was gone. The back of her head ached, but there was no blood. It was time for her to run. Using the Ute to hide, she slowly made her way around it, making sure that Adam wasn’t hiding, waiting for her. Snow dropped onto her clothes, dampening them and the wind chilled her. Cassie not only hated the chill of the wind, but the eerie sound that it bought along with it. She could hear it rushing around her, rushing around the car and racing through the trees. The forest, she had turned to face it. Taking a few steps forward, she stopped to think. The forest would be anyone’s first choice. There would be places to hide, but there was the possibility of walking into a trap and being ambushed. Behind her, the cabin stood dark and desolate. Cassie shivered; it was the combination of both fear and the freezing temperature. She turned and was facing the snow covered road. Her clothes were damp, along with her hair. Her feet were dry, but once again they were frozen. Slowly, she passed the stationary ute to the long driveway up to the road. Her slow walk turned into a brisk walk and then she started to jog. She had not only escaped, but her heart rate was escalating, causing her body to warm a little. The snow that covered the driveway was ankle deep; Cassie had to work her legs harder to fight through the snow. She knew that by the time she got help or walked to the next town, her legs would be unbearably sore and exhausted. Even though she had warmed a little, she was still freezing. As Cassie hurried up the long driveway, it narrowed. Trees closed in on either side, making it only just wide enough for one car to drive down. If another car ever came face to face in the opposite direction, one car would have to reverse all the way back. Her feet falls made a loud crunch with each step. Her slippers were wet and heavy, but her feet remained dry. She licked her lips as they had begun to dry out. Even though it was freezing cold, she could feel herself dehydrating, she needed a drink. When she found somewhere secure, she would melt some snow, but right now she had to get away. The further she got up the driveway, the thinner the snow on the ground became. Looking up at the night sky, she could only see glimpses through the canopy of leaves and branches. Not much snow was falling on her now, the canopy had acted as a shield, only allowing a little through. The wind continued to blow, but only from one direction. Cassie not only needed to stop and warm herself but she needed to wrest. She knew that she couldn’t, though. She had to seek a safe place. Adam followed his soon to be deceased wife as she made her way up the long driveway. He was silent, following his target. He would allow her to think that she had escaped and then he would attack. He would let her tire herself out so that she would put up a weak struggle. Adam could hear his own footsteps in the snow of the forest, but Cassie couldn’t. All she heard was her own breath, the wind and her own foot falls. Cassie stopped for a moment to catch her breath. Adam took this opportunity to get ahead of her. Weaving silently between the trees, he stopped and waited in the darkness of the driveway. Once Cassie had gained her strength and breathe again, she started straight back into her jog. Cassie had always been conscious of her fitness. She had jogged early every morning, but under these circumstances it was different. Cassie had chosen to jog. She would have her mp3 player to motivate her, her drink bottle to quench her thirst and joggers on her feet for comfort. Right now, she was jogging for her life. He watched her jog towards him. He sneered at how easy this was going to be. He stood at the very edge of the dirt driveway, so his back was against a huge tree. He melted into the darkness, as if it had swallowed him whole. Adam stood perfectly still. His breaths were slow and deep, even he couldn’t hear his own breathing. Cassie slowed right down as she approached. She searched the darkness with her tired eyes as her instinct told her that something was terribly wrong. Her eyes squinted, thinking that she saw movement. It was pitch black, one hand wrested upon the handle of the screwdriver. She felt her face begin to flush as her heart rate accelerated through anticipation. Darkness was notorious for playing games with eyes and imagination. Adam watched his wife look straight at him. It gave him a sense of satisfaction to know that she couldn’t see him. He looked at her sickly, strained face and petite body. He had assumed that she would be easy to kill. He had assumed that the home made poison would work and he had also assumed that she would be easy to drag to the lookout. She slowly stepped forward. It felt like forever. The darkness was playing tricks on her eyes; Cassie thought that she had seen the shadows moving. For a moment or two, she had forgot about the cold and her need to drink. Her intense fear had made her extremely cautious. Cassie’s body was exhausted and her eyes would be more than willing to close and wrest if she sat down just for a moment. Cassie kept one hand upon the screw driver in her pocket as she reached out her other hand. She couldn’t see into the darkness, but she could feel. If she felt someone there, then she wouldn’t hesitate to strike out. He stood in the darkness. His dark clothes and hooded jacket made Adam invisible in the dark. Adam watched in amusement as she drew closer. He knew that she was terrified. He knew that he had done this to her. She came closer, her hand still outstretched. Cassie took a few more steps closer and her eyes began to adjust to the shadow. It was as if her hand had been swallowed by the darkness. But as she drew closer and her eyes adjusted, her fingertips touched the tree; the roughness of the bark scraped the tips of her fingers. A sigh of relief escaped her lips, as she relaxed a little just for a moment. A gust of wind blew up the little lane way, snapping Cassie out of her thoughts. Her back became freezing as the wind hit. She stepped back a few steps and looked towards the end of the driveway. She was assessing how much more effort it would take to exit. Cassie stood perfectly still. The wind was still blowing, but it wasn’t hitting her back like it was before. She could feel slight warmth. Adam stood behind his wife. He was so close that if she moved slightly, she would bump into him. He felt a perverse attraction to her. Both physically and through her vulnerability right now. Adam’s breathing was deep, but silent. Cassie remained perfectly still, knowing and sensing that someone was close behind her. The back of her neck felt warm and Cassie felt sick at the thought of either of those men being so close to her that she could feel their breath. His foot moved a fraction, snapping a small twig. They both heard it, it was undeniable. As Adam was about to grip her around the neck with both hands, Cassie didn’t hesitate for a second, as it only took a second for her to grip her weapon. Her arm swung behind, before her eyes could follow. She swung as hard as she possibly could, digging the tool into her husband’s hip. Cassie maintained a strong grip and kept the tool in her hand as she ran as fast as she possibly could, toward the end of the driveway. She glanced backward as she came to the end of the laneway. Adam stood side on with his hands pressed hard to the wound on his hip. He was a little bent at the knees, from the searing pain of his injury. Cassie cursed under her breath. If she had better aim, she would have struck him in the chest, or even in the stomach. But she just wanted to get away from him. As Cassie stood at the top of the lane, she looked both up and down the long road. She knew which way to go, to get to the little town that they stopped at on the way. But it was too far to walk. She looked in the other direction. Maybe she could find a nearby farm house. She looked behind herself and Adam was looking straight at her. He took one step and then another. Cassie couldn’t see the expression on his face, but she knew that his games were now over and that he would simply want her dead. She took the road to the right at the t- section. The road was covered in snow, but she had expected nothing less, but as the woman ran for her life she didn’t take much notice of the ground. The hooded tormentor watched her and he followed her. He would wait until she was exhausted, until she was weary, until her power to fight back was minimal. He would stop thinking of her as a young beautiful woman, who was innocent and defenceless. He would also stop thinking of his own girlfriend when he looked at her. Her petite frame was the same as his girlfriend’s, as well as the paleness of her complexion. He had hardened himself and had forced these thoughts out of his head. Cassie glanced behind her. In the distance she could see the hooded man that she thought was her tormentor. As he pursued her, Cassie found it difficult to tell whether it was her husband or the other. He was walking differently, so Cassie assumed it was Adam. But it didn’t matter which man it was, she still had to escape and get help. He wouldn’t try and trap her, or even chase her. He would simply follow her so that she would think that he would catch up to her. His victim would keep running until exhausted and then she would be easy prey. Cassie then would be attacked when she would be too weak and vulnerable to put up too much of a resistance. Cassie ran faster, it wasn’t easy to do. Her feet were freezing and her toes were numbing. She glanced behind her and was relieved to see that the figure was now disappearing in the distance. Her lips were cracking and her head began to ache. The road curved around a little and she had realised that, to her dismay that she had come to a fork in the road. She had come to a complete stop. Her heart pounded out of control as she knew that she had to make a decision immediately. Cassie wanted to cry. She wasn’t on the main road and she had no idea how to get to it. The excited feeling of freedom that had propelled her to run so far was ebbing away, but she still had to make a decision. One road veered to the left, the other to the right. Both led off into the woods. Cassie realised that she should have gone left out of the driveway instead of going right. It was too late now. She could turn around and go back, but if she did she would run straight into her pursuer’s path. Without another thought, she started down the left road, she hoped that her pursuer hadn’t seen which direction she had taken, but she also knew that it wouldn’t take long for her pursuer to figure out that she hadn’t taken the road to the right. Fear crept into her again. It was like the long driveway to Adam’s Cabin. The trees thickened and narrowed. It was only just wide enough for a car. Cassie noticed that the snow on the ground had thinned out, unlike the snow on the other road she had just come from. Looking up, she noticed the canopy that the tops of the trees had created. Her fear faded as her hopes had once again risen. She was on a driveway and her feet took her quickly up the driveway. It was a long driveway, very much like the one to their cabin. Cassie let out a joyous laugh, as she saw it there. It was not a holiday cabin like theirs, but a real house with a car parked out the front. Glancing behind, there was no one following that she could see. The house was in complete darkness, but the desperate woman didn’t care. She would bang and shout and if nobody came to the door, she would break in and find a phone. It was a beautiful house. Brick surrounded with old style windows, some of them were stained glass. The front door was white with a large oval frosted glass panel. Approaching the huge porch, she climbed the steps in a hurry and gripped the shiny brass door knocker. She hit it against the door as hard as she possibly could and impatiently waited. Cassie pressed her face against the frosted glass, but wasn’t able to see anything or anybody inside. She pounded harder this time, but instead of using the brass knocker, she used her frozen fist on the glass panel. She called out with an urgent tone in her voice. “Hello! Open the door. Please hurry!” Her voice had escalated with each word and her panic was evident. As she made another attempt to see through the frosted window, a light went on at the rear of the house, she could see the faint glow. Cassie smiled as her voice took on an excited tone. She moved her foot and as she did so, she not only heard a crunch sound but she felt it under the sole of her slipper. Cassie bent down to get a clearer view and noticed that it was fine, broken glass. A bad feeling grew as she looked up and noticed that the light above the front door had been smashed and that the debris from the glass lay fractured beneath her feet. Another light went on inside, as it appeared that the figure was slowly approaching. She rose her clenched fist to bang on the door again as she opened her mouth to yell. Her hand was stopped in mid-air as she felt a sudden pressure over her mouth. Cassie couldn’t yell or speak. Her arm was harshly twisted far up behind her back. The woman knew that she was caught and that she was again in big trouble. Before she could react, she was pulled to the end of the porch and around the corner into the darkness. Her captor was so swift and smooth that it took her a moment to comprehend what had just happened. Cassie shook with fear as she could see the glow of the inside entrance light flick on. The sound of the front door locks clicked open and gave Cassie a mixture of emotions. She could feel her hope ebbing away again. If she could get away from this man, or alert the stranger’s attention, she could be saved; all of this could end right now. As the front door creaked open, the tormentor whispered in Cassie’s ear. “If you try anything, I will not only snap your neck, but his too.” His hand remained over her mouth. Now both of her arms were painfully twisted up behind her back. A tall middle aged man stepped from the front door. He made an attempt to flick on the porch light, but quickly figured out that it had been smashed. He wondered how that could have happened, as it wasn’t like that when he and his wife went to bed. “Hello?” He called out. He looked out into the darkness suspiciously. He stood for a few moments before slowly walking up towards the end of the veranda. Cassie’s tormentor pulled her silently further into the darkness. The middle aged man stood in front of them, with his back toward them. He leaned and wrested upon the freshly painted white veranda railings as he looked out onto the deceptively beautiful white winter land. He was within touching distance; she could have easily put her foot out to nudge him. But the captive woman believed her captor’s words. She believed that he would snap both hers and the man’s necks. Her tears fell and they rolled over his tightly pressed hand. She was heartbroken. Within her reach was a saviour, but she had to let him go. Turning and walking to the other end of the veranda, the middle aged man stopped as a woman’s voice called out. “Who’s there Vince?” Her tone wasn’t one of concern, but of annoyance from being woken so early in the freezing morning. Knowing that there were two people who could save her was harder for Cassie to follow the tormentor’s instructions. The middle aged man called back to his wife. “No one. Someone’s playing a joke”. His tone was also of annoyance. He turned and went back inside before he locked the front door. Cassie’s tormentor had waited until the glowing light from inside had died and there was silence once again. He spun Cassie around as he kept one hand over her mouth and firmly placed his other large hand over her nose. Her tormentor was determined to torture her. She tried to fight, but his grip was too strong. The back of her head was pressed against the house as she swung her arms wildly. In a panic, the terrified woman had pulled the hood off his head as she fought for breath. She could feel her face heating up and knew straight away that it was going red. Her chest felt pressured as it was fighting for oxygen. She was staring into the eyes of her tormentor for the first time. Just before she became light headed, she recognised him. Just before she passed out, she remembered that he had visited Adam at their house a few times before they had left for the cabin. It shocked Cassie to realise that while she was cooking her husband’s dinner, ready to sit down and eat as a loving couple, he was bargaining her life. It made her wonder what price he had put on her. Fifty thousand? Thirty thousand? Had he pushed the hit man down to ten? It made her feel sick. One Hour before Sunrise She opened her sore and tired eyes. All she could see was snow, dirt and trees. Cassie was beyond freezing, she was now going numb. She desperately longed for a warm drink and a warm safe bed. Her head ached as she slowly sat upright. She was in the woods, the very place that she had tried so hard to avoid. For a moment, she had wished that she never woke up. It was the place that would make her easy prey. As her sore eyes focused, she heard voices that were coming clearer and louder. She turned around and struggled to her feet and as she did so, she noticed that Adam and her tormentor stood by, arguing. “I will give you half.” Adam argued with the hitman. “Full amount, mate. We agreed on 50 grand.” The hit man argued back. “50 thousand dead. She’s still alive. I’ll give you half”. The large man pushed Adam in anger and he stumbled back a little. Before replying. “I’ve been out here for days. The deal was 50 grand. First you tell me to kill her and then you tell me to bring her to you. I want the full amount.” The tormentor yelled. Cassie took an unsteady step back. It appeared that they hadn’t noticed her yet. She took another step back, followed closely by another. All of a sudden, the voices stopped and they were both staring at her. It was silent now, and all three of them were still and silent. Cassie’s first instinct was to flee, but her common sense forbade her to do so. If she ran they would find her easily, but if she stayed, then she could wait for the perfect moment and attempt to fight. She had to let them lead her out of these woods, before she could run or she would never find her way out before they caught her again. Slowly they came closer. Adam came so close; he was face to face with her. She not only feared him right now, but she hated him. His strong body and his large soulful eyes were deceitful. His hand flew to Cassie’s throat. As she coughed a little, her hand went straight to where she kept the screwdriver. “Looking for this?” Adam grumbled as he flashed her weapon in front of her. He pressed the tip of it under her jaw. “I can only imagine the agony this will cause you when I push it up through to your brain. I’m curious as to see if you would die instantly, or if you would feel every second, knowing exactly what is happening to you.” He looked at her with the thirst of blood in his eyes. She could tell that her sadistic husband was restraining his rage. She no longer saw him as her husband, but as a murderer. “Walk.” He ordered, as he lowered the weapon. Instinctively, she walked towards the other man. “Where are we going?” He asked Adam. “The lookout”. Adam answered. It seemed like they had been walking forever. The tormentor walked in front, Cassie in the middle and her husband on the end. Cassie walked quickly to keep close behind the man ahead. Adam’s eyes burnt into the back of her head and she was fearful that if she slowed down, her husband would push her, or attack her with the screwdriver. Just the thought of his hands on her made her physically ill. Eventually, they made it to the clearing. Adam violently grabbed hold of his wife’s arm and threw her closer to the lookout. Adam knocked the wind out of Cassie as his boot was driven into the woman’s abdomen, making her land on the cold snow on her back. She gasped desperately for breath. When she began to breathe properly again, she sat up and stared back at the two men that were standing near the lookout railing. She felt like a deer in headlights and she knew what was coming. She knew why they had bought her here and that the last thing on earth she would see would be these two murderers. She had to do something as she was going to die anyway. Behind her was a wide snowy path that led to an open plain. Adam disrupted her thoughts. “Stand-up” He ordered as he flashed to screwdriver around. She promptly complied, knowing that he was capable of driving it into her. She felt dizzy and her extremities were numb. As she stood before them and they stood before the changing sky, her fearful mind and suffering body was temporarily taken away by the beauty. Orange began to peak over the horizon. The whiteness of the snow was pure as it reflected the warm colours of the sky. A touch of pink sat above the orange and Cassie could tell that if she lived long enough to see the day, the sky would be cloudless and perfect. Down below the lookout, the waves crashed wildly. For a moment, Cassie closed her eyes and listened to the ocean. The combination of the rising sun, the waves crashing and the smell of the ocean made her feel like she had never felt before. “Take it off.” Adam demanded. Cassie opened her eyes and it had all came back. The pain of the cold, the numbness and the two men ahead of her bought her back to the reality of her situation. They both leant against the lookout railing as if they were tourists having their photos taken. They both leered at her, taking in her body. She felt self-conscious. She pretended that she hadn’t heard her husband’s demand. “I know you heard me, honey. Get it off”. Adam ordered with a smile, as he passed the screwdriver from one hand to the other. The other man just stared. “My hands are tied” Cassie forced the words from her mouth as he mouth and throat were desperately dry. Adam motioned for the hit man to go and free her hands. After he did so, he returned back to Adam’s side. Cassie folded her arms in front of herself, not to warm her arms but to cover her breasts. She took a few tiny steps back, but before she could turn and run, Adam was in front of her, ripping her night shirt off as if it were a piece of paper clinging to her body. She tried to run as he stood there with her shirt in his hand, she got a few steps away, when he tripped her up and pulled her by the leg. Ripping her slippers off, he roared with laughter at her plastic cladded feet. So she climbed to her feet and as she was about to make a second escape, Adam roughly ripped at her thin pyjama pants and laughed as he then ripped the plastic from her feet. She stood before these two animals, in nothing but a dirty white singlet and underwear. Adam returned and stood beside the other man. They both stood in silence, their eyes slowly grazed over every womanly contour of her body. Cassie felt violated as they looked at her with lust. Cassie’s emotions took over and she began to whimper. She knew what they were going to do to her, she could see the lust in their eyes as they both looked her slowly up and down and stopped at her breasts. “I know what you want, Adam and if you touch me I will kill you.” She called to them. Adam laughed. “Don’t flatter yourself, love. You’re not my type. I like real women.” Adam retorted. As she stood near naked before them, her petite body white and shivering, she found comfort in Adam’s words that would any other time offend. “What do you want, then” She bravely questioned. “You, dead at the bottom of the cliff.” Cassie shivered at the words. The dizziness came back as her body prepared to go into permanent sleep mode. “What do you think, Scott? Time to finish things?” The other man nodded at Adam’s words and they slowly came toward her. She had to think quickly. She held her hands out before her. “But first you are going to do a job for us.” Adam stated. She stood there dazed and confused. “What?” she dared to ask. Without warming and with incredible speed he lunged forward and violently pushed his wife backwards. She spun out of control and landed on a hard heap of snow near some bushes. She opened her eyes, feeling confused and then she saw an eye looking back at her. Cassie scurried backward and screamed with terror, trying to curl up in a ball on the freezing cold. The two men gave her a moment or two, to gather herself and when her screaming subsided she looked over at the lump of snow. Tears flooded her cheeks. There was a body in the snow. She had landed on top of it, her hands had touched it. Cassie irrationally began to rub her hands together and cry out loud. It was as if she were trying to clean her hands. When she slowed down, Adam spoke. “You are going to throw her over the edge here. If you don’t, your pain will be unimaginable.” Cassie heard the words but chose to not respond as she stared at it. It was once a human full of life, just as she is now and now it’s nothing but an unmoving object. Adam wasn’t going to talk her into it and he wasn’t going to patiently wait until she decided to do it. Cassie’s husband bounded forward and threw her again on top of the corpse. He drew the screwdriver back in a terrifying stabbing motion to scare her and it worked. “Do it!” he yelled so loud that his voice echoed. Cassie scurried off the corpse and reluctantly began to slowly move the snow away. She looked horrified as she noticed the clothes. This was a policewoman. They had murdered a police woman. It wasn’t until she looked at the icy dead face that she felt sad for this woman. She couldn’t have been any older than her late thirties. Her eyes were still open and they had clouded over grey. Blood had ran down her face like a half mask. Cassie didn’t have to look to know that there was a big hole in the top of her head, from where he had been hit. Cassie thought of the blood spots in the snow at the cabin door and knew from her instinct that the blood spots were the police woman’s. Cassie lost track of time as she very gently smoothed away the snow from the woman’s face. She lost her fear and gained only sorrow for this woman and herself. This woman had come out here and got killed by one of these men. Cassie had come here to be killed by one of these men. They had that in common and very soon, she would be just like this woman. Cold dead and at the bottom of the cliff. Pain bought her back to reality, as Adam viciously grabbed the back of her scalp and pulled her back “Do it!” he screamed in her face. She felt spittle on her nose and cheeks where Adam had been so close to her face, yelling at her. He tossed her down and she hurriedly started to pull the corpse toward the barrier of the cliff top. The two men watched as the tiny woman fell over a few times, as she dragged the police woman to the edge. Her body started to feel a little warmer, but her toes were still numb and so were her fingers. “Push her over”. Adam commanded as he stepped toward his wife. Cassie looked down at the corpse and knelt beside it. She placed her hands on its side, but couldn’t do it. She couldn’t push this innocent woman over the edge. “Do it!” Adam screamed at her again. Closing her eyes and pushing with all her strength, the woman went over. Adam once again grabbed the back of Cassie’s head and pushed her head over the edge, forcing his wife to watch as the policewoman hit the wall of the cliff, twisting her and turning her, before she fell into the rocks at the bottom head first. Some vicious waves smashed into the cliff wall and pulling the corpse out as it receded. It was as if nature were claiming her back again. She felt herself sliding over the edge, her face scraping against the rocks and her fingernails desperately digging into the rock. She screamed in terror and then realised that her husband was holding onto her lower legs. He pushed her a fraction further and she felt fear so great that she couldn’t speak or move. “Like that, huh?” Adam spat out of hate. He roughly pulled her back up and she felt the pain of the scrape on the side of her face, she could feel the warmth of blood trickling down the side of her face. It stung and caused her pain, but she stayed as still as she could, unable to believe that Adam had temporarily spared her life. She scurried away from the cliff barrier and stood up. She was now numb all over and she was sure that even her tears would be frozen. Adam looked at Scott and gave the hit man a slight nod. Cassie knew exactly what this look meant and as Scott took a few steps toward her, she held up her hands. “No, Scott, wait!” Cassie thought that if she appealed to the other man that she could post pone the inevitable. But he grabbed her by the wrist and began to pull her close. “Did Adam tell you that he will get 1 million when I die?” Scott slowed to a stop and let go of the desperate woman. She snatched her hand away and rubbed it. He looked at Adam. “He’s insured too, for a million. I don’t care about the money, you can have it all, just help me.” The frightened woman pleaded. Scott looked this woman in the eyes and realised that she was telling the truth. His loyalties now lay with the highest bidder. Both men were now staring at one another. “Well? You gonna help me, or not?” Adam asked Scott, but Scott just stood there. Adam knew that Scott was having second thoughts about what they had planned. “Half a mill”. Scott simply said as he remained staring at Adam. “She’s lying, mate.” Adam confidently replied. There was a little silence and Cassie was worried that Scott would want to believe her husband. Scott looked back at the woman. “I’m telling the truth. You know where I live, I can’t hide from you. He is insured for a million.” Cassie could tell that the man was caught between the warring married couple, but was leaning towards the woman. He came closer to Adam. “I want half of it.” Scott demanded. “I will give you 50 thousand, no more.” Adam replied. He knew that he was beginning to lose control over the situation. “Half of it!” The deep voice boomed. “You get what I decide to give you”. Adam replied in an annoyed voice. Scott gave Adam a nudge in the chest. “She just offered me a million to get rid of you”. Scott spoke as Adam stepped a little closer to the railing of the lookout. “You’re not getting any more than what we agreed.” Adam pushed Scott back a little. “The deal was that I pay you after she’s dead. She’s still alive, so you only get half”. Cassie was satisfied that she had been successful in causing a rift between the two men. As they were arguing, she turned and began to run. Adam promptly ran after his wife, now determined to throw her over the cliff. He should have let go of her legs before, when he had the chance, but he had decided to have a little fun with her, to watch Scott torture her first. Cassie’s heart beat sped up. She decided to run as fast as she could, just to escape, refusing to look behind herself. Adam was quickly gaining her, he knew that if she was to escape or be rescued and then he would be found out. Scott ran after Adam, deciding that he wanted the million dollars from the woman. It didn’t bother him which one of them he killed, it was the money that he cared about. Adam caught up to Cassie first and without warning or delay, he wrapped his arms around her tiny waist and threw her towards Scott like a rag doll. She tumbled to the snowy ground as Adam kept his pace towards her. He kicked her in the abdomen, sending her rolling towards the lookout rail. The back of her head hit the hard ground as she looked up at the beautiful morning sky. Her vision blurred as all of the glorious colours seemed to merge together. Adam pushed Scott so hard that he too slipped and fell onto his back. Adam launched himself at Cassie. First he was going to drag her over the edge of the cliff, but now he was furious, he wanted to see her suffer first, to punish her for all of this trouble that she had caused him. The woman was too week to put up a struggle. A hard pressure on her chest squeezed her breath out as she realised that Adam was sitting on her chest. His hands wrapped around her neck and he squeezed tighter. Her weak hands made an attempt to claw at his fingers, his face blurred as she gave up. Her breath suddenly came back, as she drew the icy air into her lungs and coughed. Scott roughly pulled Adam from Cassie. His huge hands firmly gripped the back of Adam’s shirt. Adam was thrown closer to the lookout railing. Adam quickly jumped up, now sure of whom the man intended to kill. Scott took a swift swing at Adam and struck him in the chin. Adam was so angry that the pain in his jaw failed to register and he pulled the screw driver from his pocket and drove it straight into Scott’s chest. A sharp searing pain radiated through the front of Scott’s body. He could feel the metal instrument inside his chest with each struggled breath. He slowly wrapped his hands around the screwdriver as warm blood seeped between his fingers. He watched as the rich red substance flowed. His attention was taken away from Adam, as Adam lifted his leg and with great force kicked Scott in the abdomen, causing him to fall backwards. Scott made an attempt to get up as the railing was within his reach, but as he tried, Adam forcefully pushed the screwdriver in deeper. Scott yelled in agony, as his torturer grabbed his clothes and dragged him close the edge of the cliff. Scott’s head hung over the edge and he could hear the crashing of the waves below. Above him, the morning sky shone, giving him a little peace, but not far above his face was the safety rail and he knew that any minute, Adam would push him over. He felt a few rough shoves as Adam began to push him over the edge of the cliff. Adam smiled in satisfaction, as the man into the ocean, just as the police woman had. He guessed that at this moment that Scott would now be pounded mercilessly against the cliff wall by the violent waves. He turned to face his lifeless wife. He knew that she wasn’t going to try and get away in the state that she was now in. She was in exactly the position that she had been in when he had been pulled from her. Looking around, he spotted a huge rock. He picked it up and carried it over to Cassie. Once again, he sat on her chest in a straddle position as he rose the large heavy rock above his head, ready to bring it down hard onto his wife’s face. Cassie was aware, that he was on top of her but had given up the fight. Her body was numb and her brain refused to work properly. She knew that her husband had won, that even if she had the strength to fight him, he would still win. She would welcome the peace; she would welcome leaving behind the extreme cold on her near naked body and the other physical pain that she was now feeling. A deafening sound rang out through the open space, as Cassie felt a warm spray over her face and chest. Once again, the pressure on her chest was relieved as Adam fell back. She opened her eyes, even though her vision was blurred and he looked down at her as he stood over her. Her petite, pale body lay in the snow. A blue tinge began to form like a mottled effect all over. Her wet orange hair was fanned out around her head like a halo. He dropped the gun into the snow as Adam lay lifelessly at the woman’s feet. He knelt beside Cassie and removed his long coat. Caringly, he slid his arm under her back and sat her up. The jacket was placed around her and without any effort; the man gently picked her up and held her close for warmth. Cassie opened her eyes and even though her vision was blurred, she knew that it was Jake. “What took you so long” Cassie whispered as she winced from the tight pain in her chest. “Those directions you gave me were wrong.” Jake replied. “When I managed to find my way to the cabin, I couldn’t get through because of the snow.” He continued. Jake began to walk with her in his arms, towards the trail. He marvelled at how light this woman was. Cassie didn’t have to have clear vision to be glad to be in the arms of her saviour. He held her close to his chest and she felt safe in his warmth. She closed her eyes, to wrest. She imagined his short blonde hair, fair skin and blue eyes. She imagined his tall athletic body and strong arms and knew that it was all over. He walked away with his love in his arms, leaving her husband on the snowy ground behind them. The End of it all Cassie sat in her antique chair in front of the crackling fire. Her bags were packed by the door and the two tickets and important documents were safely tucked inside her handbag. She leant down and got ready to slip her socks on. She stared at her remaining three toes and thought about her dead husband. It had been twelve months since the incident at the cabin and she was amazed at how quick the time had flown. She ran her tongue over her teeth, thinking about the few that had to be pulled from decaying. Her doctor and dentist had made the assumption that her teeth had rotted from being poisoned. But that didn’t matter anymore as she had new teeth implanted in and there was now one less reminder. Losing two toes was a small price to be still alive. A little over twelve months ago, it would have been devastating for her to lose any part of herself but after surviving her ordeal, the doctors were amazed that not only had she survived, but she had only lost two toes to frostbite. The terrifying ordeal had put everything into perspective for the woman. Slipping on her socks and then her shoes, she sat back in her chair and closed her eyes while she waited. The last twelve months had been a roller coaster, but Cassie smiled a little as she thought about how everything had seemed to work in favour of her. As far as the police were concerned, Jake was a mutual friend of Cassie and Adam. It was by chance that he had come to see them at the cabin at the right time. Adam had intervened Scott’s assault on Cassie and after Scott shot Adam, Jake had got into a fight with Scott and he fell over the cliff. Scott had been washed away. She knew that one day he would surface, that some unsuspecting passer-by would discover his corpse, but by then they would be long gone. Cassie was now a wealthy woman. Within the year, she had inherited her young deceased husband’s estates and saving accounts that he had kept from her. She thought that the one million was enough, until her lawyer had told her of Adam’s fortune. He had three accounts from his inheritance from his well to do parents, as well as two properties and the cabin. Cassie had sold them all, including the marital home in which she now sat for the last time. She had sold the house to a young married couple, below market price just to get rid of it. She had not only sold them the house, but everything in it. She didn’t care about not getting as much as she could have for the property, she was now rich and it gave her a certain pleasure to help out a young married couple. She knew that a lot of the antique furnishings had been passed down in Adam’s family for a long time, but she didn’t care. She just wanted to leave this house and the bad memories. She had put her new found wealth in one bank account with both her and her lover’s names. Very soon, they would be living overseas, never having to worry about money ever again. All she had to do now was wait for him to come and get her and they would never be concerned with this house or life again, everything would be new. Cassie lovingly rubbed her stomach. It was nearly time to tell her lover of the good news. She had only known for a week and it had been the news for her that topped all of her good luck lately. She knew that he would be happy about it too. He silently entered the back door. He knew this house well; he had been here on many occasions since Adam had died. He crept through the kitchen, up the hallway and towards the living room. The man could see the glow from the fire and he knew that she was in there. As he got closer, he welcomed the warmth of the room. There was a huge difference between this room and the others that he had just walked through. She heard the creaking of the floorboards and knew that he was inside. He walked up behind Cassie and gently laid his hands on her shoulders, slowly rubbing them. She placed her hand on one of his and smiled. “We did it. I can’t believe that we did it. I also can’t believe that Adam was trying to do the same thing, though.” Cassie stated in a calm, satisfied tone. Cassie now knew the pride of victory and he could see it as well. Jake firmly massaged his lover’s shoulders as he thought about how much he loved the feel of her soft warm skin on his hands. “Me neither. But things have worked out great, don’t you think?” He calmly questioned, before he continued. “Do you have our plane tickets?” Cassie turned and looked up at her handsome lover. His short blond hair was combed into place and his blue eyes looked down into Cassie’s and for a moment she lost her words. She noticed stubble sprouting on Jake’s chin, which was unusual for Jake. He was always clean shaven. He continued to rub her shoulders as she continued to talk. His caring touches encourage the woman to spill her words. He slowly pulled one hand away and reached into his back pocket. Cassie began to think again about their future together. She thought about her and Jake’s carefree lifestyle. They would buy a little cottage to raise their children and live an anonymous life. She loved Jake and he loved her. But she failed to think about what she had to do to gain this new life, she failed to see that she had been as bad as her husband and she failed to see that Jake was no better than any of them. He had intended to turn up at the cabin purely to murder his lover’s husband. Jake pulled his other hand away and held the guitar string firmly between his hands. It was time to end this. He had access to a fortune, tickets out of the country. He was determined to leave tonight, without Cassie. He thought about the first time he had laid eyes on Cassie. He had come to this very house to do some electrical work and she had stood beside her husband. The most beautiful and perfect woman that he had ever been in the presence of. Cassie had stood there with her long flaming red hair and pink, flushed cheeks. Jake knew immediately that he had to have her for his own pleasure. She already had a husband, so there would be no strings attached. When he was done with her, he could simply disappear. She was in love at first sight; he was in lust at first sight. Cassie was his new sexual conquest. But that was too long ago, for him and his thoughts returned him to the present. He tightly held the metal string near the back of her head, ready to wrap it tightly and lethally around her neck. “I have something to tell you”. Cassie began. Jake bought it a little closer, his heart pounding in anticipation. “We are going to be a family. I’m pregnant.” Jake paused and let his hands slowly drop behind Cassie as he still held the string, but not as tight. He forced a smile as she happily looked up at him. She thought he was lost for words through joy. He knew he was lost for words for all the wrong reasons. Jake knew that things had just got messy. Cassie was just a conquest to him; he was on the verge of ending their affair when she had proposed the plan for Adam’s life insurance. Jake had planned to get the million dollars and run, but then the amount grew and things had changed again. Now things had become complicated, there was a baby involved. For a moment, his emotions toward this woman softened a little. He had often thought about fatherhood, but not with this woman. Jake had often thought about being a father, but with someone special that he loved. Once again, he tightened the cord and lifted it higher. He couldn’t have a child to Cassie; he couldn’t spend the rest of his life tied to this person. Cassie lovingly rubbed her tummy and thought about how she had never felt more loved than she did right at this moment in time. Without a second thought, he wrapped the string around her neck. Searing pain engulfed Cassie’s neck, as she frantically tried to pry it away. It was so fast that the only thing that registered in her head was that it felt as if her throat was being cut with a razor and then it burned in a strange way. She gasped for breath as she looked up and saw Jake’s face emotionlessly looking down at her as he tightened the string. As she took her last breath, a little blood dribbled down where the metal cord had cut her. Her last thought was one of betrayal, how could the father of her baby do this? Jake let go after it was obvious that she was dead. He walked around the front of her lifeless body. Kneeling down, he took notice of how peaceful she looked and for a moment, he wondered if he had done the right thing for himself. His thought flashed back to when he had picked her up out of the snow. She was half dead and icy pale, she looked as though death had already seeped in. He had been with this woman for the last twelve months, nursing her back to health. He had been having the affair with her for six months before then. Her sickness from the cabin incident had developed into pneumonia and he had helped to look after her operated on toes. But she had mistaken his actions for love, when they were purely for the fortune. Jake softened temporarily at the sight of the woman in front of him. But as he thought about everything that had happened in the last twelve months, his disdain for this woman grew. Before he had met her, he was merely a swindler, a bachelor that used women for sex and money and then disappeared. But now he was a murderer and he blamed Cassie. He had never shot anyone, before he had shot Adam. Now he had murdered a man and a woman. But soon that wouldn’t matter, he would be half way around the world before anyone even suspected murder….if they ever did. He didn’t have to justify his actions to appease his conscience; all he had to do was to blame Cassie. Jakes attention had snapped back to the present. He stood up and turned to face the crackling fireplace. The fire was still roaring, warming the murder. Jake pulled the fire screen away from the front of the fireplace. He grabbed a fire poker from the nearby stand and pushed the big round log out onto the rug. Immediately the beautiful old rug caught fire. Jake ran behind Cassie’s chair and shoved the chair with her on it, close to the fire. Walking to the door, he turned and took one final look at Cassie. The fire had spread and was beginning to spread up the woman’s shoe. It was only a matter of time before her and the lounge room would be engulfed in flames, creating an eternal tomb for his dead lover. Before he walked out of the front door, to disappear into the night, he put his hand into Cassie’s handbag and pulled out the plane tickets and the other documents. As the lounge room was engulfed in flames, Jake walked away, disappearing in the dark with everything he had set out to achieve with his hands. Author Biography Amanda Shepherd lives in Dubbo NSW. Is currently studying for a bachelor of fine arts and writes in her spare time. Two previous titles from Smashwords are Dampier Falls and Regent. All are short stories and are in the thriller/horror genre.