Imprint of Mate

Chapter 4

I accelerated harder. The farther away I was from him, the harder it would be for me to turn back. It was a thought that only brought a laugh to my imagination. I could see it now, shaking his head at me, as if he had just caught me doing something foolish.

There was only one dark eye looking at me in the rearview mirror, and there was no escaping that.

My runner, Ted, and I drove until the diner was out of sight. I felt grateful for Shirley's map in the midst of this kingdom of trees. There was no way any app could work here, there had to be absolutely no signal to function. I looked at the pink line Carl had drawn on the paper map. Fortunately, it seemed that my luck, which had been running out lately, led me directly to the road that branched off from the main road, which hopefully would take me directly to the cabin. Relief washed over me as I entered the gravel road. A path of hope that quickly faded when the road led me to a crossroads.

"s**t," I muttered. I stopped and looked at the map.

There was no fork in the road on the map. "You can't be screwing with me."

I growled, trying to locate where I was. I thought about what Shirley had said at the diner. I hadn't thought this would be one of those situations where both options were good.

I put the car in gear again and looked at the map, then the crossroads. My mind struggled to fit the pieces and determine what made the most logical sense. Turning forward and finding myself going left, down a winding road covered with trees and lush vegetation, I couldn't shake the unsettling feeling that the diner had left me with. Looking in the rearview mirror, I didn't see anyone behind me, although that didn't calm the bubbling feeling in my stomach, just like this map that seemed to take me further away from Eloise's brother's cabin. When I looked at my map again, it seemed like I was reading a foreign language. There were no landmarks or reference points to help me find my way.

Only endless hills, trees, and roads unmarked that started to look all the same.

Hope began to fade slowly along with the sun as I drove and drove without finding anything. Exhaustion was consuming me again, my eyelids becoming heavy. I had to at least try to sleep for a few hours to be able to continue.

Of course, this had to happen. Of course, I would get lost in the Canadian wilderness just as the sun was setting. Of course, I couldn't do something simple, like read a damn map.

"Nice work, Cristine," I said to myself.

All I wanted was a comfortable bed, but all I found were more trees; and I didn't want to drive aimlessly in the dark. Finding this cabin would be easier when I wasn't deprived of sleep. I probably should have gone in the other direction at the crossroads, but at this point, I had no idea how to get back there.

I opted for a campsite with a dirt road covered in weeds that led into a wooded area where a meadow touched its boundaries. The temporary refuge of grass and wildflowers swaying in the fresh breeze drove away the fear that gnawed at the corners of my mind. For now, I had found a temporary oasis.

The sunlight was quickly fading as dusk settled comfortably, but my feet still followed the path of earth on their own.

Curiosity sparked in me when I examined the deep tracks in the dry mud that gradually disappeared into the grass. I crouched and looked at the grooves in the earth. They were like small trenches that simply vanished. In their place, there was fresh grass and wildflowers. It meant someone had to have covered them, but it didn't seem that a large amount of earth had moved in the area. If anything, the landscape seemed almost intact. Still wild.

"You're trespassing on private property."

The deep voice was like a shot of espresso. I turned and saw a man standing behind me. He was about fifty, with worn jeans and brown boots that crushed the last remnants of a cigarette.

"You're on private property," he said, pushing back a strand of unkempt silver hair that must have fallen from his ponytail. I felt my head nod as his silver-bright eyes met mine, eyes that, like his hair, almost seemed to glow unnaturally.

"Private property," he repeated.

I shook my head with a blink, breaking his gaze, and looked towards my car. It was nearby, no more than fifteen feet away. If necessary, I could reach the driver's seat quickly.

"I didn't see any signs. I thought this was a campground."

He inclined his head, his silver eyes looking at me as if the whole conversation was an annoyance. "Well, this is my property, and you can't be here."

"I can leave before morning..."

"You can't, miss," he said, pulling out another cigarette from his back pocket.

"You can't stay here."

I nodded slowly. His new cigarette was lit, the smoke starting to rise from the end. "I was looking for a friend's cabin. I got lost looking for it, the map was hard to... I just need a place to sleep tonight."

Jesus Christ, get your act together, Cristine.

I felt his gaze shift to my black eye. I knew he could see it. It was darkening, but not too far gone.

It was as if I could feel his gaze following the contour of my eye. My feet played nervously with some stones on the ground. "You're very far from the cabins, girl. How in the world did you get here?"

"Trying to follow a map," I was still half surprised to have made it so far. "I think I got the crossroads wrong..."

He nodded as if something had sparked in his eyes, but it passed too quickly for me to recognize.

"There's a campground a few miles from here. It'll be on your right. In the morning, come back this way. At the crossroads, turn right, not left, and that'll take you to the county main road that leads to the vacation cabins."

I backed towards my car. "Thank you," I replied. In the morning, I'd go find Shirley. She could probably help me find the cabin during the day.

"Don't mention anything," he responded as a cloud of smoke came out of his lips. "Keep your eyes open!" he called as I drove away quickly. I looked over my shoulder. "It's getting dark. You wouldn't want to be caught by wild animals."

I didn't have to call Jhon. I could hear him laughing in my head as I drove away at top speed. His laugh was suffocating until I pressed a finger on the sunroof button to open it. The fresh air entered and calmed my racing mind, at least for now.