Storm Dreamer

Chapter 2

2

Distant rumbling and the patter of raindrops on the tin roof filled Madie with dread. The pending storm was later than the weather forecast had predicted, dashing her hopes they would be spared another night of thunderstorms and along with it, a much-needed peaceful sleep. The darkening sky looked menacing as the black clouds rolled overhead. She snapped shut the curtains, prepped for bed and set the alarm for the morning. Like I’ll need it.

Settled under the covers, Madie pulled the bedside lamp closer and picked up a book: a thriller suspense yarn that soon drew her into the engrossing plot of a missing woman. It wasn’t long before her eyes drooped, and the book fell across her stomach as sheer exhaustion claimed her and Madie fell into a deep sleep.

The image in the mirror stared back at her. The soft glow of the nightlight made her swollen cheek look grotesque. The imprint of his diamond and onyx ring could be seen on her cheek, even through the swelling and broken skin. She touched it and winced. Running the cold water, she placed a wet cloth over the wound. It helped ease the pain. Her eyes reflected her despair and she knew the time had come for her to leave. His attacks were becoming more frequent and more aggressive. If I don’t go, one day he might kill me. And she had more than herself to think of.

The bathroom light came on, blinding her for a moment. She blinked and once her eyes adjusted, her body tensed. His face appeared in the mirror, behind her left shoulder. As she held the compress to her face, he knocked it away with the back of his hand.

She winced and reacted to the instant pain. “Ow.” Immediately, she bit her lip, knowing she’d made a mistake. Rather reacting to injury, he’d call it whining.

He grabbed her by the hair and pulled her backwards through the bathroom door and flung her against the wall in the hallway. She slumped to the floor.

“Take your pity party somewhere else. I need the bathroom.” He slammed shut the door.

She held her hands over her mouth so he wouldn’t hear her sobs. Dragging herself up from the floor, she crept down the hall and into the family room. She stood by the sliding doors and stared out at the torrential downpour. Lightning strikes lit up the desert beyond.

The sound of the bathroom door opening made her flinch. The hall light came on.

“Where are you?” he yelled. He found her in the family room. “Planning your escape?”

She spun around to face him and by the look in his eyes, she saw this wasn’t over.

“Time for bed,” he demanded.

Overcome with fear of more reprisals and disgust at the thought of having to lay silent beside him, she reacted the only way she could. She turned to the glass door, slid it open and ran onto the tiled patio. Her bare feet slipped on the wet smooth squares and she almost fell.

Seconds later, she’d disappeared into the stormy desert night.

Madie’s eyes popped open. An uneasy feeling filled her deep to the core. She lay still for a moment and turned her head to the clock. 4:00 a.m. She heard the crash of thunder in the distance and knew the storm was passing over. Not this nightmare though. Might as well get up. No sleeping now.

Heading straight into the shower, she let the hot water beat down on her shoulders and back. Her muscles released their tension. She blew dry her long red hair, pulling it into a ponytail. As she put on her make-up, she stared at her face in the mirror. What freaked her out most about this latest dream were the faces in the mirror. Over time, there’d been flashes of the woman’s face reflected in a window or the mirror of a car. This was the first time Madie had got a good look at the woman of her nightmares: a much younger face than she’d first thought, full of innocence and vulnerability. And then there was the man.

A shudder shook her body. Seeing him was a definite first. Who was he to this woman? She’d never forget his cold, blank stare, and the hatred in his lifeless dark eyes. Who are they? Why am I seeing them? What do they want from me?

An hour later, she headed to work early. She had a ton of paperwork to process on the volunteers and part-time workers they’d hired for the summer season. She’d rather be working than deal with this. As she drove into the parking lot, she saw Cody’s truck parked by the gate. Wow, he’s an early bird.

Madie wandered across the yard. Cody was nowhere to be seen in the outer animal compounds. She reached the surgery unit that housed injured animals either waiting for, or recuperating from, surgery. When she entered the building, she saw Cody sitting in a chair halfway down the outer room. He was bottle-feeding a baby racoon.

He glanced up and grinned at her. “Good morning. You’re in early.”

“I am but you beat me.”

“Nuh-uh. Been here all night. I relieved Wenner at midnight, and the volunteers will take over in a couple of hours. Too many young ones have lost their mothers. It’s ridiculous.”

“You’ve had a long stretch then.”

“I got some shut-eye before I came in.”

Madie watched Cody return the baby racoon and retrieve another one. She sat on the floor with her back against the wall.

He sighed. “I’ll be glad when we get past this phase. We’re on overload right now. Wenner may be transferring some of our guests to Kelowna.”

“That would be a great help. You seem to be settling in okay. Have you found a permanent residence?”

“I have. I’ve got a private cottage rental over on the river in Stoney Creek. Moving in this weekend. Aren’t you over that way?”

“Yup. I’m in a cabin at the resort. It’s small but suits me for now.”

The small animal Cody held appeared to be having trouble latching onto the bottle. Cody manoeuvred the kit into a different position. “There you go, little guy.”

“You’re so good with them.”

He glanced over at her. “Thanks. So-oo … what’s up? I’m sure you didn’t come in this early to watch me work.”

Madie shrugged. “I couldn’t sleep.”

“That was quite a storm last night.” Cody gave her a crooked grin. “Don’t tell me you’re afraid of thunder and lightning?”

Madie felt guarded. She didn’t feel comfortable enough with Cody to explain her dreams. Much to her surprise, she exploded. “Who are we? Kids in the schoolyard? If I was afraid of storms why would you make fun of that?”

“Whoa … I was only teasing.”

Instantly, she felt bad. “Sorry, not enough sleep.”

Before Cody could respond, the door opened and Wenner entered. He nodded at them. “Good morning.”

Madie started to rise from the floor but he waved his hand at her. “Stay. No need to get up.”

“Shouldn’t you be sleeping still?” Cody asked.

“I’m good. I thought I’d relieve you until the volunteers arrive. I’ve got surgery at nine on the coyote that came in yesterday. Chelsea will help me and she’s pulling double shifts today. Why don’t you head home and get some sleep yourself?”

“You sure?”

“Yup. I just spoke to Kelowna. They’re taking six of our charges. They’ll be ready for them tomorrow afternoon and I’ll need you to transport them.”

“That’ll ease things up around here.” Cody returned the kit to his cage, washed his hands, and rejoined them. “I’ll give you a rundown on things here before I go.”

This time, Madie did stand. Time to get to work.

Wenner turned to her. “Ya think you could go with him tomorrow? Chelsea and I called in a supply order yesterday. If you two can pick them up after you’ve dropped off the animals, we won’t have to wait until the end of the week for delivery.”

Madie nodded. “Sure. I can do that. I’ll call them and let them know we’ll be stopping by.”

“Thank you,” Wenner said.

She headed towards the door. “I’d best get to my paperwork and put a dent in it.” She threw a glance at Cody. “See you tomorrow.”

“Sure thing.” He gave her a wink and added, “Sleep tight tonight.”

As she passed him by, Madie threw her head back and stuck out her tongue. She walked through the compound to the administration building with a frown. Why do I let that man get to me? Just when I feel relaxed around him, he infuriates me, and I lash out. “Aargh.”