Alondra by A.L. Hawke

Author:A.L. Hawke
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781953919168
Publisher: A.L. Hawke

12

ANTLERS

We’re staying in a one-bedroom motel in a small town in Alabama. It was too late in the evening to drive home. I insisted on the couch, so Allie took the bed. But I’ve been tossing and turning. I can’t stop seeing images of that tall lanky demon spirit I saw in Winona’s house. I don’t need to worry about having a nightmare, I lived one.

The alarm clock is ticking loudly. Yellow light is shining around the edges of the curtain by the front door. Other than that, it’s dark. I close my eyes. I try to rest in the quiet. But quiet reminds me of that house. The silence always portended something terrible.

I jolt awake due to the sound of banging. My eyes open, but it’s dark. The only light is still shining through the curtain from the walkway beside the parking lot. I’m thinking I see a shadow of a deer or something.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

There it is again. I squint at the window. Then I roll off the couch and walk to the door. Through a crack in the window, I see a figure. I open the curtain. It’s a girl. She’s crouched down beside the front door, naked, covering her breasts and groin. It’s Alondra! I whirl around and see that the bed is empty. Then I throw open the door. Allie’s crouched, shaking. Her mascara is running down her face, and her naked body is dripping wet.

“What happened!”

I help her inside and shut the door behind her. She won’t stop shaking. I turn the light on, I squint from the brightness—though it’s just dim lamp light—then I yank the sheet off the bed and wrap it around her body.

“Lost the room key,” she says with chattering teeth. “Thank you. Hold me, Lee. You’re warm.”

I grab her tightly, but that makes me push her off me. She’s frigid. She falls to the carpet, and I get on my knees beside her.

“How long have you been out there?”

She shrugs. She’s so cold that her lips are blue and her teeth are chattering. I put my arm around her again, but even under the bedsheet, she feels like ice.

“It’s…it’s a wandering.”

“A what?”

“A wandering.” She attempts a smile, but her lips twitch. “A… witch wandering.”

“Maybe I should take you to the hospital.”

“No, I don’t believe in hospitals,” she snaps. “No.” She takes a deep breath. Then she repeats sternly, opening her eyes wide, “No.”

“What can I do?”

“Hold me… And change the temperature. God, it’s so fucking cold…find the thermostat. Make it warmer.”

I jump up to do that. But she grabs my wrist. “No, forget it. Just hold me. Jesus, it’s so cold. Do we have anything hot to drink?”

“There’s a microwave. Tea bags and a mug, I think. I can microwave some tea.”

I get up even though, at first, she doesn’t want to let me go. I search for a coffee maker on a shelf and find a Styrofoam cup and tea bag. Then I run to the faucet by the bathroom, but the water isn’t coming out.

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