Everything Under The Sun by Jessica Redmerski & J.A. Redmerski

Author:Jessica Redmerski & J.A. Redmerski [Redmerski, Jessica]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: J.A. Redmerski
Published: 2017-08-27T16:00:00+00:00

“Ssss!” I hissed, and snapped my hand away from the bush; the bowl fell to the ground. Blood trickled from my fingertip; I put the finger in my mouth and suckled the blood and sting away.

Leaves crunching underfoot sounded behind me and I whirled around, expecting to see Atticus standing there.

It was not Atticus.

My hand shot up, pressed against my chest.

“Hello,” a young man said.

I reached behind me for the gun Atticus told me to always, always take with me. It was not there. I couldn’t fit it behind a one-piece dress like I could a pair of pants.

“Stay away from me,” I demanded.

I walked backward until the thorny blackberry bush stopped me; the blackberries I’d just picked squished beneath my sandals.

The young man, early-twenties, raised both hands up at his sides as if to assure me he meant no harm. A bulky backpack sat heavily on his back with various items of necessity strapped to and dangling from it: a rolled-up sleeping bag, a drab silver canteen, a hiking pole made of metal, a compass much like Atticus’ hung from a chain.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” he said in a kind voice, his hands still raised out at his sides. “I’m just passing through. Heading to Colorado.” He glanced around the area, then down at the empty bowl and blackberries scattered at my feet. “Do you live here?”

My eyes darted to and from the path leading back to the cabin, and the man blocking that path. Can I get past him fast enough? I didn’t think I could—the need to be near Atticus was greater than ever.

“Look,” the young man said, taking steps backward rather than toward me, “I swear I’m not here to hurt you. I didn’t even know anybody was out here.”

Without taking my eyes off him, I scrambled to get the blackberries back into the bowl.

“I’m not alone,” I warned. I rose into a stand; the bowl tucked underneath my arm was pressed to my ribs. “M-My…husband is right there in that cabin. All I have to do is scream and he’ll hear me. He’s outside right now cleaning a fish.”

I looked toward the cabin; the roof was still visible, but far enough away that the trees around it engulfed everything else, and if I screamed, Atticus might not actually be able to hear me right away.

“Good, then,” the man said. “I’ll go and speak with your husband.”

He walked away, leaving me alone with the blackberry bush.

Confused—though very much relieved—I stood there for a moment, watching him get farther away as he weaved his way down the leaf-and-pine-needle-littered path; his bulky backpack so tall and full it covered the back of his head. I noticed a chain dangling from the back of his cargo pants; it made a jangling noise as he walked. I also saw the handle of a big bowie knife jutting from a sheath at his hip, and then my heart filled with dread.

What if he catches Atticus by surprise?

I took off running, and zipped around him, hoping he wouldn’t grab me.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.