Chapter 1: The Follower
Part 1
OTHER THAN RAIN filledfootprints in the mud, there was no trace of the one tracking her, and eventhose vanished when rock replaced mud underfoot. Part of her desired to hug theriver, for then she would be certain she was still being followed. The other,greater part of her wanted to vanish into boulder territory higher up. Shewould then leave no footprints to shadow.
She caught sight of the tracks by accidenton the first day. Having realized she left her water bottle behind when shebriefly rested as dawn arrived, she retraced her path … and discovered theprints. Fresh, and clearly stepping alongside those she herself made. No sightof the one making them, but every time she looked back, there they were. Itfelt as if a ghost tracked her, for whoever it was, was good at hiding in plainsight.
This hunter and prey game began two nightsago when she fled her home and the man who intended to make her life hell onearth. Her older brother, point of fact. It wasn’t him behind her, that sheknew. Colum would never wait this long; no, he preferred the direct approach.Someone saw her leave in the dead of night, and that someone now tracked her.Who? And why? Was it the man Colum said she had to marry?
Here in the steppes, one needed a car toreach the nearest town. On foot as she was, it meant days of walking, which shewas more than prepared to do if it meant escaping her personal monster. Shedared flag no passing vehicle, for Colum had eyes everywhere. She loved herbrother, but truth was, since he took over the business, she’d seen him becomealmost ruthless. He’d find her in no time if she hitched a ride. In fact, shestayed away from all paths and roads. Thus, she walked, using the river toguide her, sometimes along the bank, other times inland with the watery glintsin the distance her compass.
Seriously, in the 21st century someone –her own brother! – sought to dictate to her who she would spend the rest of herlife with. He became obsessed with success when their parents died, throwinghimself into the family business, a travel agency that went fully onlinerecently, one that apparently needed investment from a wealthy entrepreneur,and he found one, one looking for a wife, or more precisely, a stepmother forhis two boys. She, Chloe, fit that bill. Quid pro quo, according to Colum. Bothof them won. The business would flourish, and she would live a life of luxury.
No, she’d be a caregiver. She didn’t mindthat, but then pay for her services, no need to marry her. Which meant the manhad a hidden motive, and she wanted nothing to do with it. Colum was adamant,and so was she. She left during the night, the one preceding the signing ofcontracts in the morning. The man was about to pay a visit and seal her fate.Well, she had now chosen a different fate.
Was it him tracking her?
Part of her hoped so, for she could talkher way out of a situation her brother had engineered. Creepy would be thekindest word for him, though, if he was following. That hidden motivehad to be quite something then.
Part of her hoped it was another, but thatalso scared her. The unknown was a monster in its own right, after all. And,horror, it might be a monster, the kind one read about in the news,preying on women and children.
A small, inner voice spoke of a ghost, butshe ruthlessly pushed it aside. Nope. 21st Century and all.
Darkness would catch her soon. She neededsomewhere to wait for daylight. Falling around in the dark invited only trouble,no matter how much she wished to speed her journey. Tomorrow she would reach town,which was soon enough, and she simply needed to remain patient a while longerand to get through this one night. Maybe when she reached town this hunter andprey game would end. Maybe it was a manifestation of her own fear of beingcaught before she attained freedom.
Earlier, she marked in the distance aheadwhat looked like a small cave from the river’s edge and had been walkingtowards it for the last two hours. Better shelter than the bushes last night. Now,as Chloe approached, she saw it was no more than an overhang. Good enough forher purpose, but she would be in full view of whoever followed her.
As luck would have it, the rain reappearedthen, having threatened to offer more than the periodic shower all day, and itcame in torrents and drumming sound. Shivering, she hastened for the overhang.No other choice was now available to her. A cold, wet night lay ahead.Hopefully it would send her stalker into some kind of shelter also.
Hopefully.
