I took the knife and contemplated using it to over power him. Re evaluating his size and speed, I thought better of that and started chopping carrots into the large pot. Already inside were chunks of meat and other vegetables.
"For Linda," he stated as he pointed to a large cup on the table now holding an assortment of small purple flowers.
"I'm not Linda, I'm Scarlett," I said back to him, continuing to cut the vegetables with shaking hands.
"No, Linda, my Linda, you came back to me. Friends found Linda, brought her back," he said matter of factly.
Done with his stew preparations he hoisted the large cast iron pot to hang over the fire. Glancing back at me he seemed to take in my whole figure, he sniffed the air and then his face clouded. I tried to back away but was too slow. He scooped me up over his shoulder and marched outside with me in tow.
Off to the side of the cabin was a strange contraption I couldn't place. The small wooden enclosure was open at the top and the wood only went down to about my knees. Over the enclosure were a series of 50 gallon drums. The giant stood me up in the enclosure then turned a handle and water poured down over my head. It was freezing cold
The giant handed me a slippery bar I recognized as homemade soap then commanded, "Wash, clean away the other scent."
"What other scent?" I blurted out shivering.
"The other wolves, the ones that brought you, leave their scent. My Linda."
"Who are you?" I asked him to start washing as he had asked me to do, if only to make the chilly experience quicker.
The giant stared at me for a minute before answering. "Lucas, I was called Lucas," he finally replied.
I washed quickly while he waited. I considered my circumstances and tried to think of a way out. Lucas didn't seem dangerous, not like the ones that kidnapped me. His comment confirmed what I had hoped was just a bad dream, werewolves had brought me here. If this was all true then Donald was probably a werewolf, too. I had to ask.
"Lucas, do you know Donald Smith?"
It was the wrong thing to say, Lucas screamed as if bitten by something then backed away from the enclosure.
"Smith killed my Linda, KILLED MY LINDA!" he hollered.
His face started to lengthen as did his hands, the dirty outfit he was in split away at the sides and I was suddenly 1 piece of plywood away from the largest scariest creature I had ever seen.
The wolf man had to be eight feet tall, he towered over me. He stared at me with large golden eyes, his long ears twitching and flicking. Suddenly he changed again, shifting into the form of a large wolf with no human characteristics at all and bounded off.
I was terrified and wanted to run back into the cabin, but the idea of smelling like those awful dogs was disgusting. I heard a mournful howl in the distance and decided the giant was not coming back anytime soon. I soaped and washed quickly figuring the bath out faster than I thought I would.
I ran back into the cabin and dried off with a clean blanket I pulled from the bedroom. Looking around I found a dress in the closet, it was so old the fabric nearly crumbled under my fingers. In the dresser were several newer sets of men's undershirts and boxers. They smelled clean, so I slipped them on.
Wandering back into the kitchen I drifted over to the pot by the fire and stirred it absently with the large hunting knife. Not being someone that cooks, I had no idea if I should be doing anything to it or not.
My shivering slowly abated and I started thinking back on the last twenty-
four hours. I tried to come up with some semblance of normalcy.
I tried to reason why I was here. Donald was obviously not the reason, Lucas had confirmed that. It looked like I was being taken from Donald, not taken to him. There was unexpectedly a deep sadness in me when I thought about never seeing Donald again.
Looking out at the gathering dusk I suddenly remembered a barely heard conversation that happened during my torture in the van. I was so wrapped up in what was happening to me I had barely registered it at the time.
"Why not just kill her?" the first voice whispered, "It's what she asked us to do."
"Haven't you ever heard of insurance?" came the second voice quietly, "If this goes badly we tell Smith his girl was kidnapped by that stray in the woods. We'll tell him we saw them while we were on a run. The old Kook won't hurt the girl; she looks too much like that old bitch he used to have. If we need to be, we'll be the heroes for finding her."
"How do you know what the stray's bitch looked like? That was years ago."
"Eve has that old family album, before the great rift. I looked through it, saw Kook and his girl, and recognized him from up on the hill. He's so crazy now he'd never be able to tell them what really happened. How many times have we been up here and what's he ever said to us?"
I cried a little as the rest of the memory crashed down. I was still huddled beside the fire when I heard the steps on the cabin's front porch. The steps were lighter than the giant's and then I realised I heard more than one set of feet.
Gripping the hunting knife tightly I backed toward the wall next to the fireplace. If the monsters from the van were coming back I would at least manage to draw blood this time.
Shadows crossed the little windows in front of the cabin. Ragged curtains prevented me from seeing who was out there. Fear had me clinging to the wall of the cabin as I held the knife in a death grip. I steeled myself for a fight; I wasn't going to be tied up and tortured again.
The door crashed open to reveal a very angry looking Donald Smith striding through. He crossed the room in three large steps and came to rest directly in front of me. He was dressed in a tight black t-shirt and black cargo pants. His black boots were caked with mud. He looked furious, but spoke softly.
"Put the knife down, love. We are not here to hurt you."
"The giant, Lucas, isn't here," I said, cringing against the wall. The cabin was filled with large angry looking men dressed like him. "He ran into the woods," I finished.
"Oh, don't worry, love, we'll find him and when we do the mutt will never bother you again," Donald's jaw tensed as he said the last of this statement.
"NO!" I shouted at him, getting the attention of every man in the cabin. "Please don't hurt Lucas! He never hurt me, he thinks I'm Linda. Those creepy assholes brought me here to hide me."
"They were supposed to kill me, but they wanted insurance. They gave me to Lucas because they thought he would keep me ...here." I gestured wildly with my knife to the cabin.
"I don't even think Lucas understands what is going on, he's out of his mind. He said, "You killed Linda, did you do that?" I stared hard at Donald, caught between being angry for poor crazy Lucas and terrified for myself.
"Scarlett, please put down the knife," Donald said, sounding like he was pleading just a little, "and no, I did not kill Linda. That happened a long time ago and now is not the time to explain it."
I placed the knife on the hearth beside me and sagged into the wall. I was so relieved he was here. Donald's strong arms were around me pulling me close before I slumped completely.
"I promise not to hurt Lucas, love, but if he's not in his right mind I may have him restrained. Did he know the...men that brought you here?"
I pushed my nose into his chest and inhaled his heady aroma. "No, kind of, I don't know. And I know they aren't men, you aren't either."
Donald's hand came up to gently stroke my cheek and I felt his lips on my still damp hair.
"Please, don't be afraid of me," he whispered.
I looked up into his eyes and smiled wanly, "I already told you I wasn't."
Donald reached down and started to gently turn the broken remains of handcuffs on my bruised wrists.
"Lucas broke them, the thugs had me," I choked up a little, "tied and gagged when they brought me here."
Donald pulled me tighter and whispered, "I'm so sorry love," into my hair.
I recognized Nate coming out of the small bedroom, the sock/gag I had been wearing pinched in his fingers. I answered his unspoken question with a nod. He handed the gag to Donald who smelled the dirty fabric deeply.
I felt claws on my back where Donald was holding me and a growl started to resonate in his chest.
"Calm, my friend," came Nate's smooth voice, "she is safe and now we know for sure."
I shivered a little at the breeze blowing through the still open door. I felt Donald push me down beside the fire. He turned to one of the men that was with him and started to quietly issue orders. A jacket, a pair of jeans, and thick socks were produced quickly. Soon, I was dressed and warm. Everything was 3 sizes too large, but it was still a big improvement on being near nude.
Donald paced in and out of the cabin, directing his troops as they looked for Lucas. Nate, however, never left my side. He stood like a sentry to my left. It felt a little weird to have him standing guard over me.
"Aren't you bored just standing there?" I asked him finally. "I'm fine now. You could probably go do something else."
He snorted at me and smiled, "I have my instructions, but thank you for asking."
A few moments later I was glad he was there. I nearly jumped into the fire when the growling erupted outside. I knew what was happening when I heard the name Linda being screamed at repeatedly. Nate took a step to position himself between me and the door. Soon though, all was quiet again and Nate relaxed his pose stepping back.
The men with Donald were very efficient, cleaning up the remains of what was to have been dinner, putting out the fire, and even tidying the small cabin. I sat in the middle of their ministries with my guard watching and listening, but not really present.
Donald finally returned nodding to Nate. Nate bowed his head to Donald and left the cabin. Donald picked me up and moved me out the door. We headed for a series of dark tinted Suburbans that now took up the entire front yard of the cabin.
Donald slid me into the back of one of the vehicles then disappeared for a few moments. I recognized his driver from my prior experience and managed to smile at him. When Donald rejoined me he pulled me onto his lap. I wrapped both arms around his neck and laid my head on his shoulder.
"What did you do with Lucas?" I asked him. I felt protective of the crazy giant. Without him the kidnappers would have done horrible things to me.