enslaving them. They came at night, slicing the hearts out of the men and boys and eating them. The few surviving men and women had disappeared into the forests and mountains, seeking refuge by vanishing into the wilderness. The women that did not escape... A shudder ran through Ella. Those women had been brutally taken and used.
The elders told that on very, very rare occasions, a human woman would become pregnant with a child from one of the Others. One of two things would happen, and neither turned out well for the human mother. If the child was like the father, a beast, it would rip through the mother’s stomach, devouring her as it fought for life. If the child was like the mother, the Others would sacrifice baby to their Goddess, and the remains would be eaten to feed the beast locked inside.
Ella remembered asking her mother what had happened to the human women that had been captured and survived. Her mother’s haunting words and the deep sadness locked in her eyes had stayed with Ella all these years.
“ Both the male and female beasts will use a human woman in ways you could never imagine, slowly sucking the life from her body while she screams. Death would be more merciful.”
“That smells delicious,” Ty said, walking toward the fire.
Ella jerked her gaze to the fish and nodded. She was lucky she hadn’t burnt it. She stood up, pulling the skewer holding the fish off the spit and placed it on the boulder next to her. With skill from a lifetime of hunting, she pulled her knife out, quickly cut it up and placed it on the plate next to the roasted pine nuts and fruit.
She turned and hesitantly held out the plate. Her fingers tightened on the knife in her left hand when he reached for it. He gave her one of the crooked grins that she was beginning to recognize and nodded his thanks before he moved to sit down on the rock he had used the previous night.
“Did you tell others about me?” Ella asked in a husky voice after they had eaten a few bites.
He looked up from his plate and frowned. “Yes, but they won’t say anything,” he promised.
Fear and dread flooded Ella. She stared down at her plate for several long seconds as she tried to think of how to phrase her next question. Perhaps it would be better just to kill him and drag his body far away from here.
“How many know?” She asked in a husky voice.
“Three. Only my sister and two trusted friends know about you, Ella,” he said. “Tracy, Van, and Peterson were helping me find you.”
“Oh,” she muttered, picking at the food on her plate. “I wish you had stayed away.” She held his gaze for a moment, neither speaking. “What is it like in the outside world?” She asked.
“The… You’ve never seen one of our cities, have you?” Ty asked, swallowing the food in his mouth.
Ella shook her head. “No. I have seen small buildings along the edge of the forest. I have also seen the large birds that leave trails in the sky, but that is all,” she replied in a quiet voice.
“Large birds… Planes, they are called planes,” Ty explained. “I have some pictures on my cell phone if you’d like to see them.”
“Cell phone?” Ella asked, confused.
“Hold on,” Ty muttered, placing his plate down next to him.
Ella watched as he rose and walked over to his tent. A few moments later, he emerged and returned to the fire. Her gaze narrowed on the small box in his hand. She watched his fingers fly over the surface before he held it out to her.
“Here. Just move your finger across the glass to change the picture,” Ty explained, demonstrating with his own finger.
Ella frowned, reaching for the box. She took it out of his hand and glanced down. Her eyes widened when she saw a picture of Ty with his arm around a smiling woman. Her stomach dropped before she saw the image of an older woman and man standing on either side of them. Her lips parted when she realized that they must be related. She blinked when the images suddenly
The elders told that on very, very rare occasions, a human woman would become pregnant with a child from one of the Others. One of two things would happen, and neither turned out well for the human mother. If the child was like the father, a beast, it would rip through the mother’s stomach, devouring her as it fought for life. If the child was like the mother, the Others would sacrifice baby to their Goddess, and the remains would be eaten to feed the beast locked inside.
Ella remembered asking her mother what had happened to the human women that had been captured and survived. Her mother’s haunting words and the deep sadness locked in her eyes had stayed with Ella all these years.
“ Both the male and female beasts will use a human woman in ways you could never imagine, slowly sucking the life from her body while she screams. Death would be more merciful.”
“That smells delicious,” Ty said, walking toward the fire.
Ella jerked her gaze to the fish and nodded. She was lucky she hadn’t burnt it. She stood up, pulling the skewer holding the fish off the spit and placed it on the boulder next to her. With skill from a lifetime of hunting, she pulled her knife out, quickly cut it up and placed it on the plate next to the roasted pine nuts and fruit.
She turned and hesitantly held out the plate. Her fingers tightened on the knife in her left hand when he reached for it. He gave her one of the crooked grins that she was beginning to recognize and nodded his thanks before he moved to sit down on the rock he had used the previous night.
“Did you tell others about me?” Ella asked in a husky voice after they had eaten a few bites.
He looked up from his plate and frowned. “Yes, but they won’t say anything,” he promised.
Fear and dread flooded Ella. She stared down at her plate for several long seconds as she tried to think of how to phrase her next question. Perhaps it would be better just to kill him and drag his body far away from here.
“How many know?” She asked in a husky voice.
“Three. Only my sister and two trusted friends know about you, Ella,” he said. “Tracy, Van, and Peterson were helping me find you.”
“Oh,” she muttered, picking at the food on her plate. “I wish you had stayed away.” She held his gaze for a moment, neither speaking. “What is it like in the outside world?” She asked.
“The… You’ve never seen one of our cities, have you?” Ty asked, swallowing the food in his mouth.
Ella shook her head. “No. I have seen small buildings along the edge of the forest. I have also seen the large birds that leave trails in the sky, but that is all,” she replied in a quiet voice.
“Large birds… Planes, they are called planes,” Ty explained. “I have some pictures on my cell phone if you’d like to see them.”
“Cell phone?” Ella asked, confused.
“Hold on,” Ty muttered, placing his plate down next to him.
Ella watched as he rose and walked over to his tent. A few moments later, he emerged and returned to the fire. Her gaze narrowed on the small box in his hand. She watched his fingers fly over the surface before he held it out to her.
“Here. Just move your finger across the glass to change the picture,” Ty explained, demonstrating with his own finger.
Ella frowned, reaching for the box. She took it out of his hand and glanced down. Her eyes widened when she saw a picture of Ty with his arm around a smiling woman. Her stomach dropped before she saw the image of an older woman and man standing on either side of them. Her lips parted when she realized that they must be related. She blinked when the images suddenly
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