33

Miserable was a good word. I started shivering around three o'clock and spent the rest of the night doing my best to stay warm. I didn't dare light a fire, I was afraid that the creature was still around, and a light at night would draw him from miles away. So I laid low, shivered and cursed silently the whole situation.
About four in the morning I heard a rustle in the bushes and tensed. Had it come back? not likely, I wasn't trying to piss myself and whatever that thing was, the fear it generated around itself was impossible to miss. So this was something else. I scrambled up the first tree I could, going as high as the branches would support me. Last thing in this woods I want ed to meet was one of the Black bears that populated the area. They may be a 'small' bear, but they're still bigger than me, so up I went.
I perched precariously on the upper branches and considered the situation. Zik'k was still out there somewhere and hopefully not having as bad a night. “Fern” came the harsh whisper from below me, “come on down.” “Zik'k, dammit, you scared the hell out of me just now.” I answered back with an angry whisper of my own. “Don't worry, I only saw one big bear and one little one together.” he whispered back up. I climbed back down slowly. Going up in the dark is pretty easy in a pine tree, even in the dark, coming down is a tad harder.
I joined Zik'k by the pine and he gave me the short version of his night. “Thing scared the hello out of me. I couldn't stop running after it got so close. All that mattered was gettin' away frub da ting... WAACHOO!... Ub Ferbie, Iba goad ober her abnd tabe a nab. Kib muh ib you iv you hear subding.” He walked a short distance away and curled up next to a pine, and actually drew the needles up and around him like a small nest, and passed out. I stayed awake and a short ways away so he wouldn't start sneezing. Next morning we got going at sunup and found the road by heading north and then orienting on the bridge, which was the tallest thing for that jutted out over the water. It took us another hour to walk into town.
I went over to the first public telephone I could find and dialed Fawn. She answered on the second ring. “Hello?” “Hi Amazon, it's me, can you pick me up at the bus station tomorrow? Something messed up my new car and bus doesn't run until tomorrow morning.” “Oh, gods Fernie, again? Sure, I can ask Larry to get you. Same time as yesterday?” “Yes” I said and hung up before my shakes got real bad. It had been bad and now that I felt safe, my body was reacting again. We managed to book two rooms, the manager was one of those folks that didn't care what you were so long as you paid for the room and didn't try to trash it out.
We caught the bus then next morning and Zik'k rode in the back so that he wouldn't go into paroxysms of sneezing while we rode back to Halifax. Larry met us at the depot and together we drove a suffering Zik'k back to his home, and then Larry and I went back to the house.
“So what is this thing that trashed two cars of yours in the last four days?” Larry asked me as he got me a cup of coffee. “I don't know. All I know is it has wings and that it scares the hell out of me as it gets closer to me. You should have asked Zik'k when you had the chance, he was the one who kept me from getting killed. He told me to run and then drew it's attention.” I shuddered. “I don't know how he handled being so close to that thing.” I told him.
“Troykin have got that touch of outsider to them, they can handle magick a lot better than most people realize. If he took off running like you said, then it was a pretty nasty piece of work sent after you. you're right, I should have talked to him.” He looked at me and favored me with his lopsided smile. “I just couldn't help but feel for him with the two of us in the car with him. Thank god I left the windows open, otherwise he'd have never got his head out in time.” I winced at remembering Zik'k, hanging half out the window and trying to get rind of last night's meal while we drove. Yeah, I had to feel for the guy too.
After buying another car, this time I got a little bigger car, and had spent a small fortune in getting a surplus Hummer. It had the removable roof and canvas replacements, which I threw in the back. The stand-up hatch was in place, and although the swivel had been pulled, it would be easy enough to stand up in and free hold a weapon if need be. I hoped that it was never used, but considering the last two cars, it probably would be.