Chapter 22
The Lumberjack
Her heart was pumping, she was little amazed at the fact that it was pumping. For a long time she even forgot it was there. Not even since her childhood when the woman came off the roof and shook the ground as she hit the surface. Sharine remembers that moment when she just stood and stared at those dead eyeballs of a woman; she felt a cold and strange excitement.
She was a born killer. She drew her blazing gun like a machine and was referred to as the one of the walking dead. But now she feels different, her blood rushed through her vein; she felt the sweat coming out of her forehead.
She grabbed the rock, putting her feet on the dent spot. Sharine struggled, soaked with sweat, and pulled herself up on the top of the cliff. There is a dark forest with no sign of light. The air was getting colder, her lighter is wet.
“Shit,” she murmured. She thought about making a fire by rubbing branches, but she shook her head and just decided to walk to the forest, looking for any sign of life. She rambled and shivered. It was getting dark, the orange sunlight was disappearing.
“It is COOOOOOOLLDDDD…” she cluttered her teeth. Sharine shuddered, her eyes dimming and blurring. She was now in the open field where few trees stood, covered with tall grasses dancing with the wind. She sat to rest, leaning against the tree.
As the time passed, she felt cold and drowsy. And then she heard the car engine approaching near, the car light was shining. She observed in a distance, slowly lowered her posture. It was a truck.
“So this wasn’t the ghost island, where am I?” she mumbled.
There were men talking, Sharine looked at them, crawling toward them, trying to hear their conversation.
“I don’t know what is he talking about, the man is certainly mad, I see? He is just sitting there, killing people.”
Sharine stayed quiet, carefully moved toward them so she could hear them closely. Sharine pressed the branch and it broke; she stopped breathing. The men stopped talking for a moment. The cricket cried in the distance.
“What’s wrong?” said the man.
“No, I thought I heard something,” said the other.
“Are you going mad too? Damn it, I regret shipping in this island. After I get the money, then I’m out of here,” said the man, with a trembling voice.
“I agree. It is driving me nuts too,” replied the man.
Sharine wasn’t sure she should ask them for help or not. But she sensed danger in their voice, so she was reluctant. She went closer to them.
“Look, we are setting up a trap and now we are good to go, I don’t want to stay here, I’ve heard about some lumberjack dwelling in this area.”
“That is just a rumor.”
“It is indeed a disturbing story. He kills men by splitting his head in two.”
Two men looked at each other with a fear in their eyes.
“Come on, let’s go.”
Sharine ducked into a grass, so she cannot be seen. She is now watching them leave, her heart beats slowly now. She stood up, and started walking. She is trying not to black out due to fatigue and pain. The moonlight was dim; she could not feel her arm anymore.
After hours and hours of walking, she saw the light. The orange torches flickered against the wind. She sincerely hoped it wasn’t the house occupied by those men she met before. So, Sharine decided to scout it first, gripping her knife, bent her knees and went on.
Splash!
She stepped on the water. She looked around, and saw many puddles. Sharine groaned with displeasure, feeling the mud entering her shoes. She walked slowly toward the light. Her mind is strangely getting clearer and clearer. She sees the house, it is the lodge; she gripped the braches tightly, feeling alive.
“Why didn’t I listen when they said to bring the extra submachine gun?” she came close, and saw the dark wooden door. She saw few footsteps marked around the door. Sharine smiled shrewdly.
“Now let’s see what kind of…”
Suddenly, branches rumbled behind her and her back went cold. Immediately she ducked, the giant axe swooshed right above her and stuck on the door. She swung her knife quickly and turned around. There was a dark giant man looking at her with the gleaming eyes and the haggard appearance.
The man took out another axe from his back.
“Great, he carries two of them,” Sharine groaned, she looked at him cautiously, her mind was unbelievingly clear, she stopped shuddering. She bent her knees slightly, clutching her knife, ready to attack.
The man seemed to be holding still. Without warning, he gushed toward her abruptly. She waited for the moment to strike, and the axe was swung. She dodged his axe and stepped aside, the axe was swung again, and she went behind the tree to block it. The axe was stuck, Sharine’s eyes became harsh, with a lightning speed she rotated and plunged her knife into the axe mans’ body. But she didn’t felt the skin or the blood. Instead, she sensed some kind of thick animal skin, ended up slashing only his clothes. He howled with a barbaric rage.
“Damn it.” Sharine whispered, hopeless. And the giant hand flew toward Sharine’s neck. Sharine was lifted up, hanging in the air, gasping to breath, struggling to swing her knife but it was no use. She was blacking out, she could only see that big black grizzly hair with a glowing eyes. She couldn’t see and she couldn’t hear, and everything went black.