As Thomas finished wrapping her leg up, he was struck with an uneasy feeling that they were being watched. The solitude he once enjoyed, now gave him deep concern. He was miles from the nearest house and no longer had any sort of communication to the outside.
Emily broke the silence. “Who is the beautiful girl in the picture?” When he looked up, she was holding the worn picture he had in his hands earlier. “Is this your daughter?
”Thomas hesitated, but replied, “Yes.”
“Does she live around here?” Emily stared at the picture drawn by her beauty even at such a young age. Looking closer, she noticed the cross around her neck. There was something about that cross. She tried to squeeze out the thought, but the memory that lurked in the dark passages of her mind remained locked. When Emily looked up she noticed him quickly wiping away a tear. “Thomas?” She said, not knowing what to say or ask him. Thomas held up his hand as if to ward away any questions and slipped into the chair across from her.
“Her name is…was Anne; she died.” Thomas’ words were like a poisonous whisper, laced with grief and heartache. “She was murdered last year.” The word murder brought Emily back into her current situation.
“I’m sorry…” Her words trailed away, not quite sure what to say. There was a long silence between them. They both sat there with their own circumstances bouncing off the walls of their mind. Thomas looked at Emily. She looked very tired. Her eyelids were like half-moons.
“Let's get some rest. In the morning we’ll try to make sense of all this.” She nodded knowing she needed her rest. He pulled out the couch and brought out a clean set of sheets. After they made the bed, He said goodnight, and went up the stairs to his room. She climbed into the bed and turned off the lamp. The cold chill she had felt earlier had eased. Relieved, she was able to drift off into sleep.
Thomas was a light sleeper and was awakened by a click. The old cabin had been settling for years, but tonight every sound was amplified by his fear. Knowing he would feel better if he checked it out, he opened the door to his bedroom. Thomas could feel a change. He couldn’t explain it, but he felt another presence taking up space in the room. Something wasn't right. He went back to his dresser drawer and his hand closed around the revolver he kept there.
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