Chapter 2: One Blessing Too Many

"Mother hurry!"

The woman slipped over a patch of wet leaves, fell to her knees. Leaves crunched and twigs snapped as their pursuers drew closer. Reza frantically searched the area for an adequate hiding place. They could try hiding in the trees above, but her mother was no good at climbing. A small brook gurgled nearby. There was the old wives tale about the monsters. It was said they couldn’t cross running water. Everyone in the camp knew this was nonsense. The brook was far too shallow to hide in, the water rising just up to the knees. They would both be spotted and even if they weren't, Reza didn't think they could hold their breaths forever. There were no caves around here. There was no nearby shack or cabin. No kindhearted woodsman would happen along to come to their rescue. They were too far from camp and town for salvation.

“Lie down,” said Reza, pushing the woman to the ground. “I’ll cover you with leaves and lead them away.”

“But the monsters will get you.”

“I’m too fast for them,” she said, burying her mother in a cocoon of wet leaves. The sounds of bare feet padding over the wet ground grew louder. “You’ll see.”

“I shoulda taken better care of you,” the woman said. “I shoulda been a better mother. I shoulda been smarter like you.”

Her mother was almost fully covered by the leaves, only her face remained to be shrouded. Tears trickled down her cheeks. The woman’s forlorn expression broke Reza’s heart.

“I bless you with all the love in my heart,” she said, kissing her mother’s forehead.

The woman smiled. “I’ve always had that blessing.”

A wasted blessing, the girl thought. If only she could have saved it up for today. She covered her mother’s face. The burial complete, Reza got to her feet just as Hannah and Magda came into sight.

Their feet bounded over the cold wet ground with swift grace as Reza. She hoped they would both follow, prayed that neither would stay behind to catch her mother. Both Old Nan and Nana the Younger had said the monsters sense of hearing and smell was exceptional, as good as any four legged predator. Would they notice the other woman while they were keep on her own trail, she wondered?

Reza didn’t bother to turn to see. She sensed two sets of feet gaining on her, but nothing more. No panting or wheezing. The silent running was unnerving, but even more so was the fact that she had yet to spot the man. He could have stayed behind or he could be just ahead waiting for Hannah and Magda to lead her to him. Reza hoped for the latter rather than the former.

“You will not be the one who kills me,” she called out, smiling with satisfaction that only the undeniable truth will bring.

When she had gone a good distance from her mother’s hiding place, Reza slid to a halt under a huge beech tree. They were only a few yards away getting closer as she tried to catch her breath. She didn’t bother to hide. They had seen her and hiding was not what she had in mind. She needed to see them, needed to touch them for her plan to work. Reza bit the palm of her left hand, leaned against the tree, and waited for the two beastly women to catch up.