Page 8 of Savage Giant

Chapter 4

CARI

I wasn’t alone.

Someone was out there. In the forest.

Watching me. Messing with me.

Or at least that was what it felt like every morning when I opened the door to find a woven basket brimming with odd items on the porch.

Sometimes the basket contained freshly caught fish, other times nuts and strange glowing berries I was too afraid to eat. Then there were the banana slugs, worms, and other creepy crawlies.

Several nights in a row, I’d tried to catch a glimpse of the person, but they always seemed to arrive when I stepped away from the front window for a moment, as though they were aware of my every movement.

To say it was unsettling would be an understatement.

Part of me wondered if Salax or some of his thugs were still alive and had somehow found me. Or maybe the mayor of Portland was behind it. Maybe he’d had everyone else inthe warehouse killed or arrested and it bothered him that I’d escaped. I shuddered as I recalled how he’d memorized my face as he lay bleeding on the floor.

There was no way for me to check the news. No television, no phone, and no working video comm that I might use to call anyone. It was strange not being able to access the outside world, but then wasn’t that the point? If I called someone, I might inadvertently expose myself. Not that I had any idea who I might call…

I didn’t know whether to stay or leave.

Problem was, I didn’t have anywhere else to go.

And while some of the items in the basket were edible, I was too afraid to consume them. What if someone had poisoned them? It was a risk I couldn’t take, even if I were tempted to try the glowing berries.

I’d stopped taking my morning walks, and I was starting to feel like a prisoner in my own home. I worried what would happen when I finally ran out of food. Would I be forced to eat the strange offerings that were left on my doorstep?

I still hadn’t figured out what I would do when my provisions ran out. Money. I needed money. Which meant I eventually needed to secure a job. The nearest town—Newhalem—contained several stores and restaurants. Maybe I could find a job there come springtime.

But since I didn’t have any identification—and I didn’t want anyone to know my real name anyway—I would need to find someone willing to pay me under the table.

I sighed and peered out the front window, trying to work up the nerve to retrieve the most recent basket from the porch. I usually tossed the basket into the trees, then bolted back inside and locked the door. Didn’t want to let the fish and other perishable items rot on the front porch.

An eerie howl echoed through the forest, and I backed away from the window. It was a deep howl, one that didn’t sound wolflike. Another howl in a slightly different tone followed, as though two frightening beasts were calling to one another.

This wasn’t the first time I’d heard such howls either, and the hair on the back of my neck prickled. Ever since I’d arrived at the cabin, I’d sensed I was being watched. At first, I’d tried to tell myself it was only my imagination, but when the baskets had started showing up, it became impossible to deny the truth. Especially when I noticed impossibly large footprints leading away from my cabin in the dustings of snow that sometimes fell overnight.

The footprints were there today, deep indentations I could easily spot from the window. And whoever made them had big fucking feet.

I wished the baskets of food, footprints, and eerie howls were the only strange occurrences on the mountain, but there was more. Before I’d stopped taking my morning walks, I’d frequently discovered thick branches that were twisted in an odd manner, in such a way that I doubted an animal could’ve done it. Not only that, but the twisted branches had smelled quite pungent.

I ran a hand through my hair and paced the living room floor, wracking my brain for the best explanation. All signs pointed to a giant, barefoot beast who liked leaving me presents. Which sounded like something out of a fantasy novel. I snorted and headed upstairs.

Moving from window to window, I peered at the surrounding forest, trying to catch a glimpse of whoever—orwhatever—was watching me.

The howls kept coming, first the very deep one, then the answering howl. My heart raced faster, and my palms becamedamp. Anticipation tightened in my stomach as I continued scanning the trees.

Then I sawit.

A creature more terrifying than anything I might’ve imagined.

Heemerged from the trees with a purposeful stride, as though he wished to be seen.

Covered in dark fur, he possessed a remarkably humanlike face. He was staring straight up at me, and his eyes suddenly began glowing.

A gasp caught in my throat, and a strangeknowingfell over me, despite my fear.

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