Thrill

"Well, well, well. You all have made quite the progress in just a few hours," the innkeeper said as he observed our progress.

"Well, things progress faster when you have an extra set of hands or two. How has your new guest been?" Dad asked.

"Extremely quiet. I almost forgot he was there!"

Dad and the innkeeper laughed boldly as Nicholas blushed quietly. I smiled slightly at his embarrassment. As Nicholas tried to disappear in his seat, his black hair swung down in his face. Instinctively, I reached to brush it back as I had done for my mom so many times in the past. As I neared his face, Nicholas's hand shot out and gripped my wrist firmly. Our eyes met momentarily but, I noticed an intense glare coming from Nicholas. His expression changed instantly and he looked away. My dad and the innkeeper stared at Nicholas, captivated by his reaction. Suddenly, Nicholas excused himself and left the room quickly. I retracted my hand numbly as the front door shut behind Nicholas.

"Ash?"

"I'm fine, Dad. I probably freaked him out. It's okay," Ashlyn replied with a smile.

Still, he moved so fast. I wonder if maybe he was in the army or something.

"Would you look at that, that fool left his jacket. He'll freeze in this snow," the innkeeper interjected.

I grabbed the jacket and ran after Nicholas. I heard my dad call after me as I ran out the front door. The snow and icy wind hit me like a sledgehammer and, for a few moments, I couldn't catch my breath. Shielding my eyes, I searched the white landscape for Nicholas. Any footprints he could've left would have been wisped away by the wind and replaced with a new layer of snow. Tracking him would be impossible. With the snow beating against my face, searching for him would be just as hard. I was about to give up when I remembered the jacket in my hands. Praying Nicholas wouldn't mind, I lifted the jacket above my head to shield my face from the wintery attack. As I did so, something dropped out of one of the pockets. The fierce wind caught it and swooped it out of my reach. I chased after it frantically, dropping the jacket as I lunged for the item. Landing in the soft, wet snow I stared at the photograph of a woman. The picture was faded, old and covered in stains. Those dark splotches on the picture dotted the woman's gorgeous smile. Her long black hair flowed softly in the wind. One hand was holding thin strands back and the other was reaching out to what I thought must be the photographer.

Could this be Nicholas's girlfriend?

Curious, I flipped the picture over. Black scribbles were smudged in the bottom right-hand corner and I couldn't make out what it read. As I continue to lay in the snow absorbed by the picture, a single shot rang out in the distance. Startled, I jumped up. I shoved the picture in my jeans pocket and ran back inside the inn.

"A gunshot? Are you sure?" The innkeeper asked.

I nodded. He and my dad followed me outside. I called out to Shadow, our Siberian Husky. He bounded up to me excitedly. My dad shoved Nicholas's jacket at him. Shadow sniffed it briefly and ran towards the stiff trees of the forest. We followed, stomping through the snow. As we entered the forest, more shots rang out. They sounded closer than the first.

Something's not right here. Since when do people hunt this close to the town? I know the inn is on the edge, but there are plenty of other places away from here that are safer. It can't be a local. They wouldn't come this close. Still, we don't get many visitors around here.

My adrenaline began pumping furiously as I sprinted through the trees. Beneath the wind's roar, I could make out my dad's voice yelling at me to slow down. Fear and worry pounded through me. Life had been so calm and utterly boring until now. There was no way I was going to slow down--I didn't want to miss this excitement.

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ok you know what, i like this, i like how it is going, next page.