Mountain Getaway

Emmerson swiped at her phone and punched the screen with her fingertip in frustration. Her roommates' best friend had spent three solid hours convincing Emmerson to come with her and her boyfriend and her boyfriend's friend for a weekend up at a cabin in the mountains for Holiday break. Promised it wasn't a hookup thing at all, that they were just going to hang out with a few other people and play a few card games and have a few drinks. Supposedly Emmerson was the only single person Lily, her roommates best friend, knew.

Emmerson was a little livid. She had been ready to go at 4 when Lily had told her they would pick her up.

It was Phil alone who showed up, Lily's boyfriend. Lily was running late, more people were going to be at the cabin. He had a hundred excuses and Emmerson had almost turned around and gone back to her apartment. He promised her that Lily would bet there thirty minutes behind them and Emmerson wondered if Lily had led him to believe they were better friends than they were.

Lily was Russo's, her roommate's, friend, not hers. Russo was about as opposite from Emmerson as there was. Tall, wild, carefree, always laughing and always partying. Emmersons idea of a good time was a few friends sitting around a gaming table and a good glass of wine. Lily was a lot like Russo, even if she looked more emo/goth than Russo did. If they hadn't both needed roommates in this economy, they never would have met at all.

Emmerson was afraid that Phil was going to be a skeez on the drive, but he was simply polite and disinterested as he carefully navigated the falling now and icy roads. That suited her fine and made her feel a little more at ease, even if she was still pissed at Lily for making her ride with him alone.

"How much further?" she asked, looking at the setting sun.

"Not far now, just up the mountain a bit. We'll be there before it's really dark."

She looked over at him because he had seemed a little nervous. Why would he be nervous? "Cool... what was Lily's number? I want to text her and see how far behind us she is."

"It's programmed in my phone and that's in the back in my bag. She just had to stay after and help the new girl with her stuff, she is close behind with a few of the other people coming. You would have ridden with them if they'd had another seat, you know?"

"Uh... sure. I guess. So this dude you are trying to set me up with. He knows it's not a date or a hookup, right?"

"Trent, yeah, he knows. He's a good guy, just didn't want him to be left out. You know?"

She didn't answer, she went back to reading a book on her phone.

When he pulled up to the old cabin at the end of a long, wooded lane, she was confused. There were no cars. None at all.

"Guess we got here first," he said lightly. "I will grab your bag first, then I am gonna call Lily, ok?" he said quickly, getting out and grabbing her bag. He hurried it inside while she was still getting out of the car. He was coming back out before she made it halfway to the door. "Hey, uhh, come on in."

She blinked at him, wondering why he was acting strange, then looked past him to the man in the cabin. Tall and slender, a little geeky looking, but with a sour expression. He looked her over with interest as she came in and she felt herself deflating. He definitely thought this was a date.

"Em, this is Trent. Trent, this is Emmerson. Uhh, I am going to get my phone and Trent said the icemaker isn't working so I am going to run down to the little gas station and get some ice. Cool? I will be right back, Trent can show you which room to put your stuff in in a sec. Uhh... need anything else, Trent?" he asked, still acting tense.

"Yeah man," Trent said calmly. "I'll walk you out."

She went to the window as Trent walked Phil out to his car and the two stood talking for a minute. Trent pulled out his wallet and handed Phil quite a bit of money. From where she was, it looked like a ridiculous amount.

Trent strolled back in as Phil pulled out and Emmerson backed up to the far wall. He stopped as he shut the door and slid the bolt, looking her over from across the room.

"Hey. You're pretty hot."

She stared at him a moment, trying not to shake. "Phil isn't coming back... is he?" she asked softly.

"Course he is. Sunday night. Want a drink? I brought wine. Emmerson. That's a cool name."

She watched him move to the little kitchen area and get a bottle of wine from the fridge. She swallowed hard, glancing at the door, then looked down at her phone and hit the contacts. She scrolled quickly until her best friend appeared near the bottom.

"What do you do, Emmerson?" Trent asked, starting across the room with the wine and two cups.

She looked up at him, lowering her phone as she hit the call button. She waited a moment, giving Will time to answer. "So this is all a setup?" she said finally, moving down the wall, away from Trent, speaking loudly. She kept the phone at her side and turned. "He what? Brings girls out here to this cabin for you? And just leaves them here?"

"Well. Not me. Not all the time. He's done it for me before, but it can be any number of dudes. He said you liked white," he said, pouring a glass of wine and offering it to her.

"I'm not drinking that, are you crazy?"

"It's not drugged. Not at all, see?" he said, sipping it. He held it out to her again.

"I am not drinking any wine! What the hell is wrong with you? You need to call him back and have him take me home. Now."

Trent smiled condescendingly. "No, Em. Come sit down with me. Let's talk. You can put the phone down by the way, the signal is jammed."

She looked and the 'call failed' message was just fading.

She jerked as Trents hand closed around her wrist. "Let go of me!" she yelled, digging in and trying to pull away.

He laughed as he dragged her to the couch by her arm. She struggled the whole way, but since she didn't weigh 85 pounds, he had no trouble with her. He pulled her to the couch next to him as he sat down and put the drinks down. "Let's talk, Emmy."

"Emmerson!"

"Your family calls you Emmy, your friends call you Emmy. I will call you Emmy too."

"How the fuck do you know what my family calls me?" she demanded, fear spiking in her gut.

He smirked at her. "The first time, I let Phil pick. It was fun and all, but she wasn't my type. This time I did a little looking around first. Some investigating... but turns out it was Phil that led me to you after all. Seen a pic of you in the background of a selfie he posted with him and his girlfriend. Everything I like. Tiny, feisty, hot, smart. Found some of those out later, it was your size and looks that drew me to you. Shallow for a guy who looks like me, I know. You know we work for the same company? You work logistics, I work numbers. 17th floor. Never seen you though. Guess you don't leave the 3rd floor much?"

She glared at him, still tugging at her wrist. "If you know me, then you know I will fucking kill you before I let you rape me," she said darkly.

He chuckled. "Yeah, Emmy, I know that. One of the things I adore about you. You cost me double, you know. Since you were someone he knew."

It hit her suddenly, what was going to happen to her. He wasn't going to let her leave here. Part of what he had paid for was killing her after he raped her.

His smile turned dark after he watched the realization dawn in her eyes. "Doesn't have to be that way, Emmy," he said softly, sliding a hand up her leg. "Not at all. Here. Have a drink with me, let's talk."

"I don't want to have a drink with you and I don't want to talk! Just let me go!"

It's your favorite wine, Emmy. I went to a lot of trouble to get this for you, you should at least try it."

"NO!"

"I am going to insist, Emmy," he said breathily, pulling her against him and turning her as she struggled. He got her into his lap, catching both of her wrists in one hand and grabbing her throat with the other. He pulled her head back to his shoulder and pressed his jaw to her temple. "Be my good girl, Emmy. I will hurt you if I have to, don't make me."

She struggled harder, trying to bite him and his fingers grew tighter around her throat until she couldn't breathe. She went still and he loosened his grip slightly, letting her suck in air.

"See, my love? Be good and you get rewarded. Now, if I bring the glass to your lips, will you drink or will I need to punish you?"

"I am not drinking your stupid wine, asshole!" she growled, trying to slip down and out of his hands to the floor.

He laughed again and held her tight against him as she struggled. She could feel his meager cock getting hard beneath her and she struggled more. He let her, enjoying the feel of her squirming and struggling. "Mmmm, baby, looks like you want to get straight to the fucking," he whispered against her temple, his eyes closing as her ass rubbed against his cock with her struggles.

"I will cut your tiny dick off, you piece of shit!" she grunted.

His hand tightened around her throat until she stopped struggling again, then he shoved her to the floor roughly. "You want to be a cunt?" he asked angrily, getting up. "I'll have you begging for my cock after I fist your ass and your cunt! You loose fucking whore! You want to talk shit? I will have you begging on your fucking knees!" he yelled, grabbing the back of her shirt as she rolled to crawl away.

He ripped it open down the back, jerking her around hard with the fabric, then planting a hand on the back of her head and holding her against the wood floor as he undid her bra with one hand.

"I am going to use that wine bottle on your fucking cunt after I empty it into your ass! I should catch it all as you shit it out and make you drink it! Bitch!"

"Truth hurt you piece of fuck? Can't do shit with that tiny cock, have to rely on other methods?"

He grabbed hold of her hair and jerked her face back, then bounced her face off the floor roughly. He smiled grimly when she screamed, then rubbed her face in the blood that was starting to pool under her. "Keep fucking talking, Emmy," he sneered.

The door slammed open and Emmerson was trying to blink through the tears and pain to understand what she was seeing. It was a blur... but suddenly Trent's weight was gone and then he was screaming and she could see his terrified face as he was dragged out of the cabin by a... something. It looked almost like a man, but he was larger in every proportion and... green?

She had hit her head too hard... obviously.

She pushed herself off the floor in confusion, then froze as Trent's scream suddenly cut off sharply. Like... he had been killed.

She inched back away from the open door, using the ruins of her shirt to press to her bleeding mouth. She made it back to the bedroom door and hovered there, watching the open door in terror.

The thing that came in after a moment, made her panic as she let out a small yip of fear.

He was tall, easily 6'8" or 9", and large. Not fat or hulking, but his arms were thick with muscle and his chest was broad and ripped. That wasn't the most terrifying part of him though, as he looked at her across the room, assessing her.

He WAS green! He was green with short black hair and he had black tattoos all over his face in designs, and... he had an underbite with... his lower canines jutting up through his parted lips.

Emmerson shook her head in disbelief. Trent had knocked her out and she was dreaming!

The creature looked her over warily and she could only stare, stunned. He was wearing a reddish colored leather jacket that was tight on his arms and rolled up to just under his elbow. He was also wearing jeans and boots. Like a person and not a... creature.

"How badly are you hurt?" he asked, his voice grating like iron over rocks.

Emmerson squeaked and scooted further back.

He canted his head slightly, looking her over. Emmerson realized then that she had no top on, just a bra hanging loosely on her arms. She didn't take time to ponder if this creature had those sorts of desires, she moved back and slammed the bedroom door and grabbed a blanket to wrap in before diving under the bed to hide.

The door opened a moment later and she watched the creatures booted feet as he entered the room.

"I will not harm you, girl," he said, and it sounded like he was trying to make his harsh voice gentle. He stood there a long moment, but when she didn't answer, he stepped across the room and slid the bed to the side like it wasn't a 400lb cast iron framed bed.

Emmerson looked up at him in terror as he looked down at her. "Do you require healing?" he asked softly.

She shook her head rapidly.

"Remove the garment?" he said, then reached out like he meant to take her shirt from her.

She crab walked backwards to the corner after throwing the shirt at him. She was wide eyed and panting, trying to figure out what the hell was wrong with her. Had Trent drugged her?

"You bleed," he said gently, moving closer and bending down. He lifted her and she froze in wide eyed horror as he set her on the bed. He lifted her chin with a single huge finger and looked at her lips. He leaned close and his tongue darted out, licking the blood off of her lips and across the split. She whimpered and he backed up, looking down at her mouth again. Tears filled her eyes and slid down her cheeks. "My saliva is a coagulant, it will stop the bleeding and help you heal," he said, crossing his arms.

"W-what are you?" she asked, still unsure if she believed what she was seeing.

"Half human," he said with a shrug. She could tell he was a little wary now.

"What is the other half?"

"Humans have called us many things... Are you hurt elsewhere?"

"No. Half what?!?"

He looked her over, still looking wary, then stepped back to the doorway. "Do not try to leave the cabin," he said, looking down, then turned and left.

She stared at the doorway, a little in shock. Had that been real? Had that really happened?

She got up and yanked her bag open, then pulled on a shirt before going to the front room. It was empty. She went to the door, broken on its hinges, but shut, and pulled it open.

A... creature... snarled at her from the edge of the woods near the cabin. It was at least ten feet tall and monstrously huge and hideous. It was full on whatever the other creature had been half of, that was easy to tell. Large and green, a huge mouth with large teeth and lower canines that jutted up his cheeks. He had the same black hair as the other one had. The other one was standing close to the larger creature, looking past it to her in the doorway.

"Close the door," the smaller, younger one commanded. It's son, perhaps?

She closed the door quickly, terror climbing up her throat. What the hell were they? Besides terrifying?

She went to where she had dropped her phone and searched for it, but it wasn't there. She searched all around, but couldn't find it. The creature must have taken it. She looked around for a landline, but there wasn't one. She went back to the room her bag was in and looked out the window, but was too afraid to try and slip out the window. How many of them were there?

She paced for a while, then cleaned up the blood off of the floor and paced some more. Finally, when it was pitch black outside, she wondered if she could slip away. She turned off every light in the cabin, pulled on an extra flannel shirt, then slipped through the gap in the broken door to the porch.

"I see well in the dark," a gravely, deep voice said softly. Him. "Do not try to escape again, it would displease me to see you harmed after saving you. Go."

Emmerson was shivering so violently when she tried to squeeze back in that she accidentally pushed the door and it began sliding down and landed with a loud smack as it fell flat. It sent her frayed nerves over the edge as she began sobbing, running blindly to the bedroom.

She did not sleep that night, curled up in the corner under the bed. When morning came she was too tired and sore to come out until it was well past noon and she could no longer hold her need to use the restroom.

The cabin was quiet as she slipped into the bathroom and when she looked into the living room she noted the door was back up and seemed to be at least partially fixed. She peeked out the windows, but saw nothing at all in any direction except for more than two feet of snow now. Still, she was too afraid to try and leave. Someone would come looking for her, her roommate at least.

It hit her then that her roommate was probably in on it. If her best friend's boyfriend set all of these up, there was no way she couldn't know what was going on!

No one was going to save her. Her only chance was to get away.

Emmerson went to the kitchen and went through the drawers, finding a butcher knife, then paced with it, building up her courage.

By evening, she was still pacing, making yet another new plan that involved her improbably outrunning the green monsters.

The front door opened and Emmerson squeaked as she spun around and pointed the knife at the younger creature.

He looked at the knife and lifted an expressive eyebrow at her as he lifted an old metal pie tin full of foods at her. There were root vegetables and raw meat in the tin, and he set it on the island counter that separated the living room and kitchen. He stepped back and gestured at it.

"Cook. Now," he snarled impatiently.

Emmerson stared at him as she skirted wide of him, going to the kitchen. Did this creature really expect her to cook for him? She wasn't brave enough to refuse. She pulled the tin close and began washing and peeling the vegetables before cutting up the meat.

He went to the door and watched for a moment before stepping outside. As soon as he was gone, Emmerson hurried, considering trying to poison his food. She put it on a plate and took her knife with her to the door and peeked out, but didn't see him. She set it on the railing and stepped back, then quickly shut the door.

Moments later, he came in with the still full plate, looking amused. "For you to eat," he said, setting the plate down.

"Why?" she demanded fearfully, thinking of the old witch in that story who fed the kids and fattened them up before cooking them.

"Eat food," he demanded, gesturing to the plate.

"I'm not hungry... please? Let me go? You saved me from Trent so you can't be all bad, can't you just let me leave?"

"Eat," he repeated from the door.

"What are you?" she asked, catching a glimpse of the larger creature outside.

He left with a scowl, closing the door.

Emmerson paced, ignoring the food, but she paused when she saw the wine. She knew she shouldn't, but she also felt like she wanted to go to a different headspace right now. She sat down and picked up one of the cups and downed it, then picked up the bottle. She drank it in less than twenty minutes, then went to the fridge and pulled out another. Trent had been very ambitious, apparently, there were 7 bottles in the fridge. She knew as she opened the second bottle it was a bad idea, two glasses was enough to make her tipsy, three would knock her out if given enough time. She didn't care as she yanked the cork out then tipped the bottle up.

She wanted oblivion.

Emmerson woke up wishing she were dead, pulling the blankets over her eyes.

She froze.

She was in bed. In bed and under the blankets and... in different clothes.

She did not remember getting pajamas on, it wasn't something she would have done.

Ignoring her headache and sick stomach, she sat up and looked down. She WAS in pajamas! And... her hair was hanging over her shoulder having dried in bed. It had been wet. Someone... something had bathed her and put pajamas on her and put her to bed. She looked around and there was a bottle of water and a bottle of tylenol on the nightstand.