The Nameless

"He's okay!" she called out, hoping for a closer look.

The man froze, his face hidden in shadow beneath his ball cap.

"He seems very sweet!" She stepped into the brush, squinting as she searched.

He pulled his ball cap lower, spinning away. He glanced over his shoulder, the sun illuminating the dark stubble on his cheek before he ran back the direction he had come.

She raced back down the path, gasping for air by the time she reached her grandmother's house. She shoved the backdoor open, grabbing her keys then getting in her car. Her foot pressed into the gas pedal, tearing down the driveway before turning onto the road. He had gone north, her only hope that he lived close enough to run home.

She slowed when she reached the first cross street, Grey Pike Road. It seemed the same as all the rest, leading her farther into nothing but forest, a sign indicating a dead end warning her to turn back. She took her foot off the gas, rolling slower, leaning over the steering wheel when movement caught her eye. A bloodhound darted through the forest, racing to the front door of a cabin camouflaged among the trees.

***

The night beckoned, the bed warm though her heart was cold. Maybe she had made a mistake, her soul aching for him so badly it was creating mirages of him in her mind. Or maybe the man in the woods was him, and now she had made herself too human. Too real. Taken back too much control, breaking the fantasy of whatever it was he needed her to be. She rolled over, tears dripping down her face. She had searched and now would never again be found, her body longing for a touch it would never feel again. Her thoughts slowly drifted, her consciousness fading into dreams of hollow eyes.

Hands grasped at her body, waking her from a restless sleep. They dragged her through the darkness, her fingers clawing at the bedspread. She waited to feel herself hit the floor but she was left bent over the edge, his hands roughly grabbing at her hips. Her toes searched for the ground, pressing into it as his fingers curled into her, a gasp falling from her lips before they disappeared, reappearing slightly higher. They were cold and slick when they slid inside her forbidden entrance, her body clenching against the intrusion. She shivered as they probed, stretching her open, their presence summoning her need to the surface.

She squirmed when his length pressed against the part of her rarely used, her body tensing in anticipation of what was to come. She jumped when her muscles gave way to the pressure, crying out in surprise when he slid into her fully. His hands grabbed her arms, crossing them behind her back and holding them there, shoving her into the mattress as he thrust.

She sucked in a breath then exhaled slowly, submitting to his roughness as he pounded into her. Her eyes closed, focusing on the feel of him forcing his way inside her. Years of neglected desire poured from her body, soaking her thighs, radiating through her with every harsh movement. He thrust mercilessly, sliding into her as if it was where he had been meant to be all along. She whimpered at the feeling, her body remaining calm when his hand grasped her hair, pulling it back. His other hand moved between her legs, his fingers sliding over her, feeling the flood his wrongful penetration was causing.

She trembled when they teased over her, tormenting her sensitive skin, taunting her need until it began to rise up, the heat infinite as it surged. It exploded within her, her body tightening over his, her legs trembling as her toes slipped over the floor, too weak to maintain traction. There she remained, peaceful in her helplessness, the final pulses of her climax fading as his began. He gasped as his warmth filled her, using her body until his own was depleted, his steps unsteady as they disappeared out the door.

***

The waitress moseyed to their table, the name Trish printed in white on her name tag. Her gaze shifted between them as she dropped two menus on the checkered tablecloth. "You must be Elvie's granddaughters. I can see her in your faces." She tucked a poof of curly hair behind her ear, her red fingernails flashing against the blonde. "One of you movin' into her place?"

"We're still debating if we're going to sell it," Lena started, grabbing a menu.

"Better decide quick. If you don't get on it, you'll have all winter to make a decision. Nobody moves up here when the snow starts falling."

Fae chewed into her lip, trying to find a way to camouflage her hunt. "If we do miss the selling season, is there anyone familiar with her property that wouldn't mind checking on it if the roads get snowed out and we can't get up here? Maybe someone who lives near Finnegan Pass Road?"

Lena smiled, glancing up at the waitress. "Maybe some young, attractive, single man with nothing better to do?"

Trish laughed, nodding. "Out here in the middle of nowhere? Nothing but single men. We get our pick of the old, the mean and the crazy."

Fae forced a smile, unwilling to give up the search. "We aren't picky as long as they'll check on our grandma's place."

"Let's see, who lives up there..." Trish started, tapping her nails against the table. "Butch Harvey- his wife passed away a few years ago- Roy Sullivan, Gene Tucker and his wife..." She paused, glancing towards the booth across from them. "Hey Pete, who am I missing?"

The old man turned towards them, hovering over his coffee while he wrapped his hands around the mug. "Charlie Young and his son, Luke, live 'round there on Grey Pike Road."

"Charlie's got some health issues," Trish's gaze moved to the side, contemplating. "Not sure if Luke would be up to it. He doesn't come out much since moving back home--"

"Not during the day at least," an unfamiliar voice cut in from a few tables over. "Got a messed up face. Heard it happened in the army. Shrapnel from a bomb--"

"Charlie's boy was never in the military!" Pete shouted, turning in his seat. "Got it as a teen- bear attack--"

"I heard it was a wolf," Trish argued.

"You're all spreadin' lies," another man cut in. "Stop talkin' about things you know nothing about. He got it fightin' off a skin-walker. Called to him like his mama, may she rest in peace."

Fae picked up the menu, opening it to hide her face, pretending to scan the options though she doubted the nourishment her soul needed could be found on the pages. Maybe she had a name, but why should she search when she was so close to being found?

***

Boxes filled the living room, some labeled Goodwill, some labeled Lena, some Fae, some labeled Storage to be gone through a different day. The house was far from empty, still filled with memories and their grandmother's things, but Fae knew she couldn't continue stripping it down to a hollow shell of what it was meant to be.

Shadows danced over the walls, the midday sun shining through the windows, Fae's arms wrapping around herself as she watched her sister head towards the door. "Hey Lena," she started, her stomach twisting when her sister paused.

"Everything okay?" Lena asked, her brow raised.

"We can't sell the house."

"I'm having a hard time thinking about selling it, too," Lena started, her voice breaking as she glanced around the room, "but we don't have the time or money to maintain--"

"I applied for a few remote positions," she cut her sister off, her heart decided. "I have enough money saved to get by until I get hired somewhere." She was ready to be the recluse, the witch in the woods. "I don't want to go back to the city. I belong here."

Lena moved towards her, wrapping her arms around her. "Okay, sis," she stammered, tears rolling down her skin. "Okay." She stepped back, her lips curving as she wiped the moisture from her face. "I'm sure Grandma's happy now."

Fae returned Lena's smile, nodding. "Blessed be."

"Blessed be." Lena embraced her again before turning away, disappearing out the door. Fae watched as the car rolled away, her decision echoing in her head. She stepped outside, wandering past the garden she would need to weed, past the shed she would need to organize, past the tire swing she had spent hours hanging from as a child. She was finally home, her world no longer empty, the only part missing one she was tired of hunting for.

She pushed open the back door, the kitchen darkening as the sunlight faded. She reached into a drawer, pulling out a box of matches before placing a candle in the middle of the table. Those who searched would never be found, those who summoned would forever be bound. She scraped the match down the side of the box, the heat teasing her fingertips when it ignited. The flame danced over the candle, her gaze watching as it burned, her heart ready to play a dangerous game. She grabbed a piece of paper, sketching an image in the center, staring down at the hollow-eyed skeleton before raising the page to the flame. "Goddess, make him be, set him free, send him to me."

The candle burned as she stripped the clothes from her body. She walked naked down the hallway, turning into the bathroom, spinning the handle on the shower. The steam began to rise, filling the space as she breathed it into her lungs. She stepped under the stream, goosebumps rising on her flesh as she prayed into the peaceful silence that the storm was near.

The cool air drifted over her skin when she stepped out of the shower. She dried herself off, letting the towel fall to the ground. His movement shifted through the air when she turned down the hallway, his footsteps behind her as she made her way to the bedroom. She was ready to play the game, allow him to make his claim once again, her heart pounding when he grabbed her.

Her feigned struggle was futile, only offered to sate their need, his strength showing itself when he picked her up, throwing her onto the bed. He climbed on top of her, forcing her onto her back when she tried to roll onto her stomach. She stared into the hollow eyes as he held her down, his weight calming as it shoved her into the mattress. The name Luke lingered on her tongue, its taste taunting on her lips, but she was terrified to speak it. Here he was nameless, whatever he hid behind the mask the only thing that kept him returning. She wouldn't force it into the light, ending the darkness she had found herself within.

His fingers slipped inside her, her need echoing through the air when he curled them within her. Her body arched into his, a silent plea. There was no hesitation, no weakness in his desire, no reluctance in his choice when he shoved himself inside her. Her fingers clawed into his back, tearing at his shirt, a false defense as he roughly took her. This was what she had missed, what she had been searching for but could never find, but here in the forest they could hide.

His ragged breath danced over her neck, his gasps tingling into her ear. The world faded around her until nothing remained but her and the one she had summoned, both of them born of darkness, neither called by the light. Her hands tightened into his shirt, her need blurring into wildfire within her. She let it surge, clinging to him as she gasped, trembling when the spasms wouldn't cease, his body continuing to milk them from her own.

Her muscles began to weaken, her soul lost in the infinite apex until his met her there, a cry firing from his lips when he pulsed inside her. The hunger within her faded, her hands releasing their hold as he slipped away. Sadness crept through her, the heat within her dulled to a low ache, left to burn within her until nightfall once again.

***

End

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