HORROR
A Paradise in the Country Gone Wrong — The Mad Wolf (Chapter 1)
The city was dangerous. It was loud. Unbearable. The country seemed nice. I had no idea of the horror that would follow.
A short fictional story about a family moving to the country, seeking peace and rest, only to find ourselves being hunted and having to fight for our lives by something lurking in the dark.
An idyllic day in the country turned dark
It’s been a few weeks since we escaped the big city. I miss it, but my wife, not so much. We had to leave. We had no choice. I felt Maria losing her mind in all that noise. She was drowning. Nothing helped. She was sensitive to sounds. Hyperacusis, the doctor called it. The country has been helping her heal. Nature is magical. She likes it here. Little Suzie, too. She even made some new friends. Animal friends, but friends nonetheless.
I’m still getting used to early mornings and the smell of farming. Not the best smell for a city boy like myself. People stare at us like we’re aliens or something. I feel unwelcome in these parts. Not one of them. Not in the inner circle. Tough luck. Deal with it. We’re not going anywhere.
Every day is the same here. I get up. I turn the corner outside to relieve myself. I can’t wait to install a proper toilet. I will feel like a civilized man again. Maria said to embrace the simplicity. I’m trying, but I miss the comfort and madness of the city.
Living in the country is boring — and hard work. Mornings are cold. I have to chop wood for an hour. Then, I stare at the spark until it becomes a flame. I miss central heating, but I like the fire. I like the smell.
Maria bought a dozen chickens. She promised fresh, organic eggs. That would be nice. I’m skeptical of her skills. It’s just chickens. What do we have to lose? A dozen chickens for a Benjamin Franklin. I caught her looking at piglets. I like my eggs with bacon, but I refuse to become a pig farmer. She said I’ll come around. I won’t.
I like spending more time with little Suzie. I was so busy in the city. I missed a lot. Things I can’t make up for. All her “firsts.” For what? Money? I have regrets. Now, I’m there all the time. She said I hover. Fine. She’ll get used to it. Or she won’t. I don’t care.
It’s so quiet here. The next neighbor lives a few miles away. A weird character. Unfriendly face. I wonder what happened to his leg. He doesn’t speak to me. He just gives me “the look.“
Maria loves the quiet. She doesn’t hear voices anymore. No violence and sirens to keep her up at night. No one to fornicate above our head. With no TV to distract us, we began making love again. It’s nice. I feel connected. She is a good woman. I’m a lucky man.
I don’t like the quiet. It’s eerie. I miss the traffic. I never thought I’d say this, but I do. I even miss the shaking of our old apartment as the train drove past. Every hour on the hour. Here, all I hear are weird forest sounds. The good and the bad. I’m sure it’s just animals walking around at night, but I haven’t been sleeping well. There is always some sound out there, just behind the house, that I don’t recognize.
Imagination runs wild. I read that deer make funny sounds. It could explain it. Still, sometimes it feels like people are screaming in the forest. Keeps me up at night. Eerie stuff. Maria doesn’t hear anything. She sleeps like a log, which is weird with her condition.
Suzie wants a little brother. I don’t know. Maria hasn’t said no, but I feel old. We have the time. We have the money. It’s not like we need much here anyway. Today, Suzie played in the forest and said she made a new friend. She makes friends with everything, sweet little girl. It was a deer. I asked her if it had a name.
She said, “Don’t be silly, Daddy. It’s a deer.” Clever girl. It made me proud. I wish I could take the credit, but I wasn’t there. I was never there. I’m here now.
I bought a new axe today. It’s good practice chopping wood — no need for a gym. I’m getting the hang of it. I like the new axe. It makes me look good while chopping wood. The wife likes it. She jumps on me while I’m still sweaty. She says she likes the smell. There is something primal about it. I don’t mind. Jump away, woman. I’m here for it. Anytime, baby!
This morning, Maria baked the eggs with bacon. She says the eggs are hers. Organic and healthy. I’m happy for her, but I don’t care. Eggs are eggs. Two yolks in one egg, is one too many. They do taste good.
Suzie runs out the door the minute she wakes up. She likes her animal friends and chases them around the forest. Nature is healing us all, individually and as a family. Maria was right to insist on us moving. I’ll get used to the quiet, I’m sure.
I’m chopping wood again. I’m flexing my muscles, hoping she’ll notice. I want her to jump me again. I like this new frisky side of her. A man doesn’t need much to be happy. I see her lurking from the kitchen window. She noticed. Good. I flex some more. When does Suzie go for her afternoon nap? Where is little Suzie, anyway?
I look around and yell her name. She’s probably playing in the nearby clearing. I should check on her. As I walk through the forest, branches cracking under my feet, I hear her crying in the distance. I hurry my step. She could be in trouble. My little Suzie! I hope she’s okay.
As I clear the trees, I find her crying beside a deer. In her usual spot, but something’s wrong. Is that her nameless friend? As I get closer, I ask, “What’s wrong, honey?”
She just sobs and doesn’t answer me. I kneel next to her, and then I see it. The deer, her friend, was butchered. Poor girl. She had to see this. I hug her tight. She must be frightened. Sad. “It’s okay, Suzie. You’re okay,” I tell her.
I know she’s not. But she will be. Death is part of life. Deer is food for predators. And then it hits me. Predators. Something is preying in these here woods. In the place where my Suzie plays every day. How could I have let this happen?
Of course, there would be wild animals here. Where there’s deer, there are animals who feed on deer. This forest is wast and thick. I felt stupid. Careless. What if something would have happened to my little Suzie? I would never have forgiven myself.
I’m a terrible father. She could have died out here, and all I was thinking about was her mother’s ass. I could never live with knowing I wasn’t there to protect her. I shut these thoughts down. She’s alright. That’s all that matters.
“I’m here now, baby girl. Daddy’s here.”
I examine the deer’s corpse. It looks fresh and hardly smells. There’s not much left. Whatever killed it was thorough, hungry, efficient. It knew what it was doing. The kill was done the previous night. I try to think if I heard anything special during the night. I didn’t. I was sound asleep. The wife was horny. It knocked me out.
This could have been Suzie. My little Suzie! I block the thoughts. It can’t be helped. I feel sorry for the deer. But I’m glad it was not my girl who fell prey to whatever is hunting in these woods. I wish I were armed. I should buy a gun. I must protect my family. I felt afraid for the first time since we moved out here. Whatever killed the deer could still be out here. Preying in the forest, watching us. Stalking. Hunting.
“Let’s go home, Suzie,” I tell her and pick her up. “It’s going to be alright.”
She’s still in shock, I think. She hasn’t said a word. Poor girl. Maria will be able to comfort her. I know it. She has the touch. As we walk through the woods, I get this feeling. Like we’re being watched. I want to run, but I know I mustn’t. If we fall, we might be next. I don’t like the country anymore. I miss the city. I’ll take gangsters over wild beasts any day of the week.
Suzie said she’s tired. We stop for a minute to catch our breaths. I hear something moving through the leaves. It’s fall, leaves are everywhere. Whatever it is, it’s not far. It’s stalking us. It moves when we move. When we stop, it stops. I heard it because it made one mistake. One step too many. Careless beast. I know you’re there now.
“We have to go,” I tell little Suzie. She sees fear in my eyes. I try to hide it, but my heart is racing. I sense danger. Real danger. I hate that I’m bringing it home. I don’t have a choice. Desperation creeps in. What if I can’t protect them? That’s my one job in the world. What kind of a man am I? I need a gun. I need it now!
We start moving again. The sense of being stalked returns. I hate it. I don’t like being prey. I don’t enjoy being hunted. Suzie’s a soldier. She doesn’t say a word, just keeps on marching. Poor girl. She should be playing, not seeing the corpses of her animal friends. She should be running out of joy, not for her life. I hate the country. I hate feeling helpless. I miss the concrete jungle.
Finally, I have our house in my sights. I scan for Maria. I can’t find her. Good. She must be in the house. Safe. We’re close now. I turn around to see what is following us. It hides in the bushes, keeping a safe distance. It knows what it’s doing. A seasoned predator. I wish I were a seasoned hunter. I’m not. I’m a city boy playing house in the middle of nowhere. I feel terrified. It could have gone so wrong. I’m grateful it didn’t, fearful of what comes next.
I walk Suzie through the door. She runs to Maria. I see Maria’s confused look. She knows something has happened. I stay outside. I want to look my hunter in the eye. I want to meet the devil to know its soul. It’s hiding. I close my eyes and kneel on the ground. I don’t know why. It feels right. Seeking connection, I listen to the trees. I noticed all the sounds had disappeared. The forest has never been this quiet. Never. It’s out there. Watching. Preying. Hungry.
I can feel the beast, but I can’t see it. It’s like I can hear its heartbeat in mine. I know you’re out there. I don’t have to see you. I feel your presence. You crave what you cannot have. Suzie’s off-limits! I threaten the beast in my mind. Hunt somewhere else, I tell it.
I see it in my mind. I know it can hear me. It defies my will. I feel its hunger, its relentless need to kill and consume. Still, there is no sound. No one, besides the wind and the treetops holding hands. This tranquil place, full of life, has turned dead. I hope we don’t join in. I’m not ready to die. I refuse to be food. I am a man. The top of the fucking food chain!
I enter the house. Before I close the door, I take one last glance over the property. I still can’t find the beast, but it’s out there. I know it. I lock the door behind me and double-check, just in case. We’re safe. For now. I told Maria what happened. She saw the terror in my eyes and Suzie’s tight grip. The little girl hasn’t let go of her for a moment. Poor girl. She must be devastated. I kiss her forehead and tell her everything will be alright. I hate lying to my baby girl. This will mark her gentle mind. I hope that’s the only mark it leaves.
The sun sets behind the hills, and darkness covers the land. I used to like the night. The magic. The adventure. The mischief. Tonight, all I feel is fear. It’s probably just a dumb wolf, I tell Maria when she asks. I don’t know what the question was. I am consumed by the beast outside our door. I know it hasn’t left. I can’t see it. I can’t hear it. I know it’s there. Waiting, watching, preying. I feel it breathing heavily, just out of reach. My reach, not the beasts.
It’s getting cold. I put on the fire. I listen to the crackle of the burning wood. It’s soothing. We gather around the fireplace, and I tell Maria everything. I expect her to think me a fool. Delusional. A coward. She’ll make fun of me, a city boy. I was wrong.
She said she heard things last night. She said nothing because she thought it was all in her head. She has excellent hearing. Hears things amplified. It terrified her. She didn’t want Suzie to see it. The nightmare was real. The beast outside was real. The killing happened. The danger is real.
We’re in a locked house. The windows are shut. There’s only one way in and out. Nothing’s getting in here. I relax as I stare at the fire. Maybe it will get bored and leave us. Maybe this will all be over by the morning. At least we’re safe for now. They’re safe. I was wrong.
To be continued.
All chapters of this story on Substack (coming to Medium)
A Paradise in the Country Gone Wrong — The Mad Wolf (Chapter 1)
The city was dangerous. It was loud. Unbearable. The country seemed nice. I had no idea of the horror that would follow.
911, This Is an Emergency — The Mad Wolf (Chapter 2)
This was going to be a long, dark night. Hunted. Surrounded. Frightened. Then, a visitor appears at our door.
Wolves Are Inside the House! — The Mad Wolf (Chapter 3)
In haste, I left the doors open endangering my wife and daughter. Will I make it back in time to save them from these beasts?
A Disturbance in the Pecking Order — The Mad Wolf (Final Chapter 4)
I follow the tracks to rescue my girls from their kidnapper while fighting a pack of raging wolves in a blazing inferno.
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