What She Found in the Woods

The fire pit in the centre is blazing high with what looks like books and furniture. They must have run out of firewood, and Rob wanted to keep the blaze big so I could see it. Most of the family is huddled together, clinging to each other. I can hear some quiet sobbing.

Set apart from the rest, I see Bo on his knees with his hands clasped behind his head. Rob paces in front of him, holding some kind of rifle across his chest, military style. There’s a big bandage on his throat from where I cut him, and another in the crook of his arm. He was either given an IV or maybe some blood while I was unconscious. Michael fixed him up and sent him out after me on a wild goose chase so he could kill me without Rob there to complicate things.

Whatever it was, Rob doesn’t look like he’s injured. He looks energized, while I can barely stand.

He also looks impatient. Across the bowl a twig snaps, and Rob whirls towards it. Everyone freezes.

‘Mag-da,’ Rob calls in a sing-song voice. ‘Come out, come out.’ He waits a few more seconds and then whistles sharply. When there’s still no reply, he shouts, ‘Mag-da! Le-na! Magdalena!’

‘It’s not her!’ Bo snaps. ‘I told you. She’s gone. She doesn’t want to see me any more.’

Even though he’s scared and angry and probably hates me right now for dragging his family into this, I can hear how much saying that hurts him.

‘That’s because she thought you killed her friend,’ Rob says, like he’s repeating himself. ‘And then she thought you weren’t real.’ Rob takes a moment to laugh. ‘But now she knows the truth, and she’ll come to you.’ He raises his voice again and shouts to the rim of the bowl. ‘Because she knows I’ll kill you if she doesn’t!’

I can barely hold up my head. I let it drop on to the ground while I think. But with my eyes closed, I feel like I’ve got bed spins, so I pick up my head and open my eyes. If I don’t go down, he’ll start killing them. If I do go down, he’ll start killing them. That’s why he’s here. To kill them in front of me. He needs me to know what he’s done. He needs the attention.

I’ve got a knife and the high ground. I don’t think I can throw anything far enough to hit Rob accurately at this distance. Besides, I don’t know how to throw a knife.

I back down the rise knowing that one snap will give me away. Rob doesn’t have to shoot to kill. He can always just start maiming them to get me to come out. But as long as he’s not entirely sure I’m out here, he’ll hold off on that.

I skirt the camp, picturing the buildings in my head. Which one of them would have the family rifle in it? Or a bow and some arrows? More importantly, how can I get to any of those buildings without being seen? They all surround the fire pit.

Except for the shed with the clean room in it. That’s outside the bowl. The stump outside had an axe in it the last time, but what am I going to do with an axe? The only thing it’s good for is to pull focus. Axes are pretty flashy. They make people forget about things like concealed ankle blades.

I heft the axe over my shoulder as I walk unsteadily towards the bowl – not to look tough, but because I don’t have the strength to carry it any other way. No point in trying to conceal my footsteps now.

Someone is going to get shot.

It’s the only way to create an opening. Rob wants to kill me, but he wants to do it last, so he won’t aim for my head. Hopefully the rest of the family can rush him and overpower him before he has a chance to aim true at them in the flickering firelight.

This is a terrible plan.

‘There she is!’ Rob says triumphantly. ‘I told you she’d come.’

I walk into the bowl on shaky legs. I’m putting all I have into not stumbling, but everyone can see what condition I’m in. I pass the family huddle and glance down to see if they’re all there. Hoping one got away. Maybe Moth is running to get help. But no, they’re all there, even little Moth. She’s wet herself.

As I pass, I see Raven is in the centre of the huddle. Aspen and Karl are blocking her. They’re keeping her from Rob’s sight on purpose. She pulls the collar of her button-down flannel shirt aside for a moment. Something’s under there. I have to turn my head back to Rob before I can see it clearly so I don’t give whatever she’s concealing away. Please let it be a firearm.

‘Stop right there,’ Rob tells me. I’m halfway between where he stands with Bo kneeling at his feet and the family huddle. Rob is looking me over, revelling in this moment. ‘Magda, you look like utter shit. Did your friend bleed out on you before you got her to the hospital?’

I glance down. I don’t have to fake my indifference. ‘No, actually, most of this is your father’s blood.’

He chuffs disbelievingly. ‘No it isn’t. You got away. He didn’t catch you.’

I shake my head. ‘He lied to you, Rob. He caught me. Then he sent you out here to get rid of you while he killed me – or tried to kill me – but I stabbed him four times . . . no, three times? I don’t know. A bunch of times. He’s dead.’

I swing the axe down to lean on it. This is no act. I can barely stay upright. Rob tilts the muzzle of the gun my way for a brief second while the axe is in transition, but it’s not a serious move in my direction. He’s either too stunned by what I said about killing his father, or he thinks I’m too weak to attack him with an axe. Which I am. The world tips. I lean forward and take deep breaths, trying not to throw up or faint.

‘Magda?’ Bo says, worried.

‘Stay there,’ I tell him.

Rob re-aims his gun at Bo. ‘I don’t believe you,’ he decides.

I right myself and pop my ears to stop the ringing before I look at him. ‘I don’t really care, Rob. I’ve never really cared what you thought. You’re just background noise to me.’

Come on. Shoot me, you prima donna with your bespoke bags and your Patek Phillipe watch and your classic cars and your showy murders. There’s nothing you hate more than being overlooked, and I’ve been overlooking you from day one.