The Devil's Daughter by Clifford Beck - HTML preview

Chapter 22

The night wore on as Kaku kept the fire burning. Its blazing flames were all that stood between the eyes that stared out from the dark, Carpathian woods and the small group of travelers, making their way east. Continuing to sit at the fire, Kaku remained vigilant. He was not so much concerned about those sleeping in the carriage nearby but was kept alert by fear, while the woods stretched out into the mountains, and the mountains seemed to go on forever. Yet, from far away, the fire lay as a small flickering light, a candle flame, burning against the black eternal night. Kaku was keenly aware of their circumstances, and it was this isolation that frightened him more than anything else, even the four-legged demons that prowled the nocturnal forest.

At some point during the night, Kaku's mind drifted into the crackling flames of the fire, when he was startled to his feet by the sound of snarls and screams of, at least, two wolves, likely fighting over a kill, or competing for dominance. His ears quickly tuning in on the direction of the racket, Kaku fired two shots into the woods. He didn't believe that he had actually struck his intended target, but it did bring Bradley out of the carriage. With Janet watching from the window, he hurried up to Kaku in an angry panic and inquired about what had so loudly brought them out of a sound sleep.

“What the hell was that?!”

He was still tying his bathrobe closed as he walked up to Kaku's side.

“Wolves,” Kaku replied. “Fighting over something. They sounded close, so I gave 'em a couple of warning shots. They won't be back. Probably.”

Bradley looked at him in disbelief. “Probably?!” he said. “I'm sorry but I do not find that especially reassuring.”

Kaku turned to face him as he reloaded his rifle. “You still don't get it, do you? We are alone out here. Sane people don't come out into these mountains. I don't know why I agreed to this, but it's too late to go back now.”

Having put three rounds in the clip and one in the chamber, Kaku threw the bolt of his rifle forward, preparing for the possibility of, again, firing into the darkness. With Bradley continuing to demand a satisfactory answer, Kaku turned back to examine the forest, watching for any movement, as well as the reflecting green eyes of the Carpathian's top predator, creeping through the dark woods. Continuing his demands, Bradley insisted that he not be ignored, as Kaku kept a watchful eye, his rifle at the ready. Finally, Kaku had had enough and turned to Bradley with furious frustration. “Goddammit!” he began. “I don't want to have to keep explaining this to you! You're not in America anymore! While you're out here, I'm the one running things. So, when I tell you to stay in that carriage, you don't fucking come out, and if I tell you to be quiet, you keep your mouth shut! Do you understand?! Are you getting any of this?!” From the beginning, any common sense Bradley may have possessed became blinded by his ego, leading him to see through the spectacles of his own single-minded need for control. But now, he was left with the uncomfortable experience of speechlessness, and with the resentment of having been put in his place, he stood, doing his best to stare Kaku down, hoping to intimidate him. Kaku took a step closer, and with an angry look, stood his ground. His expression became accentuated by the dancing flames of the dying fire, twisting his face into a hideous disfiguration. “Are you sure you want to play that game?” he said. “You push hard enough and I'll shoot you like you were one of them.”

He motioned his head towards the woods, indicating the object of his disdain, and as the two men stood face-to-face, another distant howl broke the silence. “If you're not going to listen to me, maybe you'll listen to them. They know we're here, and they're watching.” At that moment, a gasp was heard coming from the carriage as Janet, watching from the window, pointed with an outstretched arm, to the dimly moonlit road. “Bradley, what is that?!” she screamed. Kaku turned, raised his rifle and fired, as Bradley stood with wide-eyed shock. His target, a large wolf, had come out of the woods to investigate the source of the fire, and perhaps to obtain a few mouthfuls of food. Its glowing green eyes stared out from the road, and for an instant, Kaku and Bradley were frozen by the unearthly shape of what could have been the devil himself. Kaku's reaction was quick, yet not quick enough to bring the animal down, and startled by the shot, it turned away from the road and disappeared, as a ghost, into the woods.

Now, dropping her lady-like facade, Janet let loose her fear, ignoring the rules of civilized conduct. “Brad, what the fuck was that?!”

Kaku turned back to him, still with an angry expression. “Get it now?” he said.

Bradley was terrified. Neither he, nor Janet, had ever seen anything that big, and during the chaos, their baby had been roused from sleep and began crying. “Now, are you listening?” Kaku continued. “As long as you're out here, you do what I say, got it? That thing wouldn't have shown up if you'd kept your mouth shut!” Pointing toward the carriage, he scolded Bradley one last time.

“So if you're done, you go back to that carriage and turn in. And get that kid to shut up! I don't want that thing coming back with its friends!”

Bradley was almost always ruled by arrogance and the idea that having money put him above others. Now, he had been forced to realize the true danger of traveling the Carpathians, and although he resented being told what to do, he had also been struck with fear. For those few minutes, fear was all the motivation he needed, and he followed Kaku's orders without any further issues.