Chapter 1
Charlotte Belfour was crying. She couldn’t let herself cry when her husband was dying. She couldn't let herself cry when her husband died. She couldn’t let herself cry when she had to spend hours digging a grave because she couldn't let her husband rot in their bed. She couldn't let herself cry when she looked at her husband for the last time. But now, a week later, she couldn't stop. The reality of the situation was finally starting to hit her. She was all alone. She had run out of food days ago, and couldn't muster up the energy to hunt or scavenge. Not that she’d had much luck with that in the past.
Charlotte didn’t know what to do. She didn’t want to leave their cabin in Willard’s Rest, but she knew she wouldn’t last much longer there. She kept crying on her husband’s grave.
“This was supported to be our little adventure.” She cried, “All we need is each other, that’s what you said.”
She was crying hard enough that the first she heard of the stranger was her voice.
“You alright there?”
Charlotte, shocked enough to finally stop crying, jumped up, surprising the stranger who put her hands up, as if to show she was unarmed, which couldn’t be further from the truth. The stranger was carrying four guns. Two in holsters on a gun belt slung low on her hips and another two hanging on her back. Both her bandolier and gun belt were filled with ammo. Charlotte worried that her end was coming sooner than she had expected.
As if reading her thoughts, the stranger spoke, “It’s okay ma’am. I don’t mean you no harm.”
The stranger spoke with a strong southern drawl, words flowing from her mouth like molasses. Getting a closer look, the stranger looked to be around the same age as Charlotte, though she looked like she lived a much harder life than Charlotte ever did. If it wasn’t for the slight bulge on the stranger’s chest and the fact that her face was clear of stubble, Charlotte might have thought she was a man. She had short, dusty blonde hair cut short, unlike any woman she had ever seen before. A scar cut through her chin. She was dressed unusually for a woman; dark trousers, riding boots with spurs, and a long dark dusty coat.
“Well, it makes no difference now,” Charlotte replied, “If an outlaw or wild animal doesn’t get me, starvation will.”
With that, Charlotte walked back to crouch by the cross at the top of her husband’s grave. She stared at a wilted flower she had put atop her husband’s grave before looking back at the stranger. The stranger slowly lowered her hands back to her sides.
Charlotte continued, “We came out here from the city in search of a different life. Something true, something real. All this squandering and indulgence, we wanted to strip it away to find something authentic.”
She took the wilted flower from atop her husband’s grave and tossed it away before continuing, “What a pair of fools.”
The stranger, unmoved, still standing a couple feet away asked, “Is there a train station or a town I can take you to?”
“No, I can’t give up now. He wouldn’t want that, I… I can’t have it. I’m going to do this for you… Cal.”
Charlotte tore herself away from Cal’s grave and started walking towards a small patch of flowers to replace the wilted one she had gotten rid of. As she walked past the stranger, they made eye contact. Charlotte stared into the stranger’s blue eyes, which were looking out from under a worn leather hat. After a moment, the stranger stepped out of her way and turned, breaking eye contact.
The stranger started to walk away, spurs clinking with every step, saying, “I’ll leave you to it.”
Charlotte stood, shocked, for a moment before continuing to walk towards the flower patch. As she crouched down and picked up a few of the brightest and freshest flowers, she heard the stranger stop.
As Charlotte turned to see why she had stopped, the stranger asked, “Is there anything left for you to eat?”
Charlotte almost laughed, “Nothing. No, we didn’t know the first thing about hunting, we couldn’t even catch a darn mouse. If you need any poisonous berries though, I’m a natural at finding those.”
She took the flowers back to Cal’s grave and tenderly placed them above where his chest would rest. He always loved flowers, and in the spring, he would bring her a bouquet whenever he could find an excuse to. She cherished them all until they grew wilted enough she had to throw them out.
The stranger, stating the obvious, told her, “You ain’t gonna last much longer out here if you don’t know how to hunt.”
Charlotte knew that she must be in a sorry state, with her dirty blue dress and tearstained face, and she knew the stranger was right. She was going to starve in her cabin, all alone, all because she didn’t think to learn to hunt before moving into the wilderness. Cal always was the wild one in the relationship, she was supposed to be more sensible than this. If her family ever saw her like this, they would be so smug. Charlotte thought they were probably right when they told her that this whole plan was foolish and they were going to get themselves killed.
The stranger, still looking down on her, seemed to come to a conclusion before sighing, “Come on, I’ll show you.”
Knowing that this was the only way she was going to survive, she relented, “Alright, but you’d better not try any funny business. You know, I may be weak but I still know how to stand up for myself.”
“Oh, I don’t doubt it,” The stranger remarks before motioning for her to follow and walking away, “Come on.”
Together, they walked away from Cal’s grave. The stranger seemed content to walk in silence. Charlotte didn’t mind either, after all that had happened, it was good to have the company of someone else, even if that someone else was a gunslinging stranger. At least she wasn’t pitying her.
After a while of silence, the stranger asked, “Tell me, you ever skinned an animal before?”
Charlotte responded, “No, but then again, I haven’t caught much of anything either.”
“Well, you’ll need to know how to do both if you’re going to survive out here.”
“I am all too aware,” Charlotte agreed, “So where are we heading for?”
The stranger looked around before humming, “Let’s try in the trees down there, near the river.”
Charlotte knew the area the stranger was referring to, it was a picturesque forest with a thundering waterfall that made it hard to hear anything but the sound of crashing water. Charlotte and Cal used to sit and watch the train cross the river in silence, simply enjoying the company of the other. She didn’t know what made it a good area for hunting, but she trusted the stranger knew more about this than she did.
Breaking her train of thought, the stranger asked, “What happened to your husband, if you don’t mind me asking?”
Charlotte had to stop for a moment while the memories of that day came back to her. She remembered the bear’s growl, the sound of flesh tearing, Cal’s screams. She pushed her nails into her palm to bring herself back to the present.
“A bear got him… it was horrifying. He survived but only for a couple of days. I buried him a week ago.”
The stranger sighed, “I’m sorry.”
“This was really his dream more than mine. I’d have hopped the next train back to Chicago if he’d said the word… but now… I don’t know. It’s hard to explain. I have to do this.”
“I understand,” The stranger nodded.
As they finished their walk, Charlotte wondered if it really would be worth it to leave. Even if she went back home, what would be waiting for her? A family that didn’t respect her. A life where everything was fake and stifling. She couldn’t leave Cal’s resting place behind. The only life left for her was out here in the wilderness. She was going to survive and make Cal proud of her. If she didn’t, then she supposed it wouldn’t matter because she would be reunited with him anyway.
When they finally neared the river, the stranger looked around and stopped, “Yes, this is a good spot.”
Charlotte was curious, “What are we looking for?”
“Well, I think we should start with something small, don’t you? I kill it, you skin it… sound fair?”
“Skin it?” Charlotte knew she had to agree if she wanted to survive, but the thought of skinning an animal still made her slightly queasy, “But I… I don’t even have a knife with me.”
“Don’t worry, you won’t need one… now take a look around for any movement.”
Charlotte looked around. The forest seemed empty to her, she could hear birds singing, but she couldn’t see a single animal.
“I don’t see anything,” Charlotte told the stranger.
The stranger shushed her, “Just keep your eyes peeled.”
The stranger crouched down and started to creep slowly away from her. Charlotte didn’t know what her plan was, so she just stood still, trying to keep quiet so as to not scare any animals that may be close. Eventually, the stranger must have found something because she beckoned Charlotte closer.
Quietly, the stranger pointed towards a small bush, “There, look, a rabbit. Stay quiet and still. Watch me.”
Charlotte could see that rabbit now. It was a plump white thing that didn’t seem to be paying any attention to them. Slowly creeping closer, the stranger pulled out a gun from the holster at her waist. With a bang, the rabbit squealed before falling to the ground. Charlotte gasped audibly. The thing sounded rather pitiful as it died.
As soon as the rabbit died, the stranger walked over to observe the dead animal, “Got it.”
“Oh, good shot!” Charlotte was a terrible shot, even if the stranger had found the animal for her, she doubted she could have shot it herself.
“Okay then, go on. Time to get your hands dirty.”
Charlotte slowly walked over beside the stranger. The animal was lying on its side with its head half blown away from the stranger’s gun. She felt a little sick. She had never had to butcher an animal before and didn’t have the first clue on where to start.
“How do I… I mean… What do I do?”
“Just pinch the skin on the rabbit’s hind legs until it tears and peel its legs clean.”
Reluctantly, she picked up the rabbit. Grabbing it around its middle, she turned it upside down so she could look at its hind legs. She felt bad for the poor thing, but she didn’t want to starve. Using her nails, she picked at the skin near its feet, and the skin tore surprisingly easy. Getting her fingers under the animal’s skin, she managed to reveal the red flesh underneath. She did the same for the animal’s other leg.
“What next?”
“Rip the skin all the way around the animal just below where the legs meet the body.”
Getting her fingers under the animal’s skin was easy and it tore without much pressure needed. She started to notice a smell coming from the rabbit. Her eyes started to water.
“Now just hold the legs tight, and pull the skin away quickly. Should come right off.”
Looking at the half-skinned animal, she almost wanted to close her eyes. But she couldn’t. If she wanted to live out Cal’s dream she would have to do what needed to be done. Grabbing the skin of the rabbit’s stomach firmly, she pulled. Surprisingly, the skin came off easily until she reached the head. She had to give the skin another firm tug before the skin fully came off with a soft popping noise.
“Oh my… it… it worked,” Charlotte had to admit she didn’t think it would be that easy. Now that the animal was skinned, she felt much more confident in her ability to make a meal of it. She had cooked with rabbit before.
The stranger didn’t smile at her, but her eyes seemed to sparkle, “And that is all there is to it. You did good.”
Charlotte smiled, warmth filling her chest. She was proud, but she had to admit skinning the rabbit had taken a toll on her. She slung the rabbit over her shoulder, not caring that it would likely dirty her dress more than it was already.
“I think I’ve seen enough blood for one day,” She admitted, “Do you mind if we head back now.”
The stranger, nodding, replied, “Sure, I’ll walk you back. You did good. That should keep you fed for a few days.”
Charlotte started walking back towards her cabin, “Oh yes, at least. Thank you so much.”
As they walked, Charlotte started to notice the beauty of the forest around her. This was the first time since Cal was mauled that she was able to do so. The future didn’t feel quite as bleak as it did an hour ago, and she was able to enjoy the beams of sun shining through the gaps of the canopy.
Breaking her revelry, the stranger said, “I mean, this really ain’t such a bad spot. You got a good water source. It’s remote, but you can survive here alright.”
“I have no doubt one can survive here,” Charlotte responded, dryly, “Whether Charlotte Balfour can is a different matter entirely. You’ve probably lived your whole life in the outdoors.”
“A lot of it, that’s for sure.”
“I’d barely left the city before coming here,” Charlotte admitted, “Cal spent his summers growing up at his grandparent’s lodge in Maine, but I get the impression they did more punting than hunting.”
The stranger grunted in response. As Charlotte was turning to look at her, she heard a wolf howling.
She froze, “Oh Lord, no, we’re done for now.”
The stranger pulled a shotgun from where it was slung across her back, “Wolves! Stay back. Must have smelled the dead rabbit.”
She sounded surprisingly calm. Charlotte felt light headed with terror. On the crest of the hill, two large grey wolves were looking down at them.
The stranger shot the first one quickly, but her second shot went wide as the one remaining wolf ran towards them. Charlotte couldn’t move, she was frozen in shock as the stranger quickly opened the shotgun to reload. She wasn’t quick enough. Before she could get another shot off, the wolf managed to grab her left arm with its teeth. She tried to shake the wolf off, but it didn’t let go. Charlotte felt sick. She wondered if she was going to have to bury this stranger who had only tried to help her. The helplessness reminded her of when Cal had been attacked by the bear. All she could do was watch.
The stranger dropped her shotgun before reaching towards the gun holstered on her right side, shooting the wolf between its eyes. As it fell, the teeth released from her arm, leaving behind a bloody mess.
“Are you alright?” Charlotte quickly approached the stranger, “You see? If you hadn’t been here, I’d be dead now.”
The stranger holstered her weapon and slung the shotgun she dropped across her shoulder before pressing down on her wounded arm with her other hand with a grimace.
“I’m alright,” the stranger reassured her, looking unconcerned about her arm which was now bleeding through her fingers, “You got a rifle?”
“Yes… well, my husband’s.”
“I suggest you learn how to use it.”
Charlotte was troubled. Despite the stranger’s nonchalance about her wound, it looked to be quite painful and was bleeding profusely.
“Are you sure you’re alright?” Charlotte asked, “Why don’t you let me wash and bandage that bite.”
“Ah, you don’t have to do that for me,” the stranger demurred, “It ain’t nothing I haven’t dealt with before.”
“Still,” Charlotte worried, “It’s the least I could do after you helped me the way you did.”
The stranger sighed before agreeing, “I suppose if it makes you feel better.”
They were only a couple minute walk from her cabin, which Charlotte was endlessly grateful for. She hoped the stranger would make it without collapsing. She didn’t think she could carry her back to the cabin herself. Thankfully, the stranger seemed fine to walk on her own.
Soon enough, they passed through the wooden arch that framed the path leading up to her small modest cabin. Finally, Charlotte reached the door. She hadn’t locked it before she left, not having anything worth stealing in the first place. She opened the door before looking back at the stranger who was standing a couple feet away, as if she didn’t know if she was truly welcome here.
“Come in and I can patch you up,” Charlotte offered, “If you stay long enough I can even make you something to eat with the rabbit you shot for me.”
The stranger stomped her boots on the porch, trying unsuccessfully to remove some of the mud caked on. Reluctantly, she stepped into the house after her, closing the door behind her.