"Guys." she said, her voice shaken.
"Huh?" Luke looked to her.
Robyn stopped in her tracks, Eliza's coat in her hands.
"There's someone outside. I saw something."
"Youre sure about this?" Luke, the stranger, was dead serious.
"What did you see? was it..."
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you, Robyn." In reality Eliza had caught more detail, than she ever wished she could. Right on the other side of the window she saw what appeared to be too large and too furry to be who she was hiding from. No, whoever was outside, was not a man, but some sort of beast or animal.
"No, it was large. Like a bear or something." But it couldn't of been. It was staring right into the window upright, like a human.
"Is she alright?" Luke asked Robyn, clearly reserving no time for Eliza and her crazy beast-bear siting.
"The winds are blowing 70 miles an hour Eliza." Robyn said slowly. "There are no bears hanging outside the lodge in these conditions."
Eliza swallowed.
"I saw what I saw."
"Yea, sure. I'm out of here." Luke hissed, feeling as though Eliza wasn't taking the initial situation seriously.
Yet, Luke was the only man at the lodge between the three of them. Eliza and Robyn exchanged glances at each other, debating whether or not it would be safer to leave with him, and in Eliza's case, confront the beast. Or, stick behind, as two defenseless women,and wait for the person they were fearing, to come find them. Luke said he was being followed. If it was the same person, that Eliza feared it to be, all they had was time before they were discovered here.
"We have to go, Eliza."Robyn said. "It's the best thing to do."
"But what about that THING out there?" Eliza whispered, weakly.
"Eliza, no one else saw it but you."
"That doesn't mean that it doesn't exist!"
Luke was halfway out the door. Frantic, Robyn grabbed Eliza's arm and dragged her behind her as she caught up with Luke.
"We're coming with you, Luke." Robyn said strongly, aggravated, that Luke was just going to leave the two of them behind so easily.
"At least one of you have come to your senses."
Robyn shook her head, putting her disproval of this man behind her, because he was the only man. She knew she couldn't be too picky.
The minute the three of them stepped outside, the wind nearly blew them back into the house.
"Jeese!" Luke said.
"I wasn't lying about that weather, you know." Eliza said, hiding behind Robyn.
"Yea, like i have reason to believe a hallucinating girl."
Robyn clenched her teeth, close to saying something offensive to defend Eliza.
The three moved slowly around the house, any farther from its walls and they'd probably blow away.
"What the..." Luke questioned what was up ahead.
Once the group turned the corner, it was clear. The silhouette of a large and dark being stood on the opposite side of the house. It stood on its hind legs, it carried...a pole?
No. A...
The pole in its arms was turned to point at the lead of the group.
"Aargh!" Luke yelled. But his voice wasn't even that loud against the sound of the blowing wind.
Robyn screamed and came to a halt behind Luke, who was now on his knees. He dropped to the ground, his shirt only moving from the strength of the wind.
"Robyn that's..."
"We have to get back inside." Robyn said, but it was easier said than done. She was frozen with fear. It was Eliza this time that had the strength to take Robyns hand and pull her, against the wind, back into the lodge.
the two of them rushed inside, failing to close the door behind them, as they escaped to the far side of the lodge. they dropped themselves behind the bar.
"I'm so sorry." Robyn said, on the verge of tears. "I just couldn't."
"I know, I know..just dont think about that." Eliza said but then she gasped.
"What? What's wrong?" Robyn's eyes were large and glossy.
"The door is still open." her voice cracked. "I didnt even close the door!"
"It's okay, it's okay. We'll close the door." Robyn looked at her. "We'll close it together okay?"
"Do you think we have enough time? Do you think that thing hasn't already circled the house by now?"
"Oh, I dont know Eliza, but either way..."
Robyn was right if they didnt close the door, or at least try to close the door, they'd encounter this thing that killed Luke. One way or another they were screwed if they didnt try.
The two of them crawled out from behind the bar. Once they got to their feet, Robyn grabbed onto Eliza's hand.
"Okay, lets do this nice and quietly..." Eliza's vioce trembled.
"But quickly!" Robyn charged towards the door, Eliza flying behind her.
Yet before her hand could hit the door. It swung open all the way, and slammed back onto the wall behind it, on the inside of the house.
The two women screamed, and dropped to the floor from the impact. Whether this impact was from the outside wind, or the shock, they weren't sure.
The silhouette of the large creature stood in the doorway.
The two girls started crying and holding each other tightly.
"wha...what is it?"
The creature had to duck to fit beneath the door. Actually it had to turn sideways as well, because it's width took up the entire frame. But, the minute it stepped into the light the girls were positive. A bear. A bear holding a shotgun.
"Oh my god," Robyn gasped. "A bear killed Luke."
"With a shotgun." Eliza specified.
"You think he's going to shoot us?" Robyn whispered hurriedly.
"The bear? Do you think he even knows what he's doing with it?"
"How could he? He's a bear." Robyn sounded manic as she contemplated this.
In the meantime, the bear stared at the two whimpering girls on the ground.
He, the bear, cleared his throat. The girls squeeled pathetically at the sound he made.
"So, no ones going to offer me something from the bar?"
It came out low, like a growl, or a very sore throat.
Robyn and Eliza looked at one another, to make sure that they both heard the same thing.
"Does anyone here speak any english?" It came out sarcastically from the bear, but he continued. "It's the only other language I know beside my own lingo.
"I've just started spanish...but I'm not that good at it yet."
When the girls stared at him blankly, he tried.
"Hablas ingles? I know you dont speak bear."
"Si." Robyn spit out, as though english really was her second language.
"I mean yes, yes, we're both American."
"We both speak english." Eliza clarified, hoping that this information would please him and keep him from shooting them. With a talking bear, she had no doubt now that he knew what he was doing with a gun.
"Well?" his voice was deep and threatening. "Than why hasnt anyone answered my first question?"
Eliza and Robyn have to stare at eachother for the question that they have both forgotten. How were they to remember his exact inquiry, when they were too busy trying to comprehend, the idea that a bear could be fluent in english.
The two of them shrug their shoulders pitifully. The expressions on their pale faces are desperately begging for mercy.
The bear sighs. "Humans." and shakes his head.
"No one is going to offer me something warm to drink?"
"Oh", the girls think, curious as to this bears intentions.
"Of course, of course!" Robyn crawls towards the bar, until she has the strength to push herself up off the hardwood floor.
The bears stares after her, unsure as to whether he is freaked out, or amused.
"You guys act like you haven't even evolved yet. Heck, I feel I've evolved more than you." He chuckles and hearty cough sounding chuckle, and then stops when he realizes Eliza, on the floor still, is not finding it funny. Her eyes are still wide and pleading. Still staring up at him, like a rodent to a human.
The bear snorts at this.
"Jeese, lighten the heck up."
"But..Mr. Bear... you just shot Luke."
"Mr. Bear! Mr. Bear!" he mocks in an unusually high snarl.
Eliza crosses her brow, not only afraid now, but offended too.
"You speak these words like you knew the guy."
Just then Robyn returns from the bar, a cup with hot chocolate and whip cream on top. Bears must like sweets, she assumed. They ate honey didn't they?
"Here...sir." she refrained from calling him Mr. Bear. Especially after witnessing the title fail with Eliza.
He stared over at the drink in her hand.
"What the...what is that?"
"Hot chocolate? there's whipped cream on top." Robyn states innocently.
"Lady, I'm a bear. I'd like a beer."
"Huh?"
"What, you've never had warm beer before?"
"No.."
"-Amatuer."
Robyn is silent. She turns away without commenting and rushes back to the bar to get this bear a real drink.
The bear turns back to Eliza.
"You didnt know Luke."
"How do you know?"
The animal growls.
"Cause you treated him like he was completely innocent the minute he walked into the lodge. If you knew the guy and what his intentions were, you wouldn't of have been so lax about letting him in."
"If you knew him you would've treated him like you're treating me. Like I'm a monster.
And why do I get this treatment? Because I'm a bear? Is that it?"
"Well, you did kill someone."
"Luke? and who do you suppose killed you're lover?"
"You?" Eliza squeaked
"NO, you..." The bear took a deep inhale. "Deep breaths" he reminded himselves.
"Luke killed him."
Eliza covered her mouth with her palm. Robyn was walking back with the bears drink, and had stopped in her tracks.
"It was so obvious too! He ran in right after he shot him.I dont know why you two didn't put the two and two together."
"But he looked so innocent." Robyn spoke.
"Well." The bear growled. "You can't always judge a book by it's cover...Hand me that drink, please."
Robyn walked up to the gigantic bear cautiously. She never in her life came this close to a bear, let alone, hand a beer to one.
"Thanks." he said, clearly not as fascinated nor fearful as she was with this exchange. He brought the mug up to his mouth and took a sip.
"Ooo thats hot, but good."
Robyn and Eliza took this opportunity to really calm down and breath. There really was no reason in fretting over what they had witnessed over the last half hour. Thinking about it would just drive them crazy.
"Wait..." The bear put down his mug on a nearby table and took a moment to listen.
"They're here now."
"Who?" Eliza said. She looked to Robyn for conformation. Robyn nodded, gravely. They both knew very well who it was.
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