Chapter 1
Taylor sighed as she wrung out the mop one last time. It had been a long day of chores, as is her Sunday routine. She had just finished cleaning the floors, and now it was time to eat something for dinner. Her stomach growled at the thought of food, so she hung the mop out on her old porch and headed back inside.
However, before she could reach the kitchen, there was a pounding on her door. She felt herself jump at the noise. There shouldn’t be any visitors. She thought to herself. It’s storming and I’m in the middle of the woods. Hesitantly, she walked over to the door and cracked it open, peeking out. Standing on her porch was a tall man, with dark hair that would normally be fluffy. She noticed he wore just jeans and a black tshirt, which was odd given that the weather was starting to cool off. He was drenched from the pouring rain and she noticed what appeared to be a bad cut on his leg. She opened the door a little more.
“Can I help you?” her voice came out more hoarse than usual, as her anxiety started to grow. She tried to seem more confident in her ability to protect herself, but it was clear to both of them that that wasn’t the case this time.
“Yes,” the man started, slightly out of breath. “I’m being followed and I just need a place to hide for like, five minutes.” his voice sounded panicked and Taylor glanced behind him, seeing nobody.
“I don’t see-” Before she could finish she heard some shouting from the trees behind her house. “Who the hell-” she started but the man had already pushed her inside and shut the door, locking it. “What on earth do you think you’re doing?” she shouted, pushing him off of her and backing up.
“Would you just-”
“You can’t just break into my house like that!” her voice was panicked as she stared at him, her eyes filled with daggers.
“Listen,” he said calmly. “I know this looks bad, but I’m here to protect you, not hurt you.”
“And why do you think I need you to protect me?” Taylor placed her hands on her hips, irritated.
“Well, for starters, I was able to just push my way into your house.” he began, causing another wage of rage to flash in her face. “But I’m here because there are men who are watching you. They were planning on coming by tonight, and when I tried to stop them, they hurt my leg.” he motions down, watching her closely. “So please, just help me help you.”
Taylor hesitated, crossing her arms tightly across her chest.
“Just take your damn shoes off. You’re getting mud everywhere and I just finished mopping.” she snapped before watching him quickly remove his boots and place them on the makeshift shoe rack by the door. It looked like it was made by someone who had never touched a hammer before, and that’s when he noticed most of her furniture looked like that.
Her dining room table was just three pieces of old wood nailed together. The only rooms in the house were the bedroom and bathroom, everything else was open. He noticed a wood-burning stove in the kitchen and a crackling fireplace in the living room, illuminating the house and bringing a cozy feel. Although her house was in poor condition and her furniture was old, everything felt... comfortable.
“I know a guy who-” Before the man could finish, there was another knock on the door. The two looked at each other, Taylor was visibly terrified now. “Listen to me very closely,” he whispered, moving a bit closer to her now. “Just open the door and act normal. They know me and a few others are nearby, they shouldn’t try anything. You’re safe, even if they do. Just tell them you haven’t seen or heard anything about me.” he pleaded with her, hoping she would agree.
There was another knock on the door.
“Fine. Just go in the bathroom and don’t make a noise.” she snapped back in a whisper, sighing to herself. As soon as the bathroom door was shut for the most part, so he could see the door but the people outside couldn’t see him, she walked over and opened the front door.
“Yes?” she demanded.
“Hey there miss,” one of the men started. There were two of them, one short and one tall. They both looked worn and their clothes were battered. “We were just wondering if you have seen a man about yay tall?” the man held his hand up to approximately the man’s height.
“Nope.” Taylor lied, finding it easier than she expected. “Goodbye.” she said firmly, shutting the door before the two men could protest. The man came out of the bathroom, and the two watched as the men walked away.
“If you’re going to make me lie for you, you should at least tell me your name.” Taylor said after a while, while she helped patch the man’s leg up the best she could.
“Oliver.” his voice came out a bit softer than he expected, but they both ignored it.
“Taylor.” she responded, her tone soft as well, though still a bit harsh. “So, Oliver, where do you live?” she asked casually, stepping out of the bathroom and heading to the kitchen.
“Not too far from here,” he admits, walking over to join her. “We’ve been keeping an eye on you ever since you moved in.” he realized how creepy that sounded and instantly regretted saying it. “Not in like a stalker way, more like a protector.”
"We? What do you mean we? Who else is there?” she asked, turning to face him, her face almost written in panic.
“I have a village. My brother saw you moving in and told me about it. We watched you for a bit and once we realized that you’re not dangerous, we decided to protect you.”
Taylor looked back at Oliver, her face blank and confused.
“So you’ve been stalking me?” her voice finally broke the harsh silence.
“Well...” Oliver’s voice trailed off. “I prefer to call it watching over and protecting.” he gave a small, nervous smile, which Taylor did not return. “Listen, I know it sounds crazy-”
“No one lives around here.” Taylor insisted. “I walk these woods almost every day and have never seen anything beyond some deer. Now you tell me there’s a whole village somewhere? And who were those guys looking for you?” she attacked him with questions, leaving him to stand there silent for a moment.
“I can take you to the village. It’s not far, only about half an hour’s walk or so. You can meet everyone and I’ll explain everything, just trust me.” he finds himself pleading with her, wanting nothing more than for her to trust him just this once.
“We can’t go tonight. The storm wouldn’t let us go far, and it’s dark out. I’ll go with you, but it has to be tomorrow.” she insisted after a bit of hesitation, a bit irritated but willing to give it a chance. Although she normally didn’t trust easily, this man seemed to be trustworthy. At least, so far.
“Deal.” Oliver agreed, relieved. “I noticed you have a porch swing. I can sleep there for the night.” he offered, knowing she didn’t have anywhere else for him to sleep.
“You can’t. It’s broken,” she informed him, trying to figure something out. “You can just sleep in my bed.” she sighed, irritated and tired. “I need to work on my canning anyway. These apples are going to go bad.”
Oliver looked at her, almost surprised that she would offer to stay up all night just so he could get some rest.
“Nonsense. I’m not sleeping while you stay up. I’ll help you with the canning tomorrow.” he offered. “You take the bed. Just give me a blanket and I’ll sleep on the floor.” he insisted, not wanting to make her uncomfortable.
“Oh for God’s sake, just take the couch!” she finally exclaimed, irritated. “It’s nothing special, but it’ll work. But if I wake up to anything broken or missing, I will kill you myself.” she threatened.
“You have my word,” he assured her with a smile. “I will not touch anything.” Taylor crossed her arms, not fully believing him but being too wore out from the full day of chores to care.
“Just shower before bed. I don’t need you making my furniture any dirtier than it already is.” she almost spit as she turned and disappeared into the bedroom, presumably to get ready for her own shower.
It wasn’t long before Taylor was in bed and Oliver was on the couch. An old quilt had been located, which he found much cozier and warm than expected. She had lended him one of her extra pillows, so he was comfortable enough for the night.
Taylor was the first one awake the next day, quietly getting up and preparing a quick breakfast of fruit and oatmeal. Soon after, Oliver followed and they both ate in silence.
“Are you ready to go?” he finally asked after she had gotten dressed. He didn’t want to make her feel rushed, but he also knew that she would need some time to understand everything. Today was going to be a big day for her, and he was as nervous about it as he was excited.
“Yeah.” her voice came out more annoyed than she intended, but they both just brushed it off. The storm had cleared, so the two slipped on their boots and headed out. Taylor had hidden a few knives in her socks just to be safe, which Oliver knew nothing about.
