The thief headed straight for the pale blue house he was now shacked up in.She stopped in the same spot she’d used for cover earlier.“As soon as he leaves, I’m breaking in there and stealing my stag back,” she said in determination.Unfortunately, it didn’t look like he was going anywhere anytime soon.
Oaklie’s stomach rumbled an hour later and she desperately needed to pee.“Screw this, I’ll come back tomorrow,” she decided in a surly tone.
Turning to leave, she sprinted back the way she’d come.She avoided the town and made it home without running into any trouble and without being followed by anyone.Sending out her senses, she determined the house hadn’t been broken into by anyone.“As if they could make it over the fence,” she scoffed, then opened the gate.The thick logs parted, then became rejoined after she was safely inside the property.
Oaklie used the facilities, glad her home had its own dam for a water supply.The septic tank did its job to get rid of her waste.The only thing she lacked was a steady supply of electricity.She found she didn’t really need it, since she had the gas stove and battery-operated lights.
Eating canned vegetables for dinner, she wished she had some bread to go with it, but didn’t have the ingredients to bake some.“I ran out weeks ago,” she grumbled.
Still put out about her stag being stolen, Oaklie headed to the clearing to get rid of the body.When she’d slung it up on a tree with vines as a warning, she resumed working on the carving.She’d found a huge log from a fallen tree and had carried it to her favorite outdoor spot.It had taken her weeks to use her power to shape it into the perfectly formed male figure.
“Now it’s time to shape his face,” she said, switching on the camping lamps so she could see clearly.Her night vision was excellent, but she preferred light when using her talent to sculpt her creations.
Wind stirred the leaves on the trees that still retained them as Oaklie summoned her power.She reached up to touch the blank face and closed her eyes.Magic flowed from her into the former log.Slowly but surely, the wood moved beneath her fingers, obeying her whims.
Oaklie never watched her sculptures come to life, only checking on them periodically.She pictured what she wanted them to look like and her magic did the rest.Intricate work took a lot out of her and sapped her energy.This figurine had taken more time and power than usual.She’d felt compelled to get it exactly right.
Hours passed and midnight approached.Running her hands over the hair she’d just finished, Oaklie opened her eyes.She found herself staring up into eyes that were an exact duplicate for the thief’s who’d stolen her stag.“Damn it!”she said in annoyance, taking a few steps back to study the sculpture.
Sure enough, she’d given her finest work the face of the stranger who’d just come to town.Blowing out a sigh, she was tempted to make some alterations, but her gut told her not to.Like it or not, this was the finished product.“It’s not like he’s ever going to see it,” she reasoned with a grimace.Now feeling exhausted, she didn’t have the energy to carry it to her house yet.It should be safe enough where it was for now.Her magic had infused the wood and it would prevent the weather from ruining it.
Muttering beneath her breath, Oaklie headed back to the house.The fence parted, then closed behind her.She didn’t need a key to open the door now.Her magic had altered the barrier.The door had become fused to the frame and would only open for her magic.It obeyed her mental order when she placed her hand on it, then opened.
Closing the door, she glanced back and watched the cracks seal shut again.The wooden shutters on the windows were the same.No one could get in unless she wanted them to.Steel would have been stronger, but her talent was tied to organic matter rather than metal.
Oaklie took a quick shower, once again glad the house was hooked up to gas.Her bedroom was at the end of the hallway on the second floor.The house felt empty and lonely with just her in it.She paused to glance inside the master bedroom where her parents had vanished in their sleep.“I miss you mom and dad,” she said, heart heavy with her loss.
Tears threatened her as she trudged to her bedroom and locked herself in tightly.She often stayed up late, hoping to make herself so tired that she wouldn’t have nightmares.Unfortunately, it didn’t work this time.Once again, she recounted the morning after the Rapture in full bloody detail.
Chapter Nine
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GG AND DALTON DIDN’Tget as far as they’d hoped after leaving the old warehouse early in the morning.The boat they’d stolen to cross the Hudson River was gone when they returned to where they’d left it.“I’m sure I tied it up tightly,” Dalt said in annoyance.
“It’s just as well it’s gone,” GG said, using binoculars he’d stolen from the cops to peer across the water.“Rahab’s goons are still searching for us.”
