The Girl in Red

She had to work fast, had to keep the element of surprise on her side, because if she didn’t then they would shoot her. Shoot her, but maybe not to kill. And then she’d be dragged off to their camp and so would Sam and she didn’t want to think about what would happen to them there.

The third guy had half a second to react and started to turn toward her, raising his rifle as he did, but she wasn’t having any of that and she embedded the axe in his neck too. The slightly changed angle meant that she got more of his vocal cords and the muscle made the axe blade stick and it took more effort to pull it out but she managed.

There was blood hot in her throat and blood hot on her face and her hands but they were down, they were all down, and all that remained was Sam standing there with her eyes as big as her face.

All three of the men had dropped their rifles as they fell, and Red picked up Toothpick’s and threw it into a ditch several feet away. Sam stared at Red as if she were an apparition while Red grabbed the other two rifles and did the same thing.

“Get away!” Red shouted. She wanted Sam out of arm’s reach.

Sam ran down the road about ten feet, then turned back.

The third man was down and still. The second man was kind of gurgling but he didn’t seem like a threat.

Toothpick, of course, had rolled to his back and was grabbing at the seam that had opened in his neck and trying to talk.

Red slammed the blunt side of her axe into the front of his skull without any hesitation.

And then she did it again and again and again because he was a monster, a wolf in the woods who took little girls away and ate them all up and she did not want him to get back up again.

You’re a wolf and I’m a hunter. I’m no Red Riding Hood to be deceived by your mask. I know what you are.

She wanted him down. She wanted him done. She didn’t want him to come after them.

“Red,” Sam said, and her voice was closer than expected.

Red paused. There was blood and brain all over her axe and on her shirtsleeves and her pant legs. There was probably some on her face, too.

“Red, he’s dead now,” Sam said.

She looked like she was trying valiantly not to throw up.

Red stared down at the mangled remains of Toothpick’s head, and the nice lunch that D.J. had packed for her came right back up again. She turned her head to one side and as she did she heard Sam run a few feet off, copying her.

Red stood up and gestured toward the house.

“My bag and jacket are in there,” she said. “There’s water.”

Sam took her cue and ran off to the house to collect Red’s things while Red stared down at her handiwork and tried to think of the best thing to do.

This made five people that she’d killed. Five people since she’d left home with Adam, just trying to get to Grandma’s house.

Who’s the wolf in the woods now?

It sounded like Mama’s voice, and that made her heart hurt because Mama had to know that Red would never have chosen this. She was just trying to keep Sam safe.

Sam came flying back with the water and Red’s hooded sweatshirt.

“Thanks,” Red said. She didn’t feel like herself without her red hood.

Red poured a little of the water into her hand and gestured for Sam to do the same so they could clean their mouths.

When they were finished Sam looked at Red and Red looked at Sam. Red wanted to give her a hug but she didn’t want to get their enemies’ blood all over the little girl’s pink hoodie.

“What happened?” Red asked.

Sam’s face crumpled up, and then Red had to hug her because she was sobbing like she would never stop.

“I was s-s-s-so s-st-stupid,” Sam said. “I t-t-tried to f-f-follow you.”

Red leaned back so she could look into Sam’s face. “Why would you do that?”

She didn’t add, That was really stupid, even though she definitely wanted to. Red was proud of her restraint. If it had been Adam she wouldn’t have been able to resist.

That’s the first time you’ve been able to think about Adam without feeling angry.

She wanted to take a minute to feel that, to examine that emotion from all sides, but Sam was talking again.

“. . . wanted to help you,” Sam said, wiping her face. “I was really worried about you being out here by yourself. Which is the dumbest thing ever because you were by yourself for a long time before you found me and Riley.”

Red nodded, and Sam continued.

“I was awake when you left. I had it all planned out. I left a note for D.J. and Riley so they wouldn’t worry and then I went out the bedroom window about ten minutes after you left. I thought I could catch up with you.”

“D.J. is probably out of his mind worrying about you,” Red said, imagining how he must have felt when he found that note. She didn’t acknowledge her own relief that Riley and D.J. were unharmed. “Although I bet Riley is jealous because he thinks we’re having an adventure without him.”