28 - Whispering Kisses

                                    

                                          
That night, that surprisingly eerie night, Natasha, who had set up a small camp in the forest at Roanoke Ridge had stirred awake, the sound of twigs crunching and faint whispers surfacing the air. 
She sat up on her elbows, squinting her eyes, trying to see if she was simply dreaming things. She waited and waited until nothing was heard. She shrugged her shoulders and laid back down but instantly shot straight up when she heard Caprice neighing frantically before hearing him gallop away. She grabs her revolver quickly and exits her tent, holding the gun up high as she did quick turns to see what was out there.
She held her breath as she slowly turned around in the spot, looking through the dark and cold trees.
She slumped her shoulders, feeling her skin run freezingly cold making her shiver, one hand wrapping around her waist in an attempt to keep herself warm whilst scouting the area.
"Caprice?" She said quickly and loudly, whistling lowly to try get his attention but he was long gone.
She cursed to herself and stepped away from her makeshift fire, slightly concerning her as its flames started to deteriorate when she had only been asleep for less than half an hour.
"What are you doing here?"
She turned quickly on her spot, holding her gun up in the direction of the voice but as she crept closer into the trees, she became unsettled when nobody was to be seen. No trace of a human anywhere.
She heard a voice again, this time louder and coming to the left of her. The voice sound pained and distant, but she couldn't make out what was said. Then, again, as quick as the voice vanished it appeared again behind her.
By now, her breathing was unsteady, her eyes wide as she tried to process what was happening.
"Hello? If there's anyone out there.... Come out. I-I mean no harm." She stammered, taking some very timid steps around the area, keeping her out for anyone or anything.
A silence fell around her once more, her gun lowering to her side slightly as she weaved in and out of the trees, inspecting the area a little closer. She reaches into her satchel, pulling out a single match, striking it against the bottom of her shoe to cast some light at least into the forest, annoyed that Caprice had ran off with her lantern. Holding it out in front of her, she edges closer away from her camp, hearing the faint whispering once again, not particularly sure what was being said. What she did know however, was that she was the most frightened she had ever been within two years. Her fingers were freezing, the cold air swarming around her and as the whispers increased, making her believe she was hallucinating.
She froze in her as strange animal noise erupted through the trees, her gun instantly raising up again, pressing her back slightly up against the tree for some form of protection from the forest.
"It's not real. It's not real." She repeated over and over in her head as she quickly tries to find a path, wanting to leave as soon as she could. She didn't even want to go back to her tent and pack everything up. She just needed to get out of there.
"Must be a sick calf, looking for its momma. They've ben known to bawl like that."
She jumped at the sudden voice, whispering and laughing coldly in the air like the wind making her eyes shoot open and turn around frantically once more, not sure if she would hope to see someone or not. 
"Who the fuck is there?" She called out, her voice wavering as her hand began to get sweaty, the grip on her gun becoming slippery.
She crunched down on the leaves as she began her descent down a small embankment, slipping only slightly letting the side of her body slide against the grass and few sharp sticks and rocks. She groans to herself as her match went out as she was plummeted into darkness again, the moon being her only source of lightly. Regaining her stature, she brushes the mud and leaves of her jeans and shirt, wincing as some type of thorn bush had scraped at her side. "Just my luck." She muttered to herself but decided against fussing over something she can add to her injury list.