The Redemption of Maximus

What the?-Emily

  It is comfortable here. I stretch my toes in my shoes and find that I am happy with the new sleeping bag I purchased for this trip. Wait why would I fall asleep in my shoes? As I have the thought I am suddenly jolted on the platform in which I lay, and I feel myself bounce. When my eyes shoot open I find that an exceptionally large figure is looming over me. in my frightened state I scream as loud as I can and begin to hit the figure so that I can rise from what I have now seen is a couch.
 
  As I swing and fight for my life I notice that I am not in my tent but instead am in some sort of cabin. I quickly push the figure when I spot the door and try to make a run for it. Suddenly, what I now see is a giant man appears right in front of the door. I look back at the couch and then look at the door in shock. How the hell did he get here so fast.
 
  "Just let me go. I will fight you if I have to" I say with a false bravado that I don't feel. I clench my hands into fist as they rest against my sides ready to swing if I must.
 
  "Why don't you just calm down for a second? Your name is Emily right" he says holding out his hands.
  At his words I bristle. I have no idea how he knows it. I have never seen this man before. "Who are you? Better yet, how do you know my name?" I question him as I take a step back. In my periphery I scan the room sparse with furniture around me looking for a weapon in case I need it.
 
  "Who I am doesn't matter. As for knowing your name it's a part of my job. My kind are the reason you are in this forest. If you want some answers, you need to calm down. I won't harm you" he says taking a step forward.
 
  "Stop" I shout not wanting him to come closer. I feel a moment of surprise when I watch his feet halt. He watches me closely as I take another step away from him. "What do you know of why I am in the forest? You need to talk and talk now buddy, or I won't be held reliable for my actions." I inform him.
 
  "Okay. Okay. You are part of a team of reporters wanting to know about who lives in this mountain right? You are here to gather testimonies and interviews from those of us with interspecies DNA" he says as he leans against the door as if this is an everyday conversation.
 
  I nod my head so that he continues. If I keep him talking then I may be able to get out of here. Afterall, it always works on the movies when a girl distracts her captor. As he continues talking I really take a look at him. He is ginormous.
 
  Probably one of the biggest men I have ever seen. His skin is like smooth chocolate and there is definitely a lot of it on display. His large feet are bare. His long legs are covered in loose fitted black pants. His chest and abs are out for the world to see and what a view it is.
 
  I swallow at the contours of his muscles and wonder briefly what they would feel like beneath my fingertips. With a shake of my head I banish my wayward thoughts and meet his eyes. His eyebrows are furrowed into a slight scowl and his head is cocked to the side. I realize that these are the same eye I saw in the forest before I passed out.
 
  "You were following me, weren't you?" I accuse him as I begin looking for a weapon again.
 
  "I had no choice. You are who we were looking for. It would not have ended well if I didn't bring you with me. If I wanted to harm you, I could have done so by now" he reminds me.
 
  "Why me? There were five other reporters there" I ask him curiously.
 
  "None of the others have the heart that you do. If I remember correctly, you have always been honest and care for others even when they do not care for themselves. That is the only type of person I will talk to" He says.
 
  As I ponder what he said. I look around this cabin once more. Everything that I see is in various shades of black. Besides the wooden walls there is not one single thing of color in this room. Even the clothes and dishes strewn about the surfaces is black. As I glance at the man in front of me once more I would definitely assume that this is his place. However, I don't know if I am willing to trust him.
 
  "How do I know that I can trust you?" I question him as my offensive stance relaxes a little.
 
  "You don't. You need to figure out if you want answers more right now enough to trust me. Or if you want to return back to your camp empty handed. I promise that none of your colleagues will get the answers that you can" He says as he gestures to the couch.
 
  I raise an eyebrow at him in question. He can't possibly think that I am going to sit down next to him. After seeing that I won't move he slowly walks over to the couch as he keeps eye contact. Still wanting to keep distance between us I walk around the coffee table and end up on the other side of the room.
 
  As I take in our positions I realize that he has moved all the way away from the door. If I wanted I now have the opportunity to leave freely. At the thought I take a step to do just that. But my stupid ambitions decide to get in the way. If he can guarantee me answers then I can definitely get that front page story that I want. Besides, I am already here.
 
  "I would be able to leave anytime that I want?" I question him.
 
  "Not quite" he says. I make to move toward the door but as he continues speaking my footsteps halt. "If you want your answers you would have to stay here with me for a week. No one else can know that I am speaking to you. Lastly, I will get to ask questions of my own as well" he offers.
 
  "I can't stay here for a week. I have a life to get back to" I insist.
 
  "I thought you were honest. I know for a fact that that is a lie. Your pudgy boss told you all that you would be here for this assignment for two weeks" he says as a matter of fact.
 
  "Touché. Before I agree why don't you tell me who you are. Call it my way of seeing if I can trust you" I demand.
 
  "You can call me Lee. I am a guard here for the people you want to observe." He says as he holds my gaze. I stare right back even though I find his eyes eerie. I have never seen someone with eyes so black like that. You can't even tell the difference between his iris and his pupil.
 
  As he stares back I find myself blushing as I look away. I look toward the window and see that it is past sunset outside. Its pitch black out there and I know I wouldn't be able to find my way back to camp tonight on my own. I definitely don't want to go walking in the forest with this large man either.
 
  As if he read my mind he speaks. "Anyway it is late. We can retire for the night, and you can give me your decision in the morning on my offer" he offers.
 
  I look back at him and find that he is removing the cloak that lies against his back. I gasp as I get a load of the size of his arms and the rest of his upper body. "I'm not sleeping with you" I blurt out. When he chuckles I find that there is no way to stop my face from turning.
 
  "Of course not. You can take the bedroom down the hall" he says as he stretches out on the couch.
  I look in the direction of the dark hallway and hesitate. I have no idea what I am going to find when I go back there. He could be leading me into a trap. Who's to say if I go back there, he won't follow.
 
  "The bathroom is located outside of the bedroom. The bedroom door also has a lock so that no one can enter. The window in there locks as well. If it makes you feel better you can take a knife out of the block on the counter to sleep. I have had a long day and am retiring for the night. If you want to stand there all night torturing yourself be my guest" He says with a sigh as he rolls over giving me his strong muscular back.
 
  I hesitate for just a moment more as I contemplate the rest of my options. Deciding that I don't have one more reasonable, I scurry off in the direction he pointed. As I walk through the small cabin there are only two doors in the hallway. When I open the first door to the right, I discover that it is a bathroom. It is also decorated in black, from the rugs to the toiletry holders. I quickly open the door to the bedroom not expecting much. Surprise, surprise everything in here is black too.
 
  As I enter I lock the door behind me and check the lock twice just to be sure. I then walk over to the lone window in the room and do the same. When I am sure that everything is sealed I finally make way over to the bed. The canopy post lie bare, and the sheets and comforter are an excellent quality. I run my hands along them like the silky texture. I hurriedly quick off my shoes with a quick yawn and slide in between the cover and sheet. The softness of the bed already has my eyes lowering as sleep invades my mind. As I turn over I find the discomfort of the button from my jean shorts poking into my sides as an annoyance. I briefly contemplate removing them but decide against it. Just in case this does turn out to be some creepy Stockholm situation.
 
  I truly hope that tomorrow I am able to get some good answers to why I am here. The sooner my questions get answered the sooner I can leave. As I drift off to sleep I can't help but to picture in my mind the man who brought me here. The way he dresses, barely and his interesting eyes.