Flowers

Chapter 3

I awoke to the sound of Riley slightly growling. The sun had just begun to rise but my room was still dark. As my eyes adjusted to the dark I saw Riley walking in and out of my room. Her fur lightly stood up as she slowly growled. I got out of bed and quickly got dressed. Dark blue jeans and a green top.

I threw my hair up and opened my side table drawer. Inside was a simple knife that my father left. I gripped the handle and followed Riley out into the dark house. She met the door which I had locked and closed.

Slowly I went to the curtain and peeked out. The sun gave off a small amount of light allowing me to see better. It was weirdly quiet, no birds, no owls, no nothing. I couldn't even hear the slight cluck of my chickens.

I didn't see anything outside so I went to the door and opened it. Riley ran out and jumped the fence heading off steadily down the road. Before I knew it she was gone.

Riley had done this before. Sometimes a small pack of wolves would get into the pen and Riley would chase them off or she could've seen a jack rabbit and wanted a good chase. I sighed knowing she'd be back in a matter of minutes. I sat on the porch step waiting to hear the fimilary sound of paws on the gravel road.

After fifteen minutes went by Riley still hadn't returned. I became worried. "Maybe the wolves fought back this time. Maybe she was hurt and couldn't get home." Thoughts flew through my head and I finally decided to go after her.

I went back inside and grabbed a few dog biscuits Bill's wife had made for Riley. Keeping the knife clutched in my hand I walked out of the gate and headed for where Riley raced off to. Towards where those Russian military jeeps had headed.

As I walked along the gravel road the rising sun shone the way. The birds had begun chirping again and the smell of dust and fresh air filled my lungs. I had been walking for a few minutes with still no sign of Riley. I called out every now and then but got nothing in return.

As I walked I looked over the fields. Some barren except for wild wheat and some had small plots of farm land with a small home attached. I became even more worried as I neared the end of the homes. From this point on no one lived anywhere. All there was left was the old guy's land, which I helped the Russian man find. His driveway was another half mile or so down and I was hoping to not run into anyone there. Though in the back of my head I wanted to see that man again.

"Riley." I called out again. I looked down each side of the road but saw nothing. No bushes move, no slight sound, nothing. "Fuck, come where are you." I said. The sun was fully out now and some wind blew through my hair.

I looked down the road to see a tall bulky man walking towards me. I realized he was the same man from yesterday. I stopped. Then I saw a dog running toward me. "Riley!" I yelled. Riley ran right up to me, her tail wagging as I gave her a dog biscuit. I patted her coat and watched the man walk up to me. He wore the same thing as yesterday but this time with a black balaclava.

"Your dog ran onto the property so I thought to bring her back." He leaned down and petted her back. Riley happily received the pets. "Thank you." I smiled, my voice more cheery then when we first met. He was holding eye contact but I couldn't seem to stare him back.

"I'm Amber" I stuck my hand out for him to shake. "My team calls me Terminator." He took my hand, engulfing mine as we shook hands. "Can I ask for your real name?" I cocked an eyebrow. He thought for a minute and then said "Caesar,." I could hear a small smirk in his deep voice.

"Well then, I really must thank you for bringing her back. Normally she comes back after a few minutes so to say I wasn't freaking out would be an understatement." I chuckled softly. Riley circled our feet. "I get it. Well I must be off." He went to turn around. "If you ever need anything or are around you are always welcome." I called out. I regretted what i had said. "What if he's some kind of serial killer, or rapist or.." My thoughts trailed out when he spoke back. "Well then I'll see you around." He gave a slight wave and we both parted ways. Riley ran in front of me as we headed home.

As I headed home I walked past Janet's home. She is the wife to Freddy and the kindest person you'll meet. We lived about a mile or two from each other and she would occasionally come over for tea.

Janet was out reading one of her books on the porch and sipping some iced tea. "Oh hello Amber." She called. "Hello Janet." I called back, stopping as she walked toward me. "Have you heard about those military men? Oh I truly hope they aren't going to be here long." Her old voice, slightly higher pitched, was a little wobbly. "Well yes. Actually I have met one of the men. He seemed really nice and even went to return Riley when she ran off." Riley whined a little as she ran home.

"Oh honey, please be careful. I don't want any of those men near you. Who knows what they could do." She clutched her flower printed dress. "I'll be ok and if I need anything I'll come by." I smiled warmly. "Good now I'll see you tomorrow at two for some tea. I'm trying a new recipe." Janet walked back to her porch and I waved goodbye, continuing down the road home.

The rest of the day was simple and uneventful. I watered and tended to my garden. I fed the goats and chickens while Riley chased some around. Finally the sun had set and I was sitting in bed reading. I began to get lost in the thoughts of the man, Terminator. "Such a weird nickname." I thought. I knew what the nickname possibly meant. I mean he's military and so a name like that has many meanings.

I put the thought out of my mind and focused just on him. Sure he was bulky and, to say the least, attractive but just how nice he was to me made me want to get to know him. I knew if I told anyone I knew they would tell me off or scold me but he didn't seem like that type of person.

My eyes became heavy as I sunk into my bed. Riley slept next to me as the last thought that crossed my mind was him.