Once Upon A Time ~ Book 1

Chapter 85 - Blood Red Water

Red walked from her room, now with no red cloak. "Did you get any sleep at all last night?" she asked, walking over to Granny who still sat in her rocking chair, holding up the crossbow.
"I'll sleep with the trolls in the afterlife." she put down her crossbow.
"Here." she helped her up.
"I'll get the shutters. You go check if that wolf left the chickens alone."
"Yes, Granny." They lifted the bolts on the door together and Red opened it, a ray of daylight shining into the dark, boarded up cottage.
"Wear your hood!" she let out.
Red shut the door again and Granny opened the shutters.

Red walked into the little shed with chickens cawing inside. She collected the eggs they had c left in their nests in a woven basket.
Once she had collected the eggs shwturnw dark to the door, but stopped in her tracks when she heard a thudding at the back of the shed. She turned around, staring at the moving shadow behind chicken nests.
Then Snow stood up from behind the nests, hooded, two egs in her gloved hands. "I'm sorry, I can go." she said, fear in her eyes.
"Are you stealing our eggs?" asked Red.
"No........ Not a lot." she said shamefully, holding out the two eggs to her.
"Hey, hey. It's alright."
"Thank you." she glanced down at the eggs. "It was just that last night, there was something out there. It was howling, and I heard it, and I heard it, and it was so cold, so........." she said, her voice quivering.
"Hey, come on. Come with me." she smiled.
Snow looked at her, surprised and stepped over the nests.
"Everyone calls me Red."
She smiled. "I'm Sn........" she started. "..........Frosty."
"Frosty? Really?"
"No. It's just that someone's looking for new, so........"
"You don't know or trust me yet. Hey, I get it. I just need something to call you." she smiled again.
"Uhh....... Margaret. Oh, no. Uh..... Mary........ Mary."
"Well, then, Mary, come on."
She put the two eggs into Rep's basket and they walked out of the shed, a smile of relief on Snow's face.

"I just gotta bring in some water before we go in." said Red as they trugged through the snow, by the cottage. "It'll just take a second."
"What was all that howling?" asked Snow.
"It's wolfstime. Killer wolf out there. As big as a pony but a lot more bloodthirsty."
They reached a snow covered well by the forest.
She sighed. "It's been stalking the area pretty regularly. It kills cattle and........" she tryed to pull the rope, hanging from the middle of the well. "Hang on. This sticks sometimes. Could you just......" she held out a bit of the room and Snow took it. They both tugged and pulled at the rope, trying to pull up a bucket of water.
Snow turned to get a better angle and stopped, her eyes widening in fear.
"Look. Look at that." said Red, looking at the bucket that they had pulled up. "Mary." she called, but Snow just stared ahead at loss at what to say. "Look at the water. Mary." she said, staring at the blood red water in the wooden bucket. "Mary." Snow stood, paralysed. "Mary?" said Red, finally turning around.
She quickly let go of the rope and allowed the bucket of blood to fall back down, into the well, with a load, echoing splash. She walked to where Snow stood and saw, a little down the hill, in the pure white snow half a dozen men, torn to shreds, their blood splattered accross the snow, their spears and weapons destroyed.
Red panted heavily, the fear now in her eyes too as she stared at the group of men that had visited her cottage the night before, dead by the snowy forest.

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An owl hooted in the distance, in the peaceful, quite town of Storybrooke.
Emma walked past the clock tower alone, but was soon joined by Mary Margaret who ran quickly towards her.
"Is he okay? David?" said Mary Margaret.
Emma turned her head to her. "Oh, yeah. He's a little shaken up, but he's headed home. He's fine."
"Any word from Kathryn?"
"Nothing new."
"Did you check with Boston again?"
"She's not there, Mary Margaret."
She sighed. "So we have no idea what happened to her?"
"All we know is that she found out about you two, gave you a.....well-deserved slap and then dissappeared."
Mary Margaret slowed down a little. "Well-deserved?"
Emma stopped and looked at her.
"Do you really believe that?"
"No. I'm jus preparing you for what everyone else is gonna think."
She tilted her head in confusion.
"You two are gonna look bad until we figure the truth out."
"You mean David? That people are going to think, in order to be free with me, he......."
"Some are. And he's not doing himself any favours. So if there's anything you could think of to pin down his whereabouts that night........."
They began to walk again.
"He wasn't with me. We really are through."
Ruby stood near by, by the bus stop, a suitcase next to her. Dr. Whale stood opposite her, talking to her.
"Sorry, no. Don't need a ride." said Ruby.
"It's awfully cold our here." said Dr. Whale.
"I'm fine. Really."
Emma and Mary Margaret walked towards them, listening to their conversation.
"I can carry your bag. Where are you headed?"
"Dr. Whale?" said Mary Margaret when they reached them.
"Mary Margaret. Emma. Hello there." he glanced between them.
"Hey." said Mary Margaret.
"I was just having a talk Without here, but I should........"
"Yeah. Yeah, you should." said Emma.
"Yeah." he walked awkwardly away.
"Was he bothering you?" asked Mary Margaret, stepping closer to her.
She scoffed. "The day I can't handle a letch is the day I leave town. Which this us, I guess."
"You're leaving?" said Emma.
"I had a fight with Granny, quit my job."
"You quit?" said Mary Margaret.
She nodded.
"Where are you going?"
"...I don't know." she chuckled. "Away."
"Yeah, well, buses out of town don't really happen." sais Emma. "And you might want a destination first."
Ruby listened to Emma's words, at loss of what to do or say.
"Hey, if you need a place to figure things out, you could always come home with us." said Mary Margaret.
Emma turned her head slowly to Mary Margaret, raising her eyebrows a little. They looked at one another.
"Ye......Yeah.... Just for a little while." stammered Emma looking between them.
"Come on." said Mary Margaret and herself and Ruby walked down the footpath. Emma walked slowly behind them, a little disapproved.