Winter Rose

XXV. Selfless

True love is selfless. It is prepared for sacrifice. —Sadhu Vaswani

***

Winnie! I took off after her, my nails digging into the ground. What are you doing!?

Ignoring me, she pushed on across the tall grass, her fragile form working hard to keep ahead of me.

Are you completely nuts? He'll kill you! I drove as much force as I could muster into my legs to get beside her.

I'm going to end this. She didn't look at me. Her jaw was set with determination. I never intended for anyone else to die—or for the refuge to burn. I was only trying to protect people—to save them.

My ears turned back as Winter's call echoed behind us in the distance. I whipped my head around to see her jogging after us. Filled with dread, my legs suddenly felt like jelly.

Winter's following us! I pleaded with Winnie. You're leading her right to her death if he's hiding in those woods!

She didn't respond. Her determination only seemed to grow.

I growled with frustration. You said you want to protect people. Protect her!

She reached the edge of the woods and slipped in through the bushes, completely ignoring me. With something that resembled a tortured bark, I rammed my way in after her and tackled her just as she made it out the other side. Pinning her on her back, I stood above her. A threatening growl rolled out from between my lips.

What the hell is your problem!? I projected, my eyes burning down on her. What exactly are you planning on doing when you find him? This is stupid, Winnie. Stupid! We didn't go through all of this bullshit to end it this way!

Her blue eyes glared at me as she struggled beneath me. Had she not still been sick, she could have easily thrown me off.

"What are you two doing here?" Winter's voice cut into our thoughts. She stood behind us, half concealed by the brush. Her chest heaving, she looked from Winnie to me with a raised eyebrow. "What's going on?" she demanded.

I pulled myself off Winnie, my eyes pleading with hers. We need to bring her back to the house.

Winnie scrambled to her feet. The look of determination hadn't left as faced me. No one else is going to die for me, she said. With a leap, she took off running deeper in the woods.

I sat, my mouth gaping for a moment, wondering what the hell was wrong with her. Was she suicidal? Maybe her injury had done something to her brains.

"Are you trying to show me where Jose's body is?" Winter's eyes were wide as she wavered between following Winnie and turning back towards the house. "We should probably get the police first."

I shook my head, but Winter's eyes were on Winnie. The determined dog was already almost out of sight, her white body a bright contrast in the dark forest. "Winnie!" Winter called, hurrying forward. "Wait!"

My head throbbed. Alarms blared in all corners of my brain. It was a complete disaster in the making. Visions of Jason Voorhees stepping out of the shadows with a spinning chainsaw conveniently debuted in my mind.

Winter was worried about Winnie, and Winnie was apparently not worried about anything. I gritted my teeth and followed alongside Winter,  fearing I would be completely useless if he attacked. But there was no way I was leaving her alone.

Trudging along at Winter's pace was putting us farther and farther behind Winnie. She trampled on ahead of us, a white blur, nose to the ground, most likely tracking Sheldon's fresh scent.