"Ash," he breathed, "We're getting dangerous here."
"No head?"
Something red flashed through his eyes, as the corners of his mouth tugged into a smile. "You're going to give me head, whether you like it or not. I meant that we can't turn back after...
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I didn't put Hades on a leash, I never did. He didn't stray from me. Plus, our house was only a few yards away from the large woods that surrounded the entire village.
"I'm going to walk Hades, mom," I called into the living room. She didn't respond. Probably sleeping, I guessed silently, while opening up the backdoor for Hades to jump out and start urinating over every single thing he saw.
Heat rolled into our house as I plucked at my sweater. The men in this village probably didn't shy away from teaching a girl she shouldn't wear revealing clothes while walking around alone, but the chance of encountering one in the woods was very slim. And I had Hades with me.
I made up my mind and pulled the sweater over my head, dashing up the stairs to my room. Just a simple dress. I hadn't worn one in what seemed like ten years, while I still owned many from my previous life in Michigan. I took off my jeans and slipped into the white and yellow sun-one. Brown curls spilled out of my messy bun but I couldn't care less. No one would see me anyway.
As soon as I set foot in the woods, a warm feeling washed over me. There was a long time I couldn't even look at what was a group of trees, flashbacks of my father's death slamming back into my vision. But now it felt comforting, somehow. Like I was closer to him. Like I could escape the pain of living in this town. Like death, if you will. Scary as it was.
The shadows slipped over me as Hades snuffed over the hardly visible path before us. I closed my eyes and let the chirping of birds and rustling of leaves put me at ease.
Jesse asked me today if I wanted to shop with her in Carthage, a bigger city near Beckville. I'd said I'd think about it, but my mind had long decided on a definite 'no'. Maybe I should, though. Maybe it could cheer me up a bit, take my mind of things.
I hadn't shopped in way too long, I realized. Sure, I had no money, but I could just go for fun's sake, right? I nodded to myself, my eyes still closed. Alright. I was going to say yes. No harm in doing normal stuff once in a while.
As I opened my eyes, Hades was nowhere in sight anymore.
I sighed. "Hades!"
No happy dog coming out of the bushes to greet me. I didn't think much of it. He probably found a rabbit and was chasing it down throughout the woods, before snapping its neck in half. He'd always find his way back to me anyway.
The trees around me were getting higher and closer to each other, while small animals were slowly replaced with the occasional wild boar staring at me through the bushes.
Maybe it thrilled me. Maybe I was hoping for a pack of bloodthirsty beasts to jump me and rip my head off. Maybe I wanted to feel what dad felt, when we got lost in the woods, and the night was approaching and wolves started howling.
Goosebumps arose on my arms.
"Hades!" I called again. Still nothing.
Suddenly, I heard barking and growling in the distance. I sped up and moved towards the sound. Maybe he found a boar as well. He'd better not have killed it before I arrived, I wasn't sure I could handle another dead animal. I had nightmares for days the last time he dragged a baby-deer into the house.
