Not all who wander are lost. Unfortunately for Emery she wasn't necessarily wandering, but she was definitely lost. Her car had broken down early that morning, and she had walked into a nearby town with the hope of finding a mechanic. Instead all she had gotten were a few funny looks and no service what so ever. One woman had even gone so far as to run her out of the local diner, screeching strangers weren't welcome in these parts, as she did it. Emery could only roll her eyes at that now. Originally she'd chalked it up to the fact that the woman was crazy. Then after several others seemed to emphasize that sentiment by generally ignoring her, she had decided on the fact that it was just a part of small town life. Unfortunately that had left her without anything to eat and without a car. It didn't help matters that even in town she couldn't get a cell signal. Now here she was, hours later, tiredly walking down the same road that she thought she had come down. Emery kept looking for her car, but it was nowhere to be found. At the time she didn't know it had been moved. That in her absence someone had hidden it from view. No one had warned her that monsters lived in these parts and that her life was about to change. Emery could've never known that like everyone else in that town, she too was about to be trapped.
The monsters had seen her days ago, a few towns over. It had been far too long since anyone worthwhile had stumbled into their den. Especially someone as pretty as Emery. Most city folk simply passed through. They never stopped, and with good reason. Short of the town nearby, there was nothing but gators and swamp as far as the eye could see. But this city dweller was different. This little lamb was so very lost. They had overheard her tale of woe when they followed her into a local restaurant. They had sat and listened to her spin her tale, liking what they had heard. Like most of her kind she had been hit hard by the economy. She'd lost everything, including some worthless boyfriend. Now she was taking a gamble on a new job west of the Mississippi. She'd commented that her entire life was in her car and that it was up to her to make it, as she had no one else. She hadn't known those words had sealed her fate. No job, no family, no nothing. If she vanished no one would come looking for her. That fact alone made her too tempting to pass up. Never mind that she was the prettiest thing they'd seen in months; then again most of the girls they got their hands on were pretty at the start. That couldn't be said by the time they got finished with them. So it was at that moment that the monsters decided to make her stay. It was all too easy. A razor blade to her fuel line was all that was needed. After that they simply had to wait. Patience was after all a virtue, one that they possessed in spades. Naturally their patience was rewarded when her car ran out of gas a few miles up the road. She had stormed by them, furious that her car had given out on her. She was fretting over the fact that she was going to be late and possibly miss out on the job. They'd only laughed at that. Such a silly little lamb. She was just like all the rest. So blind to the world around her. She had never seen them watching her. She had never noticed that they had followed her and she had no idea that they were about to take her.
Emery stopped walking, glancing up at the dark sky for a moment. Getting caught in a torrential downpour was just the finale to her otherwise miserable day. The only upside, if you could call it that, was that the large oak trees surrounding the road had created a sort of canopy over it. This meant she was simply soaking wet as opposed to feeling and looking like a drowned rat. Letting out a dejected sigh, she brushed her damp hair away from her face. It would be dark sooner than later. On top of that, the storm above her was starting to get worse. The winds were picking up and in the distance she could hear thunder. Emery knew that the worst part of the storm would be over her head before too long. She needed to find shelter beyond the canopy of the trees. Unfortunately for her, there wasn't a building in sight and there hadn't been for miles. Letting out a huff, she expressed her feelings with one very simple, effective word.
"Well fuck."
"That's not very becoming." Emery nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of another voice. She whirled around in the direction of it. Standing almost directly behind her was a large man. He had scraggly black hair that was thinning on top and a long scraggly beard to match. His clothes were old, rumpled and worn. They were clearly too big for him as they simply hung off his large frame. They both stood there for a moment, gazing intently at each other, both of them obviously waiting for someone to do something. When Emery didn't move he took a step toward her. "Women shouldn't curse." She had a funny feeling he felt women shouldn't be outside the kitchen either, but she kept that to herself. Better to bite her tongue than risk angering him.
"I didn't mean to offend. I thought I was alone." He chuckled.
"You haven't been alone all day." She blinked as he took another step towards her. Something about that statement didn't reassure her.
"What you mean?"
"He means that the enlightened have been watching over you since you arrived." Emery jumped again. She hadn't seen hide nor hair of anyone for miles. Now out of nowhere she was surrounded. Where in the hell were they coming from and how were they so silent about it. She turned to face the new voice. What she saw only made her take a step back. Emery came face to face with a man that she would later come to know as a monster, an enemy, a teacher and a friend. She didn't see the long brown hair or the bushy beard. She didn't see his loudly patterned shirt that was oddly matched with his white pants, and his two toned snake skin boots. She didn't even see the aloof smile he was giving her. In fact all she saw were those two piercing blue eyes that were shaded by the brim of his fedora. They seemed to cut right through the darkness and fix on her. They held her where she stood, bewitching her. He spoke again, this time with a chuckle that sent a chill down her spin. It must've shown too because the chuckle got deeper, more wicked sounding.
"You lost darlin?" Emery managed to shake her head. "Really? I find that hard to believe since we've been watching you wander around for hours now." His voice sounded like silk being drug across sandpaper.
"My car…" She blinked breaking his hold on her for just a moment. "I can't find it" She sounded so pitiful, which seemed to only make him laugh again. "It died on me. I thought I pulled off along this road but I can't seem to find it." She swallowed, unable to stop telling them what had happened. "I think…I think I got turned around in town." She didn't know why but tears began to sting her eyes. Maybe the day or at least the last several days had finally taken their toll on her. "I'm just so tired."
"Of course you are." She hadn't noticed that he had closed the distance between them. She only realized it when he used the pad of his thumb to wipe away her tears. "Poor little lamb. They've been so very cruel to you haven't they?" She only nodded.
"I went for help, but no one would help me. They ran me off. All I need is a little help. All I want to do is go home. If someone could look at my car and show me the way to the interstate then I could find my way back home." She looked up into those hypnotizing eyes again. Later on, as she anguished in the monsters lair, she would regret what she said next. She would claim that she should have just run. But in that moment she couldn't have run if she wanted too. He had her in his snare and she was his for the taking. "Would you help me? Would you help me find my way back home?" He laughed at her, bringing an arm around her shoulders, pulling her up against his body.
"Why don't you come on home with us? We'll give to a warm meal and a nice bed to sleep in for the night." She nodded slightly as he leaned forward, giving her forehead a soft kiss. It filled her with an odd sensation, one she hadn't felt since her parents had died. It almost felt as if this odd man had managed to infuse her entire body with love. Later, much later Emery would attribute this to fatigue. But at that moment his beard tickling her face, the oh so gentle kiss and his words gave her enough reassurance that she was completely safe in his care. He only further emphasized that feeling by saying "And in the morning, I'll show you the way home."