Chapter 53: Out of the Woods
Far across town, David is jamming his keys into the door while balancing arms full of groceries. He'd finished his shift at the casino and was bringing home food to fix himself dinner. Kathryn was working the graveyard shift at the hospital again, meaning it was just going to be him and Wilby… like always it seemed.
Wilby was there at the door, ready to greet him with a howl and tried to jump up, but David talked him down.
"Not now Wil," he says, trying to get the groceries to the kitchen without dropping anything.
When he finally manages the task and puts them on the counter, he leans down to give his dog a proper greeting. He scratches the English Shepherd dog behind the ears and massages his face. The dog is panting in delight, his tail wagging a million miles a minute, and he licks his master's face as a thank you.
"Good old Wilby," David smiles to himself. "Never fails to put a smile on my face.."
This was true. This dog was loyal to him and Kathryn, despite her sometimes-harsh nature towards both males in the house. He loved both his masters and did whatever he could to make them smile. Nothing pleased David more than to come home and be jumped on by the pooch. Wilby would run in circles in excitement and follow David around the house as he made dinner, hoping for some scraps which his master would oblige the request without fail. They'd both go on a long walk after dinner. Sometimes Kathryn would join them, but most often she'd be working. His female master would walk him during the day when she woke up and she enjoyed his company too. He would sometimes jump on the bed to wake her up and while she would be annoyed at first, she couldn't stay mad at his fluffy face for long. The pet was technically the couple's child and seemed to be the last surviving link keeping them together. Even when either of them came home after a hard day, he'd sit at their feet and keep them company until they felt better, or they gave him a treat.
The dog kisses him again before pawing his arm for more.
Eventually, David gets up and begins to make dinner. He opens a pack of hamburgers, one for him and one for Wilby. He places the raw meat in the dog's bowl, which he happily gobbled up, and then put the burger in the frying pan. As he's flipping the burger, he turns on the radio to hear if anything of interest was happening. The wanted woman known as "Jane Doe" was still at large and the coverage of the search was becoming a little tiresome already. David felt like this woman was very sick and needed help. Of course, it did not justify the murder of the orderly, but the woman needed help, perhaps alternative help to what she'd been receiving. The whole city was on edge and since the sighting earlier in the day, everyone was on eggshells. The strange thing was, Mr. Gold was nowhere to be found at the time, so he wasn't there to give directions on whether to close the casino or add in additional precautions. David, with his seniority in the facility, helped the manager in charge place security at the doors and check people's IDs when entering and leaving. Obviously, they couldn't shut down, even if David wanted to do so, because having people in the hotel was the way they made money and he could not risk getting fired, lest he suffer Kathryn's wrath or even a divorce. It was a stressful rest of the day, which is why he was glad to be home. He wouldn't let Wilby go too far at least until this woman was caught.
He also sent a text to his wife telling her to be careful at work but received no reply… as usual.
He sat down to his burger and flipped through the newspaper to keep his mind occupied.
After dinner, David tried to clean a few dishes and lessen the chaos in the house, but soon enough, Wilby is scratching at the door, eager to go out.
"Okay buddy," he says. "But we're not going too far tonight."
He slips on his jacket and grabs Wilby's leash.
The dog wags his tail as his master attaches the clip and the two leave the house, David double locks the door for safety.
They begin going down the street, darkness having enveloped the entire city. The flickering lights of downtown could be seen in the distance, along with the sounds, but by now, David wants to go where it's quiet. It's the whole reason they'd bought this house, much to Kathryn's chagrin. The couple already worked in the circus of Stygian, they needed some space to gather themselves and David always considered himself a country boy anyways. It wasn't a farm, but it would have to do.
The house and neighbourhood are closer to the edge of the city, near the former town of Storybrooke. When he had moved to the area which was… he couldn't exactly remember when, but by then the town was being pushed out as the city was constructed. It made him sad that the tiny place which had a lot of character was replaced by a soulless metropolis. He and Wilby would sometimes walk through the crumbling streets and gaze at the sights, imagining it as it once was. He'd even stop by the clock tower and peer inside as a curiosity.
For some reason, he was drawn to the area, both he and his wife, and it almost felt familiar in a lot of ways. There was some sort of fog that concealed these memories and David was looking to clear it somehow. Why did it feel like home? What was special about it? Why did he feel comfortable there?
Similar thoughts enter his head as tries to turn and stay in the neighbourhood, but Wilby is pulling and fighting to go towards the town.
"Come on boy, we need to stay close to home," he says, tugging on the leash.
However, Wilby plants himself staring intently in the opposite direction.
"There's nothing to see today Wil," David continues.
He tries pulling gently to guide the dog the other way, but he won't move. He also notices that Wilby is no longer wagging his tail.
"What's wrong boy?" he asks.
Usually, the pooch is easy-going, excitable, and happy, but this sudden stubbornness, quiet, and sombre demeanour meant that something had happened as if someone had flipped a switch in the animal and everything is now profoundly serious.
The dog then lets out a bark, staring off into the distance, near where the woods were. The man and his best friend would go on walks in those woods a lot, but with this fugitive situation, it was too risky. Maybe Wilby just wanted a longer walk, and his master could give it to him, here in the safety of their own neighbourhood.
Despite his efforts, the dog did not move. David was wondering what was upsetting the dog… he trusted his pet's instincts, but the risk of being attacked was pretty significant. Maybe the pet could sense that someone was nearby, maybe it was the escaped patient, or it could be that someone was hurt and needed help. He knew that animals had much stronger senses than humans did and they could sense either danger or when someone was in danger.
He went back and forth on deciding what to do until he decides to let Wilby lead the way. He retracts the leash to keep the dog close in case it was dangerous and he had to pick up the dog and run.
The English Shepherd dog leads the way, occasionally putting his nose to the sidewalk as if searching for a scent of some kind. He was definitely looking for something, but David was not sure what it was.
They get closer to the woods and David is ready to pick up Wilby and go back. He just hoped the dog wasn't sensing a coyote or a skunk.
"Come on buddy," he says, wanting to put an end to this. "Let's go home."
However, the pet remains focused and barks again, staring into the woods.
"There's nothing there," his owner insists. "There's no need to go in."
David goes to pick up Wilby, he lets the leash out of his hand for a brief few seconds, but that's all the dog needed to leap from his master's arms and bolt into the woods.
"WILBY!" David calls out, racing after the dog. What had gotten into him? "WILBY!"
The dog vanishes into the trees and the owner curses under his breath. His dog had run off and is now in the woods and it was dark out, the worst combination of things.
However, Wilby is still barking as if telling him to follow his voice.
With great hesitation, David steps into the woods trying to pinpoint where Wilby was barking from. It was so dark that almost immediately he trips over a root and nearly falls face-first into the forest floor. He fumbles to get his phone out and use it to navigate.
The single-beam of light does little to penetrate the empty blackness, but it will have to do. His dog continues to bark and the noise echoes off the trees, creating a cascade of sound. It was confusing, but the more David searched, the more convinced he is that someone is in trouble.
Eventually, he manages to find his dog, standing next to a large mass. As he gets closer, he sees hair and clothing. He realizes that he's found a person... more specifically a woman. Shining his light, he sees pale skin and brunette hair with a reddish tint to it. He can see that she is barefoot, and her arms and legs are dirty and covered with scratches and bruises. She was also not properly dressed for the weather at all as it was very chilly tonight. Gently, he turns the woman over and gazes into her pale face. She is beautiful and her eyes are closed as if she's sleeping peacefully. Her features were also covered in dirt and a large cut on her forehead as if she'd walked into a branch
He jumps back, recognizing her from the news. It was "Jane Doe" the fugitive and murderer. He frantically searches for some kind of weapon to use and finds a rogue branch. He holds it out in case this was all a trap to attack him, but the woman remains still, more than likely asleep or unconscious. Then David realizes that his dog is unprotected from the threat, and he steps forward to grab his dog by the collar, but Wilby is sniffing the woman. He's not afraid and he paws at her leg. He whimpers and licks her hand.
"Wilby!" David says in a strong whisper. If the woman was just sleeping, he did not want to wake her. "Come here!"
His dog ignores him again and continues to try to wake the woman up. He whines in concern.
"Come here now!" he orders, but the dog will not budge.
David is shocked by everything. He assumes that his dog is just being his usual friendly self, dogs usually love any person they encounter, but his tail wasn't wagging, and he wasn't panting in excitement. Wilby was genuinely concerned for the woman. He didn't see her as a threat and seemed to want to help in some way.
The man begins cursing himself. He should really be wrangling his dog and calling the police, but the longer he stands there watching his dog, the more he questions everything. Was she a threat? Was she really dangerous? What could her real name be?
Sighing, David steps forward, removes his jacket and kneels next to her. He carefully wraps it around the woman and tries to move her as gently as possible. She groans but does not wake up, meaning that this was not a ploy or trap and she was genuinely asleep. He begins lifting her up and he's shocked at how light she is. Looking at her clothes, he can see that they are ill-fitting, meaning this woman was likely starving and malnourished. Another tick in his head as a reason to help her. Perhaps she had run from the psychiatric hospital because she was starving. Still ignoring the warning signs in his head, he begins carrying the woman out of the woods, Wilby trotting along beside him, wagging his tail and as happy as ever.