Chapter 3

A footprint could be seen in front of the window.

"What kind of dog is this?" She said looking around.

Taking her gaze up, she noticed some scratches on the wall and a broken edge on the roof.

"Mark!" She called out.

"Marcus!" She called out louder.

"What is it?!" He yelled back.

"Come out!" She walked closer to the footprint and squatted in front of it

"What?!" Mark asked aloud, walking out in a pair of grey boxers. Now that it was day, he just wanted to take a shower and leave. He had spent the entire night in the truck because he was too scared to get back on the road that late; afraid he'd encounter another animal.

Inspecting the front of his truck, the blood he saw was not one the truck had impacted on an animal. It seems the animal was hurt even before running across the road, and judging from the impact that animal wasn't small. What could have hurt an animal that large?

"Any idea what this is?" she asked pointing at the footprint.

On seeing what she was pointing at, he stood still.

A footprint this huge concludes his suspicion from last night, there were bears in the woods.

"That's a bloody bear, Taylor!" He said.

"I've told you over and over again, Taylor, let's move over to my house in the city where real people are, but no! Taylor of the wide life!" He said sarcastically.

"Oh please! Don't start this again! You know how much I hate people!" She said standing up.

"I wonder how I ended up with one!" She stormed away into the house.

"A wise man once said, if everyone around you seems to be the problem, then you just might be the problem!" He yelled aloud in the direction she walked.

He shook his head as he looked at the footprint, then gazed up at the scratched wall. Sighing, he clenched his fist, "This girl just wouldn't listen!"

About to leave, he caught a glimpse of something on the window pavement. He walked closer and picked up a strand of grey hair, thick and not like something he had seen before.

"Gray bear?" He stood there puzzled.

"Taylor!" He yelled as he walked into the house.

"Get your things, we are leaving now!" He said firmly.

"Taylor!" He yelled as he walked into the room.

"What do you need?" He asked on hearing the sound in the shower.

On hearing his voice, Taylor turned off the shower so she could hear him.

"Taylor, I said what do you need?" He opened a box and was staring at Taylor's clothes.

"What do you mean what do I need?" She asked.

"I said we are leaving right now!" He said aloud.

Grabbing her towel, Taylor walked out of the bathroom.

"Are you out of your mind?!" She stared at him in bewilderment.

"You'll see if you don't come with me right now!" His masculine figure stood up erect glaring at her with fire in his eyes.

Laughing sarcastically, Taylor ignored him and walked towards the mirror.

Breathing heavily and unsure how to vent his anger, he shut the box, locked it and pulled it to his truck.

After gathering what he felt they needed, he stood in front of Taylor breathing heavily. "Let's go!"

"I am not going anywhere!" She said resolutely.

"You... I... you're just irresponsible, you know that!" He said as Taylor furrowed her brow at the mention of that word again.

"Do you want your kids to grow up in a place like this? A place we don't even know what lives around us." He said.

"It's better than staying in the city where we know the monsters that roam freely on the street!" She replied about to walk passed him.

Grabbing her arm forcefully, he pulled her, "We leaving now, whether you like it or not!"

"Let go of me!" she struggled.

Ignoring her plea, he pulled her outside.

He knew he wasn't supposed to do this but his love for her and the baby demanded he took them out of this unsafe place quickly. She wasn't so far in for a mere struggle to cause a miscarriage.

"Mark!" She yelled but he wouldn't listen.

Bella continued to bark, occasionally biting his leg, but he remained indifferent to that.

He opened the door and pushed her on the seat, slammed the door and looked at her face and then at her belly as they both continued to breathe heavily, "Why can't you just do this for our child?"

"I don't want him to go through what I did.." She said and broke down in tears.