Slow, Love, Slow

My first Tarjette fanfic!!!!! I know that you want one of these. You can't deny it!




(Belo Horizonte, 2008)

Anette ran past the speakers and Jukka’s drum set. She continued through the backstage area and ignored the crewmembers when they called her name. Then she found the room the band had had their warm-ups in.

There, Anette threw herself in the couch and cried heavily. She curled up into a ball and hugged her knees.

“I cannot do this anymore. They do not want me” Anette thought while her makeup stained her clothes.

“Anette!”

Anette recognized the voice, but did not want to look up.

“Leave me alone, I do not want you to see me like this!”

Suddenly, the person’s arms circled her and held her close. She held Anette and rocked her in her arms.

After a while, Anette started to relax and leaned into the woman’s embrace.

“This is neither the first nor the last time I am going to see you cry. You do not have to be brave and carry all the pain inside of you all the time.”

Anette looked into Tarja’s light emerald colored eyes. She always managed to get lost in those beautiful eyes.

Anette let go of her knees and sat up in the couch. Tarja followed her movements and put an arm around Anette’s waist.

“They were calling your name. Over and over again. They pointed their middle fingers at me. Booed at me.”

Anette voice cracked while more tears ran down her cheeks. Tarja began kissing some of them away.

“My heart almost broke when I saw you leaving the stage. I called for you, but you would not stop running.”

Tarja’s voice began quivering as well, but she quickly regained herself. There was no point in both of them crying.

Tarja saw several people from the crew standing outside the door, with their heads hanging low. Emppu stood there as well, with a concerned look in his eyes. Tarja nodded her head from side to side, signaling that Anette could not continue to sing during this show. He understood the message, and went back to the stage.

“…she got some very intense trouble right now…”

Marco’s voice drifted through the speakers after a while, and a whole lot of protests from the crowed followed.

“I have let them all down, I should just quit right now.”

Tarja lifted Anette’s head so that she could look into her eyes.

“You cannot quit, you have to keep going. I love you, and I cannot let you throw away your dream. The guys and the fans are not perfect, but do not let them destroy you. It will get easier in time.”

Anette smiled, a very sad smile. Tarja leaned forward and kissed Anette gently on the lips. Anette responded and put her arms around the brown haired woman’s neck while Tarja started to move her hands up and down her beloved’s back.

After a while of kissing, they both pulled apart.

“I love you too” Anette whispered.

Tarja grabbed Anette’s arms and pulled her up from the couch.

“Come, let us go the bus. It will be much more comfortable there.” Tarja said and winked.

Anette blushed brightly and took the hand Tarja held out for her.

They both walked out of the venue, hand in hand, and with a big smile on their faces.

Tougher times awaited Anette, but at least she knew that Tarja would always be by her side, loving and supporting her.  

A little break would be nice

Maybe I have some explaining to do regarding my latest story?

To start with, the parts about Anette being pushed and have stones being thrown at her, are all made up. Anette have claimed that she was never hit. Just ostracized.

Here are some of the sources I used:

http://anette-olzon.blogspot.se/2011/04/first-day-in-schools.html

http://anette-olzon.blogspot.se/2009/10/bullies-and-mocking.html

http://anette-olzon.blogspot.se/2011/05/translation-of-article-in.html

This is a translated article from Sweden Rock magazine:

http://nightwishbelgium.be/forum/viewthread.php?thread_id=251&pid=6696

and better quality of the pictures:

http://anette-olzon.blogspot.se/2011/02/portrait-in-sweden-rock-magazine.html

I will do some one-shot-stories for a while now. Mixing some of my favorite fandoms. Until I come up with a good idea for the next long fanfic. 

Maybe some Tarjette ones as well ;)

Thank you for reading and commenting on my stories :)

  

Open your eyes (Part 3)

“Anette, wait up!”

Surprised, Anette turned around and saw Malin’s red and sweaty face. The girl stopped running and tried catching her breath before she spoke up.

“Hey!” Malin said smiling after a while.

All the alarm signals in Anette’s head started to go off. What if the rest of the girls waited around the corner?

“What are you doing here? You live quite far away from here.”

“Yes I know, I just wanted to…maybe talk a bit.”

Still a bit unsure, Anette nodded and they both continued walking.

Malin remained quiet and Anette started to feel more and more uncomfortable.

“I am so sorry for everything!” Malin said rapidly after a while.

Anette let the girls words sink in. Now when she thought about it, Malin had never bullied her like the others had. She was mostly a bystander and often smiled at Anette and had smalltalks with her.

“You did not do everything wrong”

“Of course I did, I just stood there and let the others bully you!”

Anette could feel how her heart started to race.

“So, where are the others? Do you not follow each other to school?”

Malin stopped dead in her tracks. She scratched the back of her head and sighed heavily.

“Yesterday, we had a big fight. Right before the history lesson. I told them to stop with the bullying and that I did not want to be a part of it anymore. And they… they told me to fuck off basically.”

A knife of sympathy pierced through Anette’s heart.

I cannot believe that she stood up for me.

When they entered the classroom, Anette could see that Malin had spoken the truth. On Malin’s usual seat, the other girls had placed their own books and bags.

Anette led Malin to her own little spot. Kristian looked up and saw them coming towards him. Without any protests, he got up from his seat and placed himself on Malin’s previous one.

Anette smiled brightly and whispered a thank you to him. Malin sat down a bit confused, but started focusing again when the teacher spoke up and signaling that the lesson had begun.

During the recess and lunch, Malin and Anette started to get to know each other. They laughed and talked about all different kind of things.

“You know that, they are only bullying you because they are jealous. You always seem to have the guys wrapped around your little finger.” Malin said laughing.

Of course Anette knew about this, but she only saw the guys as her friends and nothing more. They were still too childish for her.

Anette saw Annika and the others, standing some meters away from them. From time to time, they looked over their shoulders and glanced at the two outcasts, with mischief in their eyes.

“It is a bit weird, do you not think? Skipping the last class for the day?”

“Yeah it is, I hope Annika and the rest get into a lot of trouble because of it.”

Malin and Anette were on their way home. This had been one of the greatest school days Anette had had in weeks.

Suddenly, the hairs on Anette’s neck stood up. The familiar feeling of being watched crawled on her skin.

“What is it?” Malin asked.

All of a sudden, familiar faces started to appear out of the bushes, surrounding the narrow road.

They had stones in their hands, some of them big enough to cover almost a whole palm of the hand.

Anette stood frozen to the ground. Malin grabbed her arm and tried to move her.

“You think that you are better than all of us, do you not? Let me tell you, you are nothing but a piece of shit! Get out of my sight!”

Annika and the other girls raised their hands and readied themselves to throw the objects they had in their hands.

Something snapped inside of Anette and she started to run. In the corner of her eye, she saw how they managed to capture Malin. The girl screamed before something came down on her eye and made her shut up.

Anette continued to run and heard several steps behind her. The first stone hit her on the thigh. The second one on her shoulder.

When Anette turned around to see how far behind her bullies were, another stone hit her on the cheek. The pain stung worse than she could have imagined, but she still would not stop.

Several more stones hit her back and calves.

With just a few meters left to her house, she heard how the steps behind her suddenly stopped.  

One more stone came down, this time on Anette’s head. She could feel how she blacked out for a moment and ended up on the lawn of her house. Quickly, she got up and opened the door. Tears were streaming down Anette’s face while she ran into the bathroom and slammed the door shut. Her trembling hands found the lock and turned the key.

 Anette screamed until her lungs hurt and then slumped down to the ground. She started hugging her knees and rocked herself back and forth.

She looked up after a while and noticed the cupboard, containing the sleeping pills. Anette rose from the ground and grabbed the jar.

Just a few pills, then all the pain would stop. I would disappear, just like they want me to do.

Anette opened the lid and poured out the nearly twenty pills. She picked up a handful of them, but when she was about to swallow them, she stopped in mid-air.

Mom…my sister…my brother...

Anette lowered her hand.

What about my dream? I cannot stop now. I will make it, I am strong.

Anette took all the pills and flushed them down in the toilet.

I will not let them destroy my life!

When she had calmed down a bit, Anette lay down on the bathroom floor. She gritted her teeth when the adrenaline wore off and the pain from her injuries started to emerge.

Then a knock came on the door.

“Anette, are you in there?”

Anette was not sure how her voice would sound, so she used a very low tone.

“Yes I am, but I do not feel very well, so I maybe have to stay here all night.”

A long pause followed Anette’s words.

“Okay, can I come in?”

No, no, no, no

“No, I do not want you to be sick too”

Another long pause followed.

“Yell if you need me, sweetie.”

“Okay!”

Anette stayed in the bathroom the whole evening and cleaned all the wounds she had received. She did not want to come out and face her mother. Not tonight.

Anette gathered some towels and used them as a pillow and a cover.

As the night progressed, Anette had a hard time falling asleep. Her body ached and her mind was in a rollercoaster of emotions.

While the dawn emerged outside, Anette knew what she had to do. She could not carry this burden anymore.

Silently, she unlocked the door and almost stepped on her mother. Maivor had been sleeping outside the door the entire night. Anette smiled, and sneaked past her.

She went to the kitchen and shoved some bread into her mouth. She forced the dry slices down with some juice she found in the fridge.

It was almost eight o’clock in the morning and the first class for the day would soon start.

With her mind set, Anette stepped out in the hallway and checked herself in the mirror next to hat rack. Her whole cheek was swollen and had a big bruise on it. Anette’s eyes were still red from all the crying, and her blonde hair had dried bloodstains in it.

Not even bothering about how she looked, Anette jerked open the door and slammed it. Her feet took her away, to the place everything began.

Suddenly she stood there; she did not remember how she got there. Everyone stared at her with shock written all over their faces. Anette clenched her fists and opened her mouth.

“Two years have passed. Two years of agony. My stomach ached every time I came to this place. I cried myself to sleep every night. You may think that you have managed to break me down, but you are wrong. I WILL NOT LET YOU CONTROL MY LIFE! THIS STOPS TODAY!”

It was quiet, very quiet. Anette breathed in and felt how her whole body started to shake. Anette walked out of the classroom with tears streaming down her eyes. Her feet took her home. Behind her came footsteps. Anette turned around and saw Malin running up to her. The girls left eye was bandaged. She fell into Anette’s arms and they stood there, crying and comforting each other.

Some minutes past and soon, Anette was in her room. Malin and she decided to meet each other later, when Anette had calmed down.

Anette looked in the mirror. Her clothes were dirty, her cheek was blue and she shook all over.

But s smile, brighter than all other she had ever had on her lips, shone through.

“Thank you, thank you so much!”

Anette bowed down to the audience and sighed heavily.

I will fulfill my dream…

“Publish”

Anette leaned back on her chair and dried the tears on her cheek. The comments waiting to be approved had to wait a little bit longer.   

She hated to relive all the memories, but all the articles she had read in the newspapers and online about bullying brought it all back. And reading all the comments her followers wrote about them being bullied also brought tears to her eyes.

After her outburst in school, one of the teachers had called Anette’s mother, and the police to begin an investigation. But both Anette and Malin decided not to proceed with it further. They just wanted to get back to normal as soon as possible.

A week after the stone throwing, Anette and Malin returned to school. Almost all of their classmates greeted them kindly and said, especially to Anette, how sorry they were and that they would never bully anyone again. And that was a promise they kept.

“Mommy, I am hungry.”

Nemo’s sweet voice and bright, blue eyes tore her out of her dark memories. She picked him up and went to the kitchen. Along the hallway, awards, and platinum-and gold records hung.

She had been performing on the world’s biggest stages, bowing down to thousands of people and hearing them screaming her name.

“Now I’ve fulfilled my dream…”

Open your eyes (Part 2)

It was there it started. Right in the middle of the basketball court. Everyone in her class looked at her.

Anette leaned back in her chair and moved her gaze from the window to the blackboard. Anette had already handed in her test before the others, just like she always did. She actually liked school. Always alert and eager to learn.

Her seat was at the front of the classroom, to the left of the teacher’s desk. Next to Anette sat a boy named Kristian. He and his “gang” often joked around with Anette. She would often play basketball and football with them. None of the other girls wanted to join them. They often said that the boys were too rough and reckless. 

Anette stopped her musings when her teacher suddenly spoke up.

“You have five minutes left on the test, use the time wisely”

Viola coughed, and pushed the glasses up from the tip of her nose.

More and more whispers rose in the back of the classroom. Anette flinched every time she heard someone giggling. She thought they were laughing at her.

Viola rose from her chair and started collecting everyone’s papers. Her thin body moved around in the room. She always wore bright colored clothes and had her brown hair in a ponytail.

When she was done, everyone got up from their seats and went for lunch. Anette pushed Kristian out of his seat.

“Hey, what are you doing?” he said in annoyance.

“I’m hungry and you were in my way” Anette said giggling.

Kristian flashed a big smile at her, and later the both of them caught up with the rest of the guys. As always when she was with the boys, she was the center of attention. They would not judge her like the girls, and besides, they were a lot more fun.

After the lunch, there were still some time left before the next lesson would start. Anders and Stefan went to get a football and soon they all started playing.

Anette was very familiar with how the guys usually played. Stefan and Erik would outshine the others and only pass the ball between themselves. Mattias and Peter would start to chase them and cheat by kicking their shins. After a while, they would become angry and start to push each other, and resulting in them ending up on the muddy field with their backs on the ground.

“So, do you want to play?”

Erik interrupted Anette’s thoughts. Anette looked down on her clothes and decided that she did not want to ruin her mother’s cardigan. Even though she was a girl, the boys could sometimes forget about it.

“No thank you, I am just going to take it easy today.”

Erik nodded and ran to join the others while Anette sat down on a bench next to the school building. She closed her eyes for a moment and leaned her head against her hands.

A feeling of being watched crept up her spine and made the hair on her neck stand up.

Anette opened her eyes and saw a pink belt. Her gaze travelled up and when her eyes met the owner of the belt, her whole body froze.

“Move your giant ass, this is our bench!”

Anette’s mouth became dry and she started to shake all over. Annika’s piercing eyes went through Anette’s soul. Suppressed memories welled up in front of Anette’s eyes.

The first week of high school was over and Anette came back to school after the weekend. When she first entered, the girls eyed her up and down, whispered and pointed at her clothes. During recess, the girls ignored her, pretended that she was not there. This hurt Anette deeply, but not as much as the phone calls to her home, saying how useless she was. Not as much as when they pushed her.

Anette felt how tears started to form in her eyes.

“Grab her!” Annika yelled.

Susanne and Pernilla stepped forward and grabbed Anette’s arms. They threw her forward and she hit the ground hard. Pebbles dug into her palms while Anette grit her teeth.

“Get lost, we do not want your ugly face here!”

Anette clenched her fists and started to hyperventilate. She rose from the ground and started to run, while tears streamed down her face.

People watched her as she passed the yard, and ended up in the bathroom. There she screamed and kicked the white walls surrounding her. Anette slumped down on the toilet seat and tried to calm down her heartbeats, and it took a while for her to succeed.

When she could breathe normally again, she got up and started to clean her face and hands. The wounds were quite small, and few pebbles had managed to pierce the skin. Anette quickly removed them and checked herself in the mirror.

Loser, ugly, fat, no one cares about you…

Anette pressed back the voices in her head. Instead, she put a smile on her face. She knew deep inside that she was something. Anette loved life and would not let the bullies destroy her. With that in mind, she returned to class. Not knowing that soon, her life was going to change forever.

When Anette entered the classroom, everyone’s eyes were glued to her. Anette saw the smirks on Annika’s, Helena’s, Susanne’s, Pernilla’s, and Jenny’s lips. But when her eyes fell on Malin, the girl seemed to feel guilty. Her shoulders were slumped and she was fiddling nervously with her fingers.

“So Anette, why are you late?”

Jan Olov, her history teacher, stepped up to her and gave her a stern look.

“I did not feel well, so I went to the bathroom and forgot the time. I am very sorry and I shall not repeat it again.”

Jan Olov’s facial expression lightened a bit.

“Good, now sit down and pay attention. Thor is the god of thunder…”

He continued with the lesson while Anette sat down on her seat. Kristian glanced at her and smiled slightly. Anette returned his smile and focused on the blackboard, and what the teacher had written there.

“And no one’s gonna save you

From the beast about to strike

You know it’s thriller

Thriller night”

Anette sang loudly to herself on the way home. It always eased her mind when she was upset and needed some comfort.

Anette had always dreamed of becoming a singer, standing in front of hundreds of people, and hear the crowd screaming her name over and over again.   

People called her naïve and said that she should stop believing in such a foolish dream. But Anette would never give up her dream. She felt that she was destined for something grand.

Well at home, Anette kicked off her shoes and went to the kitchen to get some soda. After drinking it, she started to sing again.

“The winner takes it all

The loser standing small

Beside the victory

That’s her destiny”

Her feet took her to her room. There, Anette grabbed one of her pencils and used it as a microphone while she danced in front of the mirror.

“The winner takes it all

The loser has to fall

It’s simple and it’s plain

Why should I complain?”

The song came to an end and Anette felt so proud when she managed to sing the high notes perfectly. Immediately she started on another song.

“I’m nothing special

In fact, I’m a bit of a bore

If I tell a joke

You’ve probably heard it before

But I have a talent

A wonderful thing

‘Cause everyone listens when I start to sing”

That song ended as well and Anette bowed to the imaginary audience.

“Thank you Påarp, you have been great!”

Anette blew some kisses here and there before she put down the pencil.

Someday…

Anette sighed and went to the bathroom to relieve herself.

After washing her hands, Anette felt how a headache started to form. She opened the cupboard, which contained various items. She grabbed the aspirin jar, opened the lid and took one pill out of it. When Anette put the jar back, she suddenly stopped in mid-air. Behind the place where the aspirin stood was another jar, unknown to Anette. It was labeled as sleeping pills and they were prescribed for her mother. Without thinking much about it, she put back the aspirin jar and closed the cupboard door while she swallowed the pill in her hand.

“Anette, honey, can you make the dinner? I have to talk to your grandmother.”

“Yeah, sure, what are we going to eat?” Anette shouted while she went to the kitchen.

“I am thinking pancakes.”

Anette smiled when her eyes met her mother’s gentle blue ones.

“Okay” Anette said while Maivor picked up the phone and dialed the number.

“Tell her that I said hi.”

Maivor nodded while Anette gathered all the stuff she needed to make the pancakes.

They spent the rest of the evening with watching TV and chatting.

Anette was happy that her mother was totally oblivious about the fact that her youngest daughter was being bullied. Her mother should not bear this burden with her.

After wishing each other a good night, Anette had a shower before she crawled under the warm cover on her bed, and drifted off into dreamland without knowing that her life would change forever during the next two days.

Open your eyes (Part 1)

The rain trickled down the windows, and the drops placed themselves at the bottom of the window frame. People drove by in their cars, and children on their bikes hurried to find shelter so they would not get soaked.

Anette sighed and curled up in the sofa she was sitting in.

It was almost six o’clock in the evening and soon time for dinner. Anette looked out of the window one more time, but she still could not spot the white Volvo that belonged to her mother. With a slight frown, she rose from the sofa and started walking down the hallway to where the kitchen was located.

Well in the kitchen, Anette hummed to herself while she gathered all the things she needed to prepare a dinner for herself.

While the macaroni’s were boiling, she set the table and later opened the cupboard where the spices and sauces were stored.  She browsed through them all, and the one with barbeque seasoning caught her eye.

Soon she sat down and started eating.

Anette looked at the three empty seats around her. About a year ago, her sister kept her company and complained about how empty the house had become since their brother had moved out. But now, she too was gone.

Anette managed to gulp down the last of the food on her plate. She rose from her chair and put away the dishes in the sink.

After deciding that she would clean it later, Anette grabbed her homework from her bag in the hallway and went to her room. There, she sat down by her writing desk and started reading.

After a while, she heard a car coming up the driveway.

A key turned in the lock and quickly opened the door.

“Hello sweetie, sorry that I’m late but the…”

Anette had already stopped listening. She did not want to hear another bad excuse. 

She heard her mother making herself some dinner and later sat down in the living room and turned on the TV. Anette yawned and stretched her arms up towards the ceiling. A sudden flash of pain in her lower back made her grit her teeth. She sighed and closed the book she had been reading.

“It’s the same thing almost every day, why won’t they stop?”

As usual, she would not get an answer from the voices inhabiting her mind.

Anette rose from her chair, looked at the clock and became slightly disappointed when she saw that it was only nine o’clock.

Worried about the pain in her back, she opened her wardrobe and pulled out her pajamas. Anette undressed in front of her mirror and uncovered a big bruise on her back, just above the hip area.

Not even a gasp escaped her lungs.

After putting on her pajamas, she curled up under the quilt and buried her head in the pillow on her bed. She fell into an uneasy sleep while the tears dried on the white fabric.

Anette opened her eyes and felt how her stomach cramped up.

“Wednesday, it’s still only Wednesday”

She forced herself up from the bed and went into the bathroom to have a quick shower.      

Back in the room, Anette opened her wardrobe. When her eyes fell on the various clothes she got there, her heart started to race. Familiar voices started to appear. Anette did not want to listen to them, but they were too powerful for her to handle.

“It doesn’t matter what I chose, they will always find something wrong with it.”

Most of the clothes she owned were homemade. Maivor, Anette’s mother, had placed the sowing machine in her brothers and sisters old bedroom. Whenever Anette wanted a new sweater, a jacket, a blouse or a knitted cardigan, her mother would often buy the materials she needed during a Friday evening, and then sit and make the clothes during the weekend.

One of the new items in Anette’s wardrobe was a knitted, turquoise cardigan. Her mother had been so proud when she had shown it to Anette.

With that memory in mind, Anette put on the cardigan and picked a skinny pair of worn down jeans to match.

Anette then picked up a comb and started to backcomb her short, blonde hair. When it stood up at every direction, she picked up her homework and went to the kitchen to get some breakfast.

When Anette saw her mother, sitting at the table and reading the newspaper, she immediately put a smile on her face. She did not want to burden her mother with her worries, and managed to push away the voices. At least for a while.

Maivor looked up from what she was reading and smiled at her daughter.

“Good morning sweetie! I put some bread in the toaster for you.”

“Oh, thank you”

After putting some butter on her toast and getting some milk from the refrigerator, she sat down opposite of her mother. Maivor started asking what Anette was going to do in school today.

“I have a test in my Swedish class.”

“So… have you been studying hard?”

“Yes, I did. And I only stopped when you got home, late as usual.”

Maivor frowned.

“I had to work overtime, and then the guys called and wanted me to rehearse some songs we’re going to perform this weekend”

Anette felt slightly hurt when her mother often chose to put her dance-band carrier before her own daughter. And if Anette asked her mother about maybe skipping some shows, she gave her the “I have to do this or else you would not get food on the table” speech.

But Maivor loved to sing, just like Anette did. They agreed on that life was not worth living if they were not allowed to sing.

After the breakfast, Anette packed her bag and put on her yellow Converse shoes. She said goodbye to her mother and started walking towards the school.  

Anette tried to smile and breathed in the late summer air. But storm clouds were gathering in the horizon.

Anette saw their faces in front of her. How they laughed and pointed at her. The bruise on her back started to burn and reminded her once again that she was nothing.      

A special night of the year

A rustling sound woke me up. It came from downstairs in the living room. Silent and carefully, I swung my legs to the side of the bed and stood up when they touched the floor. While my feet took me to my bedroom door, the sound continued downstairs. I became more and more curious and felt like running down the stairs, but I did not want to wake up the whole house. Instead, I bit my lip and tip toed down the stairs.

When my feet were firmly placed on the downstairs floor, I could feel a chill creeping up my legs. It came from the living room ahead.

I pushed down the handle gently and opened the door.

My heart started beating faster in my chest while my gaze landed on the one making the mysterious noise.

By the Christmas tree, a black haired woman in a long red dress stood. My arms came up and started covering my mouth when I realized who it was.

“Hep, hep. hep, who has been a good fan this year?”

She smiled sweetly and I could feel how the blood left my body and started coloring my cheeks.

The woman leaned down and grabbed a large bag that was placed by her side. She rummaged through it for a while, but finally she pulled out a small envelope.

“Here you go”

My hands were shaking badly and I could barely grab the present she handed out to me. The envelope had my name on it.

I looked over to the woman again, who had already started to climb out of the open window. Her glittering dress and red gloves left the windowsill and vanished into the cold winter night. I stood amazed and speechless for a while, but I regained my senses and remembered the present in my hand.

I sat down on the living room couch and slowly started opening the envelope. There were only three sentences, written in the sweetest handwriting I had ever seen.

“I really love you all for doing this here with me! Respect and know you are all SPECIAL!

Enjoy your day and be kind to one another ;=)”

A single tear trickled down my cheek while I read the words over and over again.

I could hear the woman’s soft humming in the back of my head while the sun started to rise. 

Dare To Enter (Part 2)

Anette hit the ground hard. There were only a few steps left to the porch of the cabin. A cold shiver ran down Anette’s spine when she realized that Jukka was no longer by her side.

She faintly remembered a scream, followed by an eerie silence.

Anette turned around. In the corner of her eye, she saw something white and blue. Immediately she got up and headed for the door. She jerked it open, slammed it shut and turned the lock. Anette ran towards the living room and bumped the doorframe so that she almost fell in to the room. Tears streamed down her cheeks while she tried to catch her breath.

“Anette, what happened?!” Marco said while all the guys got up from their sleeping bags.

“FREAKING DONALD DUCK IS OUT THERE!” Anette screamed while she felt a panic attack building up inside of her.

“What the hell are you saying, where is Jukka?”

“I don’t know, he told me to run so I ran!” There is a huge duck outside with a sailor suit and large teeth!”

Right after she had said that, they all heard something running close to the cabin.

“There, did you hear that?”

“Maybe it is Jukka running around, trying to find a way in since you locked the door!”

Anette swallowed heavily.

“That’s it, I’m going outside to look for him” Marco started walking towards the door, with Tuomas and Emppu following him. They completely ignored the pleadings from the blonde woman and unlocked the door.

With hesitant steps, they crossed the threshold. Emppu took the lead and switched on his flashlight. Tuomas and Marco did the same and soon they were scattered around the area. Anette stood by the door and tried to calm herself down.

“I must get them inside!”

Then suddenly the light from Emppu’s flashlight landed on Jukka, who seemed to be seated on one of the tree-trunks by the fireplace, with his back facing the light.

“Jukka?” Emppu quietly asked as he stepped closer.

Jukka’s body fell backwards and relieved a huge hole in his stomach where his entrails once had been.

Emppu had little time to react before something crashed against his body and made him fall to his side. A huge, orange beak dug into his shoulder and started separate flesh from bone.

Emppu screamed his lungs out and did not hear Marco and Tuomas running towards him. Marco managed to kick the duck on its chest. The duck let go of Emppu and started focusing on Marco.

Tuomas and Marco lured away the animal from Emppu so that he could get to safety. Anette started running towards the injured man.

“Get up!” she screamed and pulled up Emppu to a standing position. Emppu leaned on the blonde woman while she guided him to the cabin. She managed to lead him to the kitchen where he slumped down to the ground near the window. Emppu breathed deeply and was still in shock while Anette took off her hoodie and used it as a bandage on the heavily bleeding wound.  The pain filled expression in Emppu’s face made Anette’s heart break apart.

Suddenly she heard a sound in the hallway. Quickly she got up and searched for whatever weapon like thing she could find. After deciding on one of the frying pans, she tiptoed towards the door and hid just against the wall.

Anette heard something approach with heavy steps. Without thinking, she suddenly lashed out with the pan and heard bones crack, followed by a pain filled yelp.

Anette stepped out from her hiding place and looked down on Tuomas and the blood that was streaming down his nose.

“OH MY GOD! Tuomas, I’m so sorry!”

Tuomas nose was crooked, his lip and chin were damaged and few of his teeth were missing. Anette started to cry again, but stopped when she realized that the door was still open. She quickly got up slammed the door shut.

“Tuomas, listen to me, where is Marco?”

Tuomas opened his eyes and felt how his head started to spin.

“He…I… I don’t know where he is.”

Anette sighed and took Tuomas hand.

“We’re getting out of here; do you have your car key in your pocket?”

Tuomas slowly nodded while Anette pulled out the key from his jeans.

A cough made her turn her head.

Emppu was pale and Anette knew that he did not have much time left.

Slowly she sat down next to him and started caressing his cheek. Emppu opened his eyes and smiled at her.

“It’s bad, isn’t it?”

Anette nodded while a tear rolled down her cheek. Emppu wiped it away gently and moved his finger from her cheek to her nose and forehead.

“You’re so beautiful” he whispered while his love for Anette ached in his chest. Anette smiled, a very sad smile, which he had never seen on her lips.

Slowly, Anette moved her head down towards Emppu’s and captured his lips with her own. She kissed him gently for a while, but pulled back when Emppu’s movements stopped.

“Why didn’t he tell me?” Anette thought while she looked at Empuu’s now dead body.

The floor beneath him was covered in blood and the blood had stained both his and Anette’s clothes.

“Anette?” Tuomas voice came from behind here.    

“We have to go and get help.”

“But…I…”

“I know you don’t want to leave him, but if we stay here we will surely die!”

Tuomas pulled Anette up from the ground. After a while, Anette’s head started to clear.

“We need a weapon, like a knife or an axe.”

Tuomas thought about it for a while, but then remembered the survival equipment he had in his car.

The two walked towards the door and breathed in heavily.

“One… two … three!” they shouted before both of them started running towards the car. Almost instantly they saw Marco’s lifeless body. A piece of his head was missing and the white color of his skull was visible.

When Anette and Tuomas had almost reached the car, they suddenly heard a loud quacking and stopped.

The duck came out from its hiding place, just a few meters away from them. It had blood coming out of its mouth.

Anette and Tuomas started running again, but the duck was too quick. In an instant, it caught up with them and brought Tuomas down to the ground. The man started to hit the animal in the head and on the body. But do to the feathers, he didn’t make too much damage to the animal.

“Run!” he screamed to Anette, who hesitated for a while, and was torn between helping Tuomas or go straight towards the car.

The duck bit down on Tuomas leg and made him scream out in agony.

Anette turned around and ran. Her hand reached the trunk of the car. She pulled out the key and put it in the lock. Anette started rummaging through the back of the car when suddenly her hand clasped around something smooth. With the last of her strength, she lifted the axe and ran towards the duck. It had already started eating on Tuomas leg and the man lay unconscious.

Anette raised the axe above her head and brought it down over the duck’s back. A loud growl could be heard while the duck began to wobble away. But it didn’t get far until Anette walked up to it and pulled out the axe from the animals back. This time she landed the axe on the duck’s neck, which separated it from the body instantly.

Still in shock, Anette sunk down next to Tuomas body. He was still barely breathing. There was a huge gaping wound in the back of his leg, which was bleeding heavily. Anette got back in the house and got one of Tuomas’s shirts to use as bandage. She applied it on his leg and later collapsed by his side.

Anette was tired, very tired.

Something inside of her broke and she began crying.

Dawn was almost here and when the first rays hit her dirty and bloodied hair, she had already moved all the guys and bags into the car, with Tuomas seated beside her in the passenger seat. She had set fire to the duck’s body, the cabin, and the boathouse.

As she drove away, she could feel the heat drying her wet cheeks.