True love is selfless. It is prepared for sacrifice. —Sadhu Vaswani

***

Winnie! I took off after her, my nails digging into the ground. What are you doing!?

Ignoring me, she pushed on across the tall grass, her fragile form working hard to keep ahead of me.

Are you completely nuts? He'll kill you! I drove as much force as I could muster into my legs to get beside her.

I'm going to end this. She didn't look at me. Her jaw was set with determination. I never intended for anyone else to die—or for the refuge to burn. I was only trying to protect people—to save them.

My ears turned back as Winter's call echoed behind us in the distance. I whipped my head around to see her jogging after us. Filled with dread, my legs suddenly felt like jelly.

Winter's following us! I pleaded with Winnie. You're leading her right to her death if he's hiding in those woods!

She didn't respond. Her determination only seemed to grow.

I growled with frustration. You said you want to protect people. Protect her!

She reached the edge of the woods and slipped in through the bushes, completely ignoring me. With something that resembled a tortured bark, I rammed my way in after her and tackled her just as she made it out the other side. Pinning her on her back, I stood above her. A threatening growl rolled out from between my lips.

What the hell is your problem!? I projected, my eyes burning down on her. What exactly are you planning on doing when you find him? This is stupid, Winnie. Stupid! We didn't go through all of this bullshit to end it this way!

Her blue eyes glared at me as she struggled beneath me. Had she not still been sick, she could have easily thrown me off.

"What are you two doing here?" Winter's voice cut into our thoughts. She stood behind us, half concealed by the brush. Her chest heaving, she looked from Winnie to me with a raised eyebrow. "What's going on?" she demanded.

I pulled myself off Winnie, my eyes pleading with hers. We need to bring her back to the house.

Winnie scrambled to her feet. The look of determination hadn't left as faced me. No one else is going to die for me, she said. With a leap, she took off running deeper in the woods.

I sat, my mouth gaping for a moment, wondering what the hell was wrong with her. Was she suicidal? Maybe her injury had done something to her brains.

"Are you trying to show me where Jose's body is?" Winter's eyes were wide as she wavered between following Winnie and turning back towards the house. "We should probably get the police first."

I shook my head, but Winter's eyes were on Winnie. The determined dog was already almost out of sight, her white body a bright contrast in the dark forest. "Winnie!" Winter called, hurrying forward. "Wait!"

My head throbbed. Alarms blared in all corners of my brain. It was a complete disaster in the making. Visions of Jason Voorhees stepping out of the shadows with a spinning chainsaw conveniently debuted in my mind.

Winter was worried about Winnie, and Winnie was apparently not worried about anything. I gritted my teeth and followed alongside Winter,  fearing I would be completely useless if he attacked. But there was no way I was leaving her alone.

Trudging along at Winter's pace was putting us farther and farther behind Winnie. She trampled on ahead of us, a white blur, nose to the ground, most likely tracking Sheldon's fresh scent. 

Winter swore under her breath as a sharp branch grazed her arm. Wincing, she turned to me, concern in her eyes. "I'm worried about her, Pickle. She might get lost. Do you talk to each other? Can you tell her to slow down?"

Suddenly, it hit me. Winnie and Winter were the same. Of course, I knew that, but I hadn't been thinking of them as the same person with one mind and one personality. Winnie and Winter both had one very strong trait. It was what drove them. My breath caught in my throat as I finally realized it—to Winnie, Winter was disposable. She wasn't here to save herself—that had never been her plan. 

In one, swift movement, I was in front of Winter, blocking her path. She nearly stumbled over me. Surprised, she asked, "What is it Pickle?"

I swallowed, trying to keep the panic from creeping up my throat. I stared into her large, brown eyes, but was forced to look away—so incredibly torn. If we continued, Winter might die. If we headed back, Winnie's fate might be sealed—and she'd have to fight him alone.

I gritted my teeth. Damn you, Winnie! You stubborn dog! What are you thinking?! You aren't helping anyone by sacrificing yourself!  With a tortured groan, I pushed my head against Winter's knees, forcing her backwards. I had to save her first.

Winter's face strained with concern as she realized what  I was doing. She shook her head. "No, Pickle. We can't go back. We need to make sure Winnie's okay."

Damn it Winter, not you too! I gave her a stern look and pushed her again. 

She stepped backwards to keep from falling. "No, Pickle. We can't leave her."

She skirted around me and bent a branch forward to pass through. Running out of options, I let out a shrill bark to get her attention, then headed off in the opposite direction. She spun around. "Pickle!"

Filled with relief, I watched as she headed back towards me. Mission accomplished.

A tortured squeal echoed deep in the woods. Mission failed.

Filled with dread, I sprung into action, my legs racing towards the sound with a mind of their own. Winter plodded next to me, whipping through twigs and hurdling over downed branches, her long braid swinging from side to side. The sounds of our ragged breaths meshed together as we both flung ourselves blindly towards the sound. Had my mind not been so focused on that horrifying sound, I would have stopped Winter from heading in the direction of impending disaster.

"Oh god! What was that?" She panted next to me, struggling to keep up."It was Winnie, wasn't it? What has he done to her?!"

Her foot snagged on a tree root and she stumbled, arms flailing. She hit the ground, skinning her knee. Sharp rocks and twigs ground into her palms where she'd caught herself. Grimacing, she pulled herself back up. I forced myself to slow down, realizing she'd be lost in the dark woods if I left her on her own.

As she caught back up to me, I cast her a quick glance. She was limping slightly, clenching her teeth from the pain in her leg.  I headed on. All I could think of was Winnie. I could feel her somewhere close. I could also feel him, the monster.

Don't come closer, Winnie's thoughts suddenly cut into my head.

I halted, my nails grinding into the dirt, back legs sliding out from under me, sending dry leaves flying. Winter stumbled over me and caught herself with her hands. She pushed herself back up with a groan. 

"What—." She stopped as she turned to me, my eyes focused on something just up ahead in the brush.

A dark laugh shot through the woods. "They're here, aren't they?" Sheldon's voice boomed. "Come out, or the white one dies."

Winter's breath caught next to me. She bent down, fumbling around in the leaves. She rose, a large stick clutched close to her chest with two hands. With a look of resolve, she took a step forward, wielding it like a sword.

While Winter's courage was notable, I was struggling with an inner cowardliness that crept through my veins like a shot of whiskey. Sheldon's dark presence was crumpling me like a leaf, pushing me into submission. The only thing driving me forward was my absolute dedication to both Winnie and Winter.

We pressed through the bushes to where they stood. Winter grasped the stick tightly, her jaw set. I trembled pitifully next to her, my tail between my legs.

"Oh, there you are Winter." Sheldon stood in the middle of a small clearing. Winnie laid motionless beside him. His gaze fell to the stick in her hands. "I thought you loved me, Winter." His eyes glimmered and seemed to darken, taking her in. "How could you turn on me so quickly?"

Winter's lips were dry as her mouth parted, the sound coming from it barely above a whisper. "H-how could you do this? What have you done to her?"

He looked from Winnie back to Winter. In a split second, his face suddenly changed. His eyes grew big, pleading with her. "It's these dogs, Winter. They're the ones you should be afraid of. They don't want the two of us to be together. They're trying to separate us by making you afraid of me."

Winter took a step forward, readying the stick. "You're crazy," she said. "All this time you were comforting me—it was you  all along."

"Are you talking about Jose?" Sheldon asked, his face taking on a mask of pure innocence. "He was obsessed with you, Winter! He wanted you for himself! I saved you from him!"

He stabbed me with a needle, a tranquilizer. Winnie's thoughts drifted to me from the ground where she laid.

"Give me Winnie, that's all I want." Winter said, taking another step forward, her hands trembling.

Sheldon's face suddenly twisted. "Sorry Winter—I can't do that."

"Why?"

Sheldon's eyes fell on me and I found myself backing away, the same strangling sensation coming over me. A grin worked its way onto his face. He knew I would not impede him. He turned back to Winter. There was so much rage in his eyes, she nearly dropped the stick.

"I didn't want to do this," he uttered in a low voice. "I wanted to think that you were loyal to me. Even when I saw you with him. Even when I saw him put his hands all over you." He screamed out the last words in disgust, his eyes bulging. "I didn't want to believe you were a whore like all the other girls. I saved you because I thought you were special, you were clean. But you're just like the rest of them—a dirty little whore!"

He rushed at Winter just as she swung the stick. It hit him across the shoulders and snapped in half. Unfazed, he came crashing down on her, throwing her to the ground. Underneath him Winter screamed,  clawing his face with her hands, planting her feet in any part of him she could find. His large hands found her wrists and pinned her to the forest floor. "Do you wish it was Terrence on top of you instead of me?" he spat in her face.

Kill him!  Winnie projected weakly, lifting her head slowly from the ground. Go for his throat. Now is the time!

My heart was beating so hard I wondered how I was still alive. The evil grip had me paralyzed, only able to watch as Winter struggled on the forest floor. I can't. It's too strong. His evil side is too strong!

You can, and you have to, or Winter will die!  Winnie pleaded.

In front of me, Sheldon straddled Winter. In a flash, he pulled a syringe out of his pocket and removed the cap, avoiding her flailing arms. Winter's screams enveloped my mind as the needle dove deep into her arm.

This chapter is dedicated to Squeaks7. Check out her Once Upon Now contest story A Rose Among Thorns.

Is your heart racing right now? Wondering what will happen to Winter? Find out next week! Thanks everyone silent and not so silent for reading Winter Rose. I've had a great time writing it, I've really fallen in love with the characters myself, strange how that happens...Please vote if you feel this chapter deserves it. See you soon!