Page 3 of Deviant Need

“Good. She smells like old soup anyway.”

His mouth twitches, and he glances over at me.

“We should come here instead and hide out. I’ll teach you how to talk. I can do it way better than her anyway, and I don’t smell bad. Plus, I actually like you. You’re my best friend.”

He nods fast this time, bouncing a little like he’s excited.

The trees are starting to go green because it’s early spring, but the one next to us looks dead. It has a thick trunk with a weird crack near the bottom that looks like a mouth screaming.

Standing up, I brush the dirt off my pants, then walk over to look closer. It’s hollow at the bottom and dark inside, the opening just big enough to fit my arm in if I reach carefully. Perfect for hiding things. I crouch down and peer into the darkness, trying to see how deep it goes. The wood is rough under my fingers, carved out by time and rot, and when I press my hand against the edge, some of the bark crumbles away and falls into the hollow space below.

“Daniil, look at this.” I wave him over without taking my eyes off the tree. “We could hide stuff in here. Our stuff. Things the others can’t find.”

His whole face lights up when I show him the hollow. I like making him happy.

“Only ours though, okay? They can’t know. It’s our secret hiding spot.” I spit in the dirt. “I hate them. All of them.”

He grabs my hand and squeezes tight. The pressure says everything he can’t put into words. He’s choosing me. Us against them, the way it’s always been.

“We’ll keep snacks here. Like our favorite cookies and candy bars. The others always eat everything before we can get any, and we need our own stash.”

His eyes light up, and he nods fast, bouncing on his toes.

“And maybe some toys. Books. Stuff that’s just ours.”

I look back at the house through the trees, barely visible now. “Let’s go back. You point at what you want to bring, and I’ll carry it here for us. Maybe we should bring blankets too so we can sit on them when it’s cold.”

He smiles again, a real one this time that shows his teeth. We lace our fingers together and start walking back. His hand’s smaller than mine but he grips hard, like he doesn’t want to let go. I don’t want to let go either.

“Hey, Daniil?”

He meets my eyes and waits.

“Can I call you Danya instead?”

He smiles and nods.

“Really? Because I want to. A special name that’s just mine for you, not what everyone else calls you.”

He squeezes my hand.

“Would you like the old lady to disappear? I could make it happen for you. Alexei taught me how to hide someone when I don’t want them found. I could hide her here in the woods if you want me to. She’d never bother you again.”

He bites his lip and stares at me, eyes huge, searching my face to see if I really mean it. Then he nods once.

Killing doesn’t scare me. Papa’s had me watch him do it since I was four, teaching me how it works, showing me where to cut so they stop moving. The lady is old and slow, which means she won’t fight much.

I’ll tell her I lost something in the forest and need her help finding it. Bring her out past the trees where nobody walks anymore. Papa’s knife is still under my mattress where I hid it last month, and I’ve practiced with it on the trees enough times to know how much pressure it takes to cut deep. I know exactly what I need to do.

He’ll be safe after she’s gone. No more speech therapy. No more hiding.

“Danya?”

Those hazel eyes lock on me, patient and waiting.

“You and me forever, no matter what. Promise?”

He squeezes my hand hard, like he’s sealing it.