Beware The Girls You Meet In The Forest (On Hold + Editing)

Chapter 10

            I walked for a couple of weeks, occasionally passing small villages that were of no significance to me. I picked apples whenever I passed an apple tree and sometimes stole a chicken or two when I passed a small village at night.

            It is night now and it’s been a long day of walking. Ugh, why did I even accept this job? Is it even worth it? Well, I guess it is. Mother and father would be proud of me if they were still here.

            I decide to stop for the night. I set my bags on the ground and begin starting a fire, gathering dead leaves and sticks and putting them in a stone circle before placing a match to the leaves.

            When the fire is at a decent blaze, I rest against my bags. My eyes slowly start to droop closed and I let them. I’ve been walking nonstop for two weeks straight with barely any food. I am freaking tired.

            I let my eyes close, and a few minutes pass. As I am about to drift fully into sleep, a hand clasps roughly around my neck. My eyes immediately shoot open and my hands go to the hand.

            I try to pull the hand off and realize that won’t work, seeing as to how their strength is greater than my own. I try to kick over my head because my attacker is standing behind me. All I get is lifted roughly to my feet and a chest pressed against my back.

            An evil chuckle is let into my ear, the wind brushing against it as well and making me tremble. It was in that moment, that, for the first the time in my life, I was afraid. I was afraid of being hurt and being killed, the exact same way my younger sister had.

            Callie was going berry scavenging. She was maybe seven years old. It was getting pretty close to night time and she’d been gone for a while. Mother sent me to go find her.

            I remember not wanting to, and I argued with mother for a while before I finally gave in. If only I hadn’t argued. I could have saved her.

            I was walking around, casually calling out her name so she could find me. The sun had set but there was still the tiniest trickle of sunlight left. After walking for probably three miles, I heard a little girl scream and then a thud.

            Confused and worried, I ran towards the scream as quietly as I could. My bare feet pounded against the ground, not even stinging with the callouses I had built up. The wind rushed through my long and tangled chocolate hair. I rapidly sucked in air, trying to satisfy my lungs and gain more speed.

            And then I slid to a stop as quietly as I could. Not even twenty feet away, my little sister was terrified and lying helpless on the ground as she stared up at a man dressed fully in black. A classic highwayman. He had an evil grin on his face as he stared down at her. I could smell a sharp scent in the air, the same scent of the drink mother and father would drink that would make them happy and giggly.

            “Let this be a warning. We are coming after them soon. This is what will happen if they don’t agree to our arrangement…” he hissed out. Then, quicker than lightning, his hand shot to his belt. He slid his knife out of the holster and thrust it into my sister’s throat. Blood gushed as the life was drained from her…

            I gasped for air at the memory and I was brought back to reality. Brought back to my fear of ending up like Callie.

            “So, so very pretty…” the dark voice rumbles out. I can feel the cool metal of a sharp blade gently graze across my cheek and I wince. Please…

            It is as if I am paralyzed. Why can’t I do anything!? My chest rises and falls swiftly, trying to calm myself down. I can’t. I start to tremble more and more as I listen to the malicious chuckle over and over again. One hand makes its way down my body, trailing its way over my hips and around to my front, pressing me back against the chest.

            I swallow hard and close my eyes. DO SOMETHING! I can’t…I just…I can’t…

            A tear slips from me and I hold in my sob as the hand moves its way into my shorts. This can’t be happening…

            Callie flashes across my eyelids, seeing her lying there, dead on the cold forest floor. A small sob escapes me then.

            Just as that sob escapes me though, the presence and touch of the man vanishes. I am still standing, trembling as I keep my eyes closed and tears stream down my face. A ghost of the man’s hand remains, causing me to grow colder. My lip is quivering and I desperately try to hold back my sobs, but I can’t. I don’t even question where the man went, but I am relieved he is gone.

            I collapse to my knees and hide my face in my hands, sobbing loudly and my body being racked roughly with my trembling. I can faintly hear sounds of struggle, but I don’t pay attention to it. I am too terrified to do anything but cry.

            A few minutes after the man disappears, I hear footsteps. I have somewhat calmed myself down, but hearing those footsteps makes my heart race and fear jumps into my throat again.

            I look up and see a figure walking towards me in the shadows. I let out a scared gasp, and start to back up as quickly as possible, too scared to stand and run. Sounds of fear escape from me and sobs rack through me again.

            The footsteps become quicker and I know I can’t escape. I bury my face in my hands again, trying to hide I guess from what is going to happen.

            And then I feel a hand touch my arm. Immediately, I flip out. I start screaming and flailing my arms and legs, trying to fight off the attacker. “Woah, woah!” a man says.

            Hearing the voice just sends me further into a state of terror and panic and I just give up. I hang my head, sob, and curl into a ball on the floor. I can’t fight. This is how I will die.

            “It’s okay,” the voice says soothingly. “You’re okay…”

            The voice sounds so familiar, and I think that it’s…no, it can’t be. He is gone. I left him two fucking weeks ago!

            The hands gently wrap around me and scoop me up into a pair of strong, defined arms. I shake violently, terrified of what is going to happen to me. I still haven’t opened my eyes, but I want to take a peek…No, I don’t want to see this person’s face.

            The man bends down and I’m pretty sure he picks up my bags. He tosses them over his shoulder and holds me close against his solid chest. I take a deep, shuttering breath and a familiar scent fills my nose. Amberwood.

            It can’t be him…

            I slowly raise my head up and open my eyes. His perfectly structured cheekbones shadow the bottom half of his face and his silver eyes gleam in the moonlight. He is staring straight ahead, focused on the direction we are going. His jaw is clenched and I can tell he is angry, concerned, and ready to fight.

            I’m not sure why I do, but I find the sight of him comforting and secure. My hands wrap into his jacket and I bury my face into it, wanting to hide from my fear and embarrassment. Breathing him in comforts me further, and his arms pull me even closer against his solid chest. “Fire…” I breathe out softly before drifting into a deep sleep.

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Now how about that, huh? For once, we see that Rab isn't as fearless as we thought. And she had a sister? What!? And what about Fire? Why would he be there at the perfect time?