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April 7th 1865
Mama and papa always told me to never talk to strangers. The hidden faces in the shadows who watched lonely souls. The faceless monsters always wanted to see the stray little doe whimper, whither under their touch. The monsters intentions always wrong. I was always naïve, brain clouded with unnecessary and dangerous curiosity. I was young...am. I am young. And that youth and innocent I held so dearly never seemed to notice the monsters, hidden in the dark.
Mama always called me her little belle. My southern charm, the kind that could knock the socks off of any man, a smile so perfect I could use it to bend the will of the mighty. Mama always took pride in me. Her little belle. I wanted to make her proud, always. So when I left the house that morning, just as the sun was peaking through the horizon I thought she'd be very proud. Her daughter stepping up to feed the horses, even with the new fear that spread through the small town.
The amounts of animal attacks were peeking to terrifying numbers and it made the whole town shake in fear, everyone too afraid to leave their homes without a soldier by their side. The war was not over, not close. But my town was more worried about being torn to pieces, left to bleed out with blurry vision of their loved ones speeding through their minds before they took that final breath, welcoming death with open arms.
My hands were dirty, covered in mud and gunk from the stables. I hated being dirty. It made me feel wrong, like I couldn't sit still. I always wore white because it made me feel cleaner, more put together. Papa always loved me in white, said I looked like an angel sent from heaven. His angel.
I left the stables in a huff after every horse was fed, a proud smile on my face. The small home that was passed down from my family wasn't too far from the barn, you could see it just below the large hill the stables sat on, a beautiful lavender field on its left, and a forest, bright and heavenly just on its right.
"I love your dress."
I spun around, a quite Yelp of terror leaving my lips as I looked towards the tall woman who stood behind me. She must be a cat, I hadn't heard her. She was beautiful...breathtaking. She had skin as pale as snow and eyes as red as blood. Odd. Her lips looked unnaturally pink but you could just tell she wore no product. She was a true angel. "Why thank you, ma'am." My voice came out soft, the innocent southern accent unmistakable. "I'm sorry for my little outburst, I hadn't heard you."
"That's quite alright, little one." She smiled, her voice just as soft and calm as before. Her appearance and tone made me weak in the knees and I couldn't figure out why. The way her dark hair hung off her shoulders in a way ever so perfectly and the way her cheeks were a bright red, appearing as if she'd just come from the cold.
"May I ask why you're here, outside so early in the morning?" I questioned the woman, a wave of worry overcoming me. Was she out here all night? A woman like her would surly be harassed by the local drunks. "Oh, I was just going for a morning walk, taking in the beautiful town when I spotted your barn up ahead and wanted to see if their were any horses I could "chat" with." She smiled, a small dimple appearing on her right cheek.
Confusion rocked my body as I thought about her story. Behind the barn is miles and miles of large trees before it breaks into sand, real southern land coming into view. The only other side of the barn by my home lay was the Bornstens farm. Miles and miles of corn. There's no way she could've seen the barn from town, not a chance.
"Everything alright?" She asked, noticing my sudden silence. Everything in my body was telling me to leave, run. Go into the house, wake papa and tell him these a trespasser....but the way her red eyes starred back at my own I couldn't help but freeze, planted in my place just outside the stables. "Yes. I'm sorry. I should really be getting back now, my mama will be looking for me any moment." I lied, shooting her a small smile. I turned around on my heels but to my horror the woman was In front of me once again, red eyes picking apart my soul.
"Why must you leave so soon? I was hoping you could help me?" She questioned, the same smile on her face. "Uh, yeah....I mean yes. Of course, ma'am."
"Good girl." She purred. The rest was a blur of blood and pain, a vision of life, seeping through my fingers like sand. The horses roared and kicked at the stables as they watched me be savoured like I was a piece of forbidden fruit. My eyes, still open were glued to my home. The home I knew my parents slept in at this very moment, their dreams of love and family being unaware of the death that clouded over me, ready to take my hand and lead me.
With the last bit of life I had I moved my head, looking up at the clouds, white and fluffy. Before the last of me was blown away in the wind a fast change was felt in my head, the woman was gone, her teeth being torn away from my neck. A struggle could be heard....grunts and pleads until everything went silent, everything ending with the sound of delicate porcelain being shattered. My fingers felt numb, my head but a haze of memories.
A man came into view. My angel? I hoped in a way that he was, ready to take me away and end the pain that scorched through my body. It took every ounce of life left in my body to keep my eyes open....to keep starring at the man. He had eyes as red as the woman's...yet his held but a drop of life behind them. "You'll be okay. Try and stay still, little doe." His voice was sweet like honey, a thickness to it that melted away all worries, it's warmth bringing life back to my dying body. My veins felt like they were one fire, ready to explode. I could feel every blood vessel move through me, feel every thump of my heart, slow but still beating.
The man slowly but gently shifted, his arms coming under my body and lifting me from the cold, spring ground. This was it....this is what it felt like to die.
