Red Riding Hood

Chapter Twenty Six

Chapter Twenty Six 

The beast in the man, should be

exercised

not

exorcized.

 

  The wails of beast and man echo through the cool night air, as villagers run for their lives. Upon turning its attention towards the large gathering, the beast leaps from the bell tower onto the neighbouring house – leaping from roof to roof in a single bound. Grey and Scarlet, to horrified and shocked to move, remain standing at the altar as they gaze at the horrifying beast that is charging towards them. Within seconds someone comes crashing into Grey, pushing Scarlet to the ground.

"Come on! Pull yourself together!" The pusher screams in his ear, pulling him out of his stunned state. Grey glances at Scarlet, who despite being pushed to the ground still has her eyes glued to the charging beast. Deciding he doesn't have time to drag her to safety, Grey sprints off with his friend to retrieve their weapons, leaving Scarlet alone. She becomes aware of her state when another person knocks her as they flee to save themselves. She breaks her gaze with the beast and flicks around to see where her brother is. At last the beast leaps down on to the ground without warning, villagers fall and skid backwards as they're forced to change direction with the wolf inches away from them, bearing its razor teeth and thrashing its blade like claws. Scarlet finally spots her brother, hiding under a cart as the screaming crowd rushes past him, tears streaming down his face as he calls for his mother, who is nowhere to be seen.

"Jackson." Scarlet mutters, then the panic of the whole ordeal becomes real and she screams. "Jackson!" She pushes herself to her feet, stumbling over her dress as she tries to reach her brother. Hunters return with their weapons in hand, screaming as they fire upon the beast. Arrows either miss the beast or bounce of it as it charges forward, everyone fleeing out of its way. "Jackson!" Scarlet wails and pushes a villager out of her path as they run in to her. "Jackson! Run! Run!" She struggles to reach her brother – her journey never getting any shorter. Another villager barges into Scarlet, knocking her to the ground, this time the fall leaves her disorientated and her vision becomes slightly blurred as she tries to push herself up, her rings ring with bloodcurdling screams.

"Scarlet!" Jackson cries, hugging the leg of the cart which he hides beneath. She looks up at her brother who is now at eye level due to her fall. Still unable to grab her bearings to stand, Scarlet begins crawling forward towards him. She cringes and cries out as someone else kicks her and stumbles to the ground next her. It was Mr Tybalt, the baker. He scurries onto his back without glancing at Scarlet, instead his eyes catch something that stands directly in front of him, and then he lets out a body cringing scream and scampers backwards, barley making it to his feet as he flees in the other direction. Again Scarlet is left alone. She scampers forward and then freezes, her heart pauses as she feels a presence behind her – breathing deeply, panting; growling. She braces herself as her body slowly starts to roll itself over on to her back. Her chest heaves heavily, though no air seems to enter her lungs as a gasp lodges itself in her throat, refusing to leave her, as if it – a gasp – is afraid of the beast. Her eyes widen in terror, unblinking nor wavering.

   It crouches itself just before her, ready to launch itself at her. Colossal and clad in raven-black fur, ears pointed, long, razor fangs protruding from its carnivorous mouth, yellow eyes glaring at the frightened beauty before it. Its legs are strong and elongated, leading up to its muscular torso, well-defined muscles rippling as it pants hungrily, the pulse in its thick neck barely visible through the sooty mane that drapes down to its hunched over shoulders. Its long, strong arms connecting to ... hands ... not exactly paws, they're bony – slightly deformed from human form and elongated, with talon-like claws on the end of each menacing finger. Its rubbery lips curl back in a snarl as it inches forward, climbing for a top of the girl in white.