The last of the sun's golden rays filtered through the trees, dancing across the emerald green grass towards where a young woodcutter was sat. Adrian wiped away the river of sweat from his forehead in one swift motion, and proceeded to lift the axe above his head. It glinted briefly in the sunlight, and then plummeted down to meet its target - the log split easily in two, and Adrian smiled with satisfaction.
At seventeen, Adrian was muscular and broad shouldered, traits that had come from years of strenuous work helping his father, the town blacksmith. Gathering the last of the logs in one sweeping motion, he headed back towards the cottage. He never fully turned his back on the trees though, there was a certain air to the forest that always sent shivers down his spine - Adrian chuckled nervously to himself, brushing off his fears as childhood naivety.
The sight of his family soon dispersed his apprehension though. His younger sister, Elenor, was laughing heartily whilst being eagerly pursued by Keno the family dog, a German Shepherd pup. On the cottage steps, his mother and father watched on in admiration. The relaxed atmosphere was shattered by a chilling announcement.
"The sun has nearly set".
Nobody would have guessed that Max and Adrian were brothers, let alone twins - they couldn't have been more different. For a start, Max was significantly shorter, and his body far less developed in term of muscles. While his brother seemed to enjoy a challenging day of back breaking work, Max would far rather surround himself with an endless mountain of books and papers.
Silence ensued, as the family simultaneously glanced towards the forest. Sure enough, the sun had almost descended below the boundary of the forest - the lack of light cast a sinister shadow across the valley. In their contentment, the Ferrer family had temporarily forgotten that it was a "Cursed Night" - a term the residents of Lupinoath used in reference to the nightmarish appearance of the mysterious creature that plagued the town.
"Everybody inside now," Alison Ferrer commanded, her voice wavering slightly. The family silently obeyed, moving quickly towards the warmth and security of their sturdy home. In their determination to escape the inevitable dread of the creature's presence, the family almost failed to notice the two silhouetted figures sprinting across the grass - straight towards the forest.
"Elenor! Come back here this instant!" Alison's voice was shrill, and saturated with sheer terror. Keno was heading straight for the ominous foliage that formed the periphery of the forest. Elenor followed, determined for her beloved canine companion not to be left outside.
Max and Adrian turned to each other in unison, and exchanged a look of understanding for a few seconds. Moving swiftly, Max grabbed a bow and quiver from their resting place on the back of the door, while Adrian lifted his long handled axe from a tree stump. As Elenor disappeared out of sight, the brothers dashed after her, as if the flames of Hell itself were on their heels.
Behind them, their concerned parents gazed on helplessly, silenced by the dilemma - they knew for certain that their daughter could not fend for herself alone in the dark, especially with a blood-lusting terror on the prowl. At the same time though, the thought of all their children in the forest on a Cursed Night knocked a sickening feeling into both their bodies, chilling them entirely to the bone.
As they reached the edge of the forest, the brothers paused momentarily. Nobody had ever returned from the forest alive. Adrian placed a reassuring hand on his brother's shoulder.
"We will find her Max, before that thing has a chance to - trust me."
He smiled nervously and then set off in pursuit of their fragile sister. Regardless, Max still shuddered - he had always had a sixth sense of sorts, an ability to tell when something was wrong. And he had never experienced such a menacing presence. Images of a terrified Elenor flashed inside his head, forcing Max to shake himself from his frozen stupour. As the last of the sunlight was extinguished, Max clenched his fists and followed Adrian into the shadows.
YOU ARE READING
Blood Curse
Horror"By day the lycanthrope retains his human form, but in the light of the full moon he is cursed to walk the earth in the skin of a wolf. His hunger for flesh is insatiable, his speed is incomparable, his cunning is uncontrollable. The curse is passed...
