1692

Act II

Cake of the day: Apricot and Green Tea Mille Feuille

"I've never seen you around here before...." I said, neither encouraging nor discouraging a reply.

Edmund was a tall, ominous figure. He had very deep sunk eyes and a brow deeply lined with thought. His fined boned features were framed with a mane of long, flaxen hair with a slight curl.

He stood in silence; quietly taking in the surroundings of the small town with the greatest care, a sinister grin plastered across his face.

Suddenly, the comfortable silence the two of us stood in was shattered when the girl inside the barn began to scream again; a bone chilling cry that convinced me that the girl was in real pain. Edmund's grin vanished and his dark eyes widened at the noise, and quickly, almost instinctively, animalistically, he ran to the barn door and threw it open, staring inside at the girl.

At the sight of the tall man, the girl screamed even louder, clawing viciously at Walter and Alfred like a trapped animal. Edmund smiled again, a hideously diabolical smile, and took a step inside the barn, only to be met by another of the girl's cries.

Out of nowhere, a small boy, no older than 8 or 9 came darting into the square where Edmund and I stood, giving a shrill battle cry and dropping the small stuffed bunny he was carrying as he assailed the tall man, frantically pounding at his leg.

I knew this boy; his name was Willow Jacob, he was a homeless orphan. Often times he could be found wandering the forest aimlessly, or by the back of the church, crying, and always holding the bunny. I'd never once heard the boy talk, or even seem excited about anything in the slightest, why was this riling him so much?

Sharply, Edmund turned and grabbed Willow's shoulder, effortlessly lifting the boy to his level as he kicked and screamed.

I was paralyzed; the entire scene was so terrifying that I couldn't, like a deer before a hunter's musket I stood, unmoving, horrified.

Willow screamed; the same lifeless scream that an animal gives before its death as Edmund bit, literally bit, the tiny boy's neck, spraying a thin stream of dark blood. With more force, he dug his teeth deeper and deeper into Willow's neck, the frightened child screamed, big tears rolling down his cheeks as his scream withered to a pitiful yelp. His head feel back limply; he was dead. Edmund had killed him.

I ran blindly into the man as he tossed Willow's body aside, beating and swatting at him. He brushed me off easily, and threw me to the muddy ground, his blood stained face painted with the same evil grin.

In that same moment, Walter and Alfred abandoned the girl and jumped on Edmund, restraining the man. He thrashed and fought them, but the butlers were able to drag him inside the barn and chain his wrists to a horse stall, kicking and howling like a mad man. The blonde girl began screaming again, and the two howled in agony.

Without warning, the entire barn began to shake. Alfred and Walter whipped quickly around as the building tremulously stood. Edmund lifted his head and let out a chilling scream as black smoke began to fume from his mouth and the barn continued to shake. As soon as it had begun, it stopped, and the man fell limply, tugging at his chains.

Horrified, the butlers darted out of the barn with Bram, shutting the door quickly and disregarding the screaming girl inside, trapped with that.... Monster.

Alfred helped me to my feet as Walter opened my front door and escorted the trembling preacher inside. I stood, my hip stinging and giving me a slight limp as I hurried to pick up Willow's bunny, and then quickly inside.