Echoes of Dark Beauty

Chapter 1

 The rumble of the van suddenly settled as we were jerked to a stop. My brain went on red-alert as someone came out of the front of the vehicle, closing their door behind them. I forced a cold and neutral expression onto my face as the back doors opened and harsh daylight blinded my vision.

Bracing myself, I examined who was in front of me. It appeared to be a woman in her late 40's, her hair wild and clothes ragged. I growled as she reached for the chains around my wrists. Unfazed, the woman unlocked what was holding the chains to the van and pulled me towards her. She never spoke a word as she tugged me along behind her. My bare feet dragging in the freezing snow. It wasn't until now that I realized exactly what I was wearing. It was as if a sheet had been torn and placed over my bare body, the thin material little help in the biting wind.

"Who am I exactly, anyway?" I thought, panic settling in my stomach as I realized I knew nothing about myself. Even my name had escaped my memory. Biting my lip, I trudged on, barely keeping up with the wild woman in front of me, deciding to only lay my focus on surviving for right now. The chains bit into my wrists, slicing the top layers of skin, metal chafing against the raw flesh. My eyes grew heavy as the cold wrapped around me and snow fell unyieldingly, inviting me into its eternal, beautiful sleep. I did my best to keep my mind alert, but all of my senses were dulled, and I almost collapsed as we finally stopped in front of a large gothic-looking cathedral. It's structure seemed old, and the windows slightly dirty, but mighty as well, with impressive gargoyles standing around the perimeter of the building.

The woman who had led me there pulled me towards the doors, and I finally allowed a small grain of worry to worm its way into my mind. As we stepped inside, my gaze turned towards the pews in front of me. Their dark paint seemed to glow as the light from the windows were cast upon them. At the end of the room stood a large stone slab, and there was a man in front of it.

As we got closer, I noticed that the man seemed young, in his mid-twenties perhaps, with a shock of brown hair and cruel green eyes. I stopped about three feet from him and his alarming gaze, dragging my heels into the large worn rug beneath me. Fear exploded in my chest as I saw the instruments in his hands. In one hand there was a gleaming scalpel, and in the other, a clear liquid-filled syringe. I did my best to keep my gaze steady, but my eyes became misty and I whispered a string of curses under my breath. The man's cruel gaze met mine as he stepped towards me.

"Little Lacrimosa," he breathed, tilting my chin upwards, "I will make you into an outstanding beauty." I shook as he yanked the chains from the woman who had led me here and pulled me towards the stone slab in the front of the room. My exhaustion was like a lead weight upon my back as I was jerked towards the rough stone, yet my fear and panic kept my mind sharp and my pulse rapid. The few moments it took to reach the destination seemed like hours, and I couldn't help but wonder what I had done to get here. To deserve this. Yet, I didn't even know who I was, who I had been. A small part of my mind suggested reluctance, maybe I had been an awful person and did deserve this, but my instincts kicked in.

"I am not giving in without a fight," I thought, my weary eyes scanning the room and my position. I spotted a small wooden chair in the back of the room, and seemed like it would be easy enough to pick up. There was only one problem: how in the hell would I get there? My options became limited as the man circled around me, taking in what would be his next....Experiment?

I yanked on my chains, but he didn't move an inch. As I stumbled, he caught me around the throat and dragged me, slamming me against the stone. As my vision danced and I swayed, his breath was cold against my ear. "I don't tolerate that," he hissed into my ear, sending shivers up my spine. As his fingers trailed my neck, I glared at him with such loathing, amusement flickered in his eyes. "I'm not one for banter," he whispered softly, "So let's get on with this, shall we?" He snapped his fingers and the woman from earlier emerged swiftly from the shadows. As the man stepped aside, she pulled me onto the stone slab and tied me down with rope.

I did my best to break free, but her grip was tight, and I was soon bound and gagged. I yelled a string of curses at them, but the sound was easily muffled by the dry cloth in my mouth. "My name is Cohen, by the way," the man said, a wild grin on his face, his inner wolf finally showing its teeth.

Tears threatened to fall, but I angrily kept them back best I could, refusing to show weakness. Cohen held up the scalpel that was still in his left hand, and the next thing I knew, a scream rang from my lips, and the darkness' cold blanket fell around me.

A shrill sound pierced the air as my awareness wavered. My vision tossed and turned, as if everything was everywhere and everything was nothing. Finally, something became clear. "An eye....?" I thought, puzzled, then it became clear, "Oh shit......."

Cohen stared at me from behind where my head lay, his eyes unblinking, and just a few centimeters away from mine. As I stifled a scream, I realized that my mouth was no longer gagged, but my body was still bound to the stone. My limbs seared with indescribable pain as my senses fully awoke and left me gasping for air, a soundless shriek frozen on my lips.

He was still grinning madly and my chest burned with rage as a giggle escaped from his mouth. Cohen's eyes looked proud as he examined my face that so easily showed my agony and loathing. The walls around us were black and dark stains were splattered on its surface. He spun the chair around and snatched surgical knives from the table nearby. My breathing grew labored as I tried to wrap my head around the impending doom of the situation.