Into the Dark [SLOW UPDATES]

VIII

I pressed Kathleen closer to me as the villagers moved closer to us, some already jumping down to the bottom of the pit, too close for my comfort. Everyone was quiet, but I could feel eagerness in the silence.

They all had their eyes narrowed at us like we did something unforgivable, which, I think, was going to this village. It was unforgivable, yes, for me. If we had not arrived here, then we would not be in this mess.

"Stay close to me," I whispered to Kathleen, barely noticing her nod back quickly. The people were getting closer by the second, and by the looks of it, we had no way of escape. There were too many of them blocking our way.

They all had messed up looks. One had his face swollen so badly that I could not make out his face, and it looked like it just happened recently. An old lady had one tooth left in her mouth. A man wore an eye patch over his left eye, three scratch marks evident beneath it. But one thing was common among all of them―they all had those hungry looks, their eyes locked on me and Kathleen.

The one-toothed old lady stepped in front of me, a creepy smile on her face. She twirled some strands of my hair around her finger, which made me inch away from her, while she flashed me a toothless grin. "My, my, you're a pretty young lady. You must be pretty tasty too."

She raised my arm, rolling up the sleeves of my jacket, exposing the skin on my arm to the numbing cold of the weather, before pressing it close to her nose and sniffing it. Then she smiled at me again. "Tasty indeed. If only I had teeth . . ."

"Step out of the way, old lady. She's mine!" a voice shouted over the crowd. I stepped back, instantly recoiling when I bumped into a villager behind me.

I felt a hand pull me by my hair, so hard that I stumbled back. Then I felt something wet on my neck. I closed my eyes and tried not to scream, and pulled myself free from the person instead.

But his grip was firm. He pulled me back and I felt him clamp his teeth around my arm.

I screamed, feeling the pain go through me again and again. Somewhere in the crowd, I also heard Kathleen's scream. Despite the pain in my right arm, I used my left arm to push the guy away from me, desperate to get to Kathleen.

Elbows and arms bumped into my face and into my body, and I swear I will get a swollen face after this. But I do not mind. I need to get to Kathleen.

"Wait!" a familiar hoarse and scratchy voice shouted over the chaos. Nobody seemed to have heard it.

"Stop, please!"

Still, nothing. I let myself go with the chaotic flow of the crowd, feeling teeth clamping on my arms and my side. Luckily, my jacket was thick so my body was safe.

"People, stop this!"

I was feeling weak and light-headed. I wonder what my father is doing? He is probably drinking again. I will wait for him to come home. Maybe I will hide in my room. But he will thrash out and find me in my room. I will get a beating then.

"Veronica!"

That was probably Kathleen. I turned my head to find her. I wonder why the ground is beside me? I do not remember lying on the ground. The ground is cold, like everything else around me. My cheek feels cold too.

"Are you . . . Are you okay?" she sobbed, her tears pouring down her dirty face. I am glad that she was still unharmed. Her hair sticking out in every direction and some bruises on her face and arms were okay, rather than something worse. "Your . . . Your arms, what . . . What did they do?"

Hm, I think this is the first time she talked since Mrs. Bentley died. I forgot how her voice sounds like. Now it sounded strange to me.

"Veronica!" another voice shouted. This time, the voice was scratchy, the same with the one yelling "stop" earlier.