FORGOTTEN SOULS || Isaac Lahey [1]

zero.

France, 1764

The forests in France were nearly empty. The full moon was out, there was no sounds from anything in any direction. Moonlight shone through the branches of the trees, casting nightmarish shadows across the uneven forest floor. The bugs had stopped buzzing, the birds had stopped chirping, the four legged animals were nowhere to be seen.

They were all running from La Bête.

The Beast of Gévaudan.

La Bête was a famed monster that had killed more people than anyone could count. It had been on a killing spree for nearly two years now, and was being hunted down by a simple huntress named Marie-Jeanne Valet.

That was common knowledge to anyone living in France.

Children were told to stay inside after dark. Men and women alike cowered in their beds when the sun set. Soldiers never returned home.

The only living thing left amongst the whistling wind and dying flora was a young woman who knew better than to be out at night. Her long brown ringlets billowed into the dark behind her as she ran, brown eyes wide with panic.

The silver bracelet hanging from her glinted in the eerie glow of the moon, and she slowed to a fast walk, frantically looking at her surroundings.

"Aramis!" She cried out, stumbling with each step she took. "Aramis! Where are you!"

When she received no reply, her eyes brimmed with tears. But she kept running, knowing she had to get out. She needed to get out of the forest.

The branches of every tree whipped her pale skin, but she didn't have time to worry about the faint sting. Not when La Bête roamed free.

A piercing howl filled the air, and she froze. She could hear faint snarls growing closer to her as she began running again, and let out a shriek when her thin frame barreled into that of another.

Immediately she began crying, her eyes shut as she feared the worst of what would happen to her. But when she felt familiar arms wrap around her and cradle her gently, she nearly collapsed in relief.

"You're safe with me, Odette," Aramis promised her, gently stroking her hair. "But for now, we must go."

Odette took his hand and the two raced through the forest as fast as they could. But she knew La Bête was not far behind. She could hear the thundering of its paws as they hit the ground, the vibrations the shear force of it cast off. The sound of its snarls increasing in volume.

But she kept running with her hand in his because Aramis had promised her hell or high water, they would get married. They would move to the country and have a beautiful little girl with a head of brown curls; just like her father. A little boy who loved to play amongst the flowers and sing his heart out; just like his mother.

As the night came upon them, the air seemed to chill. Regardless of that, they kept running. But the further they ran, the darker their surroundings seemed to grow. Their hands separated as they reached different speeds, and she was a few steps behind him. They ran until they reached a cliff and he caught her before she could stumble over the edge and take the plunge to the raging river below.

"We have nowhere else to go," Aramis panted. She felt tears spill from her eyes as she tried to control her panic. "But we do not have to die at the hands of La Bête, my love." The footsteps of the beast grew closer and louder and she closed her eyes.

Gentle hands cupped her cheeks and forced her to look up. She stared up at Aramis sadly, her hands moving to feel the curve of his shoulder one last time. Then Aramis kissed her as urgently as he could.