The Reaper Saga [Book 1-3]

DEATH RIDES [EDITED]

I woke up gasping for air.

For a second, I couldn't remember what happened or how did I end up lying in the middle of the woods. My throat was too dry, making it hurt to take any kind of air. The moment my eyes took in the torn dress, my breath stopped.

The wedding.

I remembered.

I remembered the pain and the aftermath of it. So how could I be alive? With the memories back, my hands immediately went to my throat to feel that it was covered with dry blood. Shaking in the cold, I took the time to look around me again. To my surprise, I noticed that where I landed was pretty far from the town. Trying to move, I let out a whimper. My ankle was probably sprained, I had scratch marks on my arms and shoulder from where Mr. Sullivan tried to grab me.

A loud sob left from my lips even before noticing it was me that cried out. The pain in my body was nothing compared to the joy in my heart. I lied on the cold ground, crying in happiness. They expected me to be dead.

Gone.

But I was that awesome to be alive...

After staring blankly at the morning sky for hours, I tried to stand again only to hear a scream tearing through my lips as soon as my swollen legs touched the ground. God...if only I had magic then I could easily just heal myself.

I needed something to support myself.

Thankfully there were some broken long barks that could be used as a crutch which I took to finally stand up. I could feel my legs scream to rest but I had to keep moving. Keep running. But to where?

Out of town would be the best choice. But I've never been to anywhere but Natchitoches. My stomach lurched in uneasiness as I registered where I was going. No matter what they've done to me, I could never seem to hate them enough to not care. Also, I left Belle there. She let me escape, even with the risk of Conrad finding out. By the time I reached the cemetery, I had to close my mouth with my hands to stop myself from screaming.

Bodies everywhere.

Like someone painted the whole place in red.

"Enjoying the view?" 

Someone gritted out. I turned my head to the right to where the sound was coming from only to see Belle looking down at the ground. I wanted to say so many things but the only question I could ask was. "What happened?"

"What you've done to us, Emie." She might refuse to look me in the eyes but the core of her anger lied deeper than me or the prophecy. She was angry at the entire clan by the way her whole body shook in violence. They mirrored mine when I noticed the familiar bodies I have grown up with.

Even Madam Florence lied on her own blood with one of her eyes missing.

"You didn't answer my question," I repeated because I was addicted to misery. Or maybe I truly wanted to know. "Bel-Mom, please."

"Maybe the prophecy was wrong. He didn't give us any power, he gave us death instead. You did something, tell me, were you learning magic without our knowing?" Before I could anticipate any attack, her hands reached out to shake my shoulder. To my shock, the moment she touched me, the pain in my legs disappeared leaving only an uncomfortable ache. Swallowing down the knot that formed in my throat, I took a step away from her.

What on earth was that possible?

"This mark would not let me do anything, you know that!" Even if I didn't have the mark, I had to learn the spells to do anything she accused me of doing. I did neither so how could she-

"But the mark is not there anymore." She snatched my wrist before I could hide it. "What have you done?"

"Kill her."

"Burn her. She killed them!"

"Don't let her inside of your house! She's satan's child, she'll kill your children!"

"There's a bounty on her head. Bring her to us and we'll give you plenty of money to live."

The loud commotion startled us so much that Belle let me go immediately. I looked around in despair to see angry mobs everywhere. Seeing the running crowd, the cold realization hit me hard in the head. By now every clan near our town knew what happened last night. Just because by some miracle I survived, I would be foolish to think that they'd throw this thing under the rug so easily.

I was never going to be safe.

"I didn't kill them, I don't know how the mark disappeared. Please believe me." No matter how many times I begged, Belle kept her eyes on a particular body in the grave as if I haven't spoken at all.

Near the grave...

The cry after I pushed someone away from me.

Flinching at the memory, I finally understood why Belle was acting like everything was my fault. When the massacre started, the person holding me was Mr. Sullivan and unknowingly I've pushed him to his death.

I've killed a clan leader.

Before I could apologize more, the air turned colder and the clouds in the sky darkened, making me freeze. That's how the horror started last night. This time my mind thought faster than me as I realized I was already pushing past Belle to get away from everything. To my utter surprise, there was something following me in the wind.

A shadow?

"Corium!"

I screamed out, hoping that now that I didn't have the mark, it'd work. But I still could very much be seen and I wanted to cry out in frustration when I had to stop abruptly because I was stuck near the cliff. I wanted to blame someone, anyone, so I could get rid of the evil thoughts that were running through my veins.

Wiping the stupid tears that decided to finally come, I was just about to say to hell with it when someone grabbed my arm to shove me away from the edge. Struggling to push myself away from the creature, I turned around with half the mind to do something, anything to get away. But with bewilderment, I realized, no, it wasn't a creature or a shadow...

It was a man?

"What have you done to me?"