Dark Tales

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

CHAPTER 2
BEAUTY AND THE DEMON

The forest was dark and the air felt thick with every breath Belle took into her lungs. The cold night air nipped at her skin, goosebumps had risen on her arms.

A crackle came from the forest like a burning fire and she ran as fast as she could, almost tripping up multiple times as she glanced behind to see if she could catch a glimpse of her pursuer. She couldn't scream for help because she knew no one would hear her, but little whimpers escaped her lips as she tried her best to get away.

Belle heard footsteps gaining on her, so she squealed and yelled.

"Get away from me!" Her voice came out.

Belle continues to run through the forest. Trees passing her at a tremendous speed and the cold wind biting at the skin of her face while branches scratched at her bare feet.

Heat pumping through her veins, Belle felt a strong power of adrenaline when she realized that she was being chased.
She heard their footsteps as well as her own, but their footsteps were much faster than hers.

The steps behind her began to catch up. No matter how fast I run or how much I push my legs to move, they just keep on gaining, Belle thought to herself.

She heard a distant and sinister sound that chuckled from the tree tops.
She ran through the forest. Fire burning through her veins.

Belle stops running to catch her breath and glanced at the damage done to her legs, seeing the multiple scratches and the bloody cuts patterned across them.
Smears of red liquid painted across her pale skin.

"You do smell good," the voice in the shadows echoed around her. Belle's hairs stood on end and she broke off into a race again, hearing the laughter and the rustle of leaves above her. Her body heated and her hands quivered.

She then hits something hard that knocked her back, blowing her to the point where she struggles to maintain her balance. 

"Stop running." The mysterious voice echoed. "You're not going to make it. Accept it," the voice echoed from within the shadows.

Then from the darkness, Belle saw a silhouette of a man and his eyes were crimson.

Before she could analysis anything, the shadowed man was now above Belle and a pain shot through her neck.

She suddenly felt as though everything around her seemed to be moving in slow motion, the natural sounds of the forest, even the sound of her footsteps became muffled.
The only sound that was heard was her quick breathing and her pulse ringing in her ear.

Belle collapsed on the ground, exhaustion took over her body and she laid her head on the ground.

What she did see were dark figures with white eyes looking back at her. She then pasted out and all she could hear were the horrifying screams of beings as they died one by one.

Later a figure knelt beside Belle and she felt it's fingers graze her cheeks. The touch was cold as ice.
Belle opened her eyes slightly, but the image was blurry, and so she couldn't see exactly who it was.

She slowly started to open her eyes and saw someone knelt beside her.

It was a man. He was shirtless with huge bat-like-wings from his back and instantly he carried her.

Maybe this is my guardian Angel, she thought to herself before closing her eyes again.

***

Belle began to gain consciousness. She slowly opened her eyes, a wave of warm heat passed through her body and she knew she was no longer in the cold forest.

She savoured the sweet smell of clean white sheet that covered her then shot up from the bed, dazed. Belle blinked several times, looked around and swallowed the panic climbing up her throat at the unfamiliar room.

Where am I ? She thought to herself.

Belle glanced around and took in the view of the fine room.

To call it a room seems an understatement, she thought.

It was a large room, larger than her whole house, furnished with expensive tasteful things. A wide glass window with heavy white curtains encompassed almost the whole wall to her right, showcasing a prime view of lights below that shined in the night.
I must be in a high-rise building, she thought.

Belle quickly came back to reality. She looked at her arms and was relieved that she still had all her fingers. She removed her legs from under a duvet cover and saw that they were wrapped in bandages. She wiggled her toes to see if they still work. Making sure that she didn't have any fresh stitches or pain anywhere else on her body, satisfaction filled her face and she continued to study the room more closely.

"Are you quite finished?" A voice came from the corner of the room.

Startled by the voice, Belle turned to the direction at such the voice came from and saw a man seated at the corner in a single red armed chair.

Belle's breath caught in her throat as she set her eyes on the man seated in front of her.

His fine tanned skin and defined muscles rippled as he moved his arm, his brownish gold eyes glowed well in the night.
She saw how everything about his face was hard, imposing and angular. He was shirtless, looking very masculine, showing off his muscular arms, and black pants that shaped the muscles on his legs prefectly. He was tall, broad and clearly strong.

Dispite the scar on his face, Belle thought he was really handsome.

The scar, she thought to herself.

Then she recalled begin told the tales of a creature that takes the form of a man but really is not a man. How it lures person to it's place and devours them.

Belle's heart started to beat fast as she continued to stare at the man.

"You're him," she said. "You're the demon," she watched as the man rose from his seat.