Unexpected outcome

Something snapped within her; she turned to one of the men and bit into his hand, which held her with all her might. It had been unexpected, so he let go of her with a howl. Next, she turned to the other one trying to hold her in place, and kicked him right in the bullocks as she dashed away towards the forest.

“Well, after her!!!” was the command she heard, and she looked behind her to see them running after her.

Mara continued sprinting away as all she felt was the wind in her ears till they eventually caught up with her.

That was how her once-perfect morning had taken a downturn to the horror-filled night. Her mother and father had just been slain right before her eyes, and her brother, whom she was uncertain of his whereabouts, was nowhere to be found.

Right now, from how she sat, her wounded leg hurt badly but not as hurtful as the thoughts of what would occur here.

The man with his claws still held her, and she could feel the rest of his part sneering as his hand squeezed her throat to keep her in place.

Her eyes had grown wide and seemed like they would be bursting out of her sockets soon enough as the

claws drew closer.

Mara could hear her heartbeat in a marathon as blood flowed in her ears. This was probably the means to an abrupt end for her.

This man did not care about her and would mutilate her and send her off to this Grimshaw person to finish the game he had started.

She knew very well that she should apologize before it was too late, but the pride within was deafening. She could not stoop that low to show off how weak a person she was. She had to do something, even if it was a little act of bravery.

Mara started struggling without removing her eyes from the claws steadily approaching her.

“Let…me…go!!!” she yelled through gritted teeth.

He smirked again with that very evil look on his face. Mara was sure he had something planned out for her which would not be in her favor.

“Act rashly one more time, and I will not hesitate to end your life here,” He commented again, pausing in his claw approach.

Resigned, Mara knew that no matter what she did, her captors remained unbothered by her antics.

They seemed to be impossibly solid and durable.

Seeing her complacent attitude, the man released her throat and yanked her closer to him before lifting her and throwing her over his shoulder like she was lighter than a sack of flour and carrying her further within the forest.

She stayed quiet now, giving nothing away. A numbness had replaced the pain, and Mara wondered if this was what death felt like.

Maybe after a while, the hurt was replaced by a certain coldness. Because even if they didn’t kill her, some of her still died along with her parents. 

Now, a certain clarity seemed to fill her mind, taking over the pain.

As she stared at the white snow hanging upside down from the shoulder of the brute carrying her, Mara tried to think of a way to escape.

Yes, she had no idea where the nearest village was. She wasn’t sure she’d get to a safe shelter before the cold took her and they caught her again, but that was a far better way.

She had no idea what these monsters intended to do with her, and she shuddered at the indecent images that entered her mind. 

Yes, Mara would take her chances with the night and the cold. 

But first, she needed this brute to drop her. 

Come on, Mara. Think. Think. 

Then, as if the heavens heard her prayer, the pendant from the necklace her mother gifted her swung free from inside her dress and gently in front of her vision.

It was a simple trinket - Mara didn’t even know if there was any value to the stone - but it was priceless to her. The white, jagged gem hung from a chain of silver, seeming to glow softly in the moonlight.

Mara was mesmerized as she grabbed hold of it. 

It was the only thing she could use as a weapon, and she hoped that what she was thinking would work.

Mara slipped the necklace off so the other two hulking figures beside them wouldn’t notice. 

Holding it tightly with both hands, she twisted her body to wrap the chain around the man’s neck.

As soon as the chain met the man’s skin, Mara heard a soft sizzling noise and the man holding her cried out in pain.

Mara felt herself slipping as the man dropped her, and she plopped unceremoniously onto the snow with the necklace in hand. 

The two other men standing guard on either side of her rushed over to their comrade, inspecting him closely.

The man was whimpering softly and clutching at his neck. Mara could see the necklaces sizzling softly in the snow as she looked.

She didn’t understand what was happening until she looked up and saw the men turning to her.

Even in the shadows of the night, she could see the angry, red line where the chain met the man’s skin. It appeared blistered and raw, as though the chain had burned him. 

Mara furrowed her eyebrows, wondering how this could be. But her confusion was quickly replaced by horror as the man in front of her began to change. “Anias, no,” the man on the right practically growled. 

Mara watched as the man carrying her, Anias, snapped at him.

He snapped his teeth towards his friend.

But what made Mara start to move was the size of his teeth. They had grown into long canines, and his eyes glowed a bright yellow.

Mara knew it was impossible. People’s eyes don’t glow like that.

But that’s what she was seeing.