Mornings were usually peaceful and quiet around here but today was not like every other day. The sobs and loud cries coated with lamenting kept me awake all night. The birds werent singing the humming of insects couldn’t be heard and even the wind whistling around the trunks made the air seem more toxic.
Many curled up with their family having ther last Goodbyes with tears streamed down their eyes even the greatest broke down and shattered into pieces.
It was only just a matter of mintues before families were going to go there different ways leaving one of their own to die because of a stupid Traditions which has managed to be made supreme over all, crippling the hands of many and forcing them into total defeat over a meaningless superstition. How the thought of this sickened me but I had to admit I myself was scared nevertheless not about the fictitious beasts but the lingling question on my mind on why none of the girls never came back home but I guess I would have to find that out by myself since I was picked for the sacrifice.
“Nola.”
Sam called out to me with almost a whisper, his voice was a bit brittle. I knew he was tired after crying himself to sleep by my side.
“Go back to sleep,” I patted his head softly while he protested weakly.
” Sleep..”
I whispered softly and he slowly closed his eyes and went back to sleep. The hardest part of this was having to leave him but I promised to come back. There was no beast or no wolf and I would escape the hands of the brute government. This wasn't my end, I was sure of that. I wouldn't fall that easily.
The sobbing outside began to turn into screams and cries of pleading and there were attempts by other family members to hold back their unfortunate loved ones who were picked for the Chosen. They wanted to fight them away from the hands of the guards, but obviously overpowered.
They were here for us, for me and nothing or no one was going to stop them. It was only a matter of time before they started pounding furiously and fast on the door demanding to take me away like I was a property, used as their disposal and discarded when they felt like it.
I learned closer to Sam and kissed him goodbye and silently comforted myself that it wouldn't be the last. I walked out of the room to meet my aunty and uncle.
“Oh, Nola!” She broke out in tears as she moved towards me and engaged in a big hug she squeezed me so tight “ Why do they have to take you away from me?” She kept crying and I kept squeezing her so tight as I forced back the tears that threatened to fall from my eyes. I couldn't be found weak, at least not in front of my family. Kayla walked downstairs with Sam in her hand, I guess he had woken up because of Aunty’s cries.
My hands were being tight with chains, we looked like slaves was the third to be put into the chariots. My emotions felt more heavy as it dawned to me that every minutes that passed, I would be farther away from my family and the fact that some people had already considered me dead even when I was still alive hurt me. We were like the walking dead, six girls chained up in chariots.
“Ahhhhhhhhhhh!”
The high pitch voice stunned me like a bee and I immediately looked at the direction of the loud scream, It belonged to a girl who was literally carried all the way and dump to the car and chained like a dog, she was crying profoundly while struggling with the chains and obviously her efforts were void but that didn't stop her, I actually had to smile at her relentless, encouraging her.
We arrived what looked like our destination and the mansion was all concrete and tall glass windows that gave the view of the mountain, a chance to relax and take in the change of the season from the comfort of an easy chair. Ironic how I was thinking of relaxing when my supposed demise was close.
Allegedly so, we were supposed to wait here till Midnight before we were brought outside for the sacrifice of the beast. Impassively, I scanned the place as we were pulled in by yhe guards and if I was not being too irritated by the rough handling of these guards on is, I would appreciated the place a bit better.
“Watch it!” I warned one of them when one of the girls, Amelia, got pushed too hard. “She has a wounded leg, so be careful. I get that tonight is our last, but spare some sympathy and don’t be an asshole.”
If he heard me, he pretended well not to. I didn’t care of he did. I just wanted to get my message avross and I was glad that I did. At least that grumpy muscular guard was more tender while handling Amelia.
The mansion was a big majestic place and I was surprised at how efficiently the government put in effort into making the place look so good. It was gold and honey brown with streaks of silver and I made a note to self how these people were more concerned about creating a perfect home for a killer beast who terrorized the village, than actually being there for the people.
“Asshole!” I cursed at the guard who shoved me last into the empty room, with the other girls.
Great. We have a mansion as large as this, and they still choose to make sure we are treated as church rats. Great!
Not long after we were thrown into the room, sobs were all around me filled my ears and dampened my spirit. I couldn’t cry even if i wanted to. It wasn’t easy for me to. So, I sat there in the midst of these girls and watched dead into space as their voices like wails from hell filled the entire room and resounded everywhere.
And for that moment, I felt lost and confused. Tears brimmed at my lids but never fell. I thought about my family and I thought about Sam. I imagined that like these girls who bawled their eyes around me, Sam was doing the exact same thing.
Were we really going to die? I chose to always think that all of this was just a scam and in reality, there was no such thing. But with each passing second of this reality, I came to an existential crisis. I knew not what to believe anymore and what not to. All I knew was that I was going to miss my family. And they were going to miss me too. Whether the beast was real or not, I was being held captive and my return was unknown.
“It’s okay,” I started to comfort the girl who sobbed by my left. One hand went to my right to hold Mary and she cried on my shoulders. These girls surrounded me crying and like some protector or hero, I let them.
“We will get through this,” I said to them. It was a promise. “Don’t lose hope.”
It was also a promise to myself. Together, we stayed in the dark and they all cried till it was the mid of the night. The doors burst open and I was dead and unmoved as the guards pulled us out aggressively. The girls were screaming and shouting and crying, but I barely reacted. It was dark and wherever they were taking us to, I had not a clue.
They bound us together and tied us to a tree, making enchantments and callings and rising their voices as the wails of the girls increased by the second.
“This is it,” I thought to myself. This was really it.
I closed my eyes and accepted defeat.
I didn't have any time to think, before my eyes, the impossible was happening. We had been left tied in the forest, one of the girls was crying and praying to the moon goddess to rescue us. I had never been so scared in my life, there’s no such thing as a beast, theres’s no such thing as a beast, theres’s no such thing as a beast was all i could keep saying in my head to hold it together. “D-do you guys…hear that?” Someone whispered, I think it was dennis.“Y-yeah…” It was faint but something was coming towards us. “Maybe someone has come to save us,” said Mary and I scoffed.“Yeah sure, the pack would come untie us.” But maybe she was right, another pack might have been freeing the other girls who were sacrificed . We needed hope to survive. I hated it, I was desperate for hope. “Yes, probably,” I agreed with a sigh. I heard the sound of twigs breaking and a shrill howl. Something was coming towards us, when suddenly—“you guys, relax, it’s just a plain wolf.” We all let out a s
The beast's eyes glittered in the split second it took for our gazes to lock before the fur snapped back around his pale skin and he bounded towards me, the slap of his footfalls on the cave’s stone floor loud enough that it froze me in place.“Get away from me! No! I am not going back there! Mmph!” I screamed wildly, pumping my legs as hot hands encircled my midriff and lifted me from the floor.This was it, this was the day Nola Reynolds would die. Sam had always said it was my curiosity that’d do me in the end. The blood pounded hot in my ears as my heart beat a jagged dirge, but the beast remained silent. I felt a wave of vertigo hit as he carted me off into the deep slanted shadows, through a hidden corridor I hadn’t seen before. “Stop! Where are you taking me?” I shrieked, unable to control the note of fear in my voice. I didn’t want him to think I was frightened of him! It was the one thing uncle Ben taught us- Sam and me after our parents died.“Round these here parts, fea
The rattling of the door knob had me hissing awake just in time for it to fly open and the silver eyes of the man to find me curled up on the bed.“What, you won’t even knock?” I snickered and watched his eyes travel downwards to my splayed legs. I slapped them closed, but it was already too late, the heat blooming on my cheeks as his face darkened and could have made an omelette special.“Girl can’t even get some privacy in her cell.” I harrumphed, but it fell flat when he ignored me to drop the tray on a small bedside vanity I hadn’t noticed the night before. There were bulbs fitted on the walls of the cave and a glass roof ceiling. I made several mental face-palms. Of course, he’d have more livable conditions for his inmates, he’d been doing this for thousands of years! The sky had probably been too dark for me to notice the other night as I watched him flick one of the bright white fluorescents on before his grey eyes met mine again and I inhaled sharply.The man-because he was
I could tell the man standing on the other side of the door was still there. I held a shaky breath and twisted on the narrow bunk of the prisoner's bed to look at the imposing frame of the door.I hadn’t heard his footsteps receding, was he waiting to hear what I’d do? I cleared my throat, but the lump was still there.“Hey beast, say, won’t be bad to get a couple more furniture in here ya know?” I croaked, fiddling with the frayed ends of the linen blanket and craning my neck.Silence.Great, what did I have to lose? Besides my head and a few choice limbs? Nothing but a farthing child.“Reckon I could use a restroom too, getting kinda cramped in my bladder you see, wouldn’t want to piss on your highness’ bed and all.” I finished, hesitating. He couldn’t have known I’d seen the tin bucket with the broken lid he’d kept under the bed. I was a pure breed wolf, we did not piss in buckets.There was shuffling on the other side of the door and the sounds of footsteps fading. I sagged visi
Nola ReynoldsI caught the look of surprise that crossed his face when I whizzed past him, feeling my bones snap and elongate as I shifted to land heavily on all fours, tongue lolling.There was silence behind me before the Lycan gave a horrible, drawn-out howl and I could hear the sounds of bones shifting and snapping into place.I took the first cut I could find, my eyes better adjusted as a wolf, in the dark cave, yelping in pain when a stalactite brushed too close to my hide.Why wasn’t he chasing me? I had to find a way out of here! I felt the hammer of foreboding drop on my heart just before I bounded to a stop right in front of an angry-looking man that was still easily twice the size of my wolf. “Wha- how did you?” I gasped, making confused animal noises.“What do you have to say for yourself, Nola?” He ground through clenched teeth, folding his hands over the soft-looking wool of his cashmere sweater. I could make out the defined muscles of his chest even in the dark. I wh
Hector“You fucking bitch ass….fucking Lycan warrior lunatic!” Nola’s raspy scream came before she flew up to meet me, seeming to think better of it and sitting back down.I arched an eyebrow at her theatrics as if to say ‘Yeah, that’s what I thought.’“You’re getting very out of control Nola. Pounding on doors and stomping around like a maverick, when all my workers want to do is sleep.” I grunted, dropping the tray on the wide bronze stool beside the high canopy bed where the girl was sitting like a princess.“Wait, you have workers here?” She gasped, the milky white mounds of her chest rising and falling passionately.Stop looking at her fucking chest Hector, goddammit!“Yes,” I said cryptically, watching the wheels in her little head go round and round…round and round. I damned if I could get that fucking nursery rhyme out of my head.Nola looked like she was planning something, probably trying to find the workers.I hoped she didn’t, for her own sake. Some of my workers were hung
“Is yours ready for the switch Edna?” The nasal grind of a woman’s voice grated as the bed heaved and creaked over my head before dipping dramatically.I held my breath, trying to breathe as shallowly as I could as the sturdy hooves of the second girl goat. Or thing, came into view, stopping just inches from my head, the frayed ends of her white dress billowing slightly.“Heh! You can say that again, wench is all but throwing herself at his highness, right cunt whore that one!” The Edna girl cackled, snorting in a way that had me wrinkling my nose with disgust.Sheesh! So these were the workers? I was sick to my stomach when I realized it was us they were talking so carelessly about. I suddenly wondered who’d been cooking the food the Lycan brought up all this time. I had the distinct feeling Edna was the type to spit in someone’s food.“Who do you think he’ll pick first?” Silence. Deep breathing, steady, steady… oh dear, I think I’m gonna fart.“Hard to tell Crystal, probably the
The woman watched me quietly after the scream had died on my lips before she cackled once, like a firecracker going off.“Celebrating already? Party's hardly even started yet.” The woman chuckled in a sinister voice, as she shook the black talon of one finger at me, somehow seeming closer than she was before I’d blinked.“Who the fuck are you?” I panted, feeling my canines extend as I took a cautionary step back, my heart, beating bruises under my skin. The light seemed to leave the woman’s face as she cranked her neck sideways with loud snapping sounds.I knew then who she was. The Wild, Wicked Hag of the Mountains.I could tell from the way her body seemed to undulate freakishly, a stain to the normal eyes.She had to have been nearly a millennia old, but she hardly looked her age, the skin on her face-what I could see of it as the forest canopy blocked the leftover burnt-sepia light the rising moon provided- was a fine-lined coffee brown.The hag clapped, nodding her head in the si