Beauty and the Beast

The forest was much more haunting at night. The trees swayed in the cold wind. No leaves to be found on their rotting branches. Kenna wrapped her coat around her and continued her walk. She could hear owls and other noises that she could not identify. She shot her head around at every noise.

“Where the fuck are you, Borden?” She mumbled to herself.

She wanted to get out of there. The last time she was even close to the forest at night she almost died. She just wanted to find Borden and get out. Leaves crunched beneath her boots. Branches blew across her path. The moon was high in the sky when she heard a scream.

A man’s scream. She ducked low to the ground. She listened more. Another scream came from the side of her. “Borden…” She stood up and bolted toward the voice.

Before she knew that she was bolting into danger she discovered she was running on broken stone flooring. Was she back in the village? She stopped running and got low to the ground. This was dark stone, old stone. It looked like it had been here for a hundred years. Kenna looked forward and heard a man’s voice begging for his life. It was faint but she knew who the voice belonged to.

She stayed low to the ground and hid behind trees as she got closer. She soon heard two other voices, then four, then five. Six voices all together. Borden shouting loud though.

“Please! I have a family! I was just looking for a girl!” Borden yelled. Kenna could not see anything.

Trees and bushes covered her sight, and she hoped they covered her. “No one steals from me.” A deep raspy voice sounded.

“Stop tormenting the poor kid and kill him already.” Another voice, not quite as deep, responded.

“I didn’t know anyone was living here!” Borden began.

“Shut up!” A loud voice echoed, a different voice from the other two.

“Just give me the knife!” Another one yelled.

“No!” Kenna though.

When Borden screamed Kenna jumped out from her hiding place. “Stop!” She was in a small stone clearing. Five men were surrounding Borden who was sitting on the ground. They all looked to her. The men around Borden had black hair and tattoos. One of them was much taller than the others. He had piercing blue eyes that seemed to burrow into her head. There was one with almost reddish hair holding a knife. The others were wearing makeup on their faces. There was one who was not wearing a shirt. “He’s my friend. I got lost and he…”

A man with long black hair ran to her fast and gripped her neck. She gasped as her feet were lifted off of the ground. “This friend of yours stole from us. So unless you can give us back what he stole I will kill you both.”

The man with blue eyes stood still with his mouth slightly open. Like he had seen a ghost. “Please…” Kenna gasped.

“Put her down Jinxx.” The man who also had long black hair said.

Kenna gripped at her throat when she was released. “What are you doing here?” Borden mouthed.

“I don’t have anything to give you…” She hesitated. “But…kill me instead, I will take his place. Let him go.”

Four of the men smiled. Borden yelled no and was silenced buy the shirtless one. “No...” The man who had chocked her said. “I think I’ll kill both of you.” He rose his hands and fire rose from them.

Kenna jumped back shocked and the tallest one stopped him. “This girl is willing to give up her whole life for this little shit. I say let her.” He whispered.

He looked to the tallest one and nodded. With a flick of his wrist Borden was gone. “What did you do?! Where is he?!” Kenna shouted running toward the spot where Borden had just been.

She was grabbed from behind and carried. Kenna screamed and kicked at her holder but it was no use. She soon found herself being stuffed inside a door that lead to an underground room. Still screaming and kicked the door was closed and locked. It was pitch black down there. She pounded on the door and begged to see her friend. When lanterns lit themselves she stopped. She panted heavily, tears streaming down her face.

She was in a stone room. A cot in the corner and a cell like door in front of her. She shivered. It was colder down here than outside. She rubbed her upper arms with her hands and sat against the wall.

“What did I do?”

Notes