TORMENT

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There are talks of a baleful beast that roams the forest at the deepest hours of night. Some say he is unerring in his executions, he lures his prey with just the radiance of his light brown eyes, until they fall under his trance hypnotically. It is said, that his greatest power is deception. He will allow his victims to remain in a docile state right until he slaughters them mercilessly.

There isn't any such thing as keeping the beast at bay. No tactics, or spiritual rituals can defend against him. If he wants you he will find you. You'll sense him before you can physically see him. Even then, it'll be too late. Don't run, he loves a chase. Say a small prayer and accept your fate.

For the first time in her life, she ran. She ran without paying any regards to who she was leaving behind. She knew it was too late to turn back, not that it was a viable option in the first place. She's come too far, surpassing all the demoralizing prognostications of her failure, and death. The cold air stung her face and congealed her lungs as she treaded through the thick snow. The moon shone lustrously, illuminating the nighttime as she maneuvers through the dense forest, in the dead of night. The atmosphere grew arid as the snow fell relentlessly and a blanket of mist settled over the white forest floor.

She had no knowledge of where she was headed, or when she would arrive. She glanced down at the watch wrapped tightly around her wrist. It was a quarter till four, the sun would be rising in a few more hours, by then she would be in a new town. She moved quickly, and remained silent, believing it was the only thing ensuring her safety, and keeping her position undisclosed. Little did she know, keeping quiet wouldn't defend against anything.

"Theo, Theo, there she is there! Get her!"

Her heartbeat quickened at the sound of the two men who had been tracking her down. Her eyes widen out of fear at the thought of them dragging her back home. She couldn't bear the idea, though she was far too tired to continue the chase.

"Stay away from me," she hissed fiercely, as one of the men neared her.

His razor-sharp jaws clenched as she fed his anger, his eyes three shades darker than his brunt umber colored hair. His face had a slight red tinge to it from the coolness of the night, and maybe even his belligerence. Before she could defend herself, he raised his hand, striking her across the face. The force of his hit sent her falling to the ground. She cupped her cheek, taken back. She could feel her nails puncturing her skin, with the balling of her fist. She never felt the urge to fight back until now. It was different this time; her freedom was at stake.

"Mathias! That's enough. I don't think Nicolai would take kindly to you smacking his daughter around," Jahmil, Mathias's brother, warned.

"She's mine, she belongs to me now!" he declared blatantly, whipping around to face his brother, trying to demonstrate his dominance. Luckily, in that amount of time she was able to scramble to her feet, taking off deeper into the forest, in the direction of where she was headed before. Adrenaline course through her veins, causing her to move faster, and jump higher. Every so often she pushed herself harder, fearing the wrath of her deranged, sadistic fiancé. Alas, the accursed, vivid thoughts of what Mathias would do when he found her made it hard for her to concentrate on the task at hand. She gradually came to a halt, frowning exasperatedly as she examined the land around her. She hadn't the faintest idea where she was. Her plan hadn't panned out the way she expected.

All she had hoped for was to drop from the face of the earth, becoming invisible, and non-existent. She would find a small, secluded town where she would start her new life over as someone other than herself. She ran a stressful hand through the mess of curls that laid atop her head, and fell over her face. She had to think quickly, but breathing in the redolence of a familiar stench prevented her from doing so.