Finding Beauty

Chapter 53

"Then, I can't stop, Belle." He walks toward her. "I can't stop until The Beast is dead."

Belle's eyes widen and she turns to run.

"Get out and take the gun with you!" I shout. She has no problem following this advice as she starts to run down the steps. She's finally leaving. She will be out of harm's way.

But then a sickening creak sounds that reminds me this building is old and run down. The stair she's on gives away. The wood underneath breaks and she falls right through the stair.

I shout as I spot the fire directly under her. The gun plummets to the ground and into the fire lost forever. But then I see her small hands clinging to wood and her body hanging loosely.

"Look what you've done!" Grayson screams at me. His face is red with anger and his veins bulge from his forehead, almost matching mines.

Why is he focusing on me? Belle is hanging on for dear life just a few feet away.

He walks over to the railing of the stairs, takes it in his hands, and rips a chunk of splintered wood right out of it. He swings it at me like a baseball bat. Concerned about Belle, I didn't react in time. The wood hits me right in the head.

My vision blurs like I've been put under water. My head pounds, a noise playing like the sound of a beating drum. I stumble back, feeling the warm trail of blood sliding down my face. I don't know how much more of this I can take without my powers.

My eyes adjust and I can see that my mask has fallen off. It's on the ground now. Gone. I'm exposed.

Grayson's face pulls back in disgust. "You're repulsive! How could you think she could ever love you?"

The statement does hurt. I am repulsive. It is stupid of me to think she could love me. She cares, but love? No. I was stupid to think she would come back to the castle all those days.

I start to back up into the smoke. I'm injured and Grayson has the upper hand. Maybe the smoke will give me the upper hand.

The only reason why I'm able to do this is because I see Belle pulling herself up and out of the stair. I know she'll get herself out of here. She's a strong girl.

In the depths of the smoke, I find there is a bunch of antique furniture. I go through the maze, looking back for Grayson. I manage to find a good place to hide, behind a giant grandfather clock.

I hear his footsteps becoming louder and louder. Peeking around the clock, I see him hunched over and coughing. Still, he continues to lurk through the shadows holding his makeshift weapon

He kicks a couch to the side while searching for me. Then he knocks over a rusty fridge. He's getting closer and angrier with every step. He's going to kill me.

Squeezing my eyes shut, I prepare myself for what needs to be done and what's to come.

~Beauty~

My vision is blurred. All I can see is red. Red like the blood dripping down my face, red like the fire below me, and red like the roses Gale collected. Still, I have to get out of here. I can go look for help. But if I stay here in this state I won't do any good.

With trembling arms, I lift myself up from the hole in the stair case. Then I swing my leg around and cling to the stair. My breathing is fast and uneven and ends in a cough. There's so much smoke in here I can hardly see in front of me and it's making me more dizzy than I already am.

I'm pretty sure I've obtained a concussion from crashing Carter's truck into a tree. It was the only way to get out. As much noise as I made, the police didn't hear me honking the horn or tapping the glass so I had to take drastic measures.