Without A Heartbeat

Scarlett landed hard, rolling on the stone of the courtyard. Shards of glass pattered down around her. Clambering to her feet, she broke into a sprint. She didn’t bother to turn around – she didn’t need to. Hearing alone told her that every able body in the house had gathered. She heard the clicks of guns being loaded and the sounds of doors being shoved open. She heard the scratch of rough skin against the metal of the triggers, followed by the harsh cracks of shots being taken. A bullet whined past her and buried itself into a wall, throwing up a cloud of brick dust.

Scarlett charged through the grounds to the harsh cries of men and boys who had once been her fellow servants. A cacophony of gun hammers and exploding bullets became the drumbeat that played as she tried desperately to escape. She was too fast for the men, and it wasn’t long before a large gap appeared between them. However, she wasn’t faster than a bullet, and they continued to whine around her, hitting trees and outbuildings. She reached the fence that separated the grounds from the woods and scrambled up it. A bullet slammed into her back. With a grunt she tumbled over the fence, landing hard on her shoulders. She waited for unbearable pain, but it was not much worse than prodding a very bad bruise.

Scrambling up, she plunged into the woods, as the cries from Oakley Manor grew fainter. She vaulted over bushes and tore past trees, only stopping when she was sure that she had put a good mile between herself and her followers. Sinking down behind a tree, she pressed a hand to the area between her shoulder blades. There was a shallow hole that was tender to touch – but the bullet had already been pushed out by her skin. I’m getting stronger. She closed her eyes, resting her head against the bark of the tree as her mind whirred.

Master Clarke is dead, why do I feel nothing?

No matter which way she thought about it, Scarlett was unable to draw satisfaction from her deeds. It was as if the mechanism that could provide joy had broken insider her. Then she wondered if it was more humanistic than that. She could feel no joy, because her actions had come from a place of evil, just like Master Clarke’s had.

It doesn’t make a difference how I feel about it, it’s done and now I have other problems. Killing Master Clarke had been the result of a mixture of carnal desire and bitter revenge and with that, the repercussions hadn’t occurred to her. I don’t know where to go. Scarlett had no money to travel with. The village was out of the question; it was common knowledge that most of the residents were firmly in Richard Clarke’s pocket. It wouldn’t be long before word travelled of his death. No one would harbour Master Clarke’s murderer, especially not once they found out what Scarlett was.

Whatever that actually is.

For a second Scarlett actually considered going home. It took even less time to shake the idea from her mind. A tug at the pit of her stomach joined the disturbing memory of the Grangers after she had visited them. I can never go back.

The full realisation that she would truly never see her family again crushed at her chest and filled her quiet heart with lead. Scarlett stifled a sob and stood up. She knew there was only one place she could go.

The well. At least until they call off the search.

Scarlett took flight once again, following her senses that guided her back to the foul pit that had somehow become her only solace. As she moved, it became apparent that she was not alone. Other things were moving in the woods around her – fast things - that gave off a foul stench and made the predatory part of her rise. They were closing in on her, coming from all directions. Her fangs snapped down and she hissed at something darting towards her from the right. It responded by letting out a scream that was so far removed from human, it made her skin crawl. The screams reverberated around her as dozens more of her pursuers joined the cry.

The creature sprang out of the darkness – some bastard offspring of a wolf and a lizard, with a matted black mane. It crashed into her and sent them both sprawling into a tree, which cracked and collapsed to the ground. Pinning her down, the hideous thing snapped at her face, its oil eyes shimmering in the moonlight. Scarlett struggled to push it away; her sharp nails digging into its grey scales. The hide around its midsection was tough and her hands could failed to cause any damage. Instead, she sunk her fingers into the soft meat of its eyes and gouged them out. The beast let out a hideous scream as purple ooze spilled from the hollow sockets, but was not deterred for more than a few seconds. However, it was enough time for Scarlett to gain the upper hand. With a scream of fury, she kicked the creature. The attack was so powerful it sent the thing catapulting through the air. It hit the very top branches of an evergreen tree and fell down onto its back with a squeal. Flipping over, it loped back towards her. Scarlett seized it by the throat when it reached her; using her nails to rip open a wound so deep her hand disappeared inside. It was enough to finish the creature off.

As if on cue, all the others creatures pounced out of the shadows.

Scarlett reacted on instinct alone, ducking and dodging to avoid the constant stream of deadly onslaughts. Every direction she turned, the creatures were there – teeth bared and primed for attack.

Gahhhhhh!

A piercing scream burst from her throat as a set of salivating fangs sank into the flesh of her wrist. Dark blood poured over her skin. Another creature took a nip from her calf and she collapsed to one knee. The creature held onto her arm with unrelenting force. She bit down with her own teeth, tearing at the muzzle of the creature, not stopping until she felt the bones of its snout crack. She ripped the upper muzzle away, sending a spray of blood flicking across the shrubs and spat it out. The creature collapsed to the side and started twitching.

The feral side of Scarlett took full control and bestial shrieks escaped her throat as she bit and kicked, punched and sliced. Bodies started to pile up around her as Scarlett crashed through the woods. But the creatures kept attacking, ripping at her skin and weakening her as tried to get away. Scarlett became a wounded buffalo fighting for her life against a horde of hyenas.

One of the creatures appeared directly in front of Scarlett, gnashing its teeth together as it bounded towards her. As it pounced, Scarlett snatched out, grabbing the beast by its large, bat-like ears. She pivoted around and rushed forward as fast as her legs could carry her. The beast snarled and thrashed in her grip - cutting her skin with its claws – but Scarlett did not stop running through the woods, with the horde of the creatures chasing behind. From memory, she navigated towards a large, moss-covered rock. It appeared in front of her and without slowing, Scarlett smashed right into it. She felt the head of the creature fall apart in her hands and become a spray of dark blood and meat on stone.

The others did not stop.

They became frenzied, as if aware that they had lost their kin. They poured forth in droves, mouths open and fangs salivating. Even though the feral part of her was in control, Scarlett had not lost her senses. She knew that death would not long be upon her if she did not escape. She wanted to die, but she would not allow this to be the time or the way it happened.

Scarlett ducked right and half tumbled down a bank. The horde followed, chittering and screaming as they poured like a wave over the grass. At the bottom of the bank was the river. Scarlett threw herself into it, splashing headfirst in the water. Everything went dark as she descended to its depths, liquid rushed into her mouth and nose, pouring into her lungs.

But Scarlett did not need to breathe.

She stayed underwater, her eyes adjusting until the water was crystalline in colour and then she swam as hard as she could. Behind her she heard a series of splashes as the creatures followed her in. She kept swimming, the ragged parts of her black frock flowing behind her like the tendrils of a sea creature. All the time she imagined the foul beasts nipping at her feet, dragging her to the depths of the waterbed, where they would rip her to pieces. After a while it became apparent that it would not happen. She swam upwards and broke the surface. Turning her head she saw the creatures far away from her, spluttering and screeching as they thrashed around in the water. Others were running maniacally around the banks, making odd barking sounds as they watched their kin drown.

None had followed.

With a sob of relief, Scarlett kept swimming until she was sure that there was nothing near her. Then she pulled herself out of the river, lying face down in the grass. She could feel water rattling in her lungs. Forcing a hacking cough, water began to spill from her lips. It became a real cough and she vomited up algae flecked water until her lungs were cleared.

They were the creatures from the book. The same ones I saw in the grounds. That intruder must have sent them after me.

Scarlett did not know how it was possible or why it had happened, but it had and nothing could change that. She wiped her lips and stood, her whole body shaking with adrenaline and fear. The creatures had wounded her badly. Her skin was covered with deep wounds and oozing bites. Several of her nails had been ripped from her fingers and part of her nose had torn away where one of the creatures had bit it. Tears of misery and despair spilled down her face, but above everything, Scarlett was grateful. She was grateful that after the things she had been through and the things she had done, she still had enough humanity left to cry.

Scarlett staggered through the woods, her bearings completely scattered with the trauma of what she had just survived.

She had no idea that she was once again heading home.