Finding Beauty

Chapter 9

~Beauty~

"Belle...?"

"Yea and you scratched me! What are you, wolverine?!" I shout gripping my bleeding arm. Maybe putting him in a headlock wasn't the wisest idea. I've seen it done in movies and thought it work. He was going to discover me anyways. I thought maybe he'd pass out and I could hijack the car. I guess not.

The warm blood trickles from my wound and onto the pavement.

He has claws?

The Beast stands there staring at me and then back at his bloody claws that seem to have sprouted from his fingertips. I try to take advantage of his confusion and run out of the car, but he pushes me back in.

"You took my key. Then you sneaked into my car..." His words come out slowly. I can almost see his face twist from under the mask. I shiver. What is he going to do to me now?

Then, there's a flash of bright light coming from deep inside the forest. The Beast spins around and I see a small fire blooming out from the ground in the distance. It seems to be in a clearing so it doesn't set the trees on fire. We're here because he was obviously trying to catch a criminal after he heard the news report. That criminal plays with fire . . .  this means Ryan Daniels is here.

"Stay here and lock the door. Don't move," The Beast commands and closes the door on me.

"No!" I bang my fist on the door with my good arm to get his attention. I was so close to finally being free! He can't just lock me up again!

"It's for your own safety," he says as he jogs away to where the fire was.

"Just let me go and I'll run! I'll save myself!" I shout even though he's far away now. I slouch into the back seat and find that my arm blood is getting all over the car. I look away, feeling sick. A childish part of me smiles, hoping his car gets damaged by the stains.

I was so close to getting away. I shouldn't have choked him. I should have waited it out!

My eyes land on the keys still in the ignition. Woah.

I don't allow my heart to leap this time, not until I know I'm safe for sure. I climb over to the front seat and turn the key. "Come on, come on."

It starts! My fingers grip the steering wheel and I get ready to drive myself to freedom. I don't know where I'm going. Maybe backwards? The road looks like a one way but I don't care. I'm getting out of here and going home.

I do a hasty U-turn and speed away. The car has a built in screen with a phone icon. Can I actually make calls through this car? Maybe I can call the police while I drive away.

I press the call icon and glance up at the road for a deer or a sudden turn but instead see a burst of flames. With a jerky turn of the wheel, I veer off the road, almost crashing into a tree.

I don't even try to process what happened. I just back up and try to drive the other way. Another burst of flames await, this time, inches from lighting the car on fire. I back up and realize it isn't just fire blocking my way. The fire illuminates a man who looks like he's in his 30's but as strong and capable as any.

I'm about to turn again when his threatening, country accented voice warns me,"Back up another inch and you'll set off another fire." The fire from his flamethrower is gone and all I see is a shadow. "But don't get me wrong, I'd love to see you and this car go up in flames."

It's Ryan Daniels. But didn't he set the fire in the clearing? That's where The Beast went. Unless it was a triggered fire like the one he says he set behind my car.