Madeleine

Hungry Like The Wolf

The wind scraped harshly against her open wound. It was torn in the shape of a coiled rose, snaking around her leg. It wept its blood as though it had no remaining fragments of a body for tomorrow, which seemed all too accurate. The grey-white of bone was freshly visible inside the gruesome scars. The flesh that had ripped like weak fabric, hung loosely around the femur bone, the injury stretching up her thigh to come to a standstill at her hip. The deep gash was gradually turning pink with infection, pus oozing over her ankles and mixing with the scarlet of her own thick blood.

Madeleine stumbled over the dead leaves, making far too much noise. Far too much attention was already focused on her, she had only the slimmest, fleeting desire for more. Well, maybe a bit more than that... The predators' eyes savoured her fear. Like a wolf approaching its prey, they stepped into the clearing. As if in a movie their eyes glowed, a crimson and coal mix. All the better to see you with.

The dense foliage on the edges of the clearing had provided the creatures with an absolute covering. Sit and wait, sit and wait. Madeleine had walked into an obvious trap, the moon glared down at her. Perhaps this was her punishment for some uncommitted crime. She had gone, as they would say, out of the frying pan and into the fire. Madeleine had inadvertently wandered into her own demon realm- a living hell. One of these mutated and deformed wolfhounds would be large enough to take down a bear, taking her down would be inexplicably easy in comparison.

Snarls started, first from what looked to be the lingering leader. They had caught her once and now twice; with nowhere to go, she felt her fingers move reflexively to the sheath on the uninjured side of her hip. She winced in pain as her leg moved a fraction of a millimetre. Agonisingly she touched the cold metal, trying her best to ignore the front hound taking small steps towards her. The bloody scratches on her body drenched her arms in a coating of slick blood, along with a cold sweat of fear, it made her fingers slippery, but still she knew her aim would remain perfect, it was just a matter of holding her only defense and not letting it fall uselessly to the ground.

The rest of the pack soon followed suit of their alpha, staying on all fours but letting out bone-chilling screeches, which possibly, in a parallel universe, could be called a howl. But this was different. Their matted coats were shining under the moonlight- the result of having liquid splattered over their fur, Madeleine was lucky enough to realise that the liquid splashed over the fur had a ninety-eight percent chance of being her own blood. They kept up the terrible screeches, making it so that her ears were now added to the ever-growing list of pains, the pounding headache that was increased immensely was already on the list from previous occasions.

The beasts' murderous lips pulled back over some incredibly enlarged teeth. All the better to rip your throat out with. That idea was spontaneous, every storytale had their references... The bitter thought was also somewhat pleasing. Madeleine had many tainted memories, she was smart for her age and either she was taunted because of some messed up envy, or... Maybe the bullies decided they would prefer focusing on the arts of a less academic, but more physical, boxing sort of activity, she happened to have the honour of being the best punching bag around.

Seeking refuge in her mind eased the pain. Madeleine imagined the creatures before her, spending the last few seconds of her life to make it her version of a happy ending... Ending of her life that is, not much unlike the happy endings in movies. Madeleine snatched onto the imagery in her head, seizing the fascinating beasts' images, it was easier to picture them, their dark, fur covered -and blood covered- bodies, she changed the image in her head, making the wolves disappear and leaving the beautiful forest. Erasing the image of the sharp-clawed paws of at least six animals. Which meant there were roughly twenty four paws. All the better to trample you with.

At last she opened her eyes, facing death as she knew it. Death had always been a solid figure, a very attractive one at most times. Now it was finally here, here to stay. Madeleine had been waiting for some time; she cursed herself that she had no motivation to stay, no life ahead of her.

The leading creature took a courageous step. Madeleine let one last tear drop from her eyelids as she scrunched them closed and took one last shaky breath. She opened the sheath and let her last dagger fly.

The metal dug itself into the hound's eye, making a loud and disgusting squelch. For a single moment it looked taken back, confused. But soon the moment ended and it ignored the shallow creek of a bloody river bed, running over its fur and landing on the dirt, with a splash of red. No longer was it just her blood on the beast's coat, at least she could have this end with a slither of satisfaction.

Madeleine closed her eyes and let herself fall into a state of limbo. She did not see her whole life flash before her eyes, what was to see but torment? Saying a mental goodbye to her endless suffering, she fell into the hounds' grasps. They merged quickly and out of hunger, devouring her limp body and placing her into the depths of non-existence, a faded memory in the void.