His mind was numb yet equally chaotic.

His blood was boiling and yet he felt his veins getting colder and tighter by every blink.

His limbs ached from the harsh galloping of the horse but he needed to reach the murderers.

How could in a village full of army men, someone could dare to kill? Because the killers were these army men only. And now, he didn't care if he would be called as one of them.

The glimpses of his father's dead face wasn't leaving his mind. The blood leaking from his head and the scratches on the neck bleeding from the harsh tightness of the rope. He looked so skinny and just lifeless.

There was no life without his father.

His father was what he all had all his life.

There was no future without him.

Rodwin sniffled hard while clenching his jaws and kicking his horse again. The rain wasn't stopping and so won't he.

Let the lightening announce the news of the town that an innocent, hardworking and loving father was killed in some vengeance or hatred. Let the thunder alarm everyone how he was suffering a nightmare with open eyes.

His horse neighed loudly, making him pull the rope. It halted slowly.

"Rodwin?" Earl shouted while sitting under a tree with his forehead bleeding.

Observing the scenario in the mere blink of the lightening, Rodwin got down from the horse hurriedly and stomped towards him.

Grabbing his collar, Rodwin asked angrily. "Who did this? Who hurt you? What the fuck are you doing out here?"

Earl whimpered while gulping hard. "I saw him hanging your father," he said, making Rodwin's eyes widen.

"I was following him and didn't realize what the intention was. Until I reached your house and saw what he was already done with. Forgive me, I couldn't save your father. He was already hurt. Dead," cried Earl while looking at him.

Rodwin was quiet, not even blinking in the rain.

"Your horse neighed all of a sudden, making me startled. I accidentally bumped into the vegetable cart and he got to see me. I ran away to save my life. But he managed to hit me on the head with a stone."

Rodwin stared at him. "Why were you out in the rain?" He asked coldly.

Earl gulped before saying, "I was told to follow him."

"By whom?" Rodwin asked angrily while shaking him hard.

Earl breathed fearfully while telling him everything.

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Sobbing loudly, Samara stared at the dead body with horror in her eyes.

Could it be suicide? She tried to think. But it wasn't. No one could hurt themselves like this and the brick was right there beside the door, thrown carelessly.

She couldn't believe what just happened.

How could God let this happen to them? To her? All she wanted was some love earlier before the wedding and God punished her this way. This brutally.

Sniffling hard, she observed the blood leaking from his head and looked away as her throat shook hard.

It was all her fault.

Only if she hadn't asked for it, Rodwin wouldn't have suggested going to the cabin in the backyard. They would have been here, closer and the murderer wouldn't have dared killing her father-in-law.

Rodwin word's revolved in her mind like a poison. She felt the pain in her chest physically. He wasn't even believing her anymore. He was losing his sanity. He would because it was his loving father. His only family.

No. She couldn't just let him do anything wrong in the hatred of her family. In the vengeance. She had to save him from any wrongdoings. She knew how this village was going immoral by every blink. A beast had arrived and now everyone was losing humanity.

She didn't know if the murderers were her parents or not. Her heart said that they were not. They couldn't kill a person. They were common happy people who would do anything for their children. But not murdering someone. She surely had doubted them when it was about that juice. Because they thought, Rodwin was the beast.

But why Lord Lester? Why would anyone target him? To hurt Rodwin?

What if it really was Samuel? He might be taking revenge for Ida's death by killing Rodwin's father in return.

No matter how deeply she could think and put logics, her heart said that her family wasn't capable of killing someone this brutally.

But Rodwin must have already reached there. And he would kill them even without making sure if they were the murderers. Even if they were, he couldn't have sins upon his hand. He couldn't have blood upon his hand!

She gasped and got up from the floor, ready to run away to her house.

But before she could move ahead, one of the goat's started bleating madly.

Chill ran down her spine as she heard the more sounds. It seemed like the goat was hurt and crying. As if calling for help.

Fear crawled up her arms and heart, she picked up the spike with which she had cut the rope and started walking towards Rodwin's room silently.

Reaching his room, she looked towards the big endless backyard with the thunder ringing loud. Her drenched clothes felt cold as the wind entered the room harshly.

Gulping hard, she managed to reach the door and looked over at the goats tied under the small stable.

To her horror, one of them was not there.

Opening the door, she slowly walked ahead in the dark and looked around hurriedly when lightening struck across the dark sky.

The goat was no where. The other one was bleating occasionally.

And it scared her.

Stepping under the rain, she looked around for the goat. Her name was Rose as Mary was still standing there tied to her pole.

The tears mixed with the raindrops on her cheeks, Samara shivered in horror.

"Rose?" She called out while looking around again, clutching the spike in her hand tight.

Mary started bleating loudly when a loud thump was head behind Samara.

Turning around, Samara gasped at seeing the goat's dead body. Scratched and bleeding undeniably.

Her mouth opened in terror while she covered it immediately. Squeezing her eyes, she controlled loud sobs at seeing the brutally ripped body of the goat.

Another thump was heard behind her, Samara staggered backwards after turning around hurriedly.

She blinked in the dark and walked towards the blanket that her and Rodwin had left in the wooden cabin only.

Picking it up, she gulped hard.

Lightening struck hard across the sky, she caught the blood stains on the light bluish blanket with dark blue check lines.

Realizing the dread spreading in her heart, Samara dropped the blanket.

Goosebumps risen on her skin, she shook visibly.

Someone killed their goat and then, went to the wooden cabin.

She heard the loud breathing from behind her all of a sudden and she could swear, the fright had turned her legs shaking badly.

The murderer hadn't run away after killing her soon-to-be father-in-law. He was here only. Right behind her.

"Samara."

Blood drained from her body as the voice reached her ears.

Her eyes burned in fright.

"Hearing your name must be boring?" The voice came as cold as this night. "Don't worry. Now, hear this."

She squeezed her eyes shut and wept to herself in extreme trepidation.

Because the blood-curdling growl had burst all the doubts in her mind and heart.

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Jennifer sat with tears in her eyes while the seer bandaged her gash around the stomach. Holding the whole dress raised up to her chest, in her hands, she let out a whimper.

"I am so anxious. What could be happening?" She asked while gulping hard.

The seer knotted the bandage and moved back. Leaning back on the chair, she breathed heavily. "Whatever happens, it happens for the good."

"No. Don't say that. . . " Jennifer cried while looking at her. "Nothing is going good. Nothing is happening for the good of anyone."

"Calm down, Jennifer. You must sleep. This night shall pass like any other. . ."

"No! I cannot! I need to leave!" Jennifer said while sniffling slowly. "I need to—"

The loud knock reached their ears.

Jennifer widened her eyes while looking at the seer who flared her nostrils and got up slowly.

She put fingers on her lips while looking at Jennifer and picking up the empty bottle of syrup.

Jennifer got down from the bed when more loud and desperate knocks appeared on the door.

"Stay back!" The seer whispered while clutching the glass bottle tight.

Jennifer shook her head with wide eyes. "No! It could be the beast!" She whisper-shrieked.

The seer flared her nostrils and asked loudly. "Who is it?"

No response came except for the loud knocks.

"Don't go. Don't open it!" Jennifer said while shaking her head at her.

The seer shook her head and started walking towards the main door.

Jennifer hurriedly picked up a flower pot from the side table, even though she knew that it wouldn't be of much help.

The seer reached the door. The knocks kept coming.

For once, they stopped, creating an unwanted and unsettling silence.

Jennifer's heart started flying in the atrocious environment.

The seer waited but the knocks didn't come anymore.

Jennifer watched her with blank eyes as she turned around and sighed slowly.

"He's gone," she whispered blankly.

Jennifer nodded shakily when all of a sudden, the sound of a window glass breaking, came from her room. She let out a loud scream.

Running towards the seer, she hid behind her.

The seer breathed erratically while Jennifer was staring at the side profile of the doors frames fearfully.

The sound of jumping came along with the walking on the glass shards.

Jennifer shook while turning pale. Silent hiccups caught her as the trauma from the two nights before returned.

"Before you think that I am the Werewolf, I am not." The voice came loud and clear, churning their stomach.

The seer blinked carefully while Jennifer watched at the wall with wide eyes. The candle placed in her room was creating a scary shadow on the wall in their front.

"I went out of this house when I heard him opening the door and leaving silently. I followed and saw him turning into a beast from the far, right in the middle of the abandoned street, without any pain."

"How did you see so much in the darkness?" The seer asked while narrowing her eyes.

"The lightning is striking up at the right times. I walked back to here when I thought that I should inform people about it rather than getting killed myself."

"Why should we believe you?" The seer asked loud and proper.

The soldier walked out of the room, passing the door frame and standing in front of the wall, facing the ladies.

"Because. . ."

Immediately, the faint growl echoed around outside the house from, reaching there from far away from the dense forests, widening the eyes of both the ladies in extreme horror.

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Logan ran while holding the glass jar carefully under the rain. Squinting his eyes, he kept following Violet who was stomping with the big oil bottle in her hand.

"Violet, wait for me!"

But she wasn't listening.

Logan twitched his lips while raising his pace but before he could reach her, his feet slipped so bad. He legs stretched in the mud and the sprinkles of hot caramel from glass jar touched his arm, making him wince loudly.

Wiping it hurriedly, he yelled again. "Violet! Wait for me! Don't get alone!"

"Increase your pace!" She roared back while not even looking at him.

Logan gritted his teeth and walked in the heavy rain with all his might.

But immediately, the voice reached his ears. It was coming from far behind the well.

"Did you hear that?"

"The growls and howls! Yes!" Violet shouted from far away, not caring if the colony would get awake. She just wanted to catch the beast. "They are coming from the forest."

"Take the path from behind the well! I heard the voice from there!"

"No! The path crossing Rodwin's home is closer! We will wake Samara and him on the way! For sure, I already know. They must be awake!" She yelled from the far.

Logan twitched his lips as she crossed the well and kept walking towards the way that would lead her to Rodwin's house.

He heard the sound of painful moans again and sighed angrily.

Turning his heart into a stone, he turned the direction and started walking towards the east of the well from where the voice was coming.

Reaching the very first rows of trees, he looked around only to catch Earl sitting under a tree with his head tied with his own shirt.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Logan spat angrily.

Earl scoffed while cupping his forehead. "I like to hear a mad beast growling around the forest while sitting under a tree, injured, on a rainy night."

Logan gritted his teeth and picked up a pebble from nearby.

Earl screamed, "Don't. Somebody already did that to me. See, I am bleeding!"

Logan narrowed his eyes and lowered down his one hand. Throwing the pebble, he held the jar with two hands and kneeled beside him.

"Can you describe everything while walking?"

Earl whimpered in pain. "Absolutely not!"

Logan snickered humorlessly. "Then, I will come back here in the dawn. You get a small nap in the rain until then!"

"Fine!" Earl yelled helplessly while forwarding his hands.

Logan put the jar away and helped his colleague in getting up.

"Why are you out with. . ." Earl sniffed the jar. ". . . Caramel?"

Logan smirked humorlessly while getting up. Forwarding his hand, he helped Earl in standing up.

"I like to sleepwalk around the village, drunken in sweetness."

Earl clenched his jaws and carried on with the talk. "At least, you don't leave injured people on the way ignored."

Logan's eyebrows raised as Earl limped slightly and told, "Rodwin just passed from here. His father. . ."

"His father?" Logan's breaths started going shallow immediately.

Earl looked at him and shook his head in the dark.

"His father's—"

A loud growl echoed around the forest, followed by the scream of a woman.

"That came from the boundary of the forest. From the northern part!" Logan concluded hurriedly.

"Rodwin's out! Samara's alone at home! It's her screams!"

Logan gasped in shock, his eyes widened.

"We need to hurry!" Earl said while looking back at him. "Logan?"

The boy was stunned.

Earl shook his shoulder.

Logan gasped again in consciousness.

"I think I know who it is," he said loudly while gulping hard.

_____

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