Creature and the Maiden ch 21

Creature and the maiden ch 21

"And you're certain you want to do this?" Esther wondered as she handed a cup of chamomile tea to Laura over the table.

"He reacted badly when he heard the name Frankenstein. It might be a mistake or a bad coincidence, but I'm afraid it's not." Laura repeated back and carefully took a small sip from the warm tea.

After this sudden divorce between her and John, Laura went back to the Bovarys' cottage. No words could describe Esther's happiness and horror when she and Toby listened to Laura's tale about Pierre's kidnapping and how John saved her from getting drugged and raped. When Laura told the part where she has been sleeping in John's old cave, Esther gave a small twinkle on her nose. But thinking of John's gentle nature and honesty, she immediately regretted bad thoughts about him.

To protect John from misunderstanding and prejudices, Laura kept her mouth shut about John's real nature. It's not easy to melt! The only thing she did explain was that John's family and hers might be related. And to make this story more truthful, she switched the names and put Alphonse Frankenstein as John's "father" and not Victor.

"This is remarkable!" Toby replied. "Perhaps it was the destiny who guided you together. But John has this great hatred of his father, so perhaps it would be better that you didn't meet his and your family at all!"

"You're probably right, his father abandoned him in the cruelest way, but if we might..."

"Do you love him?"

"What?" Laura gazed up at Esther's sudden comment, her eyes wide with surprise.

"Do you love John?"

First Laura was mute with fascination and shock at the sudden change in Esther's words. Then she took a deep breath and wet her lips nervously. "When I'm around him...When I see him and hear him..." Laura said slowly, bringing her hands up to cover her blushing face and open eyes. That feeling came to her again, a warm, delightful fuzziness. Her stomach was grumbling, though it was not hungry. And she had this strange, wondrous feeling building up inside her.

"I can't shake off this feeling I have when I'm around him. He's different from other humans, but maybe that's why I feel more safe, but at the same time, have all these butterflies in my stomach. He told me that he loves me, he has opened his heart for me...but still I have this kind of knot inside of me..." Laura's red cheeks became brighter. "I can't describe it but it feels like I'm stepping on an unknown territory which is both exciting and scary. Everything feels strangely new and so different. I can't describe it...I..." She couldn't talk any more; her whole face was red as a tomato.

"Well," Esther sighed. "I was a bit worried about you. I mean...when I see you around John, you always seem happy but sometimes...confused. There's always this weird tension between you two. I guess...I guess the reason I was so overprotective of you lately is because I didn't want John to have any high hopes if your feelings for him are...not the same as his. But..." Esther brought up her old hand and placed it over Laura's small ones..."I guess I was wrong."

Suddenly, there was a loud knock on the front door. "I wonder who it could be this early." Toby wondered.

"I'll go get it," Esther said and got up. She unlocked the door and opened it to see a man with a uniform standing outside. "Can I help you sir?" Esther worriedly wondered.

"I'm seeking Laura Galinette, I heard that she's living here with your family." The policeman said coldly as he, without Ether's permission, roughly stepped inside the cottage and spotted Laura sitting in the corner. After him came two other men, this time from the village.

"That's her!" One of the men shouted.

"Miss Laura Galinette!" The policeman said. "In the name of the law, you're under arrest in accusations of witchcraft and wizardry, and also for protecting a dangerous monster in whose rumors you have spawned."

"What-" Laura began but she would never finish. Suddenly she felt two pairs of hands grabbing her arms, squeezing like pythons and dragging her out. She clawed and scraped, trying to escape, but it was no use.

As soon she was outdoors, she saw that a big mob had gathered near the gate of the farm. Laura noticed some of Esther's neighbors huddled in a half circle, whispering, and pointing at her.

A man with shoulder length blonde hair, streaked in grey loomed across from her. He wore a long leather coat that ended at his ankles, and shiny hunting boots. His face was long and wrinkled, shadowed by cold grey eyes boring into hers. Laura's gaze fell to his right hand which held a large gun. "You know who I am, girl?" The old man asked her coldly.

"Unfortunately too well, Mayor Rochester." She muttered. His look was exact replica of Pierre's, only older and meaner, not to mention his cold uncaring eyes. Around him were his family's hired hands, all armed to the teeth with guns and rifles. The villagers carried burning torches and rifles as well.

"As if you don't remember, you and my son, Pierre were dancing together last night at Mr. Laderoute's barn; hundreds of eyes saw you dance together and leave together in the middle of the party. Later you both got attacked by a hideous monster when you were traveling in a wagon. Coachman said this monster attacked Pierre and Duncan but not you. Instead he took you away and now you're here! Would you be so kind as to tell me what really happened?"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Laura lied.

"Liar! We know what kind of woman you are." One of the women snarled. "Pierre wasn't good enough for you, so you used magic to kill him."

"Where's the monster, you witch! Where are you hiding him?" One of the women screamed at her.

"I DON'T KNOW!"

"What's going on?" Esther yelled as she grabs Laura's shoulders and hugged her tightly, trying to protect her from the angry mob that was gathered around them.

"Stop pretending you don't know, Esther!" Mayor Rochester snarled. "You always knew Lillian was a witch, as is her granddaughter."

"Evil can take the form of many things," said Esther spitted. was But you all known Laura to long that she would never harm anyone, for god sake! And Isabella was a fine woman when she lived. Don't let your emotions blind your senses."

Glaring down into her old grey eyes, Mr. Rochester grabbed a hold of Esther's face and forcefully turns it to look up at him.

"Do not speak of things you know nothing about!" He whispered coldly as he viciously punched Esther in the face. The strength from his hand made her remove her hands from Laura and fall backward to the ground.

"Esther!" She cried and tried to race toward her but one of Rochester's men held her in a vice-like grip. Laura struggled and screamed, kicking and punching at him, but her efforts were in vain.

They both heard a clicking sound, and they turned to see Esther's husband pointing a hunting rifle at the man's face. "You will not touch her!" roared Toby, who stood just one foot from Rochester and Laura.

"Put that thing down, damn you!" shouted Rochester. "You have no right to disobey my orders!" His words were loud, and boomed throughout the air. But his face was calm, his expression carefully calculated. "If you do one stupid thing, your family is going to pay for your shit!"

"Stop it!" Laura shouted at the two men. She had tears in her eyes and they were slowly flowing down her cheeks. "Toby, put your gun down! If you want to know the real story instead of Pierre's rotten lies, I will go willingly to the court and weave my tale. But I will tell you this that who you're hunting is an unfortunate and lonely man!" None of them knew that he was living in her cottage and perhaps were there right now. She needed to mislead them for his own protection.

Yanking her arm into his muscled embrace, Mr Rochester reached out and grabbed at Laura's pale face, forcing her to look at him again. "You know nothing!" he whispered, and then he gave her a hard slap, leaving an angry red mark on her cheek.

"Leave her alone!!!" Esther shouted as she stared at her foster-daughter. "...please!" She tried to reach Laura again but got dragged forcefully away by a policeman. Several of Rochester's men were standing in front of Toby, guns pointing directly at his face, avoiding him to make anything stupid. Their poor Bovary children were standing in the doorway; none of them moved an inch from their spots as their tearful eyes looked at the horrible scene that had taken place in their dear home.

Mayor Rochester continued to hold Laura's arm as he led her out from the Bovarys' front yard. But instead of turning directly back to the town, he moved his feet, and hers, in the direction of the deep forest, together with his men and the rest of the village.

"Where are you taking me?" Laura asked nervously as they walked on an all too familiar road.

Rochester stopped and turned to her. "We already know where he is, you witch! One of the elders knows where your grandmother's cottage lies; so with or without your help, we are going to hunt your monster down."

"NO! You can't do that!" Laura screamed angrily at him. "Pierre got what he deserved. We have laws that forbid this kind of injustice!"

"And there are laws about witchcraft my dear! I closed my eyes on Pierre's mischiefs and for his outrageous obsessions with you, but I've had enough! My son's body and reputation are at stake and I WILL HAVE MY JUSTICE!"

SUDDENLY, a smell of burnt woods and straws came directly towards them, together with sounds of screams and cheering. In the distance, over the trees, dark smoke was reaching up into the blue sky like a black snake. "Looks like my men got him."

Fear and anxiety began to barrage Laura's body as the screams become louder and closer. Clasping her hands in tight fists against her chest, she tried desperately to silence her fervently beating heart.

"No, no, no, no, no, no!"
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John tossed in his sleep; sweat spilled off his body. Why was he so hot? His arms thrashed in the air, trying to throw off covers that weren't there. John's eyes opened immediately, tremendous heat and the promise of nearby flames greeted him as he sat up in bed. He gasped and started to choke as he inadvertently inhaled the poisonous fumes of smoke. "Fire?! I never lit any fire?" There was no time to figure it out now, terror struck his heart and squeezed it with all its strength.

The cottage was burning!

John jumped quickly out of bed, approached main door and cautiously touched the handle; he drew his hand away quickly as his fingers got burned by its contact. The fire was right outside the door!

All he could hear was the crackling of the fire, but there was something more. He stopped and listened. Tears streamed down his face as the smoke irritated his eyes when he glanced through the window, there was a mob outside! A big angry mob with fire-sticks and guns! "How did this happen?"
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Outside, the smirks on Rochesters men and the cheers and applauds from the villagers as they watched the entire cottage quickly become engulfed in flames. "Stefan!" One of Rochester's men shouted to his comrades as they looked at small cottage they just set inflame. "I want you and James to surrender the cabin, making sure all windows and possible exits are secured. If he comes out, all three of us do what it takes to disarm him and prevent him from moving. But remember..." He warned, "Mayor Rochester wants him alive."

"JOHN!" Laura screamed, furiously trying to push the bastards' hands away and run back to her once dear home. Rochester tightened her grip around Laura's waist and fought to keep the girl running away from him. "Let go of me!" She hissed as Rochester firmly gripped her arm and led slowly her over to her burning home, or the inferno that engulfed it.

"Not a chance!"
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Leaning on a wall, John stopped a moment to catch his breath and take in this sudden nightmare. He always knew that someday, one of the villagers would get a glimpse of him in the forest and perhaps tell the villagers about him.

Not to mention Pierre!

Letting him escape or not to force him to keep his mouth shut was a big, big, big mistake of his! Did he expect that a man like Pierre, would forget about this? Absolutely not!

But where was Laura?

Before he could figure that out, a stone came crashing through the window and after that, someone tossed in a burning torch. It landed on Laura's table, and the table-cloth immediately caught fire. In a moment of fast thinking, he grabbed the torch and tossed it back outside.

How many people were out there? How many are prepared to burn him alive? If he goes out there, they would probably stab or shoot him to death! His eyes searched the room and landed on the old coal poker near the stove, an idea formulated in his head. John grabbed it and moved back to the bed. He knew there was a small crack in the wall under the bed, so after he moved the old bed away, he raised the poker and started hacking into the wall. Bits of dust and wood jumped up into John's face, but he ignored it and focused on his task. If he was lucky, no one was standing on the other side of the cottage so he may escape and run into the forest.

He pierced the wall again and again until he had carved out a small opening he could fit through. He stepped back and one second later, John hauled his body forward and crawled through the small opening with all his strength, taking cuts and bruises from the spiky edge of roughly cut timbers as he his body crawled through the opening.

Finally he was outside and he slumped down to the earth, in pain and exhaustion. In the opposite direction he heard the mob screaming and applauding over Laura's burning home. His home!

Wasting no time to rest, John raised his tired body and began walking fast away from their burning home.

It was then that fate decided to screw him over once more. His foot got caught on a root jutting out of the ground. John fell to the ground and yelped in pain. He quickly tried to get back up but he couldn't put his weight on his foot and he fell down again. Then with a growl, John started to crawl away as quickly as possible. "I need to go... I need to get away!" He chanted this mantra to himself.
John almost made it to the river when one of the mob finally saw him from the great light of the fire. "There's the demon!"

John cursed and tried moving as fast as he could with his injured foot. But one of the villagers caught him just as he was about to slid over the edge of the river. A long rope grabbed his throat and squeezed like a snake. He clawed and scraped trying to escape, but it was no use. A loud cheer rang out as Rochester's men closed in and started hitting him with the edges of their guns and sticks.

His voice began to go hoarse by his screaming as he fought against them and his eyes darted around, looking for a way escape. There was none such ways as he gazed fearfully around.

It seemed like the whole damn city had surrounded him. His blue eyes dodged madly back and forth as the faces of the mob stare at him in disgust and horror.

"Never in my life have I seen such a ugliness!"

"He's monstrous!!!"

"Let's throw him back into the cottage and burn him alive!" The crowd was now riled up, transformed into a dangerous mad mob, thirsting for blood and horror.

Unable to move, Laura remains frozen at the sight before her. Several men were struggling on the top of John's mighty body.
Suddenly, a man came up behind him and wrapped a chain around his neck. When John turned his head on him another came with his chain and then another one. Locking his hands and feet's together.
A loud cheer rang out as the villagers looked at this captured beast. Laura screamed and covered her mouth as more and more chains bound her friend. She tried to race toward him but Mayor Rochester held her in a vice grip.
She struggled and screamed, kicking and punching at her enemy but her efforts were in vain. Her friend, her poor friend! His black hair and part of clothes almost burnt and destroyed were chained like an animal. The watching crowd applauded and cheered at this dreadful sight.
John raised his head up, not far away from him stood Laura, pinned by the arms of a sleazy looking man with grey shoulder length hair and a white mustache. His own eyes bulged at the sight of that man's dingy hands pressed against her body and at her big swelling bruise on her left cheek.

He growled and Laura could tell that he wanted to tear Rochester limb from lim. This rage brought him a new strength and started to realize himself from his chains around his neck and hands. But the sound of a pistol being loaded stopped him cold.
"Not so fast you ugly wretch!" One of the men said not far away, keeping his revolver pointing at John's temple.

"Don't you dare touch her!" John screamed. "I'll kill you, you bastard! Do you hear me?"

With a snap of Rochester's fingers, one of his men came forward and Rochester tossed Laura away into another hard embrace. Then he began walking slowly towards John with a cold, hateful look.

John stared up at him, his eyes narrowed and filled with rage. This man's features were too familiar with a face he has seen before. A face he hated too much and now he saw it again, only this time with more hatred and coldness.

Rochester turned to Laura and pointed at her injured friend. "Is that the thing that you have sold your soul for and bewitched my son?"

"He's not a thing!" Laura gritted her teeth and shot him a venomous glare. "He`s a man like everyone else!"

"Are you blind?" Rochester shouted and kicked John right in the face with his boot, causing John to see stars and blood.... "He's a demon! There is no man with his proportions or ugliness!" The other villagers agreed with him, they were all nodding and muttering words Laura couldn't hear, and didn't want to hear. "And this thing has hurt my boy!"

"It's his fault!" Laura screamed angrily. "We haven't done anything wrong."

"My son is innocent and this is the proof of your witchcraft!" Rochester pointed to John. "I'll make sure he never breathes again!"

"NO! NO!" Laura screamed as she watched this devil-man load his gun. "Let him go! I can't let you shoot him...."

Rochester ordered one of his men to shift John over into a sitting position, and they did. John laid there looking up at Senior Rochester, his breathing rapid and out of rhythm; probably from the strike of Rochesters hard boot on his face. Blood were trickling from his mouth and his left eye was turning purple.

Rochester pointed the gun at John's chest, smiling. "Any last words...""

"He should have never hurt her!" John slowly whispered, spitting out blood from his mouth.

The man stared at him a little before asking, "What did you say?"

"You and your son are the true devils!" John spat and stared into Rochester's hate-filled eyes. "You seek to hurt the innocent, stealing what's not yours! I have seen too much of what people do to each other and how much Pierre has haunted Laura. Not to mention other malicious beings that has harmed her body and soul! Kill me, torture me, do what the hell you want with me but LEAVE HER ALONE!"

For A moment, the whole village was silent. They had looked forward to killing a "monster", but after hearing this "monster's" speech and pleading over Laura's sake, they felt insecure of this new view of him.

Mayor Rochester "considered" Johns words carefully.

"Guess not...well, the sooner you're both in hell, the better..." Said Rochester as he pulled the trigger down.

In a split-second Laura opened her mouth wide, and sunk her teeth into the hit-man's palm. The dirt on his hand tasted bitter, but she latched on as tight as she could. He let her go, holding his hands and swearing in pain. Before she could think twice she doves in between Rochester's gun and John's body.

The bullet that would have otherwise hit John hit Laura instead right in her chest. She yelled out in pain as she fell down in front of John's horrified eyes like a poor rag doll.

At first, he couldn't believe what he saw.

She lay so still, so still on the wet grass, with her chest down and her red hair covering half of her face. A small pool of blood was starting to pour under her body, almost the same color as her hair.

Then he made out a shrieking howl!