Little Red

“Come, come, little girl,

Stop your hiding.

Your erratic heart is beating loudly,

Ringing in my ears and causing my hunger.

Come, come, little girl,

Let me play with you,

We’ll paint these barren walls red,

And our laughter will echo away!”

The male voice sang the same horrible nursery again and again, and even when Brina put her tiny hands over her ears, she couldn’t seem to muffle out the sound of his deep voice as he searched for her.

“Come, come, little girl,

Your breath is giving me thrills,

Come, come, little girl,

Let me take you away in the night!”

Brina looked around herself desperately, but she could see nothing in the darkness of the wooden case where her father used to keep wood in the winter. She shut one hand over her mouth so her sobs wouldn’t betray her, but she couldn’t stop her heart from beating frantically and she knew the man could hear it.

“I can smell you.” The man said with a hungry growl and the next thing Brina knew was the sudden light that blinded her when the chest she was in was abruptly opened. She only heard a satisfied, wicked laughter and then she screamed.

“Brina!” she heard a voice calling her, but she suddenly felt the most excruciating pain that made her scream even louder.

“Brina!” the voice yelled once again. But suddenly everything shut off. She could no longer hear or see. All she could feel was the stickiness of her own blood dripping down her broken body. And all around her- everything was red.

“Brina!”

Brina woke up with a jolt. She found herself sitting in her tiny wooden bed, panting heavily. She was drenched in sweat and her blonde hair was sticking to her forehead and her neck. The sheets were clinging to her body, reminding her of the blood that was covering her skin in her nightmare.

She quickly untangled herself from the restricting fabric and got up from her bed shakily. Just in that moment her mother opened the heavy wooden door of Brina’s bedroom and found her daughter standing next to her bed staring at it as if the single piece of furniture has wronged her somehow. Her entire body was shaking and sweat was glistening on her forehead. Brina met her mother’s gaze, her blue eyes wide and her face void of all colour.

Myrilla froze at the door and stared at her daughter. “Another nightmare?” she asked and Brina nodded shakily. “A new one or-?”

Brina shook her head. “Always the same one.” She managed to say. She inhaled deeply and shook her head as if trying to chase the monster from her dream away. “Always the same damn one.” She repeated and her mother let out a long breath.

“Brina-“ she started and took a step towards her daughter, but Brina shook her head and raised a hand at her mother.

“I’m fine.” She said and inhaled deeply again. “It was just a nightmare.”

“Brina.” Myrilla sighed and Brina looked at her mother’s tortured features. Myrilla was once a beautiful woman and some of that beauty still remained. But her hair, once dark and rich, was now hanging limply down her back and was streaked with greys making her look older than she really was. Her face was pale and the dark circles under her eyes were a reminder to Brina that her mother suffered from nightmares of her own. Myrilla wiped her flour-covered hands against the shabby apron she was wearing and looked at her daughter with the same pale blue, almost grey eyes Brina inherited from her.

Brina had no other choice but to force a smile at her. “I’m fine, honestly.” She shrugged and wiped the sweat of her face. “In desperate need of a bath, but I will be alright.” She promised and nodded at her mother. “It was just a nightmare, nothing else.”

Myrilla observed her daughter for another moment and then hesitantly nodded her head. “Alright.” She agreed and then sighed. “But if you want to take that bath, you better hurry.” Her mother said as she turned her back to Brina and headed out of her daughter’s room. “The carriage leaves in an hour!”

“What?!” Brina asked, looking through the shabby window of her room and discovering day light broke already. “Crap!” she yelled as she started running around her small room.

“Language!” her mother warned on her way back to the kitchen and Brina rolled her eyes.

“Sorry!” she called as she opened her closet in a rush and grabbed a simple, but warm pale blue dress and a pair of shabby boots that were in desperate need of replacing. She grabbed her leather bag, the only inheritance her late father has left her, and rushed out the door and down a set of creaky wooden steps. She expertly skipped over a broken step at the bottom and ran into the kitchen where she found her mother kneading the dough for the bread with her nimble hands.

“I already set the water on the stove.” Myrilla informed her daughter and Brina planted a kiss on her mother’s head.

“Thank you, mama.” She said sweetly as she grabbed a piece of bread left from yesterday and bit into it.

“And I packed some fresh pastries and a jam made from winter berries. There’s also a piece of hard cheese and some milk.” Her mother said pointing to a small basket covered with a clean white cloth. “It’s for her.” She added and Brina looked at her mother with confusion.

“You didn’t have to do that.” She said and her mother sighed, her eyes fixed on the dough in front of her.

“You said she wasn’t feeling well.” She said and Brina rolled her eyes.

“She’s been saying that for the past year.” She said and added more softly. “Mama, we barely get by as it is. You don’t have to send her anything.”

“Brina,” her mother finally looked at her. “No one became poorer from giving to the ones who need it the most.”

“She can handle herself.” Brina said but smiled none the less. “But thank you, I’m sure she will appreciate it.”

“Let’s not kid ourselves.” Her mother said with a chuckle. “Go, take your bath!” she instructed and Brina picked up a large pot filled with hot water and poured it into a small tub in the corner of the room. She filled the rest of the tub with cold water so her skin wouldn’t melt away from her bones from the heat and started taking her clothes off. She discarded her sweaty nightgown on an empty wooden chair and stepped into the tub, hissing slightly from the feeling of hot water against her cold skin.

Her mother looked in her direction and by the deep intake of breath, Brina knew her mother was looking at the giant claw-shaped scar on her back. Brina looked at her mother over the shoulder and found her mother’s lips trembling at the sight. Brina sighed and sank into the tub, suddenly annoyed.

Her mother always acted like this whenever she saw Brina’s scar. It’s not like Brina even remembered how she got it and the only explanation her mother has offered was that Brina was attacked by a stray dog when she was barely a child. Brina stopped asking the questions after a while because every time she did, her mother’s eyes filled with tears and she always told the same story about a dog.

It didn’t matter anyways. Whatever happened, Brina knew the long sharp scars across her back would never fade. There was a time when she was embarrassed about it and came up with excuses when the rest of the girls in the village invited her for swimming at the nearby river. She didn’t want anyone to witness the horrible marks on her body. But now she was old enough not to care.

Ignoring her mother’s sharp intake of breath, Brina submerged her head below the water’s surface. With her eyes closed, the memories of her nightmare quickly came crashing down on her. She could hear the creepy nursery ringing in her ears as if someone was singing it right next to her. And she could see red- so much red. It was blood, she realised. And she could feel the blood clinging to her skin and-

Brina emerged from the water quickly and inhaled deeply causing for her mother to look at her in distress.

“Something wrong?” her mother asked her and Brina shook her head and pulled her knees closer to her chest.

“No, I-“ she said. “The water is getting cold quickly.”

“Then hurry up before you catch a cold.” Her mother said and Brina nodded. She quickly scrubbed at her skin, wishing she could as easily scrub away the oily feeling of blood sticking to her skin in her dream. She washed her hair with a bar of soap and in a matter of minutes, she stood up in the tub and her mother wrapped a warm towel around her form.

“Thank you.” Brina smiled at her and Myrilla smiled back.

“You’ll miss the carriage if you don’t leave soon.” She informed her daughter before she turned back to get back to her work. Brina quickly wiped herself with the towel and before her mother had a chance to look at the scar on her back again, she put the dress she picked out on. The rough woollen fabric was making her skin itch but she ignored the uncomfortable feeling and put on her boots. She hastily brushed a comb through her blonde hair and looked at the small mirror on the wall of their small kitchen.

She could be considered beautiful, she thought. Many people considered her so with her long wavy blonde hair and the pale eyes she inherited from her mother. Her cheeks were rosy and her skin fair. But as much as she tried, Brina couldn’t shake off the feeling of ugliness when she remembered the ugly scar on her back.

She shook her hair and put the comb down. She was being stupid and shallow. Ever since she was little her mother has taught her that looks weren’t what mattered, but once again Brina’s vanity got the best of her.

She grew up as a happy child. Sure, after her father died, Brina and her mother were often victims of empty bellies and cold nights without any wood to warm them up.

But they made it. They weren’t strangers to hard work. Ever since she was old enough to help her mother out, Brina took up work cleaning richer families’ houses. She knew how to sew and she often helped her mother in the kitchens. They saved money and eventually managed to buy a cow. From then on they started selling the milk and cheese they made themselves. In warmer months they planted a small garden behind their cottage. The fruits and vegetables were enough to get them through the hard winters. They were never quiet full and were often a tad skinny when winter came to an end, but Brina never complained.

Her mother has gotten them both through the hard times with smiles on their faces. She made up games and came up with songs when Brina’s belly was hurting from hunger so much she often couldn’t help herself but cry. But she knew her mother did as best as she could and she loved her to bits because of it. And no matter how poor they were, her mother taught her to pray for people who were even less fortunate than them.

“We have a roof over our heads, as leaky as it may be.” She would often say. “But some people don’t have even that.”

Brina knew that all the money and all the food in the world didn’t help some people be better humans. Those riches often rotted their souls and hearts and Brina was thankful that she at least knew better.

“I really should get going.” Brina said as she picked up her father’s bag and planted a kiss on her mother’s cheek.

“Don’t forget. The king will be in the village for the fair in three days time.” Her mother reminded her for what it seemed a hundredth time. “I will need your help, so come home before then, please.”

“I know, mother.” Brina said with an eye-roll. “You don’t have to keep on reminding me.”

“It would be a great honour if the king were spotted buying from our stand.” Myrilla insisted. “It would bring us a lot more customers.”

“The king doesn’t care about us, mama.” Brina pointed out and her mother sighed.

“Well, there’s hope.” She said and picked up a basket she prepared. “Don’t forget the basket.”

“I will tell her you said hello.” Brina said as she hugged her mother goodbye.

“We both know she will hate that.” Her mother chucked softly and Brina winked at her.

“That is why I will tell her that.” She added with a chuckle of her own before she turned towards the door. She was already at the door when her mother called after her.

“Brina!” she yelled and Brina turned around to look at her again. Her mother opened the old closet next to the door. “You forgot something.” Her mother reminded her and Brina smiled widely when she saw the red hooded cloak in her mother’s hands. She put her bag and the basket on the kitchen table and took the cloak from her mother. She ran her fingers through the soft fabric and let herself enjoy the sensation for a moment. This was probably the best piece of clothing she owned.

“She would hate it if I showed up without it.” Brina commented and put the cloak on. She put the red hood over her still damp hair and looked at her mother.

“Take care of yourself, malena.” Her mother said warmly and then added. “And take care of your grandmother.”

Brina nodded as she picked up her bag and the basket again. “I will.” She promised and smiled at her mother once again before she left home. She didn’t bother to tell her that grandmother was the last person she knew that needed taking care of.

Brina made her way towards the end of the village where Anton, the local merchant lived. He travelled once a month into the capitol from where he carried supplies such as rich fabric, ornaments and fine furniture which he then sold to his many buyers for extravagant prices. Brina and her mother couldn’t even afford an inch of the fabrics he sold, but rich as he was, Anton wasn’t a bad man.

When Myrilla was desperate for a job back when Brina’s father died and Brina was only a child, Anton and his wife offered her a job as their maid. Later, when Brina was older, she took over the job so her mother could tend to their house and garden and sell the goods she made on the local market. Brina worked for Anton and his family until she and Myrilla scraped enough money to buy a cow.

Still, Anton was kind enough to offer Brina a ride when he went on his monthly travels and Brina went to visit her grandmother in a village on the other side of the woods. Brina accepted, happy that she didn’t have to trudge through the forest alone.

But as she approached Anton’s house, her stomach suddenly sank. There, leaning casually against the carriage was Anton’s son, Jan. He was a boy slightly older than Brina and he was the reason Brina was all too happy to quit her job as his family’s maid. There wasn’t a day she spent at their house that Jan didn’t molest her.

“Good morning, Brina.” Jan said cockily when he saw her approach. Brina sighed and walked begrudgingly towards him.

“It was until now.” She commented flatly and Jan smirked at her.

“Watch it now.” He said, his eyes fixed on Brina. “You may be beautiful, but I will not tolerate that sharp tongue of yours.”

“Where is your father?” Brina asked, trying to avoid confrontation with Jan. It will only ruin her good mood. “Shouldn’t we be going soon?”

Jan’s eyes lit up with malice. “My father caught a cold and won’t be able to go to the capitol this month.” He said and fixed the lapels of his jacket. “He sends me instead. So, beautiful,” he added with a smirk. “It looks like I will be your driver today.”

Brina’s face sank and an uncomfortable feeling settled in her stomach. “Problem?” Jan asked with his brows raised and Brina had half a mind to tell him he could go fuck himself and start towards her grandmother’s house on foot.

But instead she inhaled and shook her head. “None what so ever.” She said flatly, deciding she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing her discomfort.

“Good.” Jan nodded. “I’ll check on the horses and then we can go.” Brina nodded and ignored the wink he sent her way. Instead, she headed towards the carriage and safely secured the basket inside. She looked over her shoulder, making sure that Jan was indeed busy and, when she was sure he wasn’t looking, she opened her father’s bag and pulled out a silver dagger. The dagger was a gift from her grandmother. She said it was a family heirloom and should be forever treasured. Brina could see why. With its silver blade and blood red handle with an encrusted ruby, she was sure the dagger was worth a lot of money. Still, she never even thought about selling it. From the moment she took it in her hand a few years ago, Brina knew she was holding something special.

She kept it close to her every time she left the house. Usually the dagger was safely hidden in her bag, but Brina knew she would feel safer with the dagger on her. So with her eyes fixated on Jan, she raised the hem of her dress and strapped the dagger against her thigh. She fixed her dress at the same time Jan looked up at her.

“Ready to go?” he asked her with a wicked smirk and Brina made sure to smile back at him as she nodded.

“Sure.” She said and climbed up into the carriage. She sat down, eyeing Jan carefully and making sure her dagger was well hidden. He climbed next to her and sat closer to her than she would’ve preferred. He smirked at her at the same time he grabbed the reins in his hands and started the horses. Brina had to control herself so she wouldn’t push him of the carriage. Instead she rolled her eyes and looked the other way, avoiding Jan’s stare.

They rode towards the woods in silence, leaving their village behind. Most villagers preferred to take a longer route towards the capital, avoiding the forest. Some of them claimed wild beasts roamed those woods. Beasts larger than any other animal you have ever seen. They had human eyes and spoke a man’s tongue. It terrified some people to the bones, but Brina didn’t believe in old people’s stories. The path through the woods was the shortest and she didn’t like to waste time.

But as they entered the forest, even Jan shivered slightly and Brina had to admit that the barren trees that surrounded them caused her discomfort as well. The woods were always dark, almost as if daylight never reached the large trees here. As they rode deeper into the darkness, Brina looked over her shoulder to find the light slowly disappearing behind them. She swallowed hard and made sure her dagger was within reach and that made her slightly calmer.

“You afraid?” Jan asked suddenly and Brina scoffed.

“You wish.”

“You could always scoot closer and I would keep you safe.” Jan offered and Brina looked at him with disgust.

“I would choose the forest if those were my two options.” She said briskly and Jan chuckled.

“I often fantasise about that mouth of yours, Brina.” He said and looked at her with a grin. “And all of those fantasies include what I would do to you to shut you up.”

“You’re disgusting.” Brina said and turned her gaze back on the trees lining the path.

“When will you come back to work for us?” Jan continued.

“Hopefully never.” She said, her look still fixed on the trees.

“That’s too bad.” Jan commented. “We certainly miss you there.” He smirked and looked at her, but Brina still looked at the trees, trying to ignore him. “I certainly missed you.” Jan continued. “The house is pretty dull without something beautiful to look at and-“ Brina rolled her eyes in annoyance and refused to meet his stare. She stared absent-mindedly into the forest, trying to drown out Jan’s words when she suddenly saw a dark shape run past them.

Brina suddenly sat up straighter and looked at the woods again.

“What is it?” Jan asked but Brina stayed quiet, observing the forest. No sound could be heard, there were no birds chirping, no whispers of the wind- nothing. She looked at the woods closely again and swallowed hard.

She was imagining things. She must’ve been. That’s what the woods did to a person. It played with minds, making people see things that weren’t actually there. She looked between the trees, not even daring to blink, a feeling of unease suddenly settling deep in her stomach.

“What is it?” Jan repeated and Brina shook her head.

“Nothing.” She said and swallowed hard once again. “It’s nothing.”

“Well, as I was saying-“ Jan continued and Brina looked at him.

“You know,” she snapped. “Your father and I usually enjoy silence when we’re travelling together.”

“Fine.” Jan said, his face falling. “Whatever.” He said and, with a sour face, he focused on the path ahead. Brina, however, went back to observing the woods, convincing herself, or better, trying to convince herself, that whatever she thought she saw, was a product of her imagination- a result of a nightmare that still seemed to haunt her.

Still, as they continued their drive, Brina kept her hand close to her dagger. Just to keep safe.

They rode on in silence for two more hours and Brina visibly relaxed. She kept staring at the trees surrounding them but when she couldn’t find anything out of the ordinary, she finally managed to convince herself it was all in her head.

She inhaled the fresh forest air and wrapped her red cloak around her tighter. Only one more hour and she will see her grandmother. She didn’t want to admit it to her mama, but the last time she visited her grandmother, the old woman seemed startled and on edge and Brina worried old age was finally catching up on her.

Suddenly the carriage stopped and Brina looked at Jan who put down the reins and faced her, a horrible smirk playing on his lips.

“Why did we stop?” she asked, trying to keep the panic out of her voice.

“We stopped because we could both use some rest.” He said and stretched his arms, as if proving a point.

“You want to rest now?” Brina asked with her brows raised. “In the middle of the woods?”

“I do, Brina.” He said and leaned towards her. “And you know what else I want to do?” he asked and put his hand on her leg. Brina’s stomach recoiled at his touch. She looked at him with disgust.

“Take your hand off of me.” She said threateningly.

“No.” he said simply and dropped his smirk as he stared at her darkly. “I think you owe me for the ride. You do know that nothing’s for free, right?” he asked and with that he leaned closer to her, going for a kiss.

But Brina raised her hand and slapped him across the face, leaving a red mark on his left cheek.

“Leave me alone.” She said through gritted teeth. He slowly faced her again, all traces of a smirk gone. He look livid instead.

“I think you need a real man to teach you a lesson, you little bitch!” he hissed through his teeth and went to grab her. Brina tried to get away from him, away from the carriage, but he was too fast for her and he grabbed her arms so she wouldn’t be able to hit him again.

Jan pushed her in the back of the carriage and she screamed loudly, trying to kick him with her legs. But he quickly lied on top of her, pinning her legs underneath his weight and pinning her arms above her head.

“No!” Brina yelled still kicking underneath him. “Get off of me!” She struggled.

“It is time I finally get what I deserve!” Jan said with a wicked smile as he pinned Brina’s arms with one hand and his other started for his pants.

“No!” Brina yelled loudly. “No, stop it!”

“Like hell I will!” Jan said and she heard him unbuckle his belt. Absolute terror washed over her and she started trashing uncontrollably.

“No, no, no!” she yelled, begged, pleaded… But the man on top of her only laughed as he roughly reached a hand underneath her dress.

Brina only then realised that she has started to cry. Not that he cared.” I will show you your place!” he said and started raising the hem of her dress. But suddenly their horses started to neigh loudly and stumbling their heavy feet on the ground.

“What the-?” Jan turned over his shoulder to see what was causing them distress and Brina used that opportunity to slam her head into his so hard she could see spots. But luckily, she caused him harm as well.

“You bitch!” he yelled reaching for his head and letting go of her arms. “You’ll pay for this.” He growled but Brina quickly reached for the dagger strapped to her thigh and slashed at his forearm.

He cried out in pain and instinctively jumped away from Brina, gripping his bleeding arm and Brina quickly stumbled out of the carriage and started running towards the trees.

“You get back here, you whore!” she heard Jan yell and she knew it wouldn’t take him long to come after her. So she ran as fast as she could into the forest.

She stumbled on the slick dirt covered with fallen leaves, not even knowing where she was running of to. She could still hear him calling out for her and all she could do was run and run, not even caring where her legs were taking her.

She was panting heavily and her legs were shaking, but she didn’t dare to stop. She only dared to glance behind her and when she did so, she stumbled on a branch and fell head first. She groaned loudly in pain and flinched when she heard Jan yelling out for her. She sobbed desperately and tried to get back on her feet.

When suddenly she heard a set of heavy paws thudding on the ground right in front of her. Her sobs died out in her throat and she felt her mouth drying out as she slowly lifted her head.

A beast- a beast, covered in black fur, so large it was three times taller and probably a hundred times stronger than her- was standing in front of her. She stared in horror at the four muscled legs and four paws bigger than her head before she let out a shaky breath and looked up at the creature’s eyes.

The beast resembled a wolf, but Brina knew this was no ordinary animal. Its size was evidence enough, but when Brina met its eyes she realised no animal had eyes like those. They looked almost human.

Brina flinched and moved away from the beast, crawling back on all fours. The wolf- or whatever it was- took a calm step towards her and only then did Brina become aware of the dagger she was still holding. She raised it threateningly, gripping the blade so hard she was sure the bones in her fist would break.

“If you kill me, I will do my best to take you with me!” She managed to say shakily. The beast stared at her for a moment and then tilted its head as if amused. It took one lazy step forward and was suddenly towering over Brina.

She realised how stupid she was. She wouldn’t even get a chance to use her dagger before the wolf cut of her head. She will die, she realised. She will die tonight.

The wolf leaned towards her and Brina closed her eyes, turning her head away from the beast’s snout. Let it be over quick. She begged silently. Don’t let it hurt.

She was waiting for the inevitable killing blow, but when she felt the beast’s snout on her cold cheek, she froze and dared to open her eyes. The beast was sniffing at her!

She shakily turned her head towards the beast and faced his black eyes. “Please.” She begged as if an animal like this one could understand her pleas. “Please.” She said again and the wolf titled its head again. She didn’t dare to look away from his dark eyes and she was surprised when she saw something as confusion in them.

“Please.” She said again and the wolf leaned closer to her and sniffed her again. She tried not to flinch, but her whole body trembled in fear.

The wold sniffed her for a moment before it suddenly started to growl and Brina flinched in fear, knowing this was it.

“You bitch, you come back here!” she heard Jan’s voice, but she didn’t dare to look behind her. Instead, she was still looking at the wolf who suddenly raised its head in Jan’s direction and growled loudly, showing its fangs.

Before Brina could even blink, the wolf started running in Jan’s direction and all she could do was watch in horror after it. It took merely a few seconds before she heard a loud growl and Jan’s screams and something that reminded Brina of limbs being detached from the rest of the body.

Brina choked on a sob and even though her entire body was shaking, she somehow found the strength to get up from the forest floor. She could still hear Jan’s painful screams when she started running in the opposite direction. Gripping her dagger in her hand, Brina ran through the forest, hoping against hope that this was yet another nightmare she would wake up from.

***

A/N:

Hello my lovelies!

A new idea for a story popped into my head and I couldn't help myself so I wrote it down. This is just a rough draft and it is something I haven't even begun working on seriously, but I would love to hear your thoughts about the first chapter at least to see if the idea I'm toying with is any good.

So leave a comment, tell me what you think!

Love you all!