A Night in the Forest

Raandi spent her day like any other. She fed her chickens, fetched water from the nearby pond in the small forest in front of her hut, made supper, and started knitting socks for the upcoming winter.

It was nine o'clock when she decided to have her nightly cup of tea, when she noticed she didn't have any water left. She went to her door picked up her plastic water bucket and headed down to the pond. It was then her mind wandered over to the discussion that happened yesterday afternoon. She shook her head and continued down to the pond.

As she got closer she stumbled over a dark shape on the ground. She bent over to see it properly; she gasped. It was a deer, and as she looked at the ground around her she saw the stain of dark blood coming in streaks behind the animal as if the deer was dragged. She backed away slowly and turned around. She froze up immediately. There on the other side of the pond was a gang of men looking at her with gleaming eyes.

She dropped the bucket and started to run back but a giant of a man covered the pathway. She looked around her; she was absolutely surrounded by them. She couldn't escape.

"What … What do you want with me?" Raandi whispered. One of the men stepped forward.

"Do you know a lady called something like … Raandi?" The man asked her.

Raandi panicked. She decided to play stupid

"No"

"No?" The man walked around her, surveying her. Raandi stayed put until she felt him face her back.

"Tell me pretty lady, what is your name?"

Raandi gulped

"My – My name?"

"Yes, your name… you doremember it, nei?" the man laughed, and his friends joined in. Raandi smiled weakly, she said the first name that came to her mind

"Vivienna"

"Hmm… I think you lie!" the man grabbed her around the waist. Raandi caught the stench of alcohol in his breath. The man flicked a dagger to her throat and Raandi gave a whimper.

"Tell me your real name and we'll spare you"

Raandi hesitated; she wished she didn't because the dagger poked at her flesh.

"My name is Raandi" She whispered. The man laughed softly and pushed her away from him sharply. She was caught off balance and she fell down.

"Well, my gentlemen! Our search has ended!" He opened his arms towards the men as if embracing them all. Then the man turned to Raandi, who was examining her wet clothes "You have a place to sleep, right?"

Raandi merely nodded. The man grabbed her shoulder and pulled her up to her feet.

"Lead us there" he hissed in her ear.

Raandi went mechanically to the direction of her hut. She was shocked, the priest was right. People were looking for her.

"Alright, now make us some food"

Raandi stared at him. The man ogled back.

"I do not have any spare food for your men, stranger"

"Stranger? Call me Marionell, you will get to know me well before dawn tomorrow" he gave her a look filled with lust.

Raandi felt sick. She had killed two of her chickens, and the others looked at her as a traitor. She had not laid one knife on a chicken in her life. She cried at the sight of the still eyes and blood streaming on their necks.

The men whistled at her and one of them even had the nerve to slap her bottom. Then the ale was served, the drinks provided from themselves. By midnight it was total chaos. Dishes shattered everywhere, the men argued and wrestled. Raandi crept upstairs and went directly to her room and shut her door quietly. She then went down on her hands and knees underneath her night table. She began gently knocking the small stone slabs on the floor. A slab moved. Raandi carefully took it out and reached down in the hole and felt around. She grasped a little silk bag and brought it up. She then put the stone back, and it was then that she heard a voice behind her door shouting out

"I'm coming up my sweet! I told you by dawn we shall know each other real well!" it was that man called Marionell, Raandi thought frightfully. She quickly stuffed the bag in her boot, just as Marionell came through the door. The room was suddenly engulfed in the smell of alcohol. As he came closer with every slow step she too would step slowly, but backwards towards her open window.

"Planning to escape then? Not if I can help it!" He lunged at her and managed to catch her ankle. She flew down to the floor with a thud.

"Now I have got you! Come! You cannot resist me!" He reached over with his leg and kicked the door shut and madly began tearing at her clothes. Raandi yelled and kicked him in the groin. Marionell let out a scream of pain and Raandi saw the advantage and scrambled to her feet and made for the door. Marionell's hand shot at her ankle again to repeat the same fall produced from twenty seconds ago. Instead of tearing at her he had a dagger in his hand

"I'll kill you, you bitch!" his eyes gleamed with madness. He pushed her against the wall and raised the dagger above his head ready to strike down. Raandi closed her eyes and braced for the blow to come- but it never did. She opened her eyes and saw him staring towards the door. At the doorway there was a tall dark figure standing, drawing a sword. Marionell let go of her and charged at the man, who with a clean stroke drew his sword into his heart. There was a pause where everything went silent. Raandi's vision suddenly began getting dark and fuzzy and the last thing she saw was Marionell spurting blood from his lips, and sinking slowly to the ground.