Samantha’s Keeper

h her eyes still locked on the man, she said to him, ”Alright dude, I don know how you found out my last name, but you better leave before I call the cops. ”

”I believe thats unacceptable. ” The man answered.

Samantha knew when to flee and that moment was it. So, she turned using the balls of her feet and was about to run but failed to do so when she collided with two huge bodies.

”What the… ” She wasn given a chance to finish her words because someone from behind her struck her nape and she fell unconscious.

***

Something ran down her hair. It was relaxing and she would have kept her eyes closed and reveled in the feeling if she hadn heard a male voice. As a traveling musician, she had encountered numerous situations and heard a lot of stories about life on the road. She had trained her senses to feel sensitive to her surroundings to keep herself safe. So when she felt a hand gently land on her cheek, she snapped her eyes open, grabbed whoevers arm it was, and twisted it. A scream escaped the persons mouth as Samantha instantly jumped off from whatever she was laying on and further twisted the arm. Her eyes were predatory as she held firm on the hand and then angrily asked the person, ”What the hell do you think you
e doing? ”

She thought she was about to fight for her life and dignity when the person growled, but she was dead wrong. The person instead, cried and tried to tug his arm free from her grip. He gazed at her with a pained expression, and that forced her to let go.

”I just wanted to remove the dirt on your cheek. ” He said as he stifled a cry.

”Never lay your hand on an unconscious woman. You might end up in the gutters. ” She warned him.

”I… I will keep that in mind young miss. ”

Samantha shook her head dismissing the presence of the teen in front of her then rubbed her temple and took a deep breath. She felt too hazy at that moment, she hadn the mind to view her surroundings. Well, that was until a male voice echoed from her right. She turned to look at the person and thats when she realized that she was inside a luxurious-looking room. The thing that cradled her body earlier was a red couch, with a high backrest beautified with rose and angel carvings. In the middle of the room was a king-size bed with a tall bedpost that held together a white lace curtain obscuring her sight of the mattress inside.

Confused, she turned to the person she injured earlier, landed a hand on her hip, frowned, and asked, ”Where am I? ”

It was the newcomer who answered her, ”Welcome to your estate, miss Dela Torre.

Samantha raised an eyebrow, laughed then shifted her gaze from one man to the other. ”Excuse me? ”

”Mr. Frederick will explain everything upon his return. For the time being, please, make yourself comfortable. ” The man replied.

Weary and confused, Samantha shook her head and retorted, ”Id rather return to my Inn, thank you. If this Frederick person needed to tell me something, tell him hed find me there. ”

”Im sorry young miss, but our orders were to keep you here. ”

”Hell no! ” Samantha yelled and made a run for the door. She didn make it far though, because the guy she had an altercation with had grabbed her and swiftly covered her nose with a piece of cloth that instantly deprived her of consciousness.

***

The butler staggered as he made his way toward the forest near the mansion. As he entered the edge of the forest path that led deeper into the dark thicket, a death-like mist preceded through the trees, enveloping him into a chilly snipping fog. A lone oak shivered, its leaves rustling as the wind blew past it when he finally reached his destination. Eyes teary, heart hammering, and stance unstable, he called out for the being.

Instantly, a loud clap of thunder permeated from within the cave, followed by a dark fog-like substance that the butler knew to steer clear of. The smell of death oozed out of the caves mouth and then, the low tenor voice which Frederick had long associated with the devil answered, ”It has been months, Frederick. Where is the heir? ”

The butler stifled a scream before he answered, ”Shes here. She will come to you tonight. ”

”Perfect, ” the being answered.

”You will uphold your end of the bargain, right, ” the butler questioned.

Silence answered him. It stretched for a few seconds before the being inside the cave answered, ”As long as the conditions are met, I will do as asked. ”

Despite the hammering of his heart, Frederick smiled to himself. Maybe, all is not lost. But first, he must assure that the woman will succeed.

Before he left, a solemn, austere tune blared from inside the cave. The butler gazed a little longer at the deep expanse of the foreboding entrance then flinched when orange and purplish light flickered from within. It extended over the walls of the tunnel illuminating the cobbled and moss-covered path in the middle.

Frederick gulped, then turned to his heel and once more tackled the impossibly dense and dark woodland that cradled the nest of the being. As the gloaming fog blanketed him, he couldn help but doubt if his recent decision was right. The woman may not even last an hour in the presence of the being. He knew how intimidating the thing was and how competently he played with the human mind. He knew because he had answered his questions long ago, hundreds of years ago.