5 Chapter 5: Unwelcome visitors
*THUD*
Eve opened her eyes, startled by the noise. She blinked twice, unable to see much of anything. Inside the barn, it was pitch-dark without even the slightest hint of moonlight streaming into the dingy room. The smell of burnt oil and hay clung around the place like an old blanket.
Suddenly a louder thud sounded from her left. It sounded as if it was coming from outside the barn. She blinked her eyes, straining to see beyond the darkness but to no avail. The grip of sleep was fast leaving the tired girl's body. And as she sat there, she remembered what her mother had told her.
Eve gulped, her heart beating faster with the realization that Meredith had not returned yet. But that was when she also noticed another thing. She was cold, unlike when she had fallen asleep. She groped around her sides, looking for the huge beast she had used as a bed.
"Blanchette?" She squeaked, trying to keep her voice as low as possible.
But to her dismay, there was no response. Determined, she stood up, taking the help of a haystack. With her little hands stretched in front of her, she started walking forward, blinking vigorously in the hopes of being able to see through the blanket of darkness.
The noises kept recurring every five minutes. In between, she heard something that sounded oddly much like a scream. She paused, her heart slamming against her chest nervously. The girl shivered as a gust of wind came from behind, pushing through the only window in the poorly constructed shack.
It was cold. She was cold. Eve turned towards her right, her brows knit together as she put her hands around herself. The wind whistled as it pushed through the cracked window once again, imitating a faint scream.
The little girl took a deep breath, gathering all her courage. "It's just the wind." She whispered, reassuring herself.
The window reflected what faint light was there on the outside. Not wanting to spend more time in the dark alone, Eve walked towards it in determination, leaning on the stacked hay with one hand to keep herself from tripping.
That was when she heard it. In the silence within the four rotting walls, she could hear the heavy breathing of someone- or something. Eve licked her lips nervously and blinked. In her hazy vision, she could see the silhouette of a large animal restlessly shifting its weight from one leg to the other.
"B-Blanchette," She called, continuing her search for the beast. "is that-"
The cow huffed, answering her question. Eve stopped right in front of the animal, the disappointment clearly painted on her face.
"Oh, it's you, Rosie." She said, reaching out to pat the animal's neck. "Did you see where the wolfie went?" She asked innocently.
The cow huffed again as if answering her question. It turned its head to the side, pointing its horns towards the barn doors. The little girl cocked her head to the side in confusion. She remembered hearing the click of the lock as her mother left. How then did the wolf leave? She wondered.
But more than anything, she was disappointed. Blanchette had left without saying goodbye. Eve was lost in her thoughts when suddenly a shadow whirled past the window, making her jump back towards the bovine in shock.
"Blanchette?" She called out, sticking her back tightly against the cow.
There was no response. The wind pushed into the barn again, this time bringing with it flakes of snow. In any other circumstance, Eve would have been thrilled. She loved watching the fall of the first snow. But all she could think about at the moment was how scared and cold she was.
Her heartbeat skyrocketed as all the horror stories she heard around the village came rushing into her mind. Eve gulped, nervously wrapping her cold little hands around the bovine's thigh.
"Mommy?" She whispered, her huge green eyes glued to the window as she did.
Suddenly the doors burst open, sending wooden splinters flying all over the place. Eve ducked as a sharp piece flew towards her, dragging the cow down along with her in haste. The creature complied, not making a sound as it dropped down on its knees.
"Where is he?!" A deep male voice boomed through the silence of the night.
Eve shivered. It was unlike anything she had heard before. She could place that the voice belonged to a man, but strangely it sounded like knives piercing into her mind as if it commanded her to respond. She opened her mouth, compelled by the urge to respond, but was cut off by a horrifying cry.
The little girl's heart dropped. She had heard that heart-wrenching cry before and it belonged to none but her mother. Panic seized her insides as she sat there, trying to make sense of what was happening. Who was the man and what was he doing to her mother?! A faint smell of blood encompassed the room, coiling around the girl's throat like a venomous snake.
Eve couldn't hold it in anymore. A slight whimper escaped her chest as she shivered uncontrollably. In an instant, the barn fell silent. The only sounds that she could hear now were Rosie's nervous breathing and her mother's pained groans. It was as if even the bovine smelled the reeking danger in the air.
"What was that?" This time, it was a female voice, the sound so much more like a hiss than words that it made her stomach churn.
The hairs on her skin stood up on cue. Eve bit down on her lower lip, praying to God that she be spared. She promised that she wouldn't complain about her troubles anymore if He did. The little girl didn't know who the people in their barn were, but they had her mother bent and almost broken by the sound of it.
Tears slid down her pale cheeks, bringing all the color to the tip of her nose. Eve had never been this scared all her life. She was scared for herself, but she was terrified for her mother. Meredith was all she had in this world.
The little girl wanted nothing more than to stand up and take a look at her mother. Something told her that she was going to lose more than she could comprehend tonight. Her hands shook as she pushed her tiny hands against the ground, against her better judgment.
Her mother's warning echoed in her memory. 'Hide. Don't let them see you.'
