The Devil's Daughter by Clifford Beck - HTML preview

Chapter 38

On his way home, Nelu was again, stopped by another distant, yet horrifying scream, echoing down the mountains, and into the village. But with the night still in its infancy, his quick pace turned to running and Nelu, driven by a second far off scream, rapidly made his way home, meeting Anca at the door.

“Why did you have the door open?!” he asked. “You could've been killed!”

He quickly closed and locked the door, as Anca's eyes teared up, having feared for her husband's life. “I'm sorry,” she replied. “I heard you coming and I thought...”

“How could you be sure it was me?” Nelu interrupted. “If you hear something out there don't open the door, alright?” Anca's teary eyes suddenly flooded as she broke down over the very real possibility that he may soon leave for another hunt, only to end up as the creature's next victim.

With her hands over her face, Nelu pulled Anca close and tightly embraced her.

“Listen to me,” he began. “Nothing's going to happen, and after we leave, this will be over.”

Startled by Nelu's words, Anca pulled slightly away from him, with a shocked expression.

“What do mean, after we leave?” she asked. They had discussed the idea of leaving before, but Nelu was firmly against it, until now.

“Yes,” he replied. “The decision was made tonight. So tomorrow morning, everyone will be told to pack whatever they can carry and the following day, we will abandon the village.

Anca was stunned. She never thought she'd see the entire village give up on anything and had always seen its people as strong and resilient, having faced many challenges during their history. Now, that history would soon come to an end and unable to accept the decision made by the elders, she turned and stumbled over to the table, sitting with her head in her hands. She had been born and raised in Gura Haith, and could not imagine living anywhere else, even though she had previously argued to leave. “Where will we go?” she asked.

After a bit of hesitation, Nelu gave an uncertain response. “That was never decided,” he began. “I think people will probably go in different directions. Hopefully, we can keep everyone together and end up in the same place. But, I don't see any of the surrounding villages being able to take all of us in. Maybe we can get as far as Targu Mures, or north, into the Ukraine.”

Looking up from her hands, Anca's face continued with a shocked expression.

“And leave Romania?”

“I know,” Nelu replied. “But we have to leave. We can go to the nearest village, stay there for a few days, and then move on.”

Anca now fully realized the gravity of the crisis that had befallen the village, as well as how difficult the journey ahead would be.

“I don't think Alina will handle this well,” she said. Since her rescue from the mountains, Alina had developed into a child entirely dependent on routine, and there was still the issue of how she behaved around people. “Maybe the doctor can give her something to keep her calm for a while,” Anca said.

Nelu gave it some thought and knowing there might be some medicinal plant or herb for such things, Nelu agreed that it might be necessary and told Anca he would speak to the doctor, first thing in the morning.

Still sitting at the table, Anca began weeping. As much as she wanted to stay, she knew that doing so meant risking Alina's life, as well as their own. They had built their lives around the village, and neither had any idea where to begin. They were to carry only what they needed, and there were so many things they felt should be with them. Now, decisions had to be made and as Anca's tears began to clear, so did her mind.

“Where do we start?” she asked.

Nelu walked over to the table and sat down across from her.

“We have all day tomorrow for that,” he replied. “Let's just get some sleep. Tomorrow's going to be a long day.”