The sky grew darker with each passing minute. Elizabeth watched from the porch as the farm boy raced across the green pasture to find safety in the barn. Elizabeth never felt safe in there, as if something or someone was watching her… She never felt safe alone, but she was almost twenty-one and she didn’t have time to entertain childish thoughts. In reality, she thought there was probably some kind of farm hand slacking off in the barn, hiding from the work her father paid them to do.

Lightning lit the sky as she stood pressed against the weight bearing post that creaked and moaned with each gust of wind. The horses brayed and kicked up at the sky, they ran from one side of the stall to the next, the rain making it difficult to tell if the large black stallion escaped his pen? The rain persisted harder and harder, the only way to know the horses remained was the sound of the heavy hoof stomps that pounded through the torrential downpour. A storm rose from the south and greeted them in it’s own kindness, the rain was almost blinding. The dark haired farm boy made it to the barn, she shuddered as he pulled the doors closed against the rain. She had stared at him in disgust, he was always disheveled, unclean, and spoke in a quiet voice; these things made her dislike the young man. He had the bluest eyes she had ever seen and wondered if the winter snow would blind him. She continued to scowl against the rage of the storm and thought silently to herself how the whole barn could burn up with the help inside and she wouldn’t lose a moment of sleep.  With that she went to the hearth inside and stroked a fire back to life before silently falling into a deep slumber. Her father and brothers were to return in the next day or so, she chose to avoid the hassle of travel and stay with the dog, a scruffy mutt whom she would bathe insistently and he would continue to look as if he had just escaped a fox hole, nonetheless she adored the scruffy creature. As she slept a sweet smell wafted over her, somehow bringing her back to life. The scent was overwhelming and made her mouth water and jaw clench at the dream of tasting something so sweet. She opened her eyes only slightly to look around her, the room was dark aside from the glow of the embers, the sweet smell enveloped the room. 

“May I come in?” A voice spoke and with each word the sweet scent overwhelmed the room. 

Without giving much thought other than the craving of tasting the words that escape the lips of the speaker, “Yes, please do come in.” She tossed an arm above the day bed and motioned to the open window for the speaker to enter. She heard the door open and through sleepy eyes watched as the young man she had watched earlier stride to the fire, he was wet from the rain but seemed porcelain in the darkness, his hair was overgrown and she watched as he tucked the wet black strands behind his ears, he placed several pieces of wood into the fire. Her disgust was no longer, the taste on her tongue and the smell of his sweetness wrapped around her. The flames licked higher and higher around the logs. He placed the back of his hand against her cheek, the coolness of it caused her to stir. 

“Shhh..” He spoke with the sweetness of freshly picked peaches. “No need to stir, I know you’re alone and afraid..” His voice trailed off as Elizabeth’s head nodded back to the pillow, his cool touch against her face was the most calming feeling she had ever experienced, the raging skies were no longer of her concern.

He loosened her corset and watched as her breasts swelled to life without the pressure. His eyes traced her body, she was beautiful, but the ugliness he saw inside of her ruined the picture of the perfect woman she could have been. He stroked her cheek, her jaw, her throat, and her breasts as he watched her doze back into her dream. He traced her throat with his lips, feeling the pulsing of her veins beneath them, he sunk his teeth deep into the bulging artery that thumped with his touch. Her reaction was a quick breath in and she released herself to him. Had she been worthy he would have spared her existence, but that was unnecessary. 

When he was finished he stared at her lifeless body laid perfectly upon the couch. Blood ran down his chin and stained his shirt in a crimson color. The fresh iron smell wreaked so close to his face. He pulled the shirt off and tossed it into the flames before kicking over the large oil lantern that barely lit the room and watched the oil run across the floor and just a moment before the flame caught he kicked the day bed and heard her body thump lifelessly to the floor.

The scruffy black dog sat on the porch with his head cocked to the side. The man reached down and rubbed the mutts nose and smiled at him, his perfect teeth gleaming white against the blood on his chin. The little dog trotted along happily beside him as they traced across the fields and into the tree row that seperated the farm from the road leading into town. The rain fell softer and the horses chased after the man and the dog, prancing and braying, as if to thank him for freeing them from the wicked hand of an unkind woman.