Deadly Beauty

What I have to do: Luke's POV

"Luke," Edith croons. "What an unexpected surprise! I thought you would have started working on my beautiful garden by now..."

"What have you done to Charlie?" I accuse.

"My, my. What a temper. As you can see she is perfectly fine! Is it my fault you haven't cut back the roses and the vines overgrew and tried to strangle my daughter?" she asks innocently.

"There is no way those vines grew that fast!" I yell.

That's when I catch the glow the necklace I still hold in my hand, and the vines slowly creep toward me. There is a glint in Edith's eyes that tells me she is somehow glad I'm losing my cool.

And then it clicks.

She is growing the vines through my emotions, using her daughters necklace. I vaguely remember Charlie coming into the cottage last night with some crazy story... but I can't remember what she said. But it had something to do with this necklace.

It becomes clear to me in an instant what I must do. To free Charlie, I must kill the necklace.

"Charlie," I whisper, "Is the necklace doing this to you?"

Her eyes are glazed over as she tries to focus on my face. Even that seems to drain what little energy she has left. In one jerky movement she nods.

"If I kill the necklace, we can get out of here?"

For some strange reason, I see a mix of emotions pass through her eyes. One is sadness and the other hope.

"Free me Luke," she gurgles. "You must destroy the necklace..."

I look up to see Edith creeping closer, and the vines have grown thicker, encircling us in the last few seconds. Blood seems to be dripping off the vines and the sight turns my stomach.

"I don't know who the hell you are, lady. But I won't let you torcher your daughter anymore!" I say as I hold up Charlotte's pendant.

Shock and rage register on her face.

Then she starts changing. Deep green veins crawl up her flawless neck and face. Her fingernails extend into monster like claws dripping with blood. Her Eyes shine with a crazy green light. Her hair turns into limp green vines.

What the hell?

I take my sheers and clamp them down onto the flower pendant with all my might, slicing it in half.

The shriek of a banshee fills the air, and the plants surrounding us thrash around violently, trying to reach us. A deep moaning coming from the walls of the mansion echo through the building, crying out in agony. And through it all I hear the slightest groan of pain coming from the fragile bundle held in my arms.

I shield Charlie with my body from the violent whips of thorns.

I feel the scratches up and down my back and arms, digging into my skin, causing my blood to snake down my body. But it doesn't matter. As long as I can protect Charlie and get her the hell out of this evil place, nothing matters.

And then, there is silence.

Not a rustle of a leaf, or a whisper of a cry. Stillness settles and I look up.

A rotting corpse laying on a suddenly brown pile of vines is all that is left of the garden's mistress.

I look down at Charlie, still struggling with her breath. Sweat glistens off her brow. I softly touch her face and she leans into the touch.

"She's gone," I whisper.

A tear shimmers in her eyes. "Thank you," she chokes.

"Shhh... Don't talk! I'm taking you to a hospital right now! Don't leave me, love," I beg.

She shakes her head.

"Once upon a time..." she starts. There is a rattle deep in her chest I don't like. "There was a fair maiden and an evil mother, obsessed with her own vanity and her beautiful garden..."

I shake my head. "Charlie... What are you doing? We don't have time for this!" I insist.

I heft her up and try to fight my way through those troublesome vines. I kick my way through the door, sending it slamming against the outer wall.

"The evil mother kept her locked up in a tower..." she continued.

I feel her strength draining from her body as she speaks. There is a quiver in her voice that is echoed in the slight tremor running through her body.

"Charlie, I'm getting you out of here, then you can finish your fairy tale... I promise!" I puff as I jog down the cold stone steps.

"One day the fair maiden fell in love..." she breathes as tears start trickling down her bloody face.

My breath catches in my chest. She needs to heal and rest! We don't have time for stories. Why is she wasting her strength?

"The white knight came to save the day. But the evil mother put him under a curse..." she starts coughing up more blood.

"Hold on, Charlie!" I gasp as we pass through the back door.

"The only way for the knight to save the maiden was to kill the one think keeping her alive..." she whispers as we enter the overgrown garden.

My whole world stops, and my entire focus is on her face.

"What did you say?" I start to feel dizzy all of a sudden.

"The maiden was so in love, she asked him to free her... And he did..." she wheezes, as more blood dribbles down her chin.

"No..." is all my numbed brain could come up with. My entire world comes crashing down on me in that moment. I fall to my knees clutching her frail frame to body. I can't lose her. I would have nothing left to live for!

"She was free, but she also lost the love of her life..." she chokes on a sob. She lifts her eyes to me and in them I see my eternity slipping away.

"NO!" I shout at her. "What the HELL kinda fairy tale is that! That's not how it works!" I shake her as gently as possible in my current state of mind. All I could hear was blood rushing in my ears accompanied by a pounding roar of anger in my head.

She smiles at me weakly. "It's a dark fairy tale..."

She reaches up with the last of her strength and runs her shaking fingers along my jawline, and up around my head. She digs her nails into my hair and pulls my head down until my forehead is touching hers.

Tears suddenly fill my eyes and I have no control to stop them. Sorrow beyond human endurance chokes my soul. I couldn't lose everything... Not after I just found something worth living for. And the fact that I was the one to rip it away from me adds the dagger to my own heart.

"Why didn't you tell me this first? We could have found another way!" I insist.

She shakes her head sadly. "Because I love you, and I didn't want you to feel guilty." She rubs her nose along the length of mine and kisses the tip.

"I can't live without you, Charlie! We are supposed to ride off into the sunset together and have 10 kids and live to see our great grandchildren, while we sit in our rocking chairs out on the porch telling stories of all our adventures together, and how we lived happily ever after..." I sob.

She lets out a little laugh. "I like your story better..." and lightly kisses my lips.

Suddenly her body seizes in my arms. Bloody foam fills her mouth, and her lips turn blue. Her eyes glaze over with a white cloudy substance. She exhales a slow breath.

Then she is still.

Silent sobs wrack my body as I cradle her body next to me and slowly rock her back and forth.

I don't know how many hours I spent there holding her body to mine; screaming in rage of the unfairness of it all. Was there no justice? Was there no mercy? After all we have been through... Surely if anyone deserved to be loved it was us.

I looked around the shriveled up garden. I couldn't leave her here.

I kissed her gently and placed her in the back seat of my car and I drove.

I drove and drove and drove until I hit the coast. The sun was just touching the horizon when I finally reach the ocean.

Reverently I lift her up from my seat and take her to the water. I trudge through the pull of the current pulling me out along with her.

"I love you, Charlotte," I whisper in her ear.

I gently lay her in the water and wait for the waves to wash us away.

"Luke," Edith croons. "What an unexpected surprise! I thought you would have started working on my beautiful garden by now..."

"What have you done to Charlie?" I accuse.

"My, my. What a temper. As you can see she is perfectly fine! Is it my fault you haven't cut back the roses and the vines overgrew and tried to strangle my daughter?" she asks innocently.

"There is no way those vines grew that fast!" I yell.

That's when I catch the glow the necklace I still hold in my hand, and the vines slowly creep toward me. There is a glint in Edith's eyes that tells me she is somehow glad I'm losing my cool.

And then it clicks.

She is growing the vines through my emotions, using her daughters necklace. I vaguely remember Charlie coming into the cottage last night with some crazy story... but I can't remember what she said. But it had something to do with this necklace.

It becomes clear to me in an instant what I must do. To free Charlie, I must kill the necklace.

"Charlie," I whisper, "Is the necklace doing this to you?"

Her eyes are glazed over as she tries to focus on my face. Even that seems to drain what little energy she has left. In one jerky movement she nods.

"If I kill the necklace, we can get out of here?"

For some strange reason, I see a mix of emotions pass through her eyes. One is sadness and the other hope.

"Free me Luke," she gurgles. "You must destroy the necklace..."

I look up to see Edith creeping closer, and the vines have grown thicker, encircling us in the last few seconds. Blood seems to be dripping off the vines and the sight turns my stomach.

"I don't know who the hell you are, lady. But I won't let you torcher your daughter anymore!" I say as I hold up Charlotte's pendant.

Shock and rage register on her face.

Then she starts changing. Deep green veins crawl up her flawless neck and face. Her fingernails extend into monster like claws dripping with blood. Her Eyes shine with a crazy green light. Her hair turns into limp green vines.

What the hell?

I take my sheers and clamp them down onto the flower pendant with all my might, slicing it in half.

The shriek of a banshee fills the air, and the plants surrounding us thrash around violently, trying to reach us. A deep moaning coming from the walls of the mansion echo through the building, crying out in agony. And through it all I hear the slightest groan of pain coming from the fragile bundle held in my arms.

I shield Charlie with my body from the violent whips of thorns.

I feel the scratches up and down my back and arms, digging into my skin, causing my blood to snake down my body. But it doesn't matter. As long as I can protect Charlie and get her the hell out of this evil place, nothing matters.

And then, there is silence.

Not a rustle of a leaf, or a whisper of a cry. Stillness settles and I look up.

A rotting corpse laying on a suddenly brown pile of vines is all that is left of the garden's mistress.

I look down at Charlie, still struggling with her breath. Sweat glistens off her brow. I softly touch her face and she leans into the touch.

"She's gone," I whisper.

A tear shimmers in her eyes. "Thank you," she chokes.

"Shhh... Don't talk! I'm taking you to a hospital right now! Don't leave me, love," I beg.

She shakes her head.

"Once upon a time..." she starts. There is a rattle deep in her chest I don't like. "There was a fair maiden and an evil mother, obsessed with her own vanity and her beautiful garden..."

I shake my head. "Charlie... What are you doing? We don't have time for this!" I insist.

I heft her up and try to fight my way through those troublesome vines. I kick my way through the door, sending it slamming against the outer wall.

"The evil mother kept her locked up in a tower..." she continued.

I feel her strength draining from her body as she speaks. There is a quiver in her voice that is echoed in the slight tremor running through her body.

"Charlie, I'm getting you out of here, then you can finish your fairy tale... I promise!" I puff as I jog down the cold stone steps.

"One day the fair maiden fell in love..." she breathes as tears start trickling down her bloody face.

My breath catches in my chest. She needs to heal and rest! We don't have time for stories. Why is she wasting her strength?

"The white knight came to save the day. But the evil mother put him under a curse..." she starts coughing up more blood.

"Hold on, Charlie!" I gasp as we pass through the back door.

"The only way for the knight to save the maiden was to kill the one think keeping her alive..." she whispers as we enter the overgrown garden.

My whole world stops, and my entire focus is on her face.

"What did you say?" I start to feel dizzy all of a sudden.

"The maiden was so in love, she asked him to free her... And he did..." she wheezes, as more blood dribbles down her chin.

"No..." is all my numbed brain could come up with. My entire world comes crashing down on me in that moment. I fall to my knees clutching her frail frame to body. I can't lose her. I would have nothing left to live for!

"She was free, but she also lost the love of her life..." she chokes on a sob. She lifts her eyes to me and in them I see my eternity slipping away.

"NO!" I shout at her. "What the HELL kinda fairy tale is that! That's not how it works!" I shake her as gently as possible in my current state of mind. All I could hear was blood rushing in my ears accompanied by a pounding roar of anger in my head.

She smiles at me weakly. "It's a dark fairy tale..."

She reaches up with the last of her strength and runs her shaking fingers along my jawline, and up around my head. She digs her nails into my hair and pulls my head down until my forehead is touching hers.

Tears suddenly fill my eyes and I have no control to stop them. Sorrow beyond human endurance chokes my soul. I couldn't lose everything... Not after I just found something worth living for. And the fact that I was the one to rip it away from me adds the dagger to my own heart.

"Why didn't you tell me this first? We could have found another way!" I insist.

She shakes her head sadly. "Because I love you, and I didn't want you to feel guilty." She rubs her nose along the length of mine and kisses the tip.

"I can't live without you, Charlie! We are supposed to ride off into the sunset together and have 10 kids and live to see our great grandchildren, while we sit in our rocking chairs out on the porch telling stories of all our adventures together, and how we lived happily ever after..." I sob.

She lets out a little laugh. "I like your story better..." and lightly kisses my lips.

Suddenly her body seizes in my arms. Bloody foam fills her mouth, and her lips turn blue. Her eyes glaze over with a white cloudy substance. She exhales a slow breath.

Then she is still.

Silent sobs wrack my body as I cradle her body next to me and slowly rock her back and forth.

I don't know how many hours I spent there holding her body to mine; screaming in rage of the unfairness of it all. Was there no justice? Was there no mercy? After all we have been through... Surely if anyone deserved to be loved it was us.

I looked around the shriveled up garden. I couldn't leave her here.

I kissed her gently and placed her in the back seat of my car and I drove.

I drove and drove and drove until I hit the coast. The sun was just touching the horizon when I finally reach the ocean.

Reverently I lift her up from my seat and take her to the water. I trudge through the pull of the current pulling me out along with her.

"I love you, Charlotte," I whisper in her ear.

I gently lay her in the water and wait for the waves to wash us away.