Le Desespoir: The Cursed Paradise

BANG! The report of the rifle echoed in the woods as birds flew in all directions in fright. The smell of fresh blood traveled with the soft breeze and hounds barked in anticipation of the coming chase. The frail form in tattered clothing stumbled on the ground and the berries, which had taken him hours to gather, fell on the dirt. Desperately, she gathered as much as she could in one swoop and resumed her flight. She was running for her life. Her heart beat frantically as she ran, but the injury she had on her ankle from the rifle earlier was gradually making its presence known. The pain intensified with each step, but she ignored it. There was just too much at stake in her escape. She couldn't risk herself being caught. "Sister, brothers…" She closed her eyes as an image of three children flashed in her mind, all dirty, hungry and depending on her. She found her new strength to run. She needed to survive.  "Hannah, Jacob, Charles…" BANG! Sharp pain sliced through her flesh and she stumbled on the ground once more. Her leg was numb, and the smell of blood heightened. "I got her! I got her!" She could hear the triumphant shouts of the men in the distance. "Am I going to die?" she asked herself, her breathing turning ragged as she bled.  She felt herself weakening by the second, and all she could do was crawl behind the boulder of rock to hide. In a few minutes, the men who shot her would find her for sure. For them, she was just a game— just like a rabbit or a deer. Her heart pounded as tears welled in her eyes. She would die. She would die here— and because of this, her siblings who were still too young and sick to fend for themselves, would die too. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry…" she repeated over and over again as she dared to look up at the sky, towards the bright sun. She closed her eyes; the beautiful weather was an irony of her tumultuous feelings. "I'm so sorry," she whispered as a shadow cast over her. When she looked up again, she saw the smiling face of an angel. ======== She woke up suddenly from her slumber and quickly sat up; her heart was beating so fast, and so was her breathing. She was bathed in cold sweat, catching her breath as she looked around her. In her mind, she could still hear the echoes of the gunshots. She swore she could feel the numbing pain from her leg wound a few seconds ago, but when she checked, her skin was as flawless as it was— no wound, none whatsoever. A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. "Yes?" she called, and the door opened, revealing her younger sister clad in pajamas, carrying a glass of cold water and a small towel. "You've been dreaming again," Hannah commented as she handed the glass and towel to her older sister. She sat on the bed next to Jessica as she waited for her sister to calm down. Both of them had dark circles under their eyes from lack of sleep. "No, I was just— " Jessica was about to deny everything but Hannah shook her head and touched her sister’s leg, the leg which a while ago had been shot in her dreams. "Don't bother hiding it Jessie," her younger sister told her. "You've been shot here, I know," she whispered, surprising Jessica. "Sister, what's going on?" Hannah asked afterwards. "I had the dream again too." Her voice cracked up with emotion, and Jessica couldn't help but pull her sister into a tight embrace. Unlike her dream, Hannah’s nightmare was more horrifying. For weeks now, while Jessica had been dreaming of being shot, Hannah had been dreaming of a man whose face she couldn't see, walking away as she was being taken away by several horrifying men who had repeatedly r***d her. What was more horrifying was that in Hannah’s dreams, Jessica was always there, limping from the gunshot wound on the same leg which she had been dreaming about. Also, in Hannah’s dreams, she had watched helplessly as her older sister burned alive in a small cottage. "What's going on, sis? Why are we having these nightmares?" Hannah asked again, openly sobbing while holding on to her older sibling in fear. "Why, Jessie? I'm so scared. This isn't normal, right? I'm so scared…" Jessica was crying too. She was just as scared as her younger sister and just as helpless. She couldn't understand why this bizarre thing was happening— and why the nightmares that had been haunting them for weeks now seemed to be so realistic it was terrifying. In her heart, though, she had this feeling that it had something to do with her job. Jessica was working as an archivist and she worked freelance for museums and private clients who wished to sort out their data and history. A month ago, a mysterious client had asked her to go to France. Thinking it was just like any other job, she went there along with her younger sister. But when they got there, they were not even able to enter the house since they were told that the owner had suddenly died. It had never happened before, and so she was a little bit confused, most especially when the man who met them back in the nearest town seemed so nervous upon learning where they went. He didn’t elaborate, but based on his and the other people’s reactions, it seemed that the estate was a source of fear for the locals there. Why? She had no idea, and though she was curious, it was not her business to meddle. It was also one of the rules of her trade. In her occupation, it was not unexpected to unearth secrets that were ought to be buried, and thus, it was normal for her to sign non-disclosure agreements beforehand. Their expenses were all paid so there wasn’t really a problem. She was even given the promised salary even if she never really did anything. She tried to return it, but the man who handed the money to her said that it was impossible as it was really for her and the client was already dead. She finally stopped trying and chalked up the events to experiences that she assumed would be forgotten in the future. The great house that loomed over them that day, however, remained etched in their minds, and since then, the nightmares had started. "What have you done to us?" she asked as she thought of the house and its hauntingly beautiful surroundings. "Le Désespoir…"