Beautiful beast

Chapter one

MEGAN

“Megan, let it go. It’s just a dream”, Chris finally broke the silence, holding my hands firmly like his life depended on it.

I wanted to believe him, however, fear still tugged my heart, erroding the hope his reassuring words could have given me. I never wanted to be the gullible or emotionally unstable girlfriend, yet the situation warranted it. And not even the warm expression on his face could melt my fiery feelings.

“Megan”, he called my name to call my attention.

“What if it is going to happen, Chris? You are going to College, and you are going to leave me! Soon enough, you will find another girl and you will have no other choice but to break my heart. I have seen this happen to girls like me, and from all observations, it is always so difficult for them to move on. Chris, my heart is so fragile, I can't handle a break-up. I told you before we started dating”, I poured out my heart as the image of the dream I had had stolen the peace in my mind. In the dream, Chris had pushed me into a ditch because he had another girl. I am not being too paranoid, am I?

Chris simply smiled, aggravating my agitation even more. How could he smile in this situation? Did he really intend to play with my emotions?

“Megan, your jealousy is cute. I have always assured you of my undying love, if you understand how deeply I love you, you won't be saying these words. Have you forgotten that it was not easy winning your heart too. Oh my! I even had to catch your attention through your sister. I am not going to let go of you, so why are you so disturbed by an ordinary dream?”

“I understand your point but I am just confused. I am sure the reason why I am so disturbed is an indication that it might eventually happen. And it just makes sense since you are now going to College”.

“Megan”, he said my name with so much passion. “Please, listen to me. I can never leave you for any other girl in this world. I love you, and I have proven it over and over again. I am going to College but you will be right here in my heart. Besides, my admission letter is not ready, so I still have time to spend with you.”

I relaxed, resisting the urge to further yield to paranoia. “It's getting late. Let me go now”, I said, unlocking the car door.

“Oh no, let me drive you close to the house”, he insisted, his hands smoothening the steering wheel in an attempt to start the car.

“Hell no! Do you want a repeat of what happened last time! If you ask me, I don't!”

“What happened?" he feigned ignorance at first, trying to act funny. But then I was not interested in his games. "The ton of questions your Dad asked about me, right? Well, it was expected since it was the first time he would be seeing me”.

“And I don't want that to happen today. It's so embarrassing!"

"Oh, come on, Megan. I can't let you trek to the house".

"Goodnight, Chris”, I said firmly, giving him a peck on the cheek and hopping out before he could hesitate again. Waving my hands to his car, I slipped my hands into the pockets of my high school skirt, feeling the cold wind hug my skin closely.

When I got to Clinton Hill, my neighborhood, a strange thought crossed my mind. Recently, there has been a raving issue of notorious robbers plaguing the city during nights of full moon. It was a syndicate, ‘Full Moon’ Robbers. My Dad had disturbed our morning by reading reports about them from the newspaper. Mum had dismissed his words, telling him not to bother us with bad news.

As my eyes met with the glow of the moon, I increased my pace and awkwardly regretted spending too much time with Chris. I had lost track of time. I didn't look back till I got to the house. But I never knew that Chris was following me.

On getting to the house, I was shocked to see the iron gates wide open. Dad had never been careless about the gates even though we had a security guard. Walking inside the house with short strides, my cold hands running through my hair, my shock intensified at the sight of the security guard lying flat on the floor. His hands were bound with a rope, and there was a gag strapped around his mouth.

Feeling a rush of adrenaline, I stooped low to save him, removing the gag instantly.

“What's happening? Why are you tied down? Who did this to you?” I asked in one breath, attempting to reach out to the ropes and lose them. But he kept giving me body signals that my turbulent mind couldn't comprehend.

“Run away, Megan! Run for your life!”

“I don't understand you. What are you trying to say?”

“They are here for the gold! You need to run”, he said, panicking.

Unknown to me, Chris had stepped back and hidden in a corner instead of drawing close to save me. There was an overwhelming shock written all over his face.

And then, I couldn't ask more questions. Not because I didn't want to. The metallic chill of a gun’s muzzle seeped into my skin, sending shivers down my spine. The sensation was suffocating and my heart pounded with every passing second.

“Put your hands on your head”, came the coarse voice.