10:
1961 Words
Veronica didn’t know whether to laugh or get angry. What was this man talking about? Her face was ruined? How could her face be ruined?
But then the memory of that tragic night came flooding back…
"Please, I beg you! Don’t do this to me!" she pleaded, tears streaming uncontrollably down her face.
She was almost running blindly, glancing back to see how close it was to catching up to her. Her eyes were heavy with tears she couldn’t hold back. Her feet were covered in mud and wounds as her shoes had long since fallen off. The woods were dense and dark; she could barely see anything.
But the monster chasing her seemed tireless, as if it could see even in the darkness surrounding them.
"No amount of begging will save you now! You’re going to die tonight!" it shouted back at her with a booming voice.
Terror filled every inch of Veronica’s body. She screamed and screamed, hoping someone would hear her. But who could possibly hear her in the dead of night, deep in the woods?
Not even the fastest athlete could compare to the speed and agility with which it ran. And in the blink of an eye, the monster was right in front of her, blocking her path. A wide, sinister grin spread across its face.
"No…!" she screamed in terror.
"You have to die! Because you’re the pest ruining my plans!"
She was about to run back, but the creature’s long, sharp claws—like those of a wild animal—slashed across her face. She saw her blood spray from the wound.
“Aaaaahhh!” she screamed in agony. The pain was excruciating, unbearable.
The monster laughed wickedly. She fell to her knees from the intensity of the pain, feeling as though her face had been split in two.
"Does it hurt? Poor you. If only you weren’t a pest, if only you weren’t in the way of my plans, this wouldn’t be happening to you," it said, as if blaming her for her own suffering.
Tears streamed down her face, a mix of sheer terror, exhaustion, and pain. She felt its hand, with those sharp claws, grab the back of her hair and lift her body.
The monster leveled her face with its own. What she saw was not human—this was a monster.
“Die, Veronica,” it said cruelly, then slammed her face against the massive tree in front of her.
“Aaah! Please, stop this! It hurts! I beg you!” she pleaded. She no longer knew what she was feeling. Pain and fear had merged into one overwhelming sensation.
The creature laughed maniacally. “Stop? I don’t know the meaning of ‘stop.’ Your death is the only right thing to happen.”
The grip on her hair tightened even more, and the creature slammed her face against the tree with force. She heard a c***k, and Veronica felt as if her nose had broken under the excruciating pain.
It repeated the brutal act several times until it finally stopped. The creature looked at her face and smiled.
She only realized the full extent of the damage when she tasted her own blood trickling down to her lips. She broke down in sobs even more.
“Stop your crying. It’s irritating. What else do you have to cry about? You’re going to die anyway. Do you think someone will save you? No one will... and even if someone did come, do you think they could handle my strength?” Its grin seemed to stretch all the way to its ears.
She could barely see its face anymore, as her vision had started to turn red. She knew her eyes were almost shut from the physical abuse she had endured.
“Come on, let’s end your suffering.” The creature dragged her across the ground by her hair.
She wanted to fight back. She wanted to scream and call for help. But she couldn’t. She no longer had the strength to do so. Her entire body was weakening.
Why did this have to happen to her? What sin had she committed to deserve this?
She felt her anxiety intensify when she glimpsed a faint light that she believed came from the highway. The air had also grown colder, indicating she was near the cliff!
She struggled to open her eyes wider to see, but she failed; her eyes were too swollen from the black eye.
She knew what it would do next. It was going to throw her off the cliff! She had to fight back. She had to survive!
As it dragged her by her hair across the ground, she managed to grab hold of a rock. She quickly picked it up and hid it in her hand. The creature didn't notice.
Soon enough, she could fully feel the cold and fresh breeze, confirming that they were now at the edge of the cliff. It released her hair, and she pretended to collapse onto the ground, clutching the rock tightly against her chest.
"Have you accepted your fate? Good. Because no matter what you do, you're going to die today. There's no miracle, Veronica."
“You beast! You’re pure evil! You’re the one who should die!” she screamed, filled with rage.
It seemed she had triggered its annoyance, as it bent down to grab her hair again. Her heart pounded in her chest, nervous about what she was about to do. But if she didn’t fight back, she would die!
With all her strength, she struck its head with the rock. The creature didn't expect that and couldn't dodge.
"Aah!" it cried out in pain. "f**k you, Veronica!"
It clutched its injured face. Not wasting a single moment, despite nearly stumbling, she tried to stand up and run. Her pace was uneven, limping because of her battered body and numerous wounds.
She felt like she was in an action movie, being chased by killers. The only difference was, this wasn’t a movie. She was in reality. And a real monster was chasing her, trying to kill her!
But even though she managed to hurt it, it was still far stronger and faster. Despite its bleeding face, it caught up to her.
"Did you think you could escape? You can't outrun your fate, Veronica! I'm impressed you managed to hurt me, but you'll regret what you've done," its voice seethed with intense anger.
She felt so weak and helpless. "W-Why do you hate me so much...?" she asked, her voice frail.
It paused for a moment but quickly recovered. It shrugged. "Because you're the obstacle to everything I want in life. You're a nuisance. You're the biggest mistake I've ever made."
Its words struck her heart like a dagger. She never imagined it saw her that way.
"Is that so? Shouldn't I be the one feeling that way? You’re the plague in my life. You’re the termite eating away at my existence. You’re the worst mistake I’ve ever made in my entire life!" she shouted, her voice full of bitterness and rage.
Its vision darkened even more at her words. She laughed out loud, a laugh so manic that anyone who saw her would think she was going insane.
"What’s so funny? Why are you laughing?" it asked, irritated.
"You! You’re the one who’s funny! You want to kill me? Then go ahead and kill me. But remember this— even if you kill me now… there will come a day when I’ll rise again, and I’ll kill you. I’ll kill you over and over again," she replied with intense anger, her voice resolute.
It seemed unsettled by her words for a moment, but then it laughed. Now, it was the one laughing like a lunatic. "Looks like I’ve hit your head too hard, Veronica. But don’t worry, I’ll put your mind back in order," it grinned, a demonic smile.
Before she could react, it grabbed a rock from the ground and smashed it against her face. Over and over again, until her face was completely shattered…
"Hhhummph!" she screamed as if she were drowning. She felt like she was gasping for air.
The man in front of her grew concerned. "What’s happening to you?"
She snapped back to reality. How could she have forgotten that event? Now she understood what the man in front of her was saying.
Her face was gone. It had been destroyed by a monster. She remembered everything now—how her face had been ruined.
With trembling hands, she began to remove the bandage from her face. The man in front of her grew alarmed. "Miss, you can’t take that off—"
But Veronica wouldn't be stopped. She wanted to see herself. She wanted to see how a demon had wronged her. She needed to see the true state of her face.
She quickly removed the bandage. Her horror was beyond words when she finally saw her reflection in the mirror.
There was nothing she could recognize except her eyes. Her face looked as if it had been burned, even though it hadn't. Her entire face was covered in wounds, with her jaw, nose, and even her cheeks crushed beyond recognition. It felt as though she was staring at a living skeleton with a decaying face. No words could adequately describe the condition of her face.
Tears flowed continuously from her eyes. She felt the stinging pain as they passed over her wounds. She trembled with a mix of emotions. "This… is my face…?"
The man standing before her nodded sadly.
"This is my face now? This is what they did to me…?" she muttered in disbelief.
She stared again at her face, now resembling a living skull. She screamed and threw the mirror against the wall.
Grabbing fistfuls of her own hair, she screamed, "Why did this happen to me?! Those animals! Those animals…! I will never forgive them…!" she shouted in anguish.
She stood up from the hospital bed and grabbed whatever objects she could find, throwing them wildly in every direction.
Javier simply watched, letting her rage. He understood what she was going through; the fate she had suffered was heartbreaking.
Nurses rushed in to see what was happening. When they saw Veronica in a frenzy, they moved to restrain her, but Javier stopped them. "Let her be. I'll take care of whatever she breaks."
The nurses nodded in understanding. Meanwhile, Veronica was on the verge of madness. No matter where she looked, all she could see was her ruined, hideous face.
"Why did this have to happen to me? Why! You animals!" she screamed, collapsing to the floor, tears streaming down her face.
She felt the stranger approach her. She glared at him with anger. "Why are you still here? You should be disgusted and scared of my face, right? Or are you staying because you're going to charge me?" she asked bitterly.
He looked directly into her eyes. "I'm not disgusted or scared of you. Do I look scared? I'm more afraid that the person who did this to you is still out there, wandering freely…"
His words made her pause. He placed a hand on her shoulder, helping her to stand. She no longer had the strength to resist.
"Why are you still here? Just leave…" she weakly told him.
"I can't leave yet. We have a lot to do."
"I'll pay you back for what you've spent on me."
"I don't care about that." He took a deep breath. "I'm here because I want to offer you a proposal."
Veronica was stunned. "P-Proposal…?"
"I'm a retired plastic surgeon. If you'll let me, I'll give you a new face."
A loud gasp escaped Veronica's lips.
- Writer
