She was drawn to the very same place, again and again.
Leaves crunched under her feet as she made her way down the solitary path, with only the faint light from her lantern leading the way. She could see the ruins in front of her; the worn out stones that littered the clearing. The cement underfoot was almost completely blocked by overgrown weeds, nevertheless, she pressed on.
She glanced up towards the sky, silently cursing the fact that the cloud blocked the moonlight from filtering through. Without it, the night seemed more vast and darker than it had ever been. Her breath was shallow and her body was tense with fear, ready to flee at the sight of any danger.
A breath flew right past her right ear, it's whispered words lost in the chilling breeze.
She turned around, her eyes wide in horror, and she came face to face with a pale figure. It was a monster. It's eyes were painted black, almost as black as the night, and the darkness seemed to leek out of his eyes and down his cheeks, making him look as if he were crying black tears. Black wings stretched out behind his back and the empty hole at the base of its neck made her catch her breath.
Her heart started pounding. A whimper nearly escaped her mouth but she desperately held it in, afraid to offend even a hair on this grotesque creature. She looked back for an escape route, but the trees seemed to reach out with its branches, threatening to consume her whole.
"Woman."
The creature spoke and she let out a frightened squeak. Her heart jumped to her throat and she fumbled with her lantern, nearly letting go of it and losing the last source of her life. She hugged it close to her body and started to back away, whimpering helplessly.
"You have a heart."
It said as-a-matter-of-factly. She couldn't move, as if the terror that struck straight to her heart had immobilized her, stripping her of the freedom to move her limbs.
"Answer me this," The figure continued, simply staring at her from its spot.
"What is a heart? If I crack open your skull, will I find it there? If I tear open your chest, would it be there?"
She wanted to cry, but tears eluded her. Not knowing what to do, she clutched her chest and shook her head. It was a big nightmare, a big mistake to come back to this place. Her curiosity had ultimately led her to one of the worst situations ever.
The figure suddenly jerked, and suddenly, it was in front of her, a hand on her neck. With its eyes as cold as ice, it's grip tightened and a strangled cry rang throughout the air.
"Are you scared of me, woman?"
She gasped for breath, trying to peel the fingers away from her throat but failing miserably. As a last frantic attempt, she thrashed around, trying to land a blow on the unflinching creature. Its fingers suddenly grew loose and she was released, falling to the ground as she quickly took a huge gulp of breath.
It was taken away as soon as she had taken it.
The creature cocked its head as it retrieved its hand from the girl's chest, allowing her to slump onto the floor. In its hand, it cradled the red organ as crimson red pooled onto the weeds, turning it into a red bed. It cracked a smile and walked away casually, squeezing and releasing the mess in its hand.
"So this is the heart. I see, I see."