Chapter 2

The day was full of promise, if her raised spirits meant anything. Jane stood in the doorway to the backyard sipping her morning coffee. Each sip she took seemed divine, as a dull morning throbbing in her head gradually went away. Helen said once that it wasn't very good for her health to drink as much of it as she used to, but she just laughed it off. This was the only way to make the pain and dread, appearing in the wake of her terribly hollow nights, to vanish.

Jane gazed evenly at a vast bare field that extended straight to the horizon, ending there with black line of a forest. To the side of it was a narrow grey strip of road. Some would say that it was godforsaken place on the outskirts of Wales, because within a radius of 10 miles you couldn't find any large city or town but less than a dozen small villages. One of them lay nearby which was quite helpful for their family as it was the main source of their earnings. They were small landowners, and the only thing they did for life was selling bread, grain and sometimes potatoes growing on their earth. However that was enough for them to live adequately well in this house with four of them, one servant and a governess.

She heard roaring of a motor as in the distance passed a huge lorry. The villagers prepared for a huge celebration of the finished harvest, so their family freed all the employees from work for today. In fact that was a reason why she was standing here now enjoying her coffee and relishing in the warm rays of the golden morning sun. Jane was waiting for the right time to go upstairs and take her little princess for a walk. Once this thought crossed her mind something small suddenly hit her back and two little hands clasped around her torso. Trying not to pour the precious drink, she balanced and turned to see the 6-year-old ginger with an impish smile on her face.

"Scared?" she asked playfully with a gleam of hope in her eyes. She just smirked at that. In one swift movement Mary turned and tickled her gently so the girl laughed and evaded from the touch.

"Of course I'm scared, gingerhead, it's not very common to see beasts like you in the middle of the day."

The girl pouted at that, but her mood immediately changed and she began to jump around the elder brunette.

"Let's go, let's go, I want to see that old windmill you were talking about!"

Jane chuckled and, laying a hand on girl's shoulder, led her to the exit.

"As you wish, my princess. For this day I am yours to command…"

"Hey, Jane, you didn't say that it was so far away," girl said drowsily, shamelessly hanging on brunette's sleeve.

Jane patted her head, "We are almost there. Can you see that hill? It's right behind it."

As the windmill came into the view, ginger gasped in amazement.

"Wow, it's so big!" promptly she ran down the hill forgetting about recent tiredness. "Look, there are even some holes in it! It must be ancient!"

The girl came closer and looked around. "And where is the door," she mumbled beginning to circle the building. Knowing the child won't wander off Jane stopped right in front of a broken window. The windmill indeed looked so worn out as if it could crumble down at each second. Nobody used it for quite a time. Taking it down was expensive enough, so it stayed here as a reminiscence of good old times. Wistfully she looked at black holes which attracted attention of the little ginger, just as something moved in it. Jane took a step back but immediately pulled herself together. It should have been some wanderer who decided to make it his stay. However, it would be safer find her little gingerhead and hold her close.

"Daphne," she called and strode in the direction the child had gone several moments ago. However, turning around the corner she stepped into a dense fog. It instantly enveloped her and she couldn't say what was in two meters around her. Trying to suppress her growing nervousness Jane went further only to be immersed into freezing cold air. Little clouds of steam came out of her mouth rapidly as fear clenched her throat like a chain. The feeling was similar to one she had every time in her dreams. There were only her thoughts and suffocating fear in the infinite space of blackness. Mary shuddered at the memory and tried to focus on the way through the mist.

Suddenly there was a child's cry ahead and she immediately rushed to the place the voice came from. However, when Daphne came into view she stopped and stared aghast at the horrendous tall hooded figure mounting over the little girl. It slowly leaned over to her, not attacking openly, but something told Jane, that it didn't have any amiable intentions. Animal fear swept over her telling to run away as far as she could. She couldn't though. It was like her legs became lead all of a sudden, and only thing she could do was slump down to her knees and watch as it seemed last seconds of her beloved sister. Tears of helplessness rolled down her rosy cheeks. Why was she so miserable?! Why couldn't she do anything to save her dear one?! If only she had a power. Suddenly something burned on her hand, and her whole entity was filled with atrocious pain, burning in her brains. However, after several moments she recovered and looking up found herself face to face with the creature engulfed in red glow. It leaped over her and her cry resonated with a shriek of the thing as it melted into thin air.

Trembling she tried to understand what she just saw. There was no face. This… thing had no face. How could it even be possible? For a moment Jane just sat there gazing emptily into the space in front of her. It seemed the creature disappeared and they were safe. The fog began to disperse and she could clearly see Daphne lying in the grass with closed eyes. Jane tried to crawl to her but stopped midway unable to move any limb. Her head spun rapidly and with the last effort she once again fell into blackness.