Elizabeth's POV
I knew she was gone even before I went downstairs to fulfill my shift as a waitress. I sighed as I thought of facing the drunken men on my own, even with the inn owner Marta here it felt lonesome and empty. I hurried down the creaky steps towards the splintery bar counter. It never mattered how many men and women would fill up this rickety place I still always felt hollow watching them enjoy their lives. Life was entirely too short to make mistakes but of course my life stood as pretty much one sloppy mistake. I was bound to be different from birth but still I had always brushed aside the thoughts of reality instead living in my dream world. We all see where that got you, my subconscious taunted me pettily. Gloomily I propped my chin on my clenched fist in thought, as I thought of what life would be like if I was normal-which of course could never be achieved.
"I'm damned because I am me," I muttered to myself.
"Wha' you say babe?" A British accent slurred making me bolt up straight. I put on my best how-may-i-help-you smile and offered,
"We have ale's half off tonight, and dinner is free with the purchase of four ales." I smiled widely at the scruffy man. His hat cropped to one side hung over his wrinkled forehead. He had a sun weathered face giving the impression that he worked in the sun a lot. His pink lips twisted into a creepy smirk as he leaned forward,
"What is tha price fo' a lovely gal like ya?" He asked breathing into my face. The stench of liquor was heavy making me gag out loud,
"Like that will ever happen, now run along old man before I get some of the other men to toss you out on your…" I stopped as a particular man caught my eye. Leaning against the wall in the corner of the room he watched me and the old man with amusement shining in his handsome green eyes. We made eye contact and suddenly the room felt a whole lot smaller than before.
"Hey bitch I am talking to you!" The old dog barked grabbing my face and making me look at him. I mentally kicked myself for letting myself get distracted,
"Unhand me you dirt bag!" I exclaimed earning quite a few heads to turn in my direction. The man did just that. I glared at him as I muttered sharply,
"You pull a stunt like that again and I will…" I stopped as his hand snapped out and smacked me. Black dots swam across my vision as the flesh on flesh crack echoed through the room. Horrified and unprepared I backed hastily until I crashed into the rack of spirits and wine. I kept my breathing as even as possible as spat,
"Don't touch me!" He grinned a rotten smile at me as he hopped over the counter then began stumbling towards me. He grabbed my hands between his two blackened ones. I jerked my hands out of his grip and pushed at his chest,
"Don' be afraid honey, c'mon let's go back to my room," He purred. I swallowed hard and ever so carefully slipped my hand between two bottles until the neck of the bottle was pressed into my palm. The dog stood only inches away when he made his next move by putting his dingy hands on my hips,
"I said don't touch me!" I screamed pulling out the bottle and smashing it over his head. The glass shattered as time slowed down for me. I watched the sicko stumble backwards but regain his balance, that sly smile had vanished from his lips replaced by a bloodied frown. Shards of stained glass protruded from little holes scattered over his face,
"YOU ARE GONNA REGRET THAT!" He howled picking up a shard of glass. Time sped up again as he slashed at me only giving me the chance to narrowly escape his attack. Fiery pain laced up my right arm as I turned to flee,
"Help! Someone, anyone, just please," I pleaded as a hand caught the back of my corset and dragged me to the ground. I screamed like never before as the dog raised the glass over his head and brought it down into my right shoulder only barely missing my noticeable collarbone. I bit back the scream threatening to rip out of my lungs. Everything seemed to just rush around me, the laughs of entertained men, the scream of Marta the inn owner, and then nothing as silence threatened to suffocate me. I swallowed blood and bit back a sob that threatened to pour out of my quivering chest.
"Oh I am going to enjoy this," The dog purred shattering the silence, and revealing that evil smile again. He picked up another shard of glass high above his head. I closed my eyes and growled,
"I welcome death; your empty threats only make me laugh!" I paused and laughed, "You can do whatever you want to me, you can steal my dignity and you can take my pride but you won't be taking much more!" A fit of coughing racked my body, the dog over me laughed and I only hoped that my mother wouldn't be angry with me for being so weak. Absently I began to hum the tune to one of my favorite songs, one of the songs I had written to the man I had never known, to the man I would always love, a song to my father. I hummed softly at first then gradually did a crescendo to the climax of the song where I began singing audibly,
Leaving me only broke me down
Did you think you were making me stronger?
Or were you doing out of fear?
Am I not what you wanted?
Don't I make you proud?
Something dripped onto the side of my face and I began to think that the dog man was crying, opening my eyes I realized I was seriously wrong. I stared in horror at the man dangling from a rope dart high above me-the dog man was dead.