1 The Start of It All

He was an ordinary man.

Ezekiel Quillon was a simple farmer from a rather insignificant town in the countryside of Italy.

He wasn't what one would perceive as an academic person, but the guy had dreams. He dreamt of a better life — mainly consisting of a bigger farmland, a loving wife, and perhaps a few kids. He had worked hard day and night just to save up enough money to buy off the nearby lands. He thought that by doing so, he would have a more stable income. Thus, he would finally be able to support a family of his own.

Simple as he may be, Ezekiel had planned to go to the neighboring towns just to woo himself a pretty lass to marry. He didn't really want someone from his hometown as the people there were quite snooty. Nothing can ever compel him to wed one of those "too-good for farm work" daughters. He would rather prefer a complete stranger — someone beautiful and a bit mysterious.

Funny how life bites you back in the end...

He was busy tending to the crops one afternoon when he stumbled upon a beautiful woman. She was stunning. She had long shiny black hair and fair skin that looked soft to touch. She was wearing a white sun dress that made her visage pure and innocent if it weren't for the bloody mess on the front of her clothes.

Truth be told, Ezekiel had been stunned by the woman's beauty that it took almost a minute for him to notice her condition. He checked on her but she was unconscious. Hurriedly, he carried her back to his home and tended to her wounds.

Her name was Penelope. She said she was from a neighboring town. According to her, she went to the market last night to buy a few ingredients she needed to cook supper. However, on her way back, she had been attacked by a man named Trevor and his lackies. Trevor had been a suitor who she turned down for the man was too violent. Turns out, the man couldn't take the humiliation and wanted to have her by hook or by crook. She had fought tooth and nail and had barely managed to escape. She had been wandering all night until she stumbled upon Ezekiel's farm.

Ezekiel took care of her, spent time with her, and eventually started to develop feelings for her. Maybe he was being too optimistic, but the past few weeks they had spent together had allowed him to recognize that she is a good person and that was enough to convince him to court her.

Their courting stage didn't really last long for Penelope had confessed that she had fallen for him too. Their relationship had been progressing in a steady pace and they have gotten to know more about one another with each passing day. Penelope didn't want to go back to her hometown in fear of facing Trevor's wrath. Ezekiel didn't force her nor meddle with her decisions, but he reminded her to at least write a letter to inform her family of her whereabouts.

With everything that happened, Ezekiel decided Penelope was the one. He wanted things to stay the way they were for they were already perfect. Nothing can tear their harmonious life apart.

Or so he thought...

One day, people started missing. The townsfolk were quite alarmed. They set out to find the missing men but came back empty-handed. Every couple of days, a few people — noticeably men — would suddenly go poof but there was nothing they could do.

When Ezekiel had heard the news, he immediately warned Penelope and told her to be careful. Penelope loved spending time out in the fields and he was scared that she may come across the culprit. He had proposed to take on the farm work and for her to stay at home, but she declined. Though she promised to be vigilant, it didn't stop him from worrying about her.

One night, Penelope was still out in the fields eventhough the sky had already turned dark. There was this weird feeling that kept on bugging Ezekiel to find her and so, with an oil lamp on his left hand and a machete in the right, he ventured into the darkness.

"Penelope!", he called out. But there was no answer, so he went further into the fields. There was barely any other source of light as the moon was shrouded by clouds. The cold night breeze blew and carried a rather odd smell. Though it may be faint, it was still enough to rouse anyone's suspicion and slight disgust.

Following the scent, Ezekiel stumbled upon a disturbingly gruesome sight.

Bodies.

There were bodies! Quickly, he inspected a few of them and found that they were the missing townsfolk. Furthermore, all of them were dead! But why were they here?

Looking around, he noticed how the tall stalks of his crops can easily hide the bodies from plain sight. A bad feeling welled up inside him. Could it be...

"Penelope! Penelope! Where are you?", he called more frantically. "Penelope, answer me. Penelope!"

Running about like a headless chicken, Ezekiel was adamant to find his girl and make a quick escape. He is pretty sure that the murderer is hiding in their farm. He vehemently prayed that Penelope was still safe and unscathed. Knowing the danger that lurked ahead, he maintained alert and on his toes.

Suddenly, there was a rustling on his right. He quickly fled, not minding if he dropped his lamp in the process. He didn't want to take chances. However, his sprint had staggered to a halt when he saw the figure that stood a few meters in front him. Releasing a quick breath, Ezekiel approached the other.

"Penelope, where have you been? We've got to get out of here. There were dead bodies out in the field! Hurry, we've got to g—"

Before he could even finish his sentence, Ezekiel was stunned into silence. The moon had peeped out from behind the clouds, giving off a pale light that illuminated the woman's features.

Red eyes. Deathly pale skin. Stains of fresh blood on her lips.

Falling on his rear, Ezekiel could only quiver and stammer while pointing at the "angel" he accepted into his home and his life.

"Y-you... You..."

"What a pity," Penelope sighed. "I had planned to keep you alive while we continued with this pretense. That way, I'd still be able to stay here with no worries. But now..."

Her eyes had a mischievous sparkle. She slowly approached him like a predator finally staking claim of its prey. Reaching forward, she took hold of him and lunged for his neck.

A piercing pain. Ezekiel felt how he was slowly being drained of life. Then after what seemed like an eternity, he felt an excruciating fire spread throughout his entire body. It was so painful, he cannot even force out a scream.

He was gurggling. Then he felt a thud as his body was thrown carelessly into the ground. He could faintly hear a cruel snicker and a parting message that said they'd meet again someday. But he couldn't care less.

Penelope had heartlessly left him there — weak and dying. Yet, at that moment, all that Ezekiel had yearned for was death.