Middle Of The Night (1)

The moment she heard the unusual hooting of owls, Elise knew it was a bad idea to continue venturing into the forest. However, she couldn't ignore the terrible hunger that continued devouring her.

She had barely eaten since the past two nights. The leftover food she constantly picked at the market square seemed to have all been vanquished by angry beggars since a few days ago.

She was penniless, and her stomach growled angrily, making her feel she would pass out forever if she found nothing to eat.

With no choice left, Elise had to wander into the forest searching for fruits. She hoped the kind rabbits would be generous in letting her borrow their carrots and other fruits she could find.

However, what was more concerning was that it was in the middle of the night. The entire area was dark and lonely, with only the scary sounds of animals echoing in her ears. The tall trees and bushes resembled ghosts that were trying to hunt her soul.

Nevertheless, she knew she had to be brave. Her body couldn't go on without eating, and she knew she had to be courageous if she wanted to find something to eat.

With her lamp almost running out and a basket in her other hand, she breathed deeply, ignoring the loud and frightening hooting of the owls, and bravely continued stepping into the forest.

After a minute passed, Elise finally arrived in front of a large apple tree. Sighting the big red, juicy apples, her entire body shook in happiness. She would finally eat after a long run of starvation.

With a grateful sigh, She thanked the heavens she had made it that far and would finally reap the reward for her bravery.

She took a step closer, her hand attempting to reach for a fruit, when suddenly, a sharp, swift sound echoed behind her.

Elise instantly froze on her spot, with her hand midway to the fruit. However, when she turned to the direction of the sound, her blood suddenly ran cold and her happy face instantly paled up in fright.

A few steps away from the tree, under the guise of the moon, a black-clothed figure was lying unmoving on the ground. 

Elise knew this was the moment she should have sprinted away, leaving whatever stupid reason she came to find food in the middle of the night in a scary and lonely forest. 

However, it seemed like curiosity had won her over and her feet strangely remained glued to the ground. Soon, she found herself tiptoeing towards the body, to check out whoever it was, but Elise didn't realize she was making the greatest mistake of her life that very moment.

With her heart beating erratically, Elise finally arrived in front of the body, leaving two steps between them.

However, the moment she brought her low lit lamp in front of the lying figure, she almost screamed out in terror, but her palm flew to her mouth, shutting it close.

Elise panted severally, trying to recover from the shock of the sight before her.

It turned out that the figure was none other than a male, having a dagger stuck in his chest.

Who would have thought she would end up encountering a dead man while searching for food?

Her mind trembled at the thought that she was in front of a dead person, yet she didn't understand why she couldn't back away.

With her lamp over the man, Elise realized he wasn't bleeding despite being stabbed with a dagger. But not only that, this dead man turned out to have the most striking features she ever saw.

Despite the dimness of the night, it was unable to conceal his sharp jawline and defined cheekbones that seemed they had been effectively smoothened using a chisel. He had the thickest brows and eyelids Elise ever saw. Strands of his inky black hair fell over his face, and his skin had already been paled from lifelessness.

She noticed his clothing was the type only the elites could afford. Could he have been killed because of his wealth?

Everything would have seemed like a perfect romance scene of a girl encountering the most ethereally stunning man in the world. However, he was dead and all his beauty was in vain.

But at some point, Elise didn't notice the man's brow twitch.

"I'm so sorry, Mister, I wish I could help you. I pray your killers get punished." She whispered sadly.

Thinking about his killers, Elise realized she had to quickly leave, knowing they might come back anytime. Who knew what they would do if they found her around?

She would just need to grab some apples into her basket, before successfully dashing away.

But the moment Elise tried standing up to put her little thought to action, a strong, firm hand suddenly gripped her wrist. Her eyes turned back to the body, just to see the pair of eyes which had been closed obliviously, snap open to reveal a pair of bloodshot eyes.

"Argh!!!" Elise let out a bloodcurdling scream. Her horror-filled gaze looked at the dead man, who was now awake.

However, despite how loud she screamed, the man who was now awake seemed not to be bothered by it. And surprisingly, Elise remained glued to her spot and could not move even if she struggled.

Amidst her scream, a cold low voice suddenly uttered, 

"If you decide to continue screaming so loudly, I will certainly rip out your throat for bleeding my ears."

Elise felt her voice instantly go mute at the threat. Cold chills crawled down her spine. His voice was the deadliest and most dangerous thing she ever heard. She was sure of it.

Not daring to scream further, her terrified eyes waveringly gazed at the lying man who then sat upright, "Y-you a-are alive?" she finally found the words to process from her dread-filled mind.

The man's head tilted, as his eyes intensely narrowed at her with a death glare. Elise took it as a warning, shutting up her mouth.

"Were you hoping to see me die? You don't look that wise to me."

Her eyes turned wide. "N-no, I--I–" she trailed off, unable to reply.

She was unable to explain herself, internally hoping he wouldn't take her as a threat, or possibly, one of his killers. 

"You were dead, mister." her shocked voice came out in a disbelieving whisper.

Dead people didn't come back to life, Elise knew that.

She couldn't believe that a man who was once dead, having a dagger up to its hilt stuck in his chest, a deadly stab that could kill in seconds, suddenly awoke.

However, Just that moment, Elise saw the craziest smirk she had ever seen, stretch on the man's lips and then he answered her thought, "Then I might just be that one reaper summoned from the dead to haunt your soul."