‘Ugh… what a day,’ Monica thought as she slogged her way to the tiffin center. It had been a week since she joined, and every day she promised to retire for the day early. Yet every day she made the working hours longer and longer. It is not like they ask her to, but she always found a reason to work more than what she was asked. There isn’t much in the way of life for Monica outside work. Even before she joined the office, she spent more time studying or doing odd jobs.

It was close to seven-thirty in the evening, but the tiffin center was still bustling with people. It should come as no surprise as most of the workers are leaving their factories at this time of the hour. Monica hates being surrounded by people. She avoids busy streets and events as much as she can. Usually, she would find herself cooped up in her home after dark, making her own dinner. However, she has yet to settle in before she is comfortable enough to start cooking again.

The cashier always had a weird look on his face every time he saw her. He wouldn’t tell anything, just takes the order, money, and gives her the token. Yet, his look always irritated her. That cold nose stare would make even the most stoic of people flinch, but Monica had gotten used to it. She wonders every time she sees him, ‘why does he make that face?’ Is it because she orders food enough for an entire family? No, it had to be the scars. Monica is a confident person, or at least that is the facade she puts on. Yet one thing that she was always insecure about, the one thing that can break her facade are the scars that covered her from head to toe. It is not that they ruin her beauty for she never really put much thought into it, but they were memories of a time she wished to forget. Anytime people noticed them, it made her uncomfortable like they were peering into her past. It was something she had to learn to let go of, but it was never an easy task.

It was a busy night as usual. She stood at a corner with a glass of water that she slowly sipped from as she waited for a table to clear up. Several tables cleared up but most of them were for four or more people. Eventually, a couple got up, leaving a small table for Monica to occupy. She had been waiting since three in the late-afternoon and she could finally satiate her hunger. She has the appetite of a horse, yet no one could guess that from her tiny stature. At only five feet two inches tall, Monica doesn’t exactly stand out. However, what she lacked in height, she more than made up in personality. She stood strong with broad shoulders and a sturdy posture. Had she not covered herself from head to toes every time she walked out of her home, she would have left people in awe of her well-defined muscles. It didn’t come easy. She knows very well how hard she had to push herself to maintain her physic. Once upon a time, she pushed herself so hard for reasons beyond just maintaining good looks. Even though now those reasons have ceased to exist, she nevertheless continued to put in the effort. Such effort takes massive amounts of carbs and protein, and Monica never needed an excuse to cram as much food as she wanted.

Just as Monica was about to finish her meal, a stranger walked up to her and quietly took a seat across the table. He neither asked nor acknowledged her presence, folding up his hands and looking down at the table quietly. This annoyed her quite a bit. She stared at him with a surprised look on her face, hoping he would acknowledge her, but he did no such thing. She grew irritated but in the end, said nothing and returned to her meal.

However, she couldn’t concentrate on her meal anymore. The stranger was acting weird, and this began to wear on her patience. His twitchy eye movement, constant tapping of his foot, and arms that couldn’t sit still, all signs pointed to something being very wrong with this person. It wasn’t hard to figure out what he was doing here. Though he pretended to be normal, he read like an open book. His eyes constantly moved all over the place except in the direction he was eavesdropping in. The two men to her left had been chatting for some time but she didn’t pay any attention to what they were talking about, despite being loud enough to be heard by someone across the hall. Nevertheless, it didn’t take long to know what they were talking about. The lady of the woods.

She completed her meal and cleaned herself up, before quietly pulling out her phone. She quickly began to look up any information about this mysterious lady; she was surprised to see quite how much could dig up so easily. The more she learnt about this myth, the more interested she became. She always heard whispers about this myth but not much else. Never did she realize that there was so much more to this story.

As she perused about the myth on the internet, the stranger got up and scurried away. She watched as the cashier called out to him, asking him to collect his food but the stranger did not listen. Something was definitely wrong. ‘Don’t do this, don’t get involved,’ she told herself. If there was one bad habit she had, it was her inability to control herself from poking into others’ business. Sufficed to say, it is a habit she still hasn’t broken.

She stood outside the tiffin center and watched as the stranger backed up and got onto the street, blending into the traffic. She followed the car as she slowly walked down the footpath. At a time when many were returning home from work, it should come as no surprise that the street was flooded with vehicles of all shapes and sizes. This was a good thing for Monica who silently watched the stranger’s car struggling to get out of traffic.

‘What am I doing?’ she asked herself. She always found herself in such situations. Most of the time it was too little to be bothered for she knew that the conflict would resolve itself even if she didn’t get involved. Yet day after day her desire to see such events to the end keep increasing. ‘No! This is supposed to be a fresh start! I cannot do this now,’ she said, trying to convince herself. But there was always an argument to this conflict she could never answer, what if someone is in dire need of help?

She reached the end of the street, where laid an array of scooters, locked into a metal grid. The traffic was clearing up and the vehicles on the street were picking up speed. Soon the stranger’s car would be out of sight but will not be out of mind. She gripped the handle of the one scooter, tightening the grip as she tried to convince herself to let it go one last time. In the end, she told herself, ‘If you are going to do this, do it right.’

She quietly followed the car as it weaved through the traffic before getting onto the highway. The cold night air pricked at her skin as she slowly rode on, trailing the car. ‘Does he even know what he is looking for?’ she wondered. They had been wandering the highway at a snail’s pace for over an hour and so far, there was no response from the stranger nor did she herself find anything remotely interesting. She thought back to the conversation between the two men at the restaurant, hoping to find some clue. They mentioned looking to cut down wood, but that could be anywhere in this sea of forest. Nowhere had either of them mentioned any particular place and trying to look for clues in pitch dark was going to be a nightmare.

It was taking way too long, and they seem to be moving further and further away from the city. She began to question if this expedition was really worth the effort or time. Yet she stubbornly kept pushing. Soon enough her patience paid off. The stranger’s car slowed down to a crawl before getting off the highway and stopping just before the treeline of the forest. She switched off her headlights and got off the highway about a quarter-mile away from where he had stopped. She quietly hid in the darkness and watched him exit the car. He looked at something on the ground before his car before disappearing into the treeline.

She thought for a good few seconds whether to make her entry now or to wait for the opportunity to arrive. Who was he? What was he looking for? Who is this lady of the woods? So many questions. But she had a strong feeling she will learn more answers by staying hidden than chasing after him and she always trusted her instincts.

After a few minutes, he finally returned to his car whereupon he opened the trunk and began packing. It was at that moment she noticed something resembling a long stick popping out of the car. She had no doubt what it was. A rifle. She broke a cold sweat. With a ban on carrying firearms by normal citizens, there was no good reason he was carrying that thing around. Things were becoming a lot more serious than she anticipated. She knew now for sure that banking on her patience was the right thing to do.

Locking his car, he yet again disappeared into the forest. She waited for a few minutes before finally taking a step forward and approaching the car. It was locked shut but Monica had very little reason to worry about such roadblocks. She touched the handle of the door and felt it for a good few seconds. The lock suddenly clicked open and she was able to open the door. A blast of disgusting pungent smell hit her as she opened the door. The smell was bad enough for her to back away for a second to let the smell clear out.

The inside of the car was a complete mess. The front row was filled with food packets and food crumbs while the back seat was packed with used clothes. This man had been living in his car for weeks. She backed out and away from the car whereupon she nearly puked from the horrid smell. She decided to stay out for some time to let the smell dissipate as she gathered her thoughts. She had so many questions but all of them boil down to, who was this stranger? Who was this lady of the wood? And what connection did they have? The myth of the Lady has been there for years, so it can’t be related to something that happened recently. Is it someone he knows? She heard plenty of ghost stories but never dismissed them. She always believed it was best to be sceptical unless you confirm with your eyes. So, she knew she couldn’t dismiss the fact that this ghost might be real after all.

She returned to the car, this time wrapping a handkerchief around her hand as she began to search through the car thoroughly. Though the intensity of the smell reduced, it wasn’t any easier to breathe in the car. After looking through it for nearly five minutes, she found herself coming out empty-handed. The trunk, glove compartment, and all the seats, there was nothing that she could find that helped her with her case. She shut the door as she cursed under her breath, knowing full well she now needed to venture into the woods herself.

Walking in front of the car, she observed the ground before it and found tracks leading into the forest. She was quite surprised that he was able to find them in such darkness, something she knew even her own keen eyes would have missed. There was something beyond those trees, that she was sure of. The only question being, what.

As she navigated through the thick foliage, she came upon the car that had most likely left the tracks back outside. The car had rammed into the tree at a pretty high speed, with its front taking heavy damage. She checked the car thoroughly, seeing signs of bloodstains but not large enough to warrant any kind of immediate conclusion. Whoever it was that was inside, could have survived. She looked for any clue pointing to the owner of the car only to come back empty-handed.

She cursed having found herself at a dead-end yet again. She wondered where the stranger had run off to. However, she didn’t really have to waste time theorizing. She closed her eyes and silenced her mind, becoming calm as the sea. At this state, her senses achieved a state of super awareness. They were now capable of detecting the slightest sound a mile away, including the loud chirping of crickets all around her. They pierced her ear like a sharp knife, a hundred sharp knives. The pain was intense, so much so no human could tolerate it. But she could. It wasn’t anything new and she knew it wouldn’t kill her. She felt his presence. He had travelled quite deep into the forest. He seemed to be heading straight to the heart of the forest, but she wasn’t sure what was there.

However, just then she felt the presence of someone else or something. She couldn’t make out what it was, for her two senses seem to contradict. Her ears told her it was a beast. It growled and crawled on the floor like an animal. But her other sense, her secret sense, told her it was nothing of this world. Her chest grew cold, and nerves tightened up. She had felt that feeling before and it wasn’t something she wished to feel again. It was the only reason she braved the darkness and slowly trudged towards the beast.

The beast lurked at a distance to her left. She knew that the stranger was far from it and heading away from it, giving her one less thing to worry about. She slowly began to make her way through the thicket, as quietly as possible. However, navigating jungles wasn’t one of her specialities. In fact, she was terrified of them. Ever since she was a child, she always feared anything that crawled on more than four feet, sometimes even with no feet. She began to pray, so as to not run into any such crawlers. Her senses were still heightened. This meant that nothing could surprise her. It also meant she would jump at the slightest of sounds.

As she drew closer to the beast, she became more careful with each step. The beast hadn’t moved since she started, so she was confident it hadn’t sensed either of them lurking around in the forest. She stopped about a good hundred meters from where she felt its presence. It was hard to see, seemly having blended in with the foliage around it. She covered behind a tree whose trunk was just wide enough to keep her hidden. Patiently, she watched the beast move and crawl on the ground. It seemed to have been covered by the green from the forest ground but she wasn’t sure. The longer she watched, the more dread she felt not knowing what it was. It finally lifted its head revealing its face, the sunken, hollow-eyed, and the baggy face. Her eyes dilated. All her theories were confirmed. Its appearance, the scent it put out, and its frightening aura. It was a human, but not anymore.

‘So, it can take up forms like these as well huh?’ she thought. Her mind began to race as she tried to decide the best course of action. Suddenly she noticed something that had been before her eyes the whole time. A thin stretch of road laid before her, cutting through the forest floor. It was faint, partly hidden in the darkness. Many of the myths talked about men getting lost in the forest, following such paths that went nowhere. However, at the end of all such roads laid a house. The house of the Lady. But she had already found the Lady, right?

She thought for a good few seconds. Should she follow the road and find the mythical house at the end of the road or find the stranger and make a run for it? The beast was right in front of her eyes and the stranger was far from the biggest threat in this forest. This made sense, for if the myths were real, she might have found someone much more dangerous than the beast.

Stepping onto the path, carefully, she slowly followed it. Her eyes never left the beast, with the path arcing the beast’s position, she didn’t have to try too hard to keep track of it. The path went on for quite some distance, but the beast was still an earshot away. The path finally stopped at a cottage. She stood at a distance from it. The light inside the cottage was still lit. Fear flooded her chest as she froze at the spot, her feet and arms began to tremble. All the myths, all the stories were true. There truly was a monster hiding in these woods and now she was at its doorstep.

She shook herself back to sense. ‘What am I thinking?’ she asked herself, ‘I fought actual ghosts before, why am I afraid of this one now?’ She finally calmed down as her breathing came back to normal. Just then a shadow appeared at the window of the cottage, she adrenaline kicked in yet again. The shadow seemed to stare right at her, as she stared back at it. The shadow disappeared just when something behind her moved.

She turned in an instant, expecting to face the beast, only to see that it wasn’t heading towards her. The beast leapt and galloped, crossing the path and in the direction of where the stranger supposedly was. She cursed out loud and began to chase after it. However, she hesitated for a moment. Something told her the cottage was important as she looked back at it once more. But a living human was always more important to her. She chased after the beast which had already covered quite a distance.

*******

“What do you think you are doing?” Monica asked, staring down the barrel that was pointed right between her eyes. She had her hands up in the air, but her face showed no fear.

“I know your kind. And I am making sure there is one less,” Amar replied, his voice trembling while his eyes were red from the lack of sleep.

“My kind?” she asked.

“I don’t need to explain to you,” he answered and pulled the trigger without a moment of hesitation.

Before the hammer could even reach the bullet, Monica titled her head, out of the barrel’s way before grabbing the end and pulling it down. The shot went off, driving the bullet into the ground. Amar looked at her, shocked and trembling in fear.

“You didn’t even hesitate,” she said in an icy cold tone. Amar could swear that for a second, her eye black iris eyes glowed bright blue as it stared back at him, seething in rage. She swung her right arm, landing her fist right in his face. He felt like he was hit by a brick, the force of which was strong enough to throw him back a few feet as he lost his grip on the rifle. He fell on the ground with a dull thud and began to roll back and forth on the ground, grabbing his face to relieve the throbbing pain.

“How many have you killed?” she asked as she slowly walked over to him, tossing the rifle away and out of reach from both of them. He remained silent as he tried to pick himself back up again. She, however, kicked him back onto the ground and asked again, “how many?”

He didn’t answer, instead, looked at her with disgust. Monica felt rage burn through her chest. She grabbed him by his collar and pulled him up. He was on his knees, but looking straight into her face. He felt an unknown fear suddenly surge as a shiver travelled up his spine. Nevertheless, he was ready. He pulled a bottle from his pocket and sprayed its content right at her face.

Monica immediately let him go as she felt a sweet taste in her mouth. The spray shot right into her eyes, making her blind momentarily. It only took a few seconds for the effect to kick in as she felt herself swaying from side to side and the forest around her spin. She knew immediately what the spray was.

Amar quickly got on his feet and sprinted towards the rifle but he didn’t even make it halfway across before receiving a sound kick on his back. He flew into the air and landed a few feet away. This time he couldn’t even get up. He felt as though his body shut down as throbbing pain radiated from his back. He rolled on the ground helplessly while Monica herself was trying to gain control of her senses.

‘I can’t do this. Going to lose consciousness,’ she thought. She hobbled over to him, trying her best to stay conscious. On reaching him, she picked him up again by his collar and drove her fist into his cheek. He felt it hit much harder this time like she wasn’t even trying the first time. She dropped him onto the floor and wrestled the bag from his grip. She quickly began rummaging through it for something she had seen him put back in a few minutes ago. She finally pulled out a small ball of rope and proceeded to tie him up with it.

“You came prepared, didn’t you?” she commented smiling. Her eyelids were half-closed, and she barely felt her fingertips. The forest floor was getting closer and closer. She wrapped and coiled the rope around his limbs as he continued to struggle. Tying his feet together, she proceeded to pin him on the ground and tie up his arms behind his back. Just as she tied the last knot, the rope slipped from her weak grip. Her knees gave in as she fell onto the ground and then everything went black.

An ear-piercing scream cut through Monica’s deep slumber. The shock jolted her awake. She felt a powerful gust blow in her direction. Her vision was still blurry, barely able to see what was in front of her. There was plenty of light from the rising sun, though most of it was obscured by the trees of the forest. Dust blew into her eyes making it much harder to see. The screaming did not stop and for a moment she felt her eyes and ears bleed.

In the direction of the sound was the beast. It was about fifty feet away, but the distance didn’t matter as it began charging the moment it stopped its ear-piercing scream. Monica wasn’t sure whether to be happy that the horrendous noise finally stopped or to worry about the charging beast.

After getting a rude awakening from the blood-curdling scream, Amar rolled over to see Monica on the ground. She too seemed to have just woken up. He tried to look before him, from where the sound came, but couldn’t see what it was that was created the horrendous sound. He didn’t have to think about it too long as the beast charged at Monica. On reaching her, it grabbed her by her right foot and swung her with such force, it sent her flying into the forest in the direction of the rising sun. He broke a sweat hearing Monica’s screaming voice slowly fade.

He quickly turned back and shut his eyes, praying the beast doesn’t come for him. Lucky for him, the beast recognized who was a greater threat and chased after Monica like a mad bull. He heard its thumping footsteps fade as it disappeared into the forest. He breathed a sigh of relief before trying to wriggle his way out of the tight binds, but it was of no use. He finally got some well-needed sleep but still lacked the strength to free the ties. He slumped once again as he gasped for air. His mind began to race, thinking of ways to free himself from these binds.

He rolled back and found the bag lying a few feet in front of him. As he slowly wormed his way towards it, he began to recall all the items in his bag that could help him at the moment. On reaching the bag, he rolled once again and grabbed the bag with his hands that were tied behind his back. It was no use; his hands were too close to each other to make any good progress. He had to rely entirely on his touch to find it and he had no memory of where he stored it away. As he tried to stretch his hands deeper into the bag, the rope tightened, and the pain grew to the point where he couldn’t handle it anymore. Just when he had lost hope, something sharp cut across his fingers. He screamed out loud, unable to bear the pain, but he had found it. As he struggled to get a hold of it, the knife continued to make shallow cuts on his hands. Eventually, he got a hold of it and quickly began to saw away the threads of the rope.