Chapter 6

Living in a world run by technology never really gave Elana a chance to truly appreciate its usefulness. Now that she was in a time that didn't have electricity, her smartphone was the most magical thing she had ever held.

The biggest obstacle Elana had come across while planning her escape was this: Leaving in the middle of the night meant she wouldn't be able to see very well once she reached the forest. That little fact had put quite the damper on her plan, that is until she remembered her smartphone...and the flashlight that was built into it. Not once in the two years she had owned a smartphone had Elana ever used the flashlight app, it had never been necessary, until now. Which was probably why she had a death grip on the device as she snuck down the empty hallways of Luhan and Kris's dwelling.

She had her bag strapped tightly around her shoulders, her black cloak worn over the top. The black fabric helping her blend into the shadows, as she tip toed towards the door. She unlocked the door pulling it open just enough to slip out into the night, before carefully closing the heavy door behind her. With a quick glance around, Elana checked to see if she was clear, then ran off down the streets, for now using the lanterns around town as her main light source.

It took a lot of work in order for Elana to find the road Luhan had lead her into town on, but after thirty minutes of wandering through the streets, she was finally able to find it. She stood there at the edge of town peering into the dark woods that lined one side of the road, suddenly wondering if this was a good idea. Maybe she should just turn back and...and what? Wait for something to happen? No, she gripped her phone tightly in her hand, she had to get home. Turning her phone on she checked the battery, 68%. That would give her maybe an hour of flashlight power. Elana decided to wait, until she was farther from town to use the light, switching her phone off to save power. She would just have to use the moons light for now. Taking in a deep breath of fresh air, Elana adjusting her cloak and bag, then headed off down the road, not caring at all about what might have been lurking in the woods.

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Hours before

Luhan closed the door to the spare room, leaving Elana to herself. He sighed, gazing at the door. He felt terrible for forcing her to stay. So many thoughts ran through his head. Why did she have to travel past this town? Why did he have to find her? Why did he have to let her get lost? Why did she have to run into a Beast-man, why did Beast-men have to exist? So many things had happened in the past four hours that he wished he could change, but he knew he couldn't. Luhan wanted nothing more than to just pack up some supplies, take Elana and just get her as far from this little town as possible. She didn't deserve to get caught up in the towns' affairs. Yet, he couldn't do it. He was bound by oath to protect the village at all cost, and if that meant handing a traveler over to the Beast-man than he would have to do it. Besides, if he didn't Kris would have no problems doing it for him.

Neither of them liked the idea of sending young maidens to the Beast-man every month. It actually made their insides turn in disgust, but they were stuck. They owed the village leader their lives, they would never be able to leave town until that debt was paid. The amount of time that would take, they didn't know, and though they never spoke of such a