Clara scrambled forward on her hands and knees. The rough carpet burned her skin, but she did not care. She reached out and grabbed Walter's heavy denim pant leg in sheer desperation.

Walter glanced down at his phone, the call already connecting. He hadn't pressed the speaker, but the faint, tinny voice of the dispatcher was still audible in the dead silence of the room. He looked down at her with cold, sick amusement in his eyes.

Clara choked back a sob. Her throat felt like it was lined with broken glass. She forced the words out, her voice barely a whisper. "I will do it. I agree."

Walter chuckled deeply. The sound vibrated in his chest. He ended the call and reached down, patting Clara's head exactly like a disobedient stray dog.

Brenda clapped her hands together. The sharp sound broke the tension. She immediately demanded Clara pack her things and leave the house before she could change her mind.

Walter kicked the fallen books out of his way with his steel-toed boot. He looked down at Clara, giving her a strict twenty-four-hour deadline to get the marriage done.

He turned on his heel and marched out the front door. The heavy wood slammed shut behind him, rattling the picture frames on the walls.

Brenda crossed her arms and sneered at Clara, who was still kneeling on the floor. She ordered Clara not to steal anything valuable from the house on her way out.

Clara ignored Brenda. Her muscles ached as she slowly pushed herself off the floor. Her shoulder throbbed with a dull, persistent pain from where the heavy book had struck her.

She walked down the narrow hallway to her tiny bedroom. Her footsteps felt incredibly heavy, dragging against the cheap linoleum floor.

Clara dropped to her knees and pulled a faded canvas duffel bag from under her creaky twin bed. She grabbed the zipper, but it caught tightly on a loose thread.

She yanked the zipper hard. The thread tore, and the bag opened. Clara began throwing her few worn sweaters and faded jeans inside, not bothering to fold them.

She paused. Her trembling fingers reached out to pick up a small, framed photograph of her father from the nightstand. Her thumb gently wiped a thin layer of dust from the glass.

Clara carefully wrapped the frame in a thick flannel shirt. She tucked it safely into the very center of the bag, protecting the only good memory she had left.

Brenda shouted from the kitchen. Her screeching voice complained about the noise and rushed Clara to hurry up and get out.

Clara zipped the bag shut. She swung the heavy duffel bag over her shoulder. The rough canvas strap immediately dug into her bruised collarbone.

She walked back through the living room. She kept her eyes fixed straight ahead, not looking at Brenda, and stepped out onto the dark front porch. The afternoon sun had sunk behind the tree line, and the cold evening wind hit Clara immediately. The temperature drop felt like a physical slap. She shivered violently and zipped her thin jacket all the way up to her chin.

Clara stepped off the porch. Her worn sneakers crunched loudly against the gravel driveway, the sound echoing in the dead quiet of the neighborhood.

She began walking down the shoulder of the empty county highway. The only light came from distant, flickering streetlamps that cast long, distorted shadows on the asphalt.

A massive semi-truck roared by. The violent gust of wind from the speeding vehicle almost knocked Clara off her feet and into the muddy ditch.

Clara quickly regained her balance. She gripped her bag tighter, her knuckles turning white, and continued walking toward the dense, terrifying woods at the edge of town.

The streetlights eventually faded away completely. Night had fully fallen by the time she reached the woods. Clara was left to navigate the uneven ground by the pale moonlight filtering through the tall, dense pine trees.

An owl hooted loudly in the branches directly above her. Clara flinched hard, her heart skipping a beat. She quickened her pace in the eerie, suffocating silence of the forest.

Up ahead, Clara spotted a rusted mailbox leaning heavily to one side. It marked the beginning of the dark dirt path leading to the outcast's property.

She turned onto the muddy path. Her shoes sank slightly into the damp, freezing earth with every single step she took.

Through the thick brush, Clara finally saw the silhouette of a rundown log cabin. It sat completely isolated in the middle of a small, overgrown clearing.

A single, dim yellow light glowed from the cabin's side window. It cast long, creepy shadows on the tall grass, making the place look like a haunted trap.

Clara stopped at the edge of the clearing. Her chest heaved up and down. A wave of profound, paralyzing terror washed over her entire body.

She took a deep, shaky breath. She forced her frozen legs to move forward, one agonizing step at a time, toward the wooden steps of the cabin porch.

Clara raised her trembling fist. Her knuckles hovered just an inch away from the rough, splintered wood of the heavy front door.

She closed her eyes tightly. She bit her lower lip so hard that she tasted the sharp, metallic tang of copper again. She knocked three times.

The hollow sound echoed loudly in the quiet clearing. It was followed immediately by a heavy, suffocating silence that made her skin crawl.

Clara waited for ten agonizing seconds. Her grip on the canvas duffel bag strap tightened until her knuckles turned completely white.

Just as she raised her hand to knock a second time, the heavy brass deadbolt clicked loudly from the inside.

The door swung open with a low, ominous creak. It revealed a massive wall of solid muscle framed by the dim interior light of the cabin.

Clara gasped. She took a reflexive step backward in pure shock, her heel catching dangerously on the uneven edge of the porch step.

A large, calloused hand shot out with terrifying speed. Long, strong fingers gripped her upper arm effortlessly, stopping her from falling backward off the porch.

Clara looked up. Her breath caught painfully in her throat as she finally saw the face of the rumored monster.

Instead of a completely unblemished face, she saw a man whose features were severely marred by a horrifying, jagged burn scar. The thick, angry tissue covered the entire left side of his face, pulling the corner of his mouth and his left eye downward into a permanent, grotesque sneer. His left eye was completely milky white and blind, covered partially by the twisted skin, while his right eye was a piercing, dark orb that held no warmth. He leaned heavily on his right leg, a noticeable, severe limp evident even as he stood still, projecting a rugged, overwhelmingly intimidating aura.

Harrison Beaumont stared down at her. His expression was completely blank. His grip on her arm was incredibly firm, but surprisingly not painful.

Harrison released her arm abruptly. He took a half-step back into the dark shadows of the doorway and crossed his thick arms over his chest.

Clara struggled to find her voice. Her throat felt completely dry. The carefully rehearsed speech she had prepared evaporated instantly under his intense, predatory gaze.

Harrison tilted his head slightly. His deep, gravelly voice broke the silence, vibrating in the cold air as he demanded to know what she wanted.

Clara stammered. Her voice came out as barely a whisper. She introduced herself as Clara Hayes, the woman Walter Kowalski had sent.

Harrison's brow furrowed in immediate annoyance. A flash of recognition, followed instantly by profound distaste, crossed the unmarred side of his face, sharpening his gaze to a deadly edge.

He bluntly stated he did not ask for a wife. His tone was flat, dead, and colder than the freezing night air surrounding them.

Clara panicked. She stepped closer to the door, closing the distance. She pleaded with him, her voice cracking, explaining that she had nowhere else to go and absolutely could not return home.

Harrison looked her up and down. His dark eyes lingered on her cheap, worn-out jacket and the pathetic, muddy duffel bag resting against her leg.

He scoffed softly. He told her that her family problems were not his concern. He reached out, his large hand wrapping around the brass door handle.

Clara dropped her bag onto the wooden porch. Her desperation completely overrode her fear. She blurted out a frantic offer to cook, clean, and do any manual labor he needed.

Harrison paused. His hand remained on the brass knob. His eyes narrowed dangerously as he studied her pale, desperate, tear-stained face.

He stepped fully into the porch light. The illumination highlighted the gruesome texture of the burn scar near his left temple. It was a terrifying, undeniable flaw that perfectly matched the town's horrific rumors of him being a broken, disfigured beast.

Harrison leaned down slightly. He invaded her personal space, his imposing height and broad shoulders casting a heavy shadow over her small frame.

He told her in a low, dangerous whisper that this cabin was no place for a little girl. He tried to intimidate her into turning around and running away.

Clara held her ground. Her body was shaking visibly from the cold and fear, but she maintained direct eye contact. She refused to back down.

Harrison sighed heavily. He ran a large hand through his thick, dark hair, looking visibly frustrated by her irrational stubbornness.

He pointed a long, calloused finger toward the dark dirt path. He ordered her to turn around and walk back to town before she froze to death.

Clara shook her head violently. Hot tears welled in her eyes, blurring her vision. She declared loudly that she would freeze out here on his porch before she ever went back to Walter.

Harrison stared at her tear-filled eyes for a long, heavy moment. The thick muscles in his jaw clenched tight. Without another word, he began to push the heavy door closed.