Mery ran out of the pub and looked around at the houses lining the village streets.
She knocked on each door urgently, and one by one, the villagers opened their eyes and stepped outside. Confusion spread through the crowd as people whispered to each other. Some tried to run back inside, thinking that another orc attack was happening.
"What is going on? Did something happen?" a man asked while holding a lantern.
"Follow me quickly! I have something important to say to all of you!" Mery said with urgency in her voice.
Everyone followed Mery as she led them to the center of the village.
They gathered together with their sticks and torches, forming a circle around her. She stood in the middle and smiled at the crowd.
"I am sorry for gathering everyone together so late at night, but I have something important to tell you all!" she announced.
The villagers looked at each other with confusion. A few children smiled at her, curious about what she had to say, while the older people grumbled about being woken up.
"It is already late at night. Could this not have waited until morning?" one old man complained.
"Yes, we understand that you have helped us so much, but calling everyone out at this hour is not like you at all!" a woman added.
Mery clapped her hands together and bowed deeply.
"I am sorry for disturbing everyone, but please hear me out. I went outside the village and tried to find a solution for the shortage of food. I know that everyone is hungry, and I have found a way to help all of you!"
The crowd murmured among themselves.
"Did she say she has a solution?"
"Are the Duke's soldiers not coming soon anyway? Why do we need to listen to her?"
Mery raised her voice so that everyone could hear her.
"I know where the lord of this territory is keeping his food! He has a warehouse full of supplies hidden away!"
One man stepped forward and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Mery, are you absolutely sure about this?"
He glanced back at his wife and children, who looked thin and hungry.
"Yes, I am certain. I even went there myself to see it. My mother is there right now, guarding the place. That is why she is not here with me tonight."
One old man's face twisted with anger.
"So Miss Sharon ran off to get food without telling any of us? That woman has always been selfish!"
Mery held up her hands to calm the crowd.
"Wait, please do not panic. That is why I am announcing this tonight. If we do not go now, the lord will have time to send more soldiers to protect the warehouse. We need to move quickly before that happens."
"Wait, she has a point," one villager said.
Another man shook his head.
"Are you really believing her words so easily? Besides, what about the orcs? They could attack us while we are gone."
"He is right. We should send some men ahead to investigate first before committing everyone," an older villager suggested.
Mery frowned as her plan started to unravel. "But if we separate our forces, we will be weaker and easier to pick off. We need to stay together."
One man shoved past her with anger in his eyes. "I have not seen my wife since you left the village earlier. Did she follow you to this warehouse?"
Mery stepped back in confusion. "What do you mean? I do not understand what you are asking."
An older man stepped forward and raised his voice. "Stop this arguing! Let us find out the truth for ourselves. All the men here, follow Mery to this warehouse. If she is lying, we will know soon enough."
Mery's plan was failing completely. The men pushed her forward, and she had no choice but to walk ahead and lead them.
The women stayed behind in the village, watching their husbands disappear into the darkness.
She had never felt true fear before, but she knew that if she walked deeper into the forest and did not show them the warehouse, things would become very bad for her.
As she walked ahead guiding the men, she felt their stares burning into her back. She heard them whispering among themselves, and their voices were filled with anger.
Few minutes later….
The men had walked deeper into the forest than any of them had ever gone before.
The trees grew thicker around them, blocking out the moonlight, and Mery realized that she did not even know where she was leading them anymore.
An old man finally stopped walking and spat on the ground in frustration.
"Tsk, I knew it. This was a trap all along. There is no warehouse, is there?"
Mery turned around quickly and held up her hands. "Wait! We have not arrived yet. Just be patient a little longer. Please."
Tom, the man who had asked about his wife earlier, stepped forward with his fists clenched. His face was red with anger in the dim torchlight.
"Shut your mouth! This was your doing from the start. Did you lead us out here just to waste our time and leave our families unprotected back at the village?"
Mery stepped back, but Tom grabbed her by the shoulder and shoved her against a tree.
"You fool! Tell me the truth. Did you take my wife too? Because I saw you leave with her earlier today, and she has not come back!"
Mery knew exactly which woman he was talking about, but she could not tell him the truth. She could not tell him that his wife was locked in a cell, already halfway transformed into a half-orc creature.
"I can explain everything. Just let me—"
Tom's fist connected with her mouth before she could finish. Blood dripped from her split lip as she stumbled against the tree.
"Where is my wife? What did you do to her?" Tom shouted while raising his fist again.
A large man with a thick beard stepped forward and grabbed Tom by the arm.
"Tom, stop this now. Let us just head back to the village and figure this out there."
Mery looked up at the man.
"Mister Sam."
Sam pushed Tom back with a firm hand.
"Do not hurt her anymore. I am sure that your wife is safe at home waiting for you. We can go back and check right now."
Tom shook his head violently while pointing at Mery.
"Do none of you see what is happening here? She is crazy! We are following some girl into the middle of a dangerous forest in the middle of the night, and none of this makes any sense!"
The men paused as a series of low growls echoed through the trees around them.
One of the younger men looked around nervously.
"Are those wolves? It sounds like there are a lot of them."
Tom folded his arms and turned his back on Mery.
"I do not care. I am leaving right now."
He took three steps towards the village path before an orc stepped out from behind a tree. The creature's massive hand swung through the air and connected with Tom's head, tearing it clean off his shoulders. His body stood frozen for a moment before collapsing to the ground.
Sam stumbled backwards with wide eyes.
"What... what just happened?"
More orcs emerged from the darkness, surrounding the group of men completely.
Their yellow eyes gleamed in the torchlight, and their mouths dripped with hunger.
Les stepped out from behind the largest orc and looked at Mery with disappointment.
"Goodness, Mery. You are truly useless, are you not? Not only did you fail to gather the villagers once, but you failed twice in the same night. What a waste of my time."