Surviving The Bringer of Death

by Kira Black

I was trying to get away. The yelling. The drinking. The hands that wandered where they shouldn't. The road that night was full of monsters. He seemed kind. Safe. His wife was at home. I believed him. I wanted to feel safe. The basement door locked behind me. The darkness swallowed me whole. His unspoken rules passed from victims taken before me. Stay quiet. Stay small. Don't fight back. Now, I count the days in the screams of the others. When he's bored, he chooses someone new to hurt. No one survives him. I saw something he didn't plan on. I can identify him. I memorized the tattoos on his arm. I see cracks in his control. Moments where his careful world unravels. I'm not waiting for him to choose me. I'm watching. Waiting. When my moment comes... Nestled among the cobblestone streets of Compiègne, there existed a bakery unlike any other. Rumours were whispered through the town that its pastries offered a taste of magic, chasing away the darkest of sorrows. Just one bite of a croissant might bring luck, unlock a precious memory or reveal hidden longings. But dark clouds were looming on the horizon… For Edie Lane, a recipe for disaster doesn’t require that many ingredients. Take an unhealthy amount of wishful thinking and a sprinkle of desperation and that’s how Edie left everything behind in Ireland for her dream job at a bakery in Paris. Except the bakery isn’t in Paris – and neither is Edie. This might not be where Edie intended to be but she soon realizes it's exactly where she needs to be…