A MAZE OF GREED

"No, Mr Chairman. Please! You stay inside and I will go and look for him." Ripon requested.

"Do not worry Ripon. My legs are strained anyways." Saying that Barret opened the door of the carriage and stepped down.

The rain started pouring down heavily. Ripon sat inside with his heart beating in a weird way. Fifteen minutes later, he heard the coachman's gut-wrenching scream, and his heart leapt to his throat.

He tried looking out through the small opening first, but the heavily landing rain made everything hazy. Hurriedly he stepped down from the carriage when another scream fell on his ears.

He was soaked in the rain from head to toe as soon as it hit him. He squinted his eyes to scan his surroundings. But the lack of light and the rain made it difficult.

"Mr Chairman? Mr Chairman?" he called at the top of his lungs but got no response in return.

He ran searching for the coachman or Barret around, but they were nowhere to be found. The fear started gripping his heart, and then his eyes stung with the heavy downfall of the rain.

Ripon's body went still suddenly, the hair on the back of his neck stood alert. With thudding heart and dry throat, he slowly turned around and regretted it instantly as his eyes caught the horrifying sight in front of him.

A giant grey wolf stared back at him with his golden eyes that shone in the dark like gold. Blood decorated his snout and dripped from his long and sharp teeth.

Ripon, too shocked to think, staggered back in fright. He lost his balance and fell on the ground when the wolf howled loudly, raising his head towards the sky.

The lightning that struck behind him, made his fearful form visible and more dangerous. That was not only what Ripon saw. The shredded body of the coachman at the wolf's front paws, made the bile rise in Ripon's throat.

His eyes popped out of his eye sockets. The fear was so eminent that it made him sweat, which was mixed with the rain. Tears flow freely from his eyes, but he could not distinguish them from the water falling on him.

Pushing his weight with his elbows, he scampered away from the animal in front of him. But a movement nearby caught his attention, making him tear his eyes away from the golden ones.

Barret, who looked no less shaken by the turn of events, hide behind the carriage. His widened eyes gave away the state of his mind. He was trying to get behind the reigns.

Ripon's eyes again moved to the wolf, who looked ready to attack. His heartbeat raced again when he saw Barret behind the reigns. Now he had an opportunity to save himself.

Their eyes met, and the hope in Ripon's heart died as fast as it had burned.

Not wasting time to give Ripon an apologetic look, Barret pulled the reigns tightly, and the horse neighed loudly before starting running.

"Mr Chairman... Mr Chairman. Please save me!" Ripon's cries did not melt Barret's selfish heart as he did not stop.

The grey wolf walked towards Ripon as he lay on the ground waiting for the end of his time. But the wolf's eyes moved between Ripon and the carriage that looked smaller and smaller with passing moment.

The wolf shook his head as if it was taunting Ripon for trusting Addington. With a loud cry, he closed his eyes, waiting for the giant wolf's paws to crush his chest when he leapt forward, but the impact never came.

The wolf overlooked Ripon and started running behind the carriage that was moving at its optimum speed.

The heavy rain and the dark of the night made the road ahead difficult to see. The only light was from the lamps hung beside each side of Barret. But the rainwater slipped through the cracks and soon extinguished the flames inside.

The muddy forest road did not let the wheels of the carriage run faster. The carriage kept sliding on the slippery ground. But the fear of life brings out the bravest version of a person.

"Run.... Run faster!" Barret screamed as he pulled the reigns more.

The horse must be in pain and scared too. but it kept running at the command of its master.

The grey wolf was hot on its tail. It jumped above the potholes, dodged the trees in the way as he moved on its four legs faster and faster.

The loud growls erupted from his throat sent currents of fear through every living being around. He slid on the slippery muddy ground but gaining his balance again, he kept chasing his prey.

Letting out his wolf for a hunt first time in years made Augustus's wolf purr in joy. He was enjoying his chase after a long time and thus prolonged it some more, although he could get it with not many efforts.

The grey wolf pushed himself forward to run along the carriage. Barret's heart jolted in shock in his chest as his eyes met with the golden orbs of the wolf.

"Runnnn.... Runnn faster!"

Getting tired of this chase, the wolf jumped on the carriage. It loosed its balance, but Barret somehow managed to keep it running. The wolf then attacked from the other side, and the carriage behind broke loose and, with another jump of the wolf on it, it broke down into pieces.

Now with less weight to carry, the horse picked up more speed. Barret turned his head to look behind but did not see the wolf anymore.

Maybe he lost the chase. Barret smiled like a maniac. But it was too soon to celebrate.

The wolf pushed the horse with his large head, and the animal went flying to fall on the ground along with Barret.

Barret lay on the ground, soaked in rain, whimpering in pain. He tried getting up, but he was badly injured. His bones were broken at places by the force of his landing.

He managed to open his eyes and saw a figure moving towards him. Incoherent sounds came from his quivering lips. The fear had not left him yet.

The figure was not as huge as the grey wolf, but it was the size of a tall man. His eyes widened in fright as a naked man with his salt and pepper hair matted on his head.

His grey eyes were still dark and furious. The lack of clothes displayed every inch of his skin. It was embellished, with scars and battle marks. Although he was not in a good shape with his potbelly and wrinkled skin, there was no denying the strength that man still had.

His canines and long claws glistened in the light of thunder.

"L-Lord A-Augustus... p-pl-please!"

Augustus's face was void of any emotions, but his dark eyes spoke a million things that he did not want the world to ever know.

Augustus paused near Barret as he struggled to get up to save his life. With a scoff, Augustus pushed Barret with his leg to turn him on his back.

A cry left Barret's mouth as the pain grew more. The devil above him looked like a demigod with a pledge to set the whole world on fire, that this heavy rain could not also save.

"You incompetent human... you dared to bring my past to use it for blackmailing me?!"

His animalistic voice made Barret beg for mercy. But The man in front of him was not a human to have that virtue, and the predators did not know what mercy was.

Augustus put his dirty feet on Barret's chest as he glared won at the man.

"You think Walter was better than me?"

Barret shook his head fervently. "N-no... no..."

"That is right! He was no better than me. He never was. Father was wrong! I was the one deserving and capable of taking care of his legacy.

Look at Vincardine. Everyone is happy there. They all worship me. Why?

Because I gave them what they needed- a capable ruler!"

Augustus laughed throatily as if he was challenging the thundering sky.

"L-Lord Augustus... please forgive me! P-please!"

Augustus laugh stopped as he looked down again at the man at his mercy.

"Forgive you?" He tasted the words in his mouth.

Barret nodded hopefully.

"Do you want to know a secret Addington?" Augustus leaned down some, but that increased the pressure on Barret's chest by his foot.

"Walter had only one thing that I could never have in me." Augustus's voice was plain yet had some edge to it.

Barret's eyes kept growing bigger and bigger, his hands tried hitting Augustus's leg.

"Kindness!" Augustus whispered audibly.

And the next moment, his foot had broken Barret's ribcage. Blood spurted out of his mouth as his limbs flailed fruitlessly.

Augustus watched in satisfaction as life left the man's body. At the top of the hill, where he was- he looked above at the raining sky and screamed at the top of his lungs.

That scream was a mixture of satisfaction, ambition, pain, humiliation, guilt, frustration, anger and GREED!