The Cave
Page 15
“I’m not doing that. I’m here to talk,” she replied, standing up.
“You either do it, or I make you. Your choice,” he said.
Trish decided to pull her pajama top over her head. The dried top clung to her body, which made her rip it off with a grunt. She moaned in pain as it ripped her hair off with it. Trish pulled the top off and over her head, letting it fall to the ground beside her. She wasn’t wearing a bra, so she moved to pull off her pajama pants and underwear at the same time. It was easier to peel her pants off than her top. Tears streaked her messy face, and her body shivered against the cold.
“There, that is more like it. You know what to do. Bow to me,” Xavier commanded.
Trish lowered to her bruised and battered knees and lowered herself to the ground. She placed her arms straight out and laid them on the earth below her. She raised herself up and lowered herself down again. I fucking hate this, she thought to herself.
“You are not bowing fast enough,” he said.
Trish bowed faster, slapping her bare body onto the ground over and over. She hit her nose but ignored the pain. The blood ran down her torso and onto the ground before her; her body now sticky with both blood and dirt. As she bowed, the music grew louder and louder, thrumming away to the tune of her bows. Xavier started to hum; his deep voice bellowed within the confines of the small cave. She felt herself humming along to the tune she heard the first time she was in the cave.
All of her worries, her pain, and her suffering left her mind. She flung her body harder and harder onto the ground.
“That is it! You are finally getting it! Be one with me, and all of your pain will be shared with me. You will no longer feel anger, remorse, or sorrow. All of your problems have dissipated, and all that is left is worshiping me,” Xavier sang.
Trish felt her body disappearing. She tried to remember Sausage, her grandfather, and even her parents, but her mind was slowly drawing a blank. She kept flinging her body down, her forehead busted open with several gashes, her nose now flat against her face, and a few teeth missing. Her nub was now cut open, the bone rubbing raw against the cave floor.
Xavier walked out of the darkness and next to Trish. He leaned over and brushed her hair while she bowed.
“You are finally home,” he whispered. Trish kept bowing. “I just need one final thing from you,” he said, his voice low and soft. His hand stuck in her matted hair.
“Give yourself fully to me; surrender, and I will be yours.”
Trish couldn’t see him. She didn’t even know that he was next to her, touching her or speaking to her. Her eyes went white; she was blind. The music no longer reached her ears, and her sense of smell had died a long time ago. He placed a hand on her back, ceasing her from her bows. Xavier grabbed a jagged rock and forced Trish into a sitting position without touching her. He placed the jagged rock into her bloody palm.
“Give your soul to me,” he commanded, his voice wretched.
Trish squeezed the rock in her exposed palm. She then stuck the rock against her neck, digging it deep into her flesh. Blood splattered on Xavier and the cave walls. Trish’s mental anguish had finally ceased.
Epilogue
I
n breaking news: Patricia Boreanaz, one of the few Forest Killers survivors, has been filed as a missing person. Her parents called the police last night around three am, stating that she murdered their dog and attacked her father. They said that she stole her father’s car and drove off, mumbling something about a cave. Her parents stated that she had been mentally disturbed before her attack and survival but was heightened due to her attack. She had refused to take the medication prescribed by her psychiatrist. What is truly sad about this story is that the day she arrived home from Lakewood Hospital after a two-month stay is the day that she disappeared. Her parents thought that this was a new leaf and that she was starting over. The questions we have are this: did she run away because The Forest Killers were granted the death penalty yesterday? Did she have survivors’ guilt? Only time will tell if she ever turns up. We hope and pray for her family and the other survivors that she turns up happy and healthy. This is Samantha Cornwall, FSX News signing off.
Acknowledgements
F
irst and foremost, I would love to thank all of my ARC and beta readers: Jill Girardi, Brandon Scott, Rookie Burwick, Dane Hatchell, Richard Restucci, Bryce Pope, David Kempf, Glenn Delgado, Ryan McMullen, Mary and Jerry Hall, Oliver Martinez, McKinley Price, Robert Scire, Jessica Bufano, and Sawney Hatton. I’d also love to thank my editor, Paige Lawson, and my cover artist Henry Eliot. I’d also love to think my dear friends within Spookyastronaut’s (Emma) discord server through Patreon. You guys have become some of my best friends and have pushed me to finish this novel. Your feedback is ALWAYS welcome. I would like to thank all of my family and friends who have supported me. I will also thank my pets, Cricket and Citrus, for always annoying me and bothering me while I am writing. Last but certainly not least, I’d love to thank my husband, Chris Murray, for always supporting my writing and being my rock through this process. You have no idea how much your support means to me and I will forever be grateful. I love you.
About the Author
K
senia Murray hails from Oklahoma but moves around constantly. You can find her tucked away from the madness with her husband, Chris, and her two pets: a beagle named Cricket and a cat named Citrus.