“You don't belong here.” Came the sound of a familiar and recognisable voice. “Get out while you can!”
It was Sam yelling to her, but she couldn't pinpoint where the sounds were coming from. She tried to call out for him, but found that she had no voice to do so. She was mute, as her words had been stolen from her.
As if on queue, the impossibly tall man emerged from his dark hole within the ground, first his hands squeezed out the small gap in the soil and then his arms, closely followed by his blank and expressionless face.
Alice tried to yell, but nothing escaped her mouth. Within the deadwoods, no-one could hear her scream.
As the impossibly tall man placed his spindly fingers on her, he didn't try to grab her or choke her, or even steal her away. He just shook her with his ginormous hands. Not a vigorous shaking, but a delicate nudge that caused the surrounding trees to collapse inwards, the ominous dark woods were replaced by the log walls of her own private cabin. It would have been a comfort if it wasn't for the two men towering over her as she opened her eyes. She recognised them as Elijah and Dariel, her own brothers.
Before Alice could react, the twins had set upon her, gagging her mouth and placing the black bag over her head before forcibly hogtieing her with a rope. They didn't say a single word and didn't seem to communicate with each other either, as if they had done this before and knew their task both inside and out.
Alice tried to yell, but was silenced by the rag that wedged her jaw open. Thrashing wildly, she attempted to resist as the brothers picked her up out of her bed, discarding the sheets upon the floor. She couldn't see a thing, but could hear faint chanting as she was carried out into the night.
Just like her dream, no-one could hear Alice scream and there was absolutely no escape.
**********
What had started as distant chanting had now completely engulfed Alice as it echoed through whatever place she had been carried to. An educated guess told her that the short distance they travelled meant that she was now inside the main hall that she had previously been denied access to.
The air was thick with burning oils and incense that filled Alice's lungs, causing her to feel light headed and nauseous. She was terrified, hoping that there was a logical explanation for whatever was going on. Perhaps this was just an initiation or hazing to fully welcome her as part of their community. However, the cabalistic chants that filled her ears gave off the impression that this was something much darker. Something much more horrific in design.
The community of which her mother was the leader had secrets that it wished to hide from the world. It wasn't about people wanting to live in peace away from the hectic lives of the rest of the world, it was a cult of which Alice now found herself a prisoner. They had treated her like a guest, even going as far to make her feel as though she belonged there, but it had all been a facade.
The hood was violently torn from Alice's head, allowing her to view the room in which she was now trapped. A dark hall without windows, lit only by the flaming torches that gave off a flickering orange aura as they filled the room with a smokey haze. It was packed with dozens of robed figures, their own hoods pulled down over their faces, covering their features.
Even with their disguises, Alice knew who they were. They were the very people who had claimed to be her family and had said that they loved her, but this wasn't how people displayed their affection. Not normal people anyway.
Trying to struggle free of her bindings, Alice found that she had been transferred over to some sort of upright, stone altar that was slanted just enough for her to rest against it and be held in place. She felt chilly due to wearing nothing but the plain, white night dress that her mother had provided the previous morning. It was an act that now seemed oddly suspicious, even though she had thought nothing of it before.
Two unidentifiable men, clad in their own greyish robes stood guard at the front corners of opposite sides of the stage. They wielded polished, steel swords that glinted in the low light of the torches flames. Standing motionless, they carried out their duties with silent dedication. No-one dared to approach under fear of the guardian's wrath.
Alice had no doubt that these two men were her brothers. The very same people who had snatched her from her bed. They didn't seem to care about her or anyone else, showing unshakable loyalty to their mother alone. It was something that had likely been beaten into them at a young age, causing Alice to wonder if her other siblings had been the same way. She had never found out what her father's position had been within the community either, but she guessed that it no longer really mattered. She had stopped caring about the smaller details anyway, as the bigger picture wasn't all that pretty.
“We have gathered here on this sacred and most holy of nights to see the seventh born child of prophecy face her destiny.”
The familiar voice of Caitlyn rang out from somewhere behind Alice, but the stone slab made it impossible to see her.
“Four years late, our goddess is angered and must be appeased. Tonight, on the eve of our child's twenty second birthday, we will perform the rite of rebirth.”
She seemed to get closer to Alice, remaining just out of sight as her monologue continued.
“Although it was delayed, the sacrifice is still pure. Our beloved daughter will ascend to the goddess’s right hand.”
As Caitlyn finally stepped in to view, the chanting escalated, the volume of its crescendo nearing its peak. She was fully clad in crimson red robes, with her face covered by a featureless mask that was reminiscent of the prophetic witches Alice had met in the woods with Sam a few years earlier.
Holding a ceremonial dagger aloft, high above her head as she showed it to her faithful followers, Caitlyn turned to lay her eyes on her daughter. She lowered the blade, holding it firmly in her grasp as she edged forwards, continuing with her speech.
“Riley McKay. As the youngest of our line, your blood is precious to the fanged one, our most holy of deities. Your life is forfeit, yet in death you bring us renewed vigor. You were conceived for this very purpose, and I brought you into the world with the knowledge that this day would come. You were stolen away by those who despise us, but were always fated to return. You stand here before us now, the saviour of our family, as was promised.”
Alice’s eyes had been opened and she was beginning to develop major trust issues, none more intense than discovering that her weird, inbred cult of a family had been plotting to kill her all along. They spoke of love, yet clearly had no comprehension of what the definition of the word actually meant. Alice's cousins, uncles, aunts and brothers were all worshippers of some dark god, and her mother was their high priestess.
“By my right as blood matron, like my own mother before me and her mother before her, I invoke the rite of rebirth. Praise be to the fanged goddess.”
The entire congregation repeated her words in unison.
“Praise be to the fanged goddess.”
As Caitlyn closed in until she was barely a few inches away from Alice's face, the robed followers within the crowd raised their arms into the air, chanting ever louder.
“Blood, death, rebirth! Blood, death, rebirth!”
Alice found herself completely helpless. The ropes that held her in place wouldn't budge an inch and she was still unable to make any coherent noises through the gag that propped her mouth open.
As the chant reached its climax, Caitlyn leant forward, holding Alice's wrist firmly with one hand as she made a deep incision with her dagger. The shock stopped the blade’s edge from hurting for a moment as Caitlyn moved across to the other arm and proceeded to cut that one open too.
An instant later, the sharp sting of metal sent shooting warnings of pain directly to Alice's brain, causing her to realise what was happening. The only thing that hurt more than the physical wound was the level of betrayal that had been displayed there that very night.
As trickles of blood exited the open cuts, flowing down Alice's palms and dripping to the floor, the entire room fell
eerily silent. The only sounds were the wet drops hitting the ground as the emotionless Caitlyn lowered the blade to her side. She quickly stepped to one side as the fabric of her flowing robes dragged through the newly formed pools behind her. It smeared the fresh blood across wooden boards, forming a trail of red.
Drums started to beat, hidden away somewhere behind the alcoves on either end of the room. They started slow and steady, but soon began to build up into a rhythm that kept Alice on edge. Her adrenaline was pumping rapidly, causing the blood that coursed through her arteries to escape through the wounds on her wrists at a much faster pace.
The congregation parted in the middle without warning, leaving an aisle down the centre of the room from the door in the rear to the stage. At the back of the room stood a lone figure in a pure white cloak that covered their entire form, with a lace veil that hid their face beneath its layers.
Caitlyn knelt down, placing the bloodied dagger neatly on the stage in front of her as she spoke to the woman in white.
“We welcome you, mistress of the night. Please accept our offering as was promised to you all those years ago.”
She lowered her head submissively, calling out to her followers to do the same.
“The fanged goddess walks among us. We are humbled by your presence.”
Row after row of cultists fell to their knees showing their solidarity and dedication to the one they worshipped, as the beating of the drums continued.
Without a word, the woman in white began to make her way towards the stage, placing one foot in front of the other and taking one step at a time as if she was the bride in a wedding procession. Lifting the veil back from her head, Alice could just about make out what lay beneath. A creature of angelic beauty, with every feature in perfect symmetry.
The woman's face was hauntingly perfect and flawless in every way. There were no marks or blemishes to speak of, nor a single hair out of place. It was as if she had been carved from the finest of stone by a master of the arts and was expertly sculpted to take your breath away. She was in no hurry to reach the altar, drawing out the length of the ceremony for her own sick pleasure.
As she neared the steps that lead up to the raised platform, the woman adjusted a clasp that held the cloak around her neck, discarding her clothing and letting it fall to the floor. Her naked body beneath was just as mesmerising as her face. A true masterpiece, with curves that Alice found impossible to look away from. Smooth skin almost as white as the material she had worn, with contrasting tribal tattoos in black ink that drew focus around their complicated and weaving designs.
The tattoos were captivating as they worked their way up from the woman’s legs, across every inch of her torso and wound right down the entire length of her arms, ending at the tips of her fingers. It was the most intricate of designs that must have taken weeks to complete, but none of it had faded. It was still as sharp and clear as if it had been done that very day, as impossible as that seemed.
Alice found that her panic had subsided, leaving a calm serenity that made her feel safe. A protective aura emanated from the woman, soothing her fears and making her completely forget about all present dangers. The blood spilling from her wrists was no longer of concern and there was no longer a sense of urgency about her impending doom, as she felt as though no harm would come to her as long as the woman willed it. She was so close now, causing Alice's pulse to race in anticipation. She wasn't scared, rather she was excited at the prospect of what could happen. However, as the woman ran a finger across Alice's hands and raised bloodied fingers to her mouth, something inside changed.
Like a shark in water, the woman honed in on Alice, sensing her vulnerability. The warmth of her aura was replaced by that of death as her angelic features turned in to that of a demonic predator. Alice found herself trying to scream and recoil in horror as the woman's face twisted, baring sharp fangs that had been hidden until now. No breath escaped her snarling lips as her serpentine eyes stared directly into Alice's soul, their noses almost touching.
The struggle was indeed real, but Alice felt too weak to put up a fight. She was completely helpless and unable to resist as the woman leapt on to her, sinking her teeth into the soft flesh of the girl's neck and pressing her shoulders against the stonework with powerful hands that were cold to the touch. Death itself had come to claim Alice and there was no way out.
Resigning to the end that fate had set out for her, Alice simply gave up trying to break free and let the woman drain the life force straight from her veins. She surrendered her body fully in what must have been the ceremonies grand finale.
**********
Death was painful at first, but as soon as Alice stopped struggling the discomfort seemed to cease. As her breathing lessened and her heart beat began to slow, she found that the whole experience was strangely pleasurable. It was almost euphoric as the blood was sucked from her body, leaving her dry and unable to move a single muscle. She gave into the darkness, begging to be released from her mortal shell.
Alice hadn't been ready to die, but now it was actually happening, it didn't seem so terrifying a prospect. It was like falling asleep, with pleasant dreams of being greeted by family and a friend long lost.
As she took her last breath, Alice felt herself being pulled away from her final rest. The light at the end of the tunnel was snuffed out, leaving her in darkness, yet she didn't dwell there alone. A whisper spoke to her from beyond the grave.
“I have waited so long for this moment and now you are finally here with me.”
For the first time in a while, Alice found herself able to respond.
“Who are you?”
“I am the warm embrace. I am your death and salvation.”
Alice floated there in the void of empty space, unable to determine which direction the voice was coming from.
“You're the woman in white.”
“That is correct and I have come for you.”
There was brief pause as the voice in the darkness appeared to shift.
“I will give you anything you wish, you need only kill to survive. What is it your heart desires, my child?”
Alice thought long and hard about her answer. She wanted to be with Sam and her family, but there was something she wanted even more than that.
"I don't want to hurt anyone anymore. I just want to be normal."
The voice moved again, coming from an entirely different place now.
"That, my dear, is asking the impossible. You are far too special to blend in with mortals."
Alice tried to turn to face the voice every time it changed, but it happened so often that it was almost impossible.
“What makes me so special? Why am I so important to you?”
"You are exceptionally gifted with a rare form of foresight that can be imprinted on to the minds of others. Unfortunately, the side effects can cause a person to lose their grip on reality, driving them completely insane. I know you have experienced this. I can help you learn to control it."
Feeling guilt building up inside, Alice knew that she had corrupted her friend in some way.
“Sam... His death was my fault.”
An easily recognisable voice of a boy spoke to her from the very back of her consciousness.
“Alice, don't listen to her lies! You can still be whoever you want to be. You just have to make your own choices.”
It was Sam, but the woman's voice didn't appear to hear it as she continued to talk.
"The visions you are granted can be difficult to interpret, especially for someone as young as yourself. They may not always make sense, and may cause you to question your own sanity. Some of the things that you see may be false, while others may be about future events or even supernatural forces. It is up to you to filter out all the confusion, but I can teach you how."
Sam's voice called out in Alice's mind again.
"It's a trap! She can't be trusted, Alice. She'll turn you into her slave."
Listening to her friend and trying h
er best to hide her distrust of the disembodied voice, Alice tried to reason with her.
“What if I'm not ready for such a power or responsibilities that come with it?”
“You’ve had it within you throughout your entire life. This isn't a choice that you can make.”
Trying to stall for time until she could figure something out, Alice responded with yet more questions.
“There surely must be another path for me to choose? This can't be the only option. Maybe there's a less obvious choice. What if I don't want to accept your help and decide to pass on instead?”
The woman was beginning to suspect that something else was at play as she started to sound agitated at Alice's words.
"You're mine, child. You've always been mine and will belong to me for all eternity. You will come to understand this in time."
Still floating in the darkness, Alice smiled widely as she came to realise that the woman was growing increasingly frustrated. Maybe she could hold out indefinitely and take her turn at tormenting someone else for a change, instead of being tormented herself. Alice's body may have been broken, but her spirit apparently had some fight left in it.
“How long do you want to do this? I'm dead already and now have all the time in the world.”
The voice didn't answer, withdrawing instead to leave Alice suspended in limbo. However, she knew that it wasn't the end. Her captor would likely return, prepared to wear her down until she begged for mercy.
For now, it was time to enjoy the relative quiet of death. Alice hoped that maybe the fanged goddess would actually decide to stay away and leave her there to rest in peace.
Chapter Seven: Getting lost in the crowd.
Wherever Alice was now, it was extremely cramped and very hot. Not hot like a midsummer's day, but more akin to a sweltering and humid heat, similar to getting trapped in the middle of an elevator packed full of people for hours. For a brief second, she thought that she was in hell and was being punished for the lives of those who were hurt because of her very existence. She could still move around a little, but her arms and legs kept hitting against metallic walls.
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