The Cornelius Saga Series (All 15 Books): The Ultimate Adventure-packed Supernatural Thriller Collection

by Tanya R. Taylor

  “We will commune together shortly out back, then we will wash our hands and cleanse our hearts for the sacrifice,” Rosetta said.

  Mira crouched down again and so did Barns.

  “I have to find out what’s in that shed,” she whispered. “Let’s go.”

  They quietly ran over to the nearest trailer, taking cover behind it, then moved over to another one several feet away, looking back periodically to see if anyone was watching them. Next, Mira led the way over to a clump of bushes roughly forty-five feet behind the shed. She was certain it was the “holy shed” Rosetta had referred to.

  “Stay here,” she told Barns. “I’m going to see what’s inside there and if there’s anything we can use as a weapon, just in case we need it.”

  Barns nodded. “Hurry back!”

  She dashed across the open yard and made it to the shed. She looked around again, before slowly pushing the door inward.

  Inside the shed was fairly dark and musty. Shovels, pickaxes, and farming tools hung along the wooden walls, as well as an especially long, shiny sword. A rectangular table stood in the center of the space and a little ways off in a corner of the room was something she couldn’t recognize. Slowly, she moved in to have a better look. It was hanging low from the rafters with a large, black plastic covering it. Then an eerie feeling enveloped Mira and she backed away. Her eyes, falling below to where the plastic ended, spotted two feet—completely skeletonized. Covering her mouth to prevent herself from screaming, she then looked in awe as she saw something emerging from the dark area behind the concealed skeleton. It was a young girl—the same one she’d seen at the mental hospital who’d walked straight through the doors of the room where Rachelle Wigby was.

  “Who are you?” Mira asked her. “Are you Priscilla?”

  The girl hung her head to the side and gazed in like manner at Mira.

  “Your mom’s waiting for you to come home. Don’t you know that?”

  Without responding, she turned her head to its vertical position and just stared.

  “I don’t have to tell you that she misses you. You already know that.” Mira studied her in those moments. She knew the girl was no longer the same as she’d been when she left home three years earlier. “What on earth have they done to you?” She glanced over at the skeleton. “Is this their idea of a sacrifice? Is someone killed every year here on this compound in front of you kids, as a sacrifice?”

  The scales Mira had seen before were also in this child’s eyes. She realized they’d all been somehow brainwashed.

  Just then, the girl stretched out her hand toward Mira’s face, but in the blink of an eye, the tip of her finger sent Mira flying back into the back wall of the shed. She crashed into the thick logs at full speed, then slid onto the floor. Instantly, she felt an excruciating pain and thought she’d broken every bone in her back. Struggling to stand, she started crawling on the floor, and hoped by some miracle she’d make it to the door. That’s when she saw the girl walking toward her. The look of fury had suddenly become embedded in those dark, sinister eyes.

  “Please, Priscilla. I came here to find you and to take you home. I know how to get you out of here.”

  Mira wasn’t sure if her words had landed on deaf ears, until she felt her body gradually levitating from the floor, and with a single flick of the girl’s finger, she was tossed up into the rafters where she hit her head. She landed onto the floor with a thump—unconscious.

  12

  _________________

  Barns had heard the commotion inside and was about to step out of the bushes when he saw the large group of children and three adults running toward the shed. Immediately, he crouched down again and observed what was taking place from behind the leaves.

  “Oh God! Please let Mira be all right!” He silently prayed.

  The children were all carrying some sort of weapon—many had machetes and others – knives, baseball bats and hammers. Barns’ heart was in his mouth as he suddenly found himself struggling for air through the large lump that had formed inside his throat. He remembered what Mira had said about having a family to get back to and instantly, he felt incredibly guilty. He’d convinced her to come to Nirvana and now it seemed like none of them would return to Mizpah alive. He didn’t have any family at home—no one to return to except his friends and his medical practice. In his mind, Mira had so much more at stake. He could never forgive himself for luring her away from the safety of her own home.

  Everyone had entered the shed, and realizing he didn’t have anything to use as a weapon, he looked around at the ground to see if there was anything he could find.

  * * * *

  Mira was slightly discombobulated when she finally regained consciousness. As soon as she peeled her eyes open, she realized she was looking upwards into the rafters where a single light bulb dimly shone. Instinctively, she turned her head right toward her outstretched arm and as panic started to briskly set in, she quickly looked the other way and noticed the same thing with her left. Both arms had been strapped to the table she was lying on. When she raised her head to check her feet, which she found tied together with duct tape, that’s when they all started to encircle the table, holding their prized weapons.

  The children seemed happy to see her, but not in the way she would have liked. Their eyes revealed evil intent. Rosetta, Alan and Sister Ruth soon made their way through the crowd and stood next to Mira.

  “My, oh, my. Look what we’ve got here, everyone!” Rosetta said, cheerfully. “We’ve been blessed by our master with an alternate sacrifice.” She looked around proudly at the children, then at one, in particular. “Cathy, I know you had been selected for today’s offering, where you will be one again with the universe and the highest form of spirituality bestowed upon you, but the master knows best. You will have to wait a little longer, my dear.”

  The thin, sheepish brunette looked quite disappointed, but accepting.

  “What are you people doing?” Mira exclaimed. “Untie me right this minute!”

  Alan eyed her from head to toe, then leaned in toward her ear, “You must willingly accept that the master knows what’s best.” He blew into her face and a few strands of her hair fell over her right eye.

  “Are we ready?” Sister Ruth asked, clearly annoyed by the delay.

  Rosetta nodded.

  “Remove the former!” Ruth said. Two older boys went over to the dangling skeleton. One used his knife to cut it from the ceiling and the other helped him carry it out of the shed.

  The good doctor saw them transporting what looked like a dead body, but the size of it assured him it wasn’t Mira or his niece, Priscilla. He’d only managed to find a broken glass bottle among the thickets and was trying to muster the nerve to barge into that shed at just the right moment. Although he’d be risking his life, he had to do so in hopes of saving Mira. And in the end, if they both were killed, at least he would die with a clearer conscience than if he decided to run for the hills.

  Soon, he heard a splash and knew they’d dropped the body into the nearby pond. He waited for them to return before dashing over to the shed.

  13

  _________________

  In less than ten minutes, the boys were back and they shut the door behind them. By then, all of the candles were lit inside the shed and Mira was looking straight up at the girl who had perched herself upside down in the beam of the rafter directly above her. Drool was rolling off her lips and falling as soft pebbles onto Mira’s face. She cringed in disgust.

  “She’s our pride and joy.” Rosetta smiled, glancing up at Priscilla. “The chosen one who’s been graced with great wisdom and power. No one here can do what she is capable of and only because she’s accepted her calling to protect and shield this holy community of servants from all danger—near and far. She’ll help you, my dear lady, with your transition.” She told Mira.

  “Is visiting her mother, through means of astral-projection in order to torment her with her loss a part of protectin
g and shielding you all?” Mira asked, much to everyone’s surprise. “If she was so chosen and embedded in this little crazed community of yours, she would have left the past in the past. But she hasn’t because she’s still angry at her mother because of the lies you told her!”

  Rosetta was stunned by Mira’s accusation. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. You sound deranged.”

  “You know exactly what I’m talking about,” Mira said. “You told Priscilla that her mother sent her away because she didn’t want her anymore. You told each of these children one lie after the other to convince them that they were better off here than with their parents – and that’s after you’d kidnapped and nearly starved them to death. You watched them cry in lonely, dark corners for their families. You weakened their spirits and stole their will to fight, thus the reason for the scales only you and I can see. You dealt in darkness and pretended to come in the name of God. You are a wretched woman. A witch!”

  The children didn’t seem swayed by Mira’s assertions. All they knew was that she was the alternate sacrifice and would be for an entire year. It was a most anticipated occasion for them as they got to celebrate afterwards in grand style for hours on end.

  Feeling the need to end the argument, Rosetta briskly walked over to the wall where the long, shiny sword was mounted and removed it from its bracket. She then calmly returned to the table and said, “Let us pray.”

  They all bowed their heads as she prayed a prayer of gratitude for the sacrificial gift. Mira’s eyes were on Priscilla again who was still high above her, raining down droplets of drool from which she could barely escape.

  Strange chants filled the room in a language completely foreign to Mira and as she lie there helplessly, she wished she could see sweet little Rosie, Sara and Bobby just one more time to tell them how much she loved them. She wondered if her father or Karlen Key would come from beyond the grave to save her from a violent end. Hopelessness was beginning to set in when the praying and chanting ended, and Rosetta was moving in closer with the sword. Mira watched the woman clutch it with both hands and raise it directly above her neck when suddenly, Barns rushed into the shed.

  “Stop!” he exclaimed. “I don’t know what on earth has gotten into you people, but you need to put that sword down, lady.” He grabbed Sister Ruth from behind and quickly placed the broken glass against her throat. “I won’t hesitate to kill her.”

  Mira wasn’t sure if she was relieved or upset that Barns had shown up to rescue her. She would have much preferred if he’d run off and saved himself.

  “Doc!” she cried, shaking her head.

  Priscilla was looking at Doctor Barns; flashbacks of her childhood now racing through her mind. She could still feel the warmth of his hugs and recalled the gifts and cards he’d sent year after year; the listening ear he gave when she needed to talk to someone about her troubles at home. Her Uncle David was always just a phone call away. That moment was the first time in years she’d felt any emotion for another human being, other than anger.

  Glaring at Barns, Rosetta released a hearty, guttural laugh. “You can’t threaten us into submission! How dare you barge in here and think you can?” She lowered the sword to her side. “Grab him!”

  In an instant, he was also a captive—seized by the same boys who’d taken out the skeleton. Rosetta had smelt the weakness inside of him; his inability to willfully harm another person. She walked over to the doctor who was trying to free himself from the grips of the much stronger young men. Rosetta allowed the edge of the sword to scrape the floor as she approached him, another tactic to further intensify his already crippling fear.

  “Leave him alone!” Mira shouted, raising her head as high as she could manage. “I’m your sacrifice—not him!”

  “Mira, I’m sorry,” he said as the crazed woman was now within a few feet of him. He knew this was the end, but at least he tried to help his friend.

  “Don’t be sorry about anything, Doc! I chose to come. I wanted to come!” She looked at Priscilla again whose face had seemed to soften slightly. “Please, Priscilla…don’t let them do this. He’s your Uncle—your blood! This is not who you are.”

  Barns looked up and was shocked by the sight of the girl on the ceiling. She did not look like his niece. Her face was rough, partially distorted and those eyes were not Priscilla’s.

  “Priscilla?” Barns spoke softly, unsure if he wanted her to hear. She seemed bestial.

  Rosetta was grinning as she scraped the sword even harder. “We can’t allow you to intrude upon a most holy ceremony. For that, you will die today, along with your friend. The difference is you’ll be cut into pieces and become one with the pond and your friend will hang on these rafters and rot until all that’s left of her are brittle bones. And even then, they will remain in here for a full year as a reminder of a most precious sacrifice.”

  “Release him!” Priscilla flew down from the ceiling at once.

  All eyes were on her—everyone shocked by the demand.

  “What in the master’s name are you doing?” Sister Ruth asked.

  Rosetta turned and faced the girl. “How dare you fly into the face of the master’s most trusted servant? It’s because of me that you have the power that’s been bestowed upon you. Don’t you ever forget it. You owe me your life! Now, get away from me!” She scoffed, “And return to the chapel at once and repent.”

  Rosetta turned her back on Priscilla and glared at Barns again. The moment she went to raise the sword to plunge it into his stomach, Priscilla, with lightning speed, moved in front of him. Now facing Rosetta—her leader, she extended her hand forcefully, and the woman found herself in a battle against her own limbs, resisting with all her might, from handing over the sword to the girl. Crippled by what Priscilla could do to them, no one dared to intervene. Finally, Rosetta unwillingly handed the sword to Priscilla and after the girl released her from her mental grip, she charged at her only to find the sword had been plunged into her abdomen and out through her back. She fell to the floor with her eyes frozen in a lifeless gaze at those gathered before her. Sister Ruth and Alan Wales gasped at the sudden turn of events.

  From the moment Rosetta took her last breath, something dramatic happened: Mira could see the scales falling off of all the children’s eyes, including Priscilla’s. It was as if they were suddenly awakened from a nightmare. Suddenly, Priscilla turned around in her uncle’s direction, and finally, he saw the beautiful face he’d always known and those lovely brown eyes he could never forget. The two immediately embraced.

  In the meanwhile, Mira was being untied by a couple of helpful kids and noticed Alan Wales and Sister Ruth easing out of the shed. Still feeling severe pain in her back and slight throbbing in her head, she was sure they would not get far.

  Barns and Priscilla walked over to her as the children were busy talking amongst themselves about whatever little they could remember or thought was merely a dream.

  “Mira, allow me to formally introduce to you my favorite and only niece, Priscilla. Priscilla, my dear, this is my wonderful friend, Doctor Mira Cullen, who along with you, is responsible for saving my life today.”

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Priscilla,” Mira said. “I’m so happy you’re okay now.”

  “Thank you, Doctor Cullen. I’m not sure what my uncle is talking about though.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” Mira replied. “It’s all over now. You’re going back home.”

  She immediately noticed a rather dismal expression on the girl’s face and she put her arm around her shoulder. “Things are gonna be much better now, Priscilla. Your mother loves you very much and wants nothing more in this world than having you home again. You go back and do the right thing. Make your family proud; but mostly, do it for yourself because you deserve it.”

  Touched by Mira’s words, Priscilla nodded. “I will.”

  “That’s my girl!” Barns gently squeezed her arm. “And I’m here for you whenever you need me. Nothing about
that has changed. I’m so happy you’re all right!” He exclaimed.

  “Let’s get out of here!” Mira said to Barns. “You’d have to give me a hand.”

  “My pleasure!” He quickly went to help her up.

  She looked around the room. “Come on, kids, we’re all going home now!”

  She and Barns made sure that every child who was on the compound was following them through the open field and back in the direction of the dark tunnel which was inside the rocky formation they’d passed through. Once there, Mira made the children walk ahead of her and Dr. Barns, as she guided them in the right direction. Priscilla remained at her uncle’s side the entire time. One by one, they eventually walked through the invisible passage and out onto the side of Highway 60.

  14

  _________________

  Parents and guardians of all the missing children hurried down to the precinct to be with their kids after they’d been transported there by a police bus. They soon moved on to the local hospital where each child was checked thoroughly for any signs of physical distress. The doctors found absolutely none. All of the children were in excellent physical condition, though doctors believed they could use some very good counseling in light of what they’d been through.

  Rachelle Wigby was discharged from the mental institution immediately after Barns called and broke the news to her that Priscilla and the other children were found.

  She was eagerly waiting on the front porch of her home when Barns, Mira and Priscilla pulled up in the rented car. The moment Priscilla stepped out from the back seat, Rachelle ran toward her and grabbed her into her arms. With tears streaming down their faces, they held each other for what felt like hours. Barns and Mira stood nearby, joyfully shedding a few tears of their own.