Page 77 of Unbinding the Demon
The drive seemed to go on for ages, even though it was probably only about fifteen minutes. Every bump and stop jostled me around like a helpless little rag-doll. I laid there alone in the dark, listening to the spinning tires crunching over what sounded like a dirt or gravel road. I should have been at home right around this time, enjoying my leftover tortellini. My heart was breaking as I despondently reflected on my short life.
I reminisced about my friendships, thinking of all our silly antics and the ridiculous escapades we had been on. My thoughts drifted to Aunt Elowynn and to how she was always so good to me, wishing I could have made her proud. I thought of my parents...Eh, fuck those drunken booze monkeys. I then thought of Ashton and how I wished we could have had a life together. I wished we could have gotten married and raised a few kids in his big lakeside house.
The thought shattered my heart, and my chest tightened as I sobbed. The gag in my mouth made it worse, but I just couldn’t help myself. He was still out there looking for me. What would he do when he finally got the news that my body had been found? If it was ever found, that is. I felt extremely guilty about the immense pain my stupidity and mistrust would soon cause him, and it really fucking hurt.
The car came to a slow stop. The sounds of footsteps and rummaging came from outside the car, barely audible. The rear hood popped open with a soft click. There was distant chatter as two arms wrapped around my body and lifted me out of that awful trunk. The sound of gravel crunching under shoes turned into the rustling of leaves, so I assumed we had entered the forest.
Tiny brittle twigs ensnared and tugged at my clothes as I was carried over what seemed like uneven terrain. The smells of the decaying leaves and earthy soil mixed with wood chips and body odor filled my nose, giving away that it was that Simon guy carrying me again. About ten minutes had passed when a warm glow pierced through the material of the sack over my head, and the soft crackling of fire danced in my ears.
I was laid down with my back against a cold, flat stone. They untied my hands, but then pulled them up above my head and spread them apart. Ropes burned into my skin again as they roughly strapped my wrists to the corners of the stone. They did the same thing with my feet next, so that I felt like a splayed-out starfish.
I yanked at my restraints while grumbling like a curmudgeon through the gag, but judging by how tight they were, it obviously wasn’t going to do me any good. Someone slid the sack off my head, and I blinked as my eyes adjusted to my surroundings. The stars twinkled above, and the bright moon was just shy of a waxing gibbous. Branches illuminated by the warm light swayed in the wind against the night sky, producing gentle clinks as they came together.
I turned my head to the side, where seven people stood. All wore white hooded robes with royal blue embroidery and glittering sapphire pendants around their necks. They were casually standing around, chit-chatting in the flickering light of a circle of flaming torches. I nervously looked down at myself and realized... that I was strapped down... to a stone altar... in the middle of the woods.
Fucking. Fuckity. Fuck…
33. The Damsel and the Demon
Puffs of misty breath swirled around my dirty, bruised face, appearing like spirits fading into the twinkling obsidian sky. My heart frantically beat in my chest as I laid there, a bedraggled mess, strapped down to the cold stone, awaiting my violent fate at the hands of a psychotic megalomaniac. Each warm tear that trickled down from the corners of my reddened eyes left a cold, wet trail along my skin and dampened the hair near my temples.
Even though I had spent the last few hours somewhat preparing myself for this, now that the time had come, a whirlwind of emotions overwhelmed me. I was terrified. I was in utter emotional ruins. I was furious. I was regretful. But, most of all, I was lonely. I sucked in a shaky breath, yearning for someone who cared about me. Someone to hold my hand and comfort me through my final bleak moments in this world. A hollowing pain constricted my chest as it heaved from all my sobbing and consternation.
My watery gaze stared wistfully up into the glimmering sea of starlight. A plethora of naked, wavering branches and towering white pines framed the night sky. The rustling trees hissed in the blustery wind, making it seem as though the forest itself sang lamentations for my doomed soul.
In a moment of desperation or borderline insanity, I imagined that each scintillating star was reaching down and kissing my face with their gentle rays. I found an imaginary sense of solace within the company of the stars. It was as though they were the spirits of all those who had passed on and were standing nearby to comfort me. I smiled as I envisioned them assuaging all the fear and grief from my forlorn soul like long-lost friends.
My stargazing was interrupted as Father Adelstein approached the altar like a pharisaic reaper cloaked in white. His foggy breath swirled around his face as he loomed over me and pulled the hood from his head. Firelight flickered across his shadowy face, which held an incongruous combination of compassion and bloodlust within his sharp features.
He pulled a long, glossy black dagger from the loose sleeve of his cloak, with a murderous twinkle in his hazel eyes. The gag in my mouth muffled my sudden scream while I thrashed against my tight restraints, causing my skin to burn and my wrists to bleed.
“Shhh, don’t worry, my dear. Not yet,” he whispered in a soothing tone. His cold, clammy hand brushed my sapphire gem to the side, causing it to become hidden within my messy, sprawled-out hair. My tears began flowing like rivers as he solemnly used the terrifying dagger to cut away at my jacket, shirt, and bra. The iridescent blade sliced through the various materials with soft ripping sounds until the freezing air caressed my bare skin. Goosebumps broke out all over my body. I shivered, and my teeth chattered.
“Now, now, don’t worry, my dear. We are all godly people here. The sins of the flesh tempt us not,” Adelstein sanctimoniously reassured, but his perverted gaze said otherwise. I glared up at him through my teary eyes. “Now, before we begin, I would like to perform the last rites with you in order to save your otherwise damned soul... Especially since you’ve so blatantly copulated in an unholy union.” He raised a brow, displaying his condescension as he spoke.
Is this guy seriously concerned about the fact that I’ve had premarital sex right now?
His slender hand once again ripped the tape from my mouth, leaving a throbbing sting behind. Then he pulled that disgusting cloth back out. I coughed and wheezed from the lack of moisture in my poor, parched mouth, rasping as I took in a strained breath. “Are you for fucking real right now!?” I gasped out, then coughed again. “You’re about to ritualistically murder me on a sacrificial altar, and you seriously plan to perform the last rites!?” I hissed, flabbergasted by this sicko’s priorities.
He sighed in irritation as he ran his hand through his hair. “Look, my dear, I’m trying to save your soul from damnation and hellfire. Have some good sense and cooperate with me here.” His knuckles turned white as his fingertips gripped the edge of the altar in agitation. “We shall begin with the final confession, so please, confess to me your sins.”
The torches crackled around us as the flames grew higher, fueled by a powerful gust of wind. “I’d rather go to Hell.” My voice was hushed but held a lethal bite. I stared up at him with pure hatred burning in my watery eyes.
His jaw clenched, and he leaned his head forward, casting an imposing shadow over my face. “I can see that you’re still under the influence of that hellish beast. All the more reason for you to confess, my dear.” He waved his hand in a circle, urging me to get on with it.
I scoffed. “You’re out of your goddamn mind if you think I’m going to confess to you when you’re literally about to stab my chest open, then rip my heart out and eat it!”
He tsked with an air of arrogance. “You need not worry about that, my dear. That’s not the type of ceremony we will be performing tonight—” He stilled, then narrowed his eyes at me with suspicion. “How do you know about that practice, my dear?” His words were slow and wary.
“Fuck you. You’re a sick fucking bastard. And stop calling me‘my dear.’”I snapped, ignoring his question, then flinched as I tugged on my now painful, bloodied restraints without realizing it.
His jaw clenched, and he huffed through his nose, fanning my already freezing body with his nasty, nasal breath-wind. “No matter, the apostolic pardon will have to do.” He spun around and interrupted the other clergy members, who were casually loafing around and engaged in a conversation about lemon squares. “Let’s begin right away! Everyone get into position!” There was an undertone of panic in his voice as he flailed his arms and took a few steps toward them.
“But Nancy was just about to share her award-winning recipe,” some random guy mentioned, disappointment clear in his voice.
Adelstein threw his hands up in frustration. “Then we’ll exchange recipes in a group email later! But we have to startnow!The demon could very well be coming for us as we speak!” He waved his hands frantically, then stormed back over to the altar.
The demon!?... Are you fucking kidding me!?
