Page 39 of Dollface

“By the blood of the sacred thirteen.” I tilted my arm and watched as the roots squirmed and moved in my direction. They slithered up and wrapped around my body and arm while constricting like a snake. I struggled to hold myself upright andwatched as more roots absorbed every bit of my spilled blood. The ashen roots shifted from a faint gray to a menacing black.

“Very good, Sabbath.” My mother touched my shoulder. “It’s late. You should return to your brother.” She whispered to The Ancient One’s roots, and they slowly released me, recoiling back to nature as before. I gasped at their absence and looked down at my arm. The wound was now scared over. A visual reminder of the curse I bore and could never escape. I stood and turned to face my mother. “Do not worry, Sabbath. The girl will be handled in a delicate way. She will not thwart our plans. And as long as you do your part, no harm will come to her. Now, return to your cabin. We begin tomorrow.“

“Yes, Mother.” My chest heaved with anger as I silently walked away from The Ancient One and towards the entrance of the cave.

“Oh, and Sabbath?” I stopped as my mother spoke. “If I find you helping that girl, in any way, I will not hesitate to kill you myself.” My face hardened at her threat. “And unlike your father’s death, I won’t be as merciful.” And at that moment, I knew there was no love left in her body for me. I wasn’t her son; I was a burden. A constant reminder of her greatest shame.

I glanced back over my shoulder at her. “I understand.”

I’ll make sure the ritual goes smoothly, Mother.

EIGHT

ASTER

“With my blood,I swear to always love you, Rosie. To remain with you, even past death, as our bodies and souls tie together and remain as one until the end of time.” His blood began to drip onto the floor as I gawked at him, completely shocked by what he had done.

“Sabbath,” I exhaled, tears swelling in my eyes from both panic and appreciation. “I—I—” I was at a loss for words. He held the blade out to me, his blood staining the tip as I stared at it. He bled for me, and now I needed to do the same. To prove myself. My hand shook as I instinctively retrieved it from his grasp, gripping the handle and turning my own arm over. Something overcame me as I began to mimic his action and cut myself, fighting back tears as the pain of what I was doing radiated from me. The pain was oddly satisfying, acting like an aphrodisiac.

“With my blood, I swear to always love you. I will remain with you, even past death, as we become one, our souls forever twisted and tied together.” As I lifted the blade, I stared down at what I had done, feeling almost empowered by it. My gaze rose back to him as we held out our bloody arms. “I am yours, Sabbath.”

Darkness seeped into my mind as the crystal clear memory rippled like water. It was painful to watch, knowing what would quickly follow. But I had no choice. I was a prisoner to these glimpses into my past. I tried to look away, to shut it all off, but I couldn't. Something was holding me there and forcing me to witness it all over again.

“We are one, Rosie. Forever. And you canneverleave me.”

No. No! Stop this! I don’t want to see this!

Sabbath’s voice began to echo around in my mind as the memory tore and burst in flames. “Ring around the Rosie. A pocket full of posies. Ashes. Ashes. We all fall down.” His laughter overlapped his singing and everything fell into darkness.

No!

I forced my eyes shut.

Stop this! Get out of my head. Get out of my head!

Everything fell into silence.

It’s just a dream.

I took a deep breath and reluctantly opened my eyes. I was standing alone, deep in the woods. The ashen colored roots of The Ancient One branched and twisted in every direction as totems swung in the cold night breeze from the trees. The woods were soaked in a deep red hue as a full blood moon burned in the night sky. Redwood leaves rained down all around me from the ancient tree, mimicking small embers of fire dripping down to the ground. If I’d not know the truth behind this place, I might’ve thought it was beautiful. But it wasn’t. It was cursed. And it was evil.

I turned to run, but instead, my body slammed into Sabbath’s. Only he didn’t look like his usual self. He looked… possessed. “Sabbath?” He ignored me entirely.

What the hell?

“Sabbath.” I looked back towards the ancient tree to see a plague doctor. It was the same one with the elaborate mask I saw in the cave. The woman. “Bring her to me.”

Sabbath obeyed without any hesitation. He picked me up and carried me towards the mysterious woman. “No! Sabbath!” I kicked and screamed while trying to escape. “What are you doing?” Still no reaction.

Sabbath stopped directly in front of the woman. She tilted her head and walked closer. I pleaded with him to let me go, but he didn’t listen. The woman laughed, and it echoed all around the woods. “Oh, you naive little thing.” She grabbed my face. “He cannot hear you. I have his mind within my grasp, as I do yours.” Her hand squeezed my jaw harder, and I winced at the pain. “I could crush you so easily right now. End your life and remove the very thing clouding his judgement.” I stared at her. “But alas, I cannot.” She roughly dropped my face and stepped back.

“Who are you?” I asked. “And why are you in my mind?” I struggled some more.

The mask tilted. “I am his mother. And I’m here to make sure you know exactly what you are up against.” What?

A loud, ear piercing screech shot through the woods before it fell into a vibrating growl. The ground shook from the vastly demonic sound that came from within the tree, and I knew whatever made it was bad.

What the fuck is that?

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