Page 34 of Witch
Beside her was another fully decomposed body with the Heretic’s Fork secured to her body. The two-pronged, sharp device was secured beneath the chin and against the chest, preventing the woman from lowering her head. Eventually, she had no choice, exhausted and deprived of sleep.
“I know what that is,” said Ivan, pointing to an object on the floor. “It’s used for waterboarding.”
Noah nodded. It was the ancient form of waterboarding used to determine if the woman could live through such conditions. Of course, if she did, she was a witch and would be burned alive. If she didn’t, well, so be it.
“These women haven’t been dead that long. Who are they?” asked Flip. Noah stood straight, walking toward the two corpses. He seemed in a trance-like state, then nodded.
“Astrid Vargas and Zara Bailey. They have been waiting for someone to free them,” said Noah, tears streaming down his face. “I am too late. We are too late.”
“You are not too late,” said the woman named Astrid. “You have freed our souls. You will tell the story.”
Noah wasn’t shocked by it, but Flip, Ivan, and Pork stood very still as the image of the women stepping from their torturous confines. The second woman stood beside the first, and they held still.
“You have freed us,” said Zara. “There are others. Some are buried down here. You must help them. You must free them as well.”
“We’ll free all of you,” said Ivan. “We’re so sorry we couldn’t get here sooner.”
“You couldn’t. You didn’t know,” said the woman. “He is crazy. He believes he’s finishing his ancestor’s work.”
“We’re trying to get him to confess, but we’re having some trouble getting him to actually stay in one place,” said Flip.
“He is afraid of the spirits,” said Zara. “It’s why he left the house and didn’t return. His parents knew nothing of what happened here. We tried to make ourselves known, but we weren’t strong enough. The others haunted him day and night, driving him away. He never returned.”
“We know where he is,” said Noah. “I promise you, he will pay for what he has done to you.”
“Will you release the others?” asked Astrid.
“Where are they?” asked Flip.
The ghostly specter pointed to a doorway, and Flip reluctantly opened it, stepping inside. There were at least seven bodies of women lined up against the wall, obviously having been tortured.
“There are two in the stables, beneath the floors, and one buried below the dock on the lake,” said Astrid.
“Jesus,” whispered Flip. “That’s at least fifteen bodies, with the others that were found. We need a bigger team up here to recover and set these women free.”
Before anyone could say anything, they turned to see the guiding light of Matthew before them. He smiled at the men, touching their cheeks as he walked by each one. When he reached Noah, he pulled the big man down, hugging him, kissing his forehead.
“I love you, son,” he whispered. Noah nearly fell to his knees, the weight of what had happened suddenly relieved from him.
“Matthew, what are you doing here?” asked Ivan.
“I’m going to help these beautiful children get home so they will be free. The other boys are already out on the back lawn. I notified them almost immediately, and Evie brought them here to help. He will have nowhere to hide after this.”
“What should we do?” asked Noah.
“You’ve done it,” smiled Matthew. “You found them, and now they can go home.”
“My parents. My parents were so worried,” said Astrid.
“They will have peace now, knowing that you were found and can be buried properly. When my sons find the man who did this, they will experience another kind of peace.”
Without a word, without a sound, Matthew and the two women were gone, and Noah fell to his knees, exhausted. They heard the pounding feet of their teammates and turned to see Ghost and Ian running toward the big man.
“Noah? Noah? Son, are you alright?” asked Ghost.
“I-I will be,” he nodded. “He tortured them.”
“What?” said Ian.
