Rory
Cedric’s laughter echoes in my skull as they drag us into the night. The moonlight casts a cold spotlight on two crosses, side by side, surrounded by a ring of fire. A crowd gathers—called from their homes to watch blood spill under moonlight.
Some of them smile. A few even laugh.
I grit my teeth.Pathetic assholes.
“Pathetic assholes,” I mutter, just loud enough for Ryven to hear.
Hejust stares blankly ahead as we are shoved toward our death.This is it.Tonight, I’m leaving this godforsaken district—for good.
Not the way I wanted. But any exit’s a valid one.
The flames are low, crackling quietly as they move us into the circle—into waiting arms. One of the members lifts me and carries me over to the cross they plan to stick me on. Ryven lashes out at the men hauling him forward. I hear a grunt—then a scream—as he connects.
Then, there is silence again. Ryven’s body hangs from the other men’s arms as they drag his unconscious body over to where his cross lies. The hit got him, knocking him out cold to keep him from fighting.
I stay still.Let them think I’ve given up.No fight left.
But they don’t know me.
I’m not done.Not by a long shot.
Deep down, I don’t want to die.
If I die here, they win.
The cult goes on. The blood keeps flowing. The system survives.
Not if I have a say in it.
Time stretches as they bind our wrists to the beams.
My fingers tingle, and my shoulders scream, but I keep still.
The crowd's soft murmurs begin to echo throughout the field. The cult members don’t speak. Don’t blink. Instead, they move like they’ve done this before. Too many times, and soon, we’re upright and on display for everyone to see.
As they hang Ryven’s body, he comes to and jolts awake. His gasp is so audible many of the crowd members look his way. His eyes are wide and frantic as he assesses our situation.
“Hey,” I whisper.
He slowly turns his head in my direction, and his face seems calmer.
“It’s going to be okay, Ryven,” I whisper. “No matter what happens next.”
But it isn’t soft enough, and one of the nearby members hears me and looks up. Then he swings the baton he is holding at my ribcage, and a shooting pain jolts through my body.
“Shut the fuck up!” he yells as he begins to walk away. I bite down the scream, blinking through the pain.Let him think he silenced me.
Ryven thrashes in his restraints, fury boiling from his throat. “Touch her again and I’ll gut you! I swear to—” He chokes on rage as I clench my fists tighter.
“Enough!” Cedric’s voice slices through the chaos. The crowd turns like puppets on strings.
I scan the crowd, looking for any familiar faces, And then—two faces in the crowd.
Milly. Jennifer.
Half-shadowed, but watching. Jennifer meets my gaze and nods with a flat smile.
