The mouse, while wiggly, stayed firm in my pocket the entire lecture. I petted it to soothe it some and made an effort not to wince when it nipped me.Constantine, seeing I had the mouse, looked for the other items we needed for the ritual. When we returned to our room, we emptied our pockets.
“What did you get?” I asked.
“Two candles and a lighter.”
“I don’t know how to use this.” I took the red lighter from his hand and mimicked what I’d seen before.
“Let me try. You work on killing the mouse.”I stared at the creature in my hand. I didn’t want to kill him. What if he didn’t come back?
“I don’t have anything sharp.”Realizing we had no way to kill the thing, we let it go and vowed to try again another day. Every day, we collected more items. In five days, we had nine candles, some dried plants, and a fork.
“I know what you’re doing,” the Minister said one day as we took our seats in front of his desk. “It’s only natural curiosity.”Constantine and I shared a nervous glance as he paced around us. “If you were reading the text properly, you’d see that if you do the ritual wrong, it can have dire consequences. Boys, I am disappointed in you for not coming to me about helping you.”He paused behind his desk, putting his palms down and looking at us. “Would you like some assistance?”
We nodded.He left the room and returned with a box.
“Now, it will work to a lesser extent, as we are not sacrificing a member of the Family. However, consider this almost a party trick. Something to show others what the Reanimator, our true god, can do.”He opened the box, revealing a live snake.
We fell back with sharp screams.
“It’s fine, boys. Kansas, hold the box while Constantine and I set up the altar.”
Once the altar was finished, the Minister told me to stand. He took the box from me and removed the snake.
“Now, we sing the hymns, boys. Use the book. Make sure every single word is correct.”
The Minister took a small bottle off his desk and opened it, dousing his hand in the liquid. The snake responded to it, curling around his hand and wrist. Something came out of the snake, and I shuddered.
“To begin the ritual, the sacrifice must orgasm. Do you understand what that means?”I shook my head. The Minister chuckled. “When you tug on yourself until your body feels a really good feeling?”
I glanced at Constantine, whose cheeks were red like mine with shame.We understood that.
“Yes, that is an orgasm. The end bit. The sacrifice must do that before we kill it.”
I couldn’t look at the snake as it encircled the Minister’s hand. Instead, I focused on the hymn, chanting it loudly with Constantine.After some time, the snake relaxed and was set down on the altar. I leapt back as The Minister abandoned him, but he assured us he wouldn’t move.
“Now, while it only requires one piercing and three long slices along the torso, the Family likes for us all to participate during your ceremony. Whichever one will receive it,” he paused and looked from Constantine to me. “It will be a lot more intensive.”
“You mean, one of us will be—” Constantine’s face paled.I recalled what he had told me about what happened, but it was nothing compared to seeing it.
“Will be the snake, yes.” The Minister confirmed with such casualness it made me sick. “Now, let’s see the Reanimator’s powers in action.” He snatched the snake up and pulled a small knife from his pocket. With a sickening slice, he slit the snake from its head down and let blood pour into the cup waiting for it.
He did the three cuts to look like the letter Y and then tossed it aside. He demanded we keep singing, while he added things to the blood. Then, he dipped his hands in it and reached for me.
I flinched away, but then I returned despite everything in me screaming for him not to let him touch me. We allowed him to paint our faces with blood, and then, without warning, he snatched Constantine’s hand and ran the knife along his entire palm.We screamed, and Constantine cried from the pain. All the while, the Minister continued to pray loudly.
“Put your hand in the cup, son!”
Hesitantly, he did it. The Minister reached for a bottle of water and poured it all over Constantine’s hand.Slowly, the once deep wound closed. There was no scar either.
It was real.
Rule 57- Eisley
Everyone has a mask.
I’d spent the day mourning for the loss of Spencer, Soleil, Emi, and oddly enough, my teapots. I stared at all the newly empty shelves and fought back tears each time. Who had been so cruel?
A knock on my door brought me from my grief, and I opened it to find Kansas holding a box of Coronas and a large brown bag that smelled delicious.
