Death Comes With Open Arms

Chapter 11: Under The Covers

It was a cold, sleepless night. Water droplets leak through the ceiling and break the deathly silence that condemns the horrid jail that houses the wicked, the sinners, and the nuisances. The darkness and pungent smell cloud the building and stalk any unsuspecting prey who dare to emerge from hiding. Rust clings onto the cell bars like a snake to its prey. Mold and mildew stain the walls with a horrid stench deadly enough to kill one who dares to take a single breath. The moans of the suffering, hungry, rotting victims of the jail echo down the hallways like a sickening warning that makes it impossible to sleep. The hard, mold-covered, wet, cold stone floors serve as the prisoners' mattresses, being provided as the only thing that will hold and shelter them in their slumber. There is no hope for the suffering, no hope for freedom, a future, or of seeing their families again. Though, this may not be the case for me, hopefully. Earlier that deathly night, I was sent a note in my meal tray, which I left untouched, promising me freedom. Freedom... Something I've longed for, for years, but never received even with my parents gone... My parents. Before, I thought they died from an electrical fire or something but... What if it wasn't an accident at all? What if it was planned to lure me out, to lure me away for some reason? How would that have worked though? They wouldn't have known about the secret... I didn't even know at the time. But what if they somehow... The loud sound of keys jingling in a lock echoes around the jail. The lingering feeling of hopelessness in the prisoners begin to lift as they embrace the sound they haven't heard in years. However, who is being released? All of the prisoners' hopeful thoughts disappear as the keys stop jingling and a loud laugh echos within the horrid jail; a laugh that is all too familiar. The clicking sound of heels echo off of the cracked stone floors, a small chuckle following them. The hope seems to drain from the prisoners and they settle back deeper into their cells once again. "Don't shy away. You won't be here much longer... Once you kill yourselves!" a feminine voice yells with a tone of amusement. Following that is the sound of a neck snapping as a prisoner hangs themself. The voice cackles then the clacking of the heels continues. I hear the sound get closer to my cell before the heavy locks begin to unlatch. I gasp in shock and move closer to the bars. The door opens and I catch a glimpse of red. A nearby prisoner has a look of fear for me, but I don't have enough time to react. Pain shoots up from my thigh and causes me to stagger back with a shriek. A laugh echoes and a woman with red hair, no, Edith looks back at me. "Hello, Darling. It's been quite a while, hasn't it?" she asks with a grin. Now that I get a closer look, her teeth look sharp and her lips are scarred. I can't focus on her for long though. I can feel my heart racing as the panic sets in. I feel blood run down my leg and tears sting my eyes. "Are you waiting to see 'the clear beauty of the moon' again?" Edith asks as she grabs my jaw roughly and shoves me into the stone wall. My head feels like it's buzzing and I feel loopy after the impact. The stones are painted with crimson as she pulls me towards her. She giggles and squishes my cheeks with her hand. "You are a cute one, aren't you? No wonder Ryker fancies you," she says before her smile disappears and she glares down at me, " Lucky you. So pretty and nice and innocent... Everything Ryker loves to just tear down and break like a gorgeous building. Standing tall and proud... Desirable. He loves breaking down pretty things. What a lucky little bitch." She digs her nails into my cheeks and I let out a cry of pain. "Quick that ugly noise, Darling. Ryker won't like that... In fact, Ryker doesn't like girls who talk back at all... Let me help you with that," she whispers. Without a warning, she shoves her hand into my mouth and down my throat. I try to move away from her as I panic. "Stop moving," she hisses before her voice softens, "I'm only trying to help you become more desirable..." I whimper in pain as she pins me to the floor. She roughly holds my arms down with her legs then grab hold of my vocal chords. She yanks them but they don't budge. She yanks a few more times before they finally give and she tears them out. I scream out in pain but... Nothing comes out. Blood runs down my throat and I shake violently in pain. My body thrashes around as I hear her giggle. She leans down and presses her lips against mine. I feel her tongue move into my mouth and I gag. She pulls away and smiles. "Don't want your blood to get anywhere but in here," she says as she grabs the knife from my thigh and stabs my arm. I cry quietly and shove her off of me. I quickly grab the knife and stab her shoulder. "Idiot. You're going to bleed to death. Only helps us though. Ryker loved you too much to actually kill you. Easier to have you rot down here, but he forgets you're older than you look," she hisses. "What?" I ask. The smile appears on her face again and she laughs maniacally. "He didn't tell you?" she asks as she laughs louder, "Oh, this will be fun to watch." "Edith!" a voice yells as an arm yanks me out of the cell and away from Edith. Edith whips her head around to face a figure but gets smacked across the face and goes flying across the room. "I told you not to hurt her!" Ryker growls as he holds me close. "I knew you'd never lay a finger on her! You will let her instead starve herself or rot down her for centuries until she finally dies, and so will you! There will be no place for-," Edith yells before being cut off. "For you? There will never be an us, Edith. I feel nothing for you. You are only a slave in my plans and are forced to be until the ends of time. Filthy dark witch, you will never die. Rot. You will only rot until you are hideous and no longer valuable or desired. Take out on her what you want because she will never grow ugly like you. Jealous hag!" Ryker yells before throwing a goblet at her. Edith whimpers quietly as it hits her but doesn't fight back. She looks up at him with anger and yells, "I'm only there for you when you want something, you ungrateful Pistesian man!" "If you don't be quiet, I will silence you!" Ryker yells. "Pistesian?" I ask, "Like... The demon who can turn into a creature that has features of a flower...?" "How are you talking...? I... I ripped out your vocal chords!" Edith yells. I pause and begin to wonder the same thing. I look down and realize my leg and arm is healed as well. Ryker looks at Edith and they share a look I cannot understand. He sighs and looks at me then back at Edith. "The cell is ready," he says. "Are we going to need it this early though?" she asks. "She's gotten strong enough to... Yes," Ryker says to her. Edith nods and walks towards me. Ryker moves my neck and I'm knocked unconscious. I come to the sounds of whispering and feeling light-headed. My body is entirely covered in armor-like bindings except for a small slit for my nose so I can breathe. It is pitch black and all I can depend on is my ears. "How do you know she survived that?" I hear Edith whisper. "This isn't the first time she's died... It seems like she's stronger than both of her parents... Their strengths combined into one with no flaws... Damn," Ryker whispers back. "But you killed them, right?" Edith asks, "She's not invincible." "It took everything to weaken them. I only killed them because I got them to trust me enough to tell me," Ryker whispers. "So you know her weakness?" Edith asks. "Not exactly... For every witch, it's different," Ryker whispers. Parents? Killed? Witch? Ryker burned the house? "If only she knew random strangers were raising her," Edith whispers with a giggle before they walk away. Strangers?... Wait... Not the first time I've died?