Hunting Season

The Cult

God refused to walk any further once they reached the outside of a strange establishment. It was down the end of a small path, hidden over a series of small hills and completely invisible to wandering eyes. Only one aspect of their final destination stood out like a sore thumb- a tall black gate that seemingly guarded a very badly overrun cemetery.

Jane could tell the gate had been opened recently, as leaves were pushed to the side by the entrance. She readjusted her rifle behind her shoulder and began to nudge the gate aside, only stopping when she noticed God slowly stepping backwards.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm not going in there." God responded a little bitterly, glaring daggers at Jane as she opened her mouth to spew words he didn't want to hear.

"What? Are you afraid?"

It didn't take God more than a second to approach the old woman and stare her down. He growled loudly, crouching until his face was literally pressed against her own. She latched on to her rifle with one hand, turning away quickly.

"I'm afraid of no one and nothing." God purposely spat at her face, "You have no idea what these people are to me. Monsters." He stepped away, snorting loudly as he yanked open the gate completely and shoved Jane inside. He slammed the entrance shut and watched as she managed to swing her weapon forward, quickly aiming it at him.

"That's far enough, beast!" Jane warned, watching as the creatures red eyes grew larger. "I'm on my own from here on out. And don't you dare hurt Adira. If you do-."

"Save it," God cut her off, "You should be more worried about what's in there." He lifted his head, glancing past her for a few seconds before focusing back on Jane's face. "Ask them about the bodies in the trees and who's doing it. Don't listen to anything else they say."

Jane didn't respond as God roughly marched away, seemingly leaving her alone for good. Now that was sure she was safe from him, Jane fixed herself up and examined her surroundings, hoping to find a trail that would lead her to wherever these strange people were.

The old cemetery beside her was damaged beyond repair, with ancient headstone barely peeking out from the green shrubs. Jane walked up to a rather large grave, pushing aside nature to see if she could make out what was carved on the stone. Some words were barely ineligible, but she could faintly make out a date- 1824. Jane raised an eyebrow, looking around in silent admiration.

She loved old places, antiques- everything from the past. If Whispering Winds became safe once more in the future, she was sure to come back and explore the area. That is, if her son was ever found.

With more pressing matters at hand, Jane stepped away from the graves and started to walk past them, down a barely visible path heading into more trees. How the cult lived or where they were she wasn't told. All God said was they hid themselves beyond the gate. Maybe if she kept walking, she would notice a small gathering or hideout of some sort.

It didn't take very long for Jane to notice something was amiss along her journey. Everything was silent, save for the crunching of leaves underneath her shoes. It was an unnatural quiet, and when she stopped, she could almost feel a sort of unpleasant energy beginning to settle upon her.

Yes, something was going on in Whispering Winds. She knew it when she first saw God. There was no way some dark magic wasn't at work there.

In the midst of her thoughts, a somewhat calm yet eerie voice made her almost jump in surprise. It came from in front of her, and with it a pale, thin, tall woman descended from the fog. Jane thought it was a ghost, until she realized the woman was wearing a simple blue dress with what appeared to be little purple flowers on it. She had her brown hair up in a tight bun and donned silver hoop earrings. If this was a ghost, Jane thought, then she wasn't a very good one.

"Hello. May I inquire as to why you are here?" The unexpected guest spoke in such a soft tone of voice, Jane had to strain her ears a little to figure out what was being said. She lifted up her hands slightly, shoving her rifle behind her to show she wasn't going to do anything.

"Hi. My name is Jane. I was sent here by...God."

At the mention of the beast, the young woman's eyes widened and her jaw fell open. She seemingly began to search around for the creature, eyes darting wildly here and there.

"God, you say? Is he here?"

"N-not exactly," Jane grew slightly uncomfortable by the fanatic before her, realizing she had no choice but to change her plans if she wanted to get information from the cult. "He led me here because I want to join your group. I have heard of him, his stories, as well as you. Indeed, he is very great."

The woman's eye focused on her, blue piercing eyes that almost seemed to break through her lies. Jane held her ground however and stared back. It seemed to work.

"Jane, you have been blessed by God. My name is Annabelle. Please, join me and the others. You will have to meet with Mother Mary first, of course. Every new child must."

Annabelle turned her back to Jane, walking further off while the other trailed after her.

"Mother Mary?" Jane questioned, "Is she the leader?" Annabelle was silent as she glanced behind her, merely giving a small nod. "Yes. You will speak with Mother Mary in private before officially becoming one with God's people."

The old woman gave a forced smile in return, attempting to act like she was excited though it was the exact opposite. If she managed to somehow fool everyone into thinking she really wanted to join the cult, how would she escape? What would they even have her do? And most importantly, who was this Mother Mary? There was an ominous feeling about the individual, and something told Jane she was about to stick her head in too deep.

'You should be more worried about what's in there' God had told her, and it was only when Jane and Annabelle finally made it to their destination did the old woman realize what he had meant.