Paragomania

[5]

"Good job, my boy. Just one more trial."

Ainsley let out a shaky breath, hearing the crunch of the snow behind him with Father Carlisle's footsteps. He wanted to go inside. He wanted to thaw himself. While the other fourteen year olds slept snuggly in their beds within their parents' homes, he stood in the snow being beaten with multiple gallons of boiling water hanging from each arm.

Suddenly from behind him came a horrific feeling. His numbing, sensitive skin was torn open from behind as a knife was forced into him. The sudden, horrific pain made Ainsley scream.

"AAH!" Ainsley shrieked as he felt it cut into him, inches deep. He fell forward to the ground in screaming pain. The pails of boiling water spilt as he fell, melting the snow but also flooding onto his frozen skin.

The poor boy's body began violently shaking back and forth in the burning water. Even if he hadn't been in negative weather for nearly an hour, the water may have caused third degree burns. But this sudden change in extreme temperatures was sending the poor boy into shock.

The wind bit at Ainsley's skin, but that was nothing compared to the bleeding coming from his lower back and the blisters already forming from the water. The snow crunched behind him as Father Carlisle began walking away.

"This is pathetic of you," Father Carlisle groaned, walking away. "I ought to simply leave you here to freeze."

There was a tap on his boot. Father Carlisle looked down, seeing Ainsley's hand gripping his boot. His arm was covered in red splotches from the water, and yet he was pulling himself across the frozen ground to Father Carlisle's side.

The leader smirked down at his pupil as his blood pooled out into the snow. The man simply stared at the child as he gripped his coat and pulled himself to his feet. With almost blue frozen skin with red splotches from burns and a large amount of blood rushing from the stab wound in his back, Ainsley pulled himself to his feet with his grip on Father Carlisle's fur coat.

"Attaboy," he said, tossing an arm around the boy's shoulders. "Let's get you inside. You've earned your dinner for the night."

Brie was still snuggled into his neck as she fell asleep. Ainsley sighed and very slowly laid her in her bed to tuck her into sleep. He stepped outside into the walkways and closed the door behind him. The light from the bonfire was dying, as well as the sound of partying. People stalked through the darkness back to their homes like zombies.

Ainsley felt a hand grab his shoulder in the dark. It suddenly yanked him back. As he turned around, he was face to face with Kalaya's half lidded eyes.

"Hey," she chuckled drunkenly. Ainsley rolled his eyes and smirked at his best friend. "How ya doin'?" Ainsley grabbed her hand and pulled it from his shirt.

"Hi, apparently better than you. Whew, I could get drunk just smelling it off of your breath." She laughed a nasally snort, leaning her whole body weight on him.

"Look, man," she slurred. "This is amazing. The paragon is here, you can fulfil your whole.... Thing? I don't remember what it's called. But you can do it! And you're gonna be the best at it." Ainsley chuckled.

"Do I need to walk you back to your home?" She shook her head aggressively and scrunched up her nose.

"No, no, no, no, no! I'm gonna-" She looked around and leaned in really close to whisper, "I'm gonna go get laid in the fields." She chuckled quietly. "I'll see you tomorrow. Don't come looking for meeeee." Ainsley rolled his eyes.

"If you get caught, Father Carlisle will punish you for sin, you know." She rolled her eyes and waved her hand.

"The paragon is here! Now's the time to sin so they may forgive us. Don't you see?" She gripped his shoulder and gave it a squeeze before wandering off into the dark. "Now's the time to sin!"

Ainsley watched her dance into the darkness before shaking his head and continuing to walk towards his own home.

In a way, he supposed she was correct. Their saviour had arrived, finally. He could fulfil his mission, they would all be saved, and all of the prophecies could be fulfilled.

Kalaya gleefully wandered through the dark, feeling like her drunken legs were simply floating rather than walking. She squinted through the darkness, down the sloping hills to the fields. There he stood, at the edge of the crops, just slightly hidden in the bushes. She giggled and rushed towards him.

As she approached, she was too intoxicated to notice the second person merging from the bushes.

*****
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