━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
chapter 3: ( the man who sold the world )
❝ there's a room where the light won't find you ❞
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Despite returning in the dead of night, Rosalind felt she had awoken on a bed of flowers the next morning. She barely had received a full night's rest but spent the early morning doing her chores as usual. There was a faint smile across her face as she recalled the few memories she could from the night. As she walked across the settlement, she had come across Abigail, Lizzie, and Isaac, each nodding her way with a knowing glint.
Rosalind shook her head with each further step to the garden. Her mirthful expression was soon replaced with a horrified scream that alarmed everyone.
"The garden's been infested with rats!" She stepped away as others quickly came to aid, taking the rodents away for slaughter most likely. Isaac was the first beside her, pulling her away from the scene.
"What's happened," Sarah's brother, Henry, asked.
"All the vegetables are gone," Rosalind answered. "There won't be enough to feed everyone with the oncoming months."
"The fruits have also rotten," informed Isaac, holding the apple to display the black core.
Rosalind took it in her hand to inspect it. "How is this possible? I've managed them well myself. There's never been a problem before."
"Bad luck seems to trouble us all," Constance chimed.
The small group looked around their colony to realize that the young girl was right. It almost seemed the whole town had went mad. All around were problems from every family. The horses would not tame, nearly injuring one of the men as it stood on its hind legs. At the well, the water had been poisoned after poor Merryboy was pulled out. But who would do such a terrible thing?
A few had their own ideas, most following the words of Mad Thomas as he stood in the middle of the field to share his words. A curse. Darkness had enter the Union and they must find it immediately to rid it forever. There were no suspicions though. Everything and everyone looked as normal as the day before.
"I must replant the vegetables for food now that the water is contaminated." Rosalind lifted her skirt slightly to step away and treaded back to the house.
"Might we be of assistance," Constance asked, her and Henry standing side by side.
Rosalind turned back with a warm smile. "Of course. I'll be right back and we can get started right away."
While walking, Isaac followed and spoke in low whispers. "Do you actually believe there is evil afoot?"
"Of course not. There must be an explanation for it. Why, I wouldn't be surprised if Thomas stuck Merryboy down there to prove a point. Oh, the poor Fier family. I'll have to pay my respects."
Although the girl was handling the situation calmly, Isaac couldn't help but worry. He's heard of bad luck, but all of these events happening in one day? That's one hell of a coincidence.
"I suppose," he muttered. They stopped in front of the house and faced each other. "Say the word and I'll be by your side in a heartbeat. Anything at all."
Rosalind didn't say anything as she placed her hand on his cheek gently, placing a tender kiss upon his heated skin. "Perhaps later you might join us at the garden."
She turned away to go inside, leaving Isaac to ponder. His fingers skimmed over the cheek she kissed before he hurried away to finish his tasks. Inside the house, Caroline was standing by the doorway with a small smirk.
"I saw that."
"I haven't the faintest idea what you're talking about." Caroline rolled her eyes while walking back to the kitchen as Rosalind followed with a giggle. "Where's father?"
"Upstairs changing. We've heard Pastor Miller might've fallen ill and I wanted to drop off this soup. I'll tell him you send your condolences."
As Caroline stirred the pot of soup at the stove, Rosalind was rummaging through the drawer for gardening supplies. She stopped momentarily to look at her. "Strange. He seemed fine yesterday."
The woman shrugged. "Things don't seem to be looking up today."
"Alright. I'll see you in the afternoon for lunch." Rosalind placed a kiss on her mother's cheek before departing ways, also bidding goodbye to her father.
When she returned to the garden, Constance and Henry had already begun pulling out the decayed vegetables. They were meant to be with the other children, but the parents would surely understand their reasonings for staying behind to replant the garden.
Unlike yesterday's sunny morning, the day felt dark and gloomy. Everyone trudged throughout the land with a burden on their shoulders and darkness in their minds. They could no long see the blue as they looked up, only being greeted with the grey clouds blossoming in the sky. It felt there was something in the air. Something wicked.
✧ ೃ༄*ੈ✩
Rosalind wiped the sweat from her forehead with her arm as she stood up to pat her dirt covered hands on the apron of her skirt. With the three of them working together, they've made good progress so far. Abigail and Lizzie were also to join their side once fixing their damages as well, but were still held up with chores. They'd occasionally glance at the girl, giving pitiful smiles her way.
"I'll see what I can do about getting some food for these hard workers," Rosalind jested.
"Please, do," Josh sighed heavily. "This is not how I imagined my day."
She chuckled and looked around. "Where are the children?"
"With Pastor Miller."
Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "I thought he fell ill."
"It looked so, but he insisted." Josh returned to his work, making Rosalind wonder. Something didn't feel right.
She excused herself from the two, making her way towards the church. The front doors wouldn't budge open which she could only assume they were locked. Even stranger. Rosalind moved to the side of the church where the side door was left open to her luck. Walking inside the dark church made her eerie feeling grow larger than it should be.
The door creaked open as she stepped inside, the floorboards squeaking under her feet. She wasn't sure why now goosebumps traveled up and down her arms when the church was a place of security for her. She could see the outline of shadows sitting on the wooden benches that calmed her nerves slightly, knowing that she was no longer alone. The figures were small, it had to be the children. Rosalind walked forward without hesitation before stopping, noticing how no one moved.
Everything was still.
Rosalind's face dropped as she saw the children sitting like statues. She cautiously moved forward and reached her hand out to one of them. As she placed her hand on their shoulder, no reaction once more. She shook their shoulder gently to see if they've fallen asleep, but this was much worse. The light hit their faces as their head tilted up, showcasing the empty darkness in their eyes. Or, at least, where there eyes should be.
She gasped while stepping back, seeing their eyeballs missing and the blood running down their faces onto their clothing. A sick feeling churned in her stomach as she couldn't believe what she had just seen. Her back hit a firm figure with a thump, making her turn around quickly.
"Pastor Miller, the children...It's horrible." The tears blurred her vision, but she was able to clearly see the hollowness behind his eyes. "Pastor Miller?"
Meanwhile, Constance and Henry continued working out on the garden when Isaac approached. It seemed ages have passed since he started his chores, but now he was done and looking forward to seeing Rosalind. Instead, he only saw the two children.
"Where's Rosy," he questioned the two.
"The church," Constance answered while standing.
A sudden scream came from the building as all heads turned to the source. The three looked at each other before running towards the church with the rest of the town. All the people pounded on the door while pleading for the Pastor to come out, hearing the muffled screaming from inside.
"Rosalind! Rosalind!" Isaac pushed his way to the front and beat the door with his fists as hard as he could.
"What's happening?" Edmund shoved through the crowd, hearing all the pleads from the mothers for their children. "What's happening, boy?" He turned Isaac to face him.
"Pastor Miller," he breathed. "He's taken the children. He's taken Rosalind."
Edmund's head snapped to the door and too started trying to break down the door. A group of men moved to the side entrance where the door was already open. Solomon Goode volunteered to go first until Edmund shook his head.
"Like hell. If my daughter's in there—" Another scream cut him off. "Rosalind!"
Just like that, they all started piling in quick attempts to save the girl. Pastor Miller stood high and mighty with Rosalind laying helplessly on the ground crying. She kept her hand pressed to the side of her face, small droplets of blood falling onto her skirt. It was all too much to process as they looked around at the children and back at the Pastor muttering incoherent sentences.
The town soon pushed their way through the restraints and were met with horror at the sight of the children. Isaac kneeled to Rosalind's side as she continued crying hysterically and backing away.
"What is it? What is it," Isaac queried as he heard her repeating the same word over and over again.
"Mother...Mother..."
Sitting in one of the rows was Caroline Salvatore, her fate the same as the children. Edmund felt his breathing come to a halt at the sight of his wife lying dead with their daughter nearly in the same state. They were all focused on Rosalind's well-being, they didn't notice Pastor Miller attempt to charge at Sarah before Solomon Goode stabbed him with the pitchfork, making him fall to the side.
So much death was around them all. Families wept for their lost ones, Rosalind's friends comforted her as she continued crying while Isaac held her close, and Edmund looked at his wife once more. He pathetically hugged her lifeless body while being in his own puddle of tears.
"What has happened, Rosalind," a villager asked. "What has he done to you?"
"Can't you see she's hurt," Lizzie exclaimed. "We must help her first!"
Rosalind shook her head, meaning she could speak her part. "I wanted to check on the children. He...He tried to grab me and do the same." She removed the hand on her cheek to reveal the slash that ran from her temple down to her chin.
"What should we do," one of the men asked Edmund. He soon realized with Cyrus Miller dead, they would look to him to lead. But how could he lead with his family breaking apart right in front of him.
"Lay the bodies outside. A town meeting shall be held tonight. Isaac, take my daughter to my house, please."
He nodded and picked the girl up with the others following worriedly. "It's going to be okay, Rosy."
Edmund ordered all back to their houses until the night, which they did so hastily. With Mad Thomas accusing evil and witchcraft being among them, they had no idea who to trust. They became weary of their own neighbors and friends as they locked all the doors behind them. The Union was overcome with taciturnity and dread.
Inside the Salvatore residence, Rosalind laid in her bed with the nurse tending to her wound and Edmund by her side. Everyone else waited downstairs for further news.
"I should've known from the beginning. I shouldn't have let him take the children." Henry looked down shamefully while sitting at the dining table.
Sarah kneeled in front of him. "This isn't your fault. Something was wrong with him. Don't blame yourself." She brought her younger brother into a hug, seeing the sorrow on his face.
"If it wasn't for Rosalind, we would probably be the same," mumbled Constance. She sat in the living room with Abigail and Lizzie on either side. "What if we had gone with the children?"
"Don't say such things, please, Constance," Abigail fretted. "You may be a pain, but I don't know what I'd do without you." As Sarah did, she brought her sister into a hug and held her like there was no tomorrow.
Lizzie stood up to speak to Isaac and Hannah on the other side of the room. "You suppose it's true? Was he in cohorts with the Devil?"
"From the looks of it, maybe so." He glanced upstairs before looking back down. His arms were crossed over his chest, biting away nervously at his nails.
Hannah placed a hand on his shoulder comfortingly. "She'll be okay. She's a strong girl."
"I know she is, but with her mother gone now...And she looked up to the Pastor. She wanted to be a teacher for those kids."
Their conversation was cut short by Edmund walking downstairs with the nurse. They all stood up and waited at the end of the stairs until the two adults ended their discussion. The woman gave a sympathetic smile to them all before leaving the house.
"How is she, Mr. Salvatore," Sarah asked.
"She'll be okay, most likely will scar," Edmund informed. "I think it's best you go back home now. She needs to rest. You can come check on her tomorrow."