(I used pics 4, 5, 6, and 8.)
She walked as the eery moon dimly lit the cobblestone streets. She knew she shouldn't have waited so long to head home, she shouldn't have met Trevor. Her father had already forbidden her from meeting the boy but she did it anyway, now it seemed as though karma was headed her way. Usually she never minded walking these streets alone, even in the dark. However, children in the area had gone missing recently. The small and ineffective police force had made absolutely no progress and the townsfolk had already decided to take matters into their own hands. All the men in the town took turns staying up all night and prowling the town. Even with all this happening, Susan had still felt safe walking the streets. Tonight, however, she had an overwhelming feeling of dread. As though something awful was about to take place. The dark, empty shops that usually put her mind to ease now appeared to be looming omens of approaching trouble. The town almost seemed dead in the darkness and emptiness. Hearing her own footsteps were making her even more paranoid, she kept expecting to hear a man's heavy and quick pace trailing her. An assailant's feet tap, tap, tapping on the stones behind her. She wished her older brother was home to escort her through the town the way he used to. Instead, David had joined a group of other men aiding the Southern States in the war across the ocean. All she knew about it was that the United States was apparently fighting itself and her brother had decided to aid the Southern part of it by sneaking them supplies. She missed the comfort and happiness her older brother had given her. Immediately she regretted thinking about him as feelings of sadness, loneliness, and more fear consumed her. Her prayers that her parents would be asleep when she returned home twisted into prayers that she would make it home safely instead. This small, isolated English town that had always given her comfort and calmness now had her paranoid. Thinking of all the older men in the town that she trusted for safety her mind immediately turned to her father, her father that her brother took after so much. She knew he'd always keep her safe at all costs, she also knew she was going to be severely punished for having met the young Irishman her father didn't seem to trust. Regardless, she would far rather face her father's wrath than some maniac's lust and or rage. With this in thought, she quickened her pace. Somewhere near her she heard a giggle, a child's giggle. She halted and looked around. Just beyond the dim lighting of the street she could see the outline of a little girl.
"Hello?" she asked toward the outline. The response was merely another giggle. She felt ice cold fear shiver its way up her spine at the giggle which somehow, seemed far from heartwarming.
"Little girl? You shouldn't be out here. Come along, I'll take you to your home." said Susan, willing to accept more thrashings from her father for being later than she already would as long as she got this child to its home safely. What could this girl be doing out here? She must know it's not safe. She had to have sneaked out once her parents were asleep, why? It made no sense and gave Susan a bad feeling in her gut, a feeling of mistrust.
"What's your name?" asked the little girl's high pitched voice, the question was innocent enough but sent even more feelings of fear through Susan. She answered the child regardless, she had to earn the girl's trust if she was to escort her home without drawing attention to each other.
"My name is Susan, what's yours?" asked Susan, approaching the girl. The little girl let Susan get within three yards of her then backed away, keeping that short distance between them. Susan began to become frustrated along with her feelings of mistrust and fear as the child stayed out of arm's reach. She forced her annoyance away, knowing the child must just be wary of strangers due to the recent disappearances. Glancing to the side as she nearly tripped over a loose stone, she saw a faint candle lit in Joseph Wheelwright's book shop. Figuring that must mean he was the one out on watch, she slightly hoped he came across them relatively soon.
"My name is Mary." replied the little girl, then she giggled again. Susan took another step closer and the girl took another step backwards, intent upon keeping the distance between them.
"Mary, it's not safe out here. I am on my way home, I will take you to your home first. Will you come with me now?" asked Susan, softly.
"I want to show you something first." said the little girl. Susan felt annoyance creep up again. With dismay, she realized that they were at the very edge of town. She wondered where Joseph could be and why she hadn't come across him yet. He was a quiet man but always determined to get his job done, whatever it may be. He was middle aged but his wife had died a few years back and he was left to raise his two sons alone. Susan read often and spent more time in his store than any other, they enjoyed each other's company and she knew he'd try to keep her father from punishing her too harshly. He seemed to be more kind to her than any of the other women in town and she often wondered if he wished to court her, regardless of the age difference. She pushed these thoughts aside, still praying Joseph found them, and turned her attention back to the little girl that was being a pain.
"Couldn't you show me another time? It's very late and not safe out here." replied Susan, more and more eager to go home as the minutes passed. All she longed for now was her soft, warm bed, even if it was met after her father's wrath.
"The Ancient practice while the moon is full
That is when they have control
Tis now the hour of their meeting
All the children are worth keeping
They need the tiny minds to mold
The innocent souls to hold
The perfect specimen is what you are
So please come, tis not too far
They had to wait til this fall
We must hurry, for they call." said the little girl, then she giggled and ran off. Without thought, Susan followed the girl.
"Wait! You cannot leave town at night!" shouted Susan, she hoped her shout had woken others in town and someone would soon come to her aid. She couldn't let the child leave town alone, this late at night, with a killer on the loose. She lifted her dress and ran as quickly as she could. Just as she was about to reach the girl, her foot caught an upturned stone at the end of the road. She felt the throbbing pain in her foot as some bones broke and could not put her hands out in front of her fast enough to break her fall. She fell forward quicker than she could imagine and her head smacked another upturned stone where the road reached it's forgotten end. As her skull hit the hard object, it fractured and blood began to seep out of where skin had broken. Trevor, home, Joseph, and the little girl were completely forgotten as blackness consumed poor Susan. Part of her heard someone shout her name before she completely lost consciousness.
Trevor was walking about a field, leaving town to head home himself after seeing Susan off at the edge of her town. He ran a rough hand through his unkempt black hair and sighed, wondering what to do about them. He wished her father didn't hate the Irish so much. If not, he could do the only thing he dreamed of night and day. He could marry Susan. He knew he was young and nothing but a field hand yet he was a hard worker and would dedicate anything and everything to her happiness. She had finally let him kiss her more than once tonight and he longed to feel her lips against his once again. As his mind travelled across his love, he heard shouting in the distance. At first, he figured it was her arguing with her father as she finally reached home, then he realized she wasn't anywhere near her home. Looking towards where he heard the shouting he saw a form that was undoubtedly his Susan running after what seemed to be a small child, a little girl.
"What in Christ's name is tha?" he asked aloud, his heavy accent slicing through the brisk night air. Then, he felt his heart plummet to the ground as he saw Susan fall, hard and fast.
"Sue!" he shouted as he began to run towards where she was. He knew he was at least half a mile away but he charged regardless.
"Help! Oi! Anyone!" he shouted as he charged past the outside of the town, praying someone heard him. Hell, he knew someone had to have heard him. Before he could reach her though, he saw what looked like two full grown men approach her. He slowed down, and heaved a few sighs of relief until a feeling in his gut told him something wasn't right. One of the men picked up the little girl and carried her away from the town, the other picked up his Susan and followed suit.
"Oi! Put her down ya bastard!" he shouted, charging toward her again. Before he could get there he saw, from the corner of his eye, a large object swing towards him. He instinctively ducked and getting back up saw the man raising the shovel again. Trevor charged at him and tackled him to the ground the way he did when he played Rugby with his brothers. The man hit the cold, hard ground with a heavy thud and the breath was completely knocked out of him. As Trevor raised his fist to deliver a blow that he knew would make the man in certainty no longer a threat, the shovel that had been dropped delivered a much rougher blow to the back of Trevor's head. Trevor dropped like a sack of potatoes and Susan's father, Charles, sighed as he stuck the shovel in the ground.
"Damn Irishman, I told the bastard to stay away from her. It was for your own good, you foolish twit." he snarled at the unconscious boy.
"Alright, Charlie, we don't have a lot of time. We've got to get to the ruins." said Thomas Watson, the town's chief of police. Charles nodded and picked up Trevor, easily throwing him over his shoulder. Thomas helped up Dan Smith from where Trevor had tackled him and they all marched toward their precious ruins. They walked through the ancient, decaying graveyard. As they travelled across the land of dead, they made sure to not step on any of the graves. Suddenly, Thomas let go of Dan and he hit the ground again.
"What the bloody Hell was that for? We've got to get up there, we can't stop for a break!" exclaimed Charles, his patience and temper tested enough for one night.
"The bastard is unconscious, I don't think he's breathing right either." argued Thomas.
"He was only thrown to the ground though. He didn't hit his head did he?"
"I believe he did Charlie, I think there's blood runnin down the back of his neck."
"Damn, don't we need him for the ceremony though?"
"No. We just have to have you, that boy, Susan, and Joseph for this. The rest of the folk that'll be up there is merely for support of the ritual. We can afford to leave him here."
"Well, alright then. Off ya go, we can't dawdle any longer." said Charles, walking past Thomas through the graveyard. The two men left Dan at the mercy of the dead. Perhaps not knowing what would eventually become of the poor man.
The two men marched through the remaining stretch of the ancient graveyard, doing all they could to hurry. They weren't young men any longer and the scuffle they had to endure with Trevor left them a little drained of energy, plus they had to weave their way around fading gravemarkers that stood up out of the wiry grass. They passed through the graves and crossed a small road to the ruins of the church. As they walked through the decaying entryway, they were greeted by the rest of the town. Charles dropped Trevor on the ground in front of the recently built, wooden altar. He looked upon his unconscious eldest daughter that lay upon the altar. He mustered a small smile and lightly touched his lips to her forehead before backing away. Joseph appeared on the other side of the altar.
"Is everyone present now?" he asked, his voice easily carrying across the grounds.
"Yes." came the response from Charles, his eyes still on his daughter. Joseph stared at him for nearly a full minute until Charles met his eyes.
"You have always been a good father, Charles. We all know you love her very much, this must happen. She has been chosen, are you not proud?" asked Joseph, the moonlight shone through the frames of glass at the top of the ruined church and landed square on Joseph's face. His strong voice didn't even need to be used for the townsfolks attention to be demanded on him. The dim light crossed the lines of is face, passed the shadow of his facial hair, and made his gray wolf's eyes glow.
"Of course I am proud, Joseph. I just know she may sustain great pain during this process, I never ever wished for her to be in any pain." replied Charles, his face hidden in shadow yet he felt as though Joseph could see through his soul clearly.
"I give you my word that I shall be as gentle as she will allow. I do not believe she will comply as well as she should. Remember, she is chosen. She is my love, she will be honoured and worshipped Charles."
"I understand, Joseph. Forgive my doubt and concern over what is not to be my concern."
"You are easily forgiven, brother." replied Joseph, setting a heavy hand on Charles' shoulder. Charles then backed away after sharing a moment with the other man. Charles stood next to his nearly weeping wife and focused his attention on their leader.
"My friends, tonight is the night we have been waiting for. I have found my mate, all is in place. What we have suffered, strived, and prayed for shall now come true." he said to them all, they either nodded in agreement or continued to simply stare in awe at him. He now turned his attention to Susan.
"Now, my bride to be on earth and in Hell, awaken." he commanded. Mere seconds later, Susan's eyes opened to meet his that seemed to no longer be gray but now a cold blue. Still, she knew those eyes.
"Oh, mister Wheelwright, thank the Lord you found me. Are you to take me home?" she asked, not yet aware of where she was or who all else was in their company. He set his strong hand at her cheek, she found it to be a far different feeling than when Trevor did such. Trevor's touch seemed so soft, even with his rough hands. Joseph's touch seemed to radiate power of some sort, is touch seemed to be controlling.
"My sweet Susan, how is your head?" he asked her, seeming to fully ignore the rest of their company. She put her soft yet chilled hand upon his, she thought perhaps he was about to make some sort of attempt to kiss her. She had a light crush upon the man but couldn't bring herself to betray Trevor.
"My head aches, but my foot hurts far worse." she said, in as plain a tone as she could manage, so as to not sound as though she s flirting. She saw him notice this and a slight expression of disappointment travelled down his face.
"Love, what happened to your foot?" he asked her, looking down towards it.
"I think it's broken, Sir. But, it doesn't hurt anymore...that's quite odd." she muttered. Joseph lightly ran his free hand across her foot and the bones mended effortlessly. As he looked back up at her she could swear his eye colour had changed again, now it seemed to be violet.
"I believe your foot is just fine, my love. Now, we have pressing matters at hand." he said.
"Why, whatever do you mean?" she asked, dreading what she thought the answer was.
"Susan, you must be married and changed."
"What? What do you mean?"
"Susan, I take your hand in marriage and I am to change you." he said, literally taking her hand with his free hand.
"Joseph, I cannot. I love another."
"If you speak of the Irishman, do not worry. You will get to show your love to him as well. Your father has given you to me, you will do as I say. I say you must cooperate with me this evening, I also say that you will get to give your love to the Irishman as well as to me." said Joseph, confusing her.
"But, we are not yet married. How would I love you and Trevor without committing a terrible sin? And what do you mean when you say you shall change me?" she asked, now feeling angry at her confusion.
"One step at a time, my love. First, we shall marry, right now."
"We cannot marry now! It is night, my family is not here, I am not in a wedding gown, you are not-" she began, her voice slightly sharp from her frustration. He put a finger to her lips and she immediately shushed, not used to him touching her in such a manner. He looked to the sky as the moon slowly changed colour, the full moon becoming red. Then he spoke in a strong, deep voice that was unworldly.
"Rise up! I call upon you all. Belial, Lilith, Asmodeous, I call your attention! Your father calls! Those fallen, rise up! Rise and witness this ritual of old, this ancient of bonds, this unholy of unions and transformations." he announced, then laughed as flames erupted all around the ruins of the broken apart church. The townsfolk screamed and tried to leave but were trapped by numerous obstacles. The flames in their way, demonic creatures walking out of the flames that grabbed them, or each other. In the cold graveyard outside the church, gnarled hands seemed to sprout out of the ground. They reached out and grasped the cold air to pull themselves up. As they rose they feasted upon unconscious Dan, then made their way to their Lucifer as he called them. Stumbling within the church ruins, among other creatures of darkness, they snacked on the panicking townsfolk. Susan finally turned her attention to her surroundings and was transfixed by the horror taking place, she thought she had to be in a nightmare, this couldn't be real. Almost as if he had read her mind, which he likely had, Joseph spoke to her. She turned her attention back to him, his eyes were now blood red.
"It is all very real and I am its master, as I am now your master. I am not Joseph, the owner of a bookstore. I am Lucifer, the fallen angel." he said, inches from her face. She could almost feel heat radiating off of him. He was still in Joseph's body, if Joseph ever was a real man, but his face had changed. His smile was far more sadistic and evil as were his eyes. He turned away from her and faced his congregation of dead and demonic alike. Susan recognized a rapist and a murderer among the corpses, both had been put to death when she was a small child.
"My spawn, brothers, minions, and slaves. I welcome you to this joyous evening of defilement. Susan, stand, if you will." he said, turning back to the poor girl. She was too terrified and shocked to defy him and so she stood. Looking around she saw that the only humans that had not been ripped to pieces were her father and Trevor. Her father was on his knees, seeming to be praying as tears streamed down his cheeks. Trevor, was still unconscious, blood slowly spilling from the back of his head. She forced herself to not look at the standing corpses or creatures of Hell as she attempted to pull strength for defiance from somewhere within her. A hot and rough hand grabbed her chin and turned her face towards him. Joseph, actually now Lucifer, looked at her expectantly.
"Susan, by my power and all those in the burning bowels of Hell, I command you to be mine. You have no choice, you have no acceptance or non acceptance." he said, then he touched his left thumb to her chest. As his thumb pressed above her heart she felt searing pain as a sequence of numbers was burnt into her skin and on the inside she could feel her heart literally melting, slowly. A minute later, the melting was done and she noticed she had been screaming.
"It is done." he said, then he picked her up and walked out of the ruins into the hut that used to belong to the priest of that church. It was a rectangle made of stone and brick, with grass on its roof and a wooden door. He kicked it in and lay her down upon another stone slab.
"Now come your changes." he stated.
"What changes?" she asked, harsh and cold as her heart was now gone. She took no notice of it.
"You are to be a suductress, first I must make you one." he said. She was startled when her clothing completely melted off, as did his. He was now in his form. The shape of a man, a once handsome man as all angels were, with burned wings. His eyes and smirk remained the same. He mounted and straddled her before she could do or say a thing. Still herself, although the melting of her heart had already slightly changed her, she screamed as he slammed into her. Just as his form, voice, and eyes were unworldly and ungodly, so was his member. It was far larger than any man's, width and length and harder than the stone and brick that built the hut they were in. He took her virginity, innocence, and was slowly taking her humanity. She felt herself changing through the pain as he ripped her open. He violently thrusted in and out of her, nearly breaking her pelvis. After what seemed to be, and just might have been hours, he pulled out. Instead of moving away from her as she felt her body changing, he grabbed her head and forced it towards his still hard member. She felt her mouth somehow open against her will and he thrusted his ever large member inside of her, all the way into her throat. Instead of suffocating, however, she felt her body's changes completely adapt to the intrusion as he moved himself in and out of her again. Once he knew she had fully adjusted to and perhaps even already enjoyed the act he pulled out of her mouth and forced her to turn over, this time she had no resistance. Her will seemed to be the same as his and she felt all animosity towards him disappear and felt her body want his actions. He held her hips and once again, slammed his member into her. After what was likely hours of that as well, he pulled out and stood before her. She smiled at him, an evil glint in her eyes and now emptiness where her heart should be. She only appeared to be human, he had changed her fully now. Not long after his last intrusion began she had begun to enjoy it, it was then that he knew she was his. He smiled at her in reply, his burnt wings spreading in pride. She stood, cloaked in a blood red gown now, signifying her loss of innocence and self.
Trevor awoke to the sound of crying near him, heavy breathing, and screaming in a distance. Before he opened his eyes he could smell something burning and feel heat. His eyes snapped open as his fear of burning alive attacked his chest, forcing his heart to hammer in a panic. He sat up and instinctively backed away when he saw what was in front of him. He was able to glimpse Susan's father, on his knees and crying, what seemed to be a corpse, and some sort of dark and disturbing skeletal creature. As he backed up he hit the side of the platform Susan had been lying on earlier. His heart skipped a beat until he realized he'd only hit stone, he wanted to sigh in relief but couldn't as he took in the full scene before him. He closed his eyes and viciously shook his head while pinching his side, he was positive he had to be in a nightmare. This couldn't be real. The more he tried to convince himself it wasn't real, the more he began to believe that it was. He couldn't deny the smell of rotting corpses, fire, and what was likely brimstone. He sighed heavily, trying to keep himself strong.
"The Lord is my shepard, I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures. He leadeth me beside still waters-" he began as he opened his eyes again. Once they were open, he didn't notice his voice fail him and halt saying the 23rd Psalm. He swallowed hard and looked around, forcing himself to take in the view. He felt panic grip him again as he remembered what had been going on before he was knocked out.
"Sue!" he shouted, not caring about the evil before him any longer. He had to be sure she was okay. If her father was crying and broken, something had to be terribly wrong. Before he could shout again he heard a response.
"Trevor, come to me." said a voice that he couldn't tell at first was Susan's. He turned his head toward where he had heard it and saw her. His breath caught, she looked unlike anything he could ever imagine. She was the definition of beauty. He forgot all else going on and didn't notice his feet standing him up and shuffling him towards her. As he reached her she touched a hand to the side of his face, he leaned towards her and pressed his lips to hers without any knowledge of doing such. Also without his recognition, he was suddenly in the hut, lying where she had. Before he could notice that his clothing had been removed, she was mounting him. He groaned in complete pleasure and surprise as she rode him. Not long after, he came without the ability to try and stop himself. He was in complete and total ecstasy. As she leaned down and pressed her lips to his, he felt something be pulled from within him. Unbeknownst to him, his soul was now in the possession of the Devil. Lucifer stood behind them, smiling as he cradled poor Trevor's soul. Her lips still pressed to his, Susan put her fingernail to his throat and opened his jugular vein. His eyes widened in pain and terror as blood slowly drained out of him.
She dismounted the now dead young man that she once loved and walked to the door again.
Charles looked up and saw his daughter, how she looked like her now gone mother. How beautiful and tempting she was, he forced himself to look away. He knew what was to happen, he wouldn't allow it. Before her voice penetrated his ears he took his pistol out of his jacket and put it to his chest, he wanted to feel the bullet pass through his broken heart. He pulled the trigger and fell backwards, ashamed and given up. Before his eyes closed he saw her walk towards him, watching him die as well.
As she saw her father pass into the unknown, she turned back to her master. The sky was slowly lighting, Lucifer returned to the hut as the dead slowly staggered back to their graves and the minions of Hell sank through the ground. She followed her master into the hut as a portal reopened in the center of its floor. He spread his wings and glided down it, Susan was going to follow him until she heard his voice in her head.
"No, you work here. Leave this town, go to another. We will meet again." he said to her. She turned and left the hut. She walked through the ruins as the flames slowly died down, taking the recently deceased townsfolk with them. She marched across the graves that slowly closed again, she passed on the cobblestone streets of what was once her home and left it.
She was running, it had been thirty years since her transformation and now she was about to come to an end. The sun shone high in the sky, its heat radiating down upon her as the furious, armed men chased her. She passed through the old, familiar ruins and charged into the hut. The men didn't follow her in, intent upon keeping their distance. Two held the door shut while the others took turns with a sledgehammer, beating the hut in. An hour later they looked upon their work, there was blood under the fallen bricks and stones but no body. The ground seemed hot but that could have been from the sun, none of them considered the now invisible portal straight to Hell. The sun shone through the window onto the pile of fallen bricks, lighting broken cobwebs and the Seductress' final resting place.
"God's will be done." stated one of the men, then he walked out. The others followed him out of the now destroyed hut and through the ancient ruins. They walked to the side of the graveyard rather than through it, for fear of the dead reaching up for them. They were fortunate enough to not have to experience just how real their fear of that happening was. Until children in town began to go missing again of course as Lucifer searched for Susan's replacement. The ancient ruins were his playground, what good is a playground with none to enjoy it?
(alright, if that's not enough words...I'll edit it before sunday. As for today, I am finished though. I hope you've enjoyed reading it and that it propels me into the next round....I would highly appreciate it if comments/reviews were left for my reading. Thank you.)