The Sacrifice
Consciousness snapped into place. Her eyes opened to stars above her. The dark sky glowed, frosted with those burning stars. She had never seen a night sky glow like this. Searing pain thrummed through her entire body. She was alive.
She sat up. Her head swam, her stomach twisted, and bile rose in the back of her throat. Her hand flew to her throat—her throat. Oh God, her mouth. Her fingers trembled against her lips as awareness snapped to the throbbing pain inside. She touched the tip of one finger delicately to the place where her tongue had been. Oh my God. My tongue. A muted wail escaped her.
She wrenched forward and expelled what little remained in her stomach onto the cold surface beneath her. Stone. A large, flat slab stretched beneath her in the center of an open field. Her skin burned and throbbed. She strained her eyes against the darkness around her. The stars cast a soft veil of light, just enough to make out the trees surrounding the empty clearing.
Her memory raced. How did she get here? She couldn't remember. Everything felt wrong and fuzzy. People—yes, there had been people. But not people. No. They were not people. Dark shapes. No faces. Everything had been so dark. Why was everything so fucking dark?
The blade. The image surged forward: strange and delicate, beautiful and fierce, its edge glowing red-hot. They had put it in her mouth. They had cut out her tongue. She must have lost consciousness afterward.
Her stomach churned again. She touched her arms, her thighs, her stomach. Naked. She was naked. Something warm and sticky coated her skin. Blood. Her fingertips passed over ridges that should not have been there. Carvings. Mutilated. Her body had been mutilated. She had never felt pain like this. Her body was fire, the pain coursing down into her bones. She wanted to scream.
Run. The thought struck with the force of instinct. Run. Now! Something primal screamed from within her.
She shot toward the trees. Every step sent pain ripping through her, but she forced her legs forward. Straight. Just go straight. Eventually she would reach the end. The trees grew thick and strange, their trunks twisted unnaturally. Branches reached like hands, scratching and tearing at her already damaged flesh as she pushed through them.
She stopped and strained her ears against the swallowing silence. Nothing. No footsteps. No voices. No one crashing through the woods behind her. Relief fluttered briefly in her chest. Maybe they weren't following her. Maybe she had gotten away.
She ran again. Her bare feet pushed against the damp ground, carrying her farther from the clearing. She kept her eyes fixed on the black distance ahead, searching for anything—a road, a house, a light.
How long had she been running? Her lungs burned. Her legs threatened to give beneath her. It felt like hours.
She collapsed. Her lungs burned, desperate for oxygen. Sweat stung the wounds covering her body. Get up. The command came from somewhere deeper than thought. Keep running.
Something moved at the edge of her vision. She froze. There, between the trees.
Nothing.
Then she saw the eyes. Two silver points glinted in the darkness. Her breath caught. Another pair appeared. Then another. Soon the darkness around her was filled with them. Unblinking silver eyes. No faces. No bodies. Only eyes. Watching her.
She ran. She did not want to die. Hot tears blurred her vision as she stumbled through the trees, lungs heaving. She refused to look behind her. Keep going. Just keep going. You're almost there.
Out of the black, a light flickered through the trees. She thought she had imagined it, but it appeared again, peeking through the dark edge of the woods. She fixed her eyes on the light that twinkled in and out, peaking through the grasping trees. Her legs pumped harder. Her head was dizzy. Her body constricting against the pain, the cold, the lack of oxygen needed to carry her farther through these cursed woods.
She stopped hard. Only steps away from the final line of twisted trunks. She made it. Oh God, she actually made it.
She looked back. No silver eyes. No movement. Relief surged through her so violently that tears came harder. She pushed herself toward the edge of the trees.
A large estate stood perhaps a hundred yards away. Light glowed behind several windows. Someone was home. Someone was awake. Someone would save her.
She stepped out of the woods. Something seized her. Her body flew backward, landing hard among the trees. For a moment she could only stare at the open space above her line of sight, confused. This can't be happening.
She scrambled to her feet and tried again. The instant she crossed the edge of the woods, the invisible force caught her and hurled her backward.
This can't be right.
Again. And again. But each time the boundary rejected her. Countless times she fought to break through the barrier. Her body at its limits. The cold, sinking feeling in her gut growing heavier.
Finally, her body gave out. She slumped beneath the trees, her naked, mutilated body shaking uncontrollably. The house remained in the distance, its windows glowing warmly against the night. So close. Someone was inside. Someone who could help her. And she could not reach them.
She had no tears left.
This isn't happening. This is a nightmare. I'm going to wake up.
She closed her eyes. She would open them and be in her bed. Birds would be singing outside her window, welcoming the dawn. Her father would call for her. She would get dressed and make her way down the wooden stairs to the kitchen, where she would begin preparing his breakfast.
She heard her father's warm, hearty voice. "Alison, my girl! You are too good to me!" His arms wrapped around her, and he kissed the top of her head. "My sweet girl, what would I do without you?" Her breath softened at the sound of the deep timbre of his voice. Home. I am home.
Her eyes fluttered open.
The comforting thought vanished. Silver eyes peered down at her through the darkness. Silence swallowed the woods. The only sound came from the leaves trembling beneath her still shaking body.
Dark, shadowy arms slipped beneath her and lifted her from the ground. She had nothing left to fight with. Her body hung heavy with exhaustion as the trees began to slowly drift past her. Tears came again and slipped down her cheeks. She did not need to know the direction they moved to know where they were going. She was being taken back to the clearing. Back to the stone. Back to her death.
Her will to fight was nearly dissolved from exhaustion and despair. Her body subsided against the shadow holding her. Her head rested against its chest. The creature’s body was warm and cold simultaneously. The sensation was unnerving and comforting at once. Alison felt an energy pulsing almost imperceptibly from the shadow being who continued to move silently toward the clearing. An unexpected gentleness held her.
Then came the humming.
Softly at first. The sound vibrated through the one carrying her. One by one, the others joined. Alison did not recognize the melody. It was strange and ethereal, achingly beautiful. With every note, something inside her loosened. Her fear began to drift away.
Perhaps this was a dream after all.
The black canopy of the twisted trees gave way to the night sky. The clearing. The dark one lowered her tenderly. The stone met her back again. All of the shadows gathered around her, but Alison barely noticed them now. Her eyes found the stars.
The humming swelled into song. The words meant nothing to her, yet they sounded older than anything she knew, as though they belonged to some forgotten place beyond memory.
The stone was cold beneath her body, but a strange warmth pulsed through her in time with the song. She could not take her eyes off the expanse of stars dancing and swirling above her. The entire cosmos seemed to thrum in unison with the beings around her.
Her breathing slowed. Warmth continued to course through her body. The pain no longer mattered. She was becoming part of something bigger than this life.
She no longer wanted to run.
Fear dissolved into acceptance. Acceptance crescendoed into desire. This was a gift. She gave herself over to it. The stars were welcoming her. Calling her. She could hear them. The music had risen beyond this earthly plane. It weaved its notes into the very stars themselves.
Above her, the fierce blade rose, blue flame flickering along its edge. The shadows held one long final note in unison. Alison kept her eyes on the dancing stars. The blade plunged into her heart. Her breath caught for only a moment. Then the pain, the song, the cold stone beneath her—all of it began to fall away. A soft smile settled at the corners of her mouth. A final sigh escaped her.
Somewhere in the dark expanse of space, far beyond familiar planets and constellations, a star bursts into life.
