Kira had hurried downstairs to line up with the rest of the girls. They, like her had been chosen as a peace offering to spare their small village for a while longer and hold the demons at bay. The only diffence between them and her was that she had been in this church since a babe. Growing up in this church she had been taught healing to be able to contribute to the church who had taken her in. When she wasn't mixing hearbs or suffer her nightly abuse she was cleaning or cooking, if she was awake she was put to use.
Kira stood with her posture strong and her eyes forward, she knew better than upsetting sister Agatha and her suffer her cane. The old sadistic woman didn't look like much but she was unnaturally strong.
The rest of the girls looked like Kira, dressed in white short dresses were barely holding it together. One woman whimpering caught the end of Sister Agatha's cane. She cried as it hit her wrist.
"Hold yourself together girl" She had hissed.
Walking past Kira she nodded but Kira stood still. Nothing a demon could do to her that Sister Agatha and Father Kane hadn't already done. And after tonight, they would never do it again.
They had taken a special interest in Kira after she was born. A man had left her at the steps calling her demon spawn, most likely she was the result of an affair and with the blood covering the man holding her they had assumed the mother was no longer in the picture.
Such a violent and tragic entry to the world was a good sacrifice, it was a sign.
With her soul being doomed from start they made sure to keep her damaged with daily beatings and abuse, teaching her to be obedient to even the cruelest demons or husbands if it didn't go as planned.
She let go of her breath as soon as Sister Agatha had left the room, watching all the girls surrounding the girl who was sobbing.
Comforting eachother, her heart ached for them. Most had been ripped from loving families or just unfortunate enough to be picked from the orphanage.
All they had in common was their beauty and watching them hug on the cold stone floor whispering about all good things to come when it was all over made Kira uneasy.
Kira cleared her throat "demons never come here"
The sobbing girl looked up "have you ever seen one?"
Kira froze for she had seen a demon. Creeping into her chambers every night since she reached womanhood at near eighteen, a late bloomer she had hoped it would never come. She had heard the rumours of Father Kane and his lessons when you had become of age. She shuddered at the memory. Every night since he had taken a special interest in her, creeping in were she slept, breathing horrors in her ears. Forcing her into sexual acts to teach her what men desired. She knew he was using her for his own needs. Justifying it as teachings. She would receive beatings and punishment if she refused.
She shuddered at the thought, and tonight one way or another it was going to end.
These women hadn't been here long enough to know the true horrors in this house.
One of the women looked up at Kira still stroking the young girl's back.
"They look like us to trick us but I've seen one, it's true face. Eyes blacker than any black I've seen and black veins framing it's face, it was like shadows was dancing around it" she closed her eyes "like smoke but shadows, trapped souls and teeth like vampire" her foreign accent was thick, not an accent she recognised.
Maybe Father Kane was one of them. It would explain why he was doing strange rituals and tricking the town folk to think it was the will of god. And his inhumane ways with her made more sense if he was.
The girls sobbed more now and Kira tried to imagine what it would look like, shadows that wasn't on the ground or a wall freely moving in the air.
Shaking her head not being able to grasp such a thing Agatha opened the doors to the dining room.
"Eat girls, tonight you will be either demon food or free to live your pathetic lives" she waved the girls into the room. Father Kane stood behind Kira, stopping her from leaving. She felt his hand gliding up her leg and his breath closer to her ear. She froze with her heart pounding hard in her chest.
"Except you, with no one to claim you we bought you from the village council. I signed the papers myself, after tonight you belong to me"
No!
Kira grew pale and swallowed. This was supposed to be it. She would walk out there tonight and not come back, it was her right if she braved the night.
Not wanting to show any sign of defeat she gave one quick nodd and she felt his disgusting smile against her neck.
It didn't matter. She would find a way out even if the way out meant death.
Sister Agatha went in to the other girls while Kane was touching her up and down in secret. "My obedient girl" He grunted, trying to maintain control over himself he shoved Kira forward.
"Go. We'll finish this tonight"
She straightened her dress and walked into the other girls at the table not giving any indication of what had just happened.
She knew if anyone even had a hint of what he did to her he would punish her even harder.
Last time she had gotten beaten so badly she wasn't allowed to leave her chambers for fourteen suns.
Pulling out a chair next to the sobbing girl she looked at her plate. Most days she would licked her plate clean but today wasn't most days. Her only hope to leave was to escape this hellhole.
She tucked a knife under her arm in the dress, pressing down with her arm making sure the knife stayed in place. Next to her the sobbing girl followed her move. More like to use it on a demon than Father Kane but Kira admired her braveness regardless. Stabbing a demon, if they even could be stabbed took a lot of courage. If she was brave enough to use it if it came to it was a different question entirely.
The whole ceremony had been of food drinks and dance.
Although the girls had stayed in their seats everyone else was celebrating, saying prayers and crying at their feet.
Drinking some more wine Kira needed all the courage she could get, in liquid form or through the blade resting against her skin. The girls next to sat in silent prayers. All of them but the sobbing girl.
"What's your name?" She asked
She had gone days without saying a word. And she often did, just nodded or bowed and hurried away when orders were given. She could go weeks without saying s single word.
Moving her tongue, testing it she whispered
"Kira"
The sobbing girl looked at her for a moment as if deciding whether to give her own name in return.
"Lilly"
They sat silently before she spoke again
"Can I come with you?"
Kira frowned
"The knife, you're planning to run"
Kira stayed silent
The girl teared up "I can't go back home, my brother.." she stopped herself. "please" biting her lip.
Kira knew that look. Abuse was all to common for women, since demons was true so was god and angels and so was the old scrolls about women's value in this world. Be a good wife, maid or a good whore, nothing more.
Kira put her hand on Lilly's leg under the table and nodded but gave a look as to say quiet.
Lilly looked like a weight was lifting before whispering "if the demons doesn't get us first"
"Rather be demon food than go back to this" Kira responsed.
Lilly looked down but seemed to agree.
Father Kane stood and raised a hand and everyone fell silent.
"Tonight we will stand the night with these girls. Their sacrifice is a big one and we owe it to them and ourselves to stand witness, as the chosen has to endure so must we.."
Kira drifted off elsewhere, she wasn't in the mood for such displays. For she knew what was hidden behind Father Kane's mask.
Looking at women and men weeping clutching their chests and holding their hands in prayers listening to Father Kane's every word like it was law, it was almost impossible to think that these people was the same people she had encountered day after day since she was a child. Just ordinary people now weeping like they were part of something divine.
Father Kane walked behind them commanding
"pray"
All the women bowed in prayer.
Kira prayed to, she prayed a demon would come and finish Father Kane and the entire village off.
The women stood as did Kira. With her heart in her throat she put on a brave posture but kept her eyes low, as she was taught. She didn't need anyone to think she was up to something. With Lilly in her heels they walked in line. Parading through the village path with most of the town folks behind them in a silent train.
Most of them stopped at the very edge of the town, the didn't dare walking further. Just a few felt enough loyalty to follow all the way deep into the forest.
Lilly was shaking behind her, from the cold or fear she wasn't sure, Kira was afraid to, even if she didn't think a demon would she was still haunted by image she had created in her head. A man with completely black souless eyes, black veins moving all over it's body and face and shadows dancing around it like an aura.
A sharp pain snapped her out of it. Lilly who had stumbled behind her grabbed Kira, and while Kira caught her before anyone fell the blade of the knife had pierced her skin.
Sister Agatha walked up and smacked Lilly with her cane.
Feeling protective over the girl she clenched her teeth and silently prayed someone would kill Agatha aswell.
Hoping the cut wasn't deep enough for blood seep through the dress, she pressed her arm harder against her side. Making sure no one would see underneath.
The rest of the walk she had felt the blade scraping in the wound but she persevered.
Now standing still with the group the village witch was walking around them. Performing the ancient ritual trying to offer them in exchange for longer protection.
It had been a couple of hours of the witch endless ritual summoning whatever it was that she was trying to summon.
Kira had shaped out a plan in her head. It wasn't much but it was all they had.
She would pull out her knife and grab Lilly, they would run till sunrise and only then would they figure out their location. She didn't expect anyone to dare brave the night so they could keep running, getting as far ahead before light. They would not stop for any noise, they would just keep running as far as they could.
Running. That was all she had but it would have to be enough.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath readying herself, with her heart in her throat she touched the handle of the knife under her arm. With her free arm she touched Lillys hand gently, she dug her feet down getting ready to sprint.
A few shadows appeared and the witch screamed, standing tall in front of the witch a shadow of a man solidified. In an instant chaos erupted, The villagers screamed and a few ran, the runners died quickly with demons biting them and tearing them apart til the screams stopped. Kira held Lilly's hand as the tall demon walked the line of the women offered for it. While the women were shaking, crying and begging. Kira was the only one standing tall. With her head held down forcing Lilly to stand by her side in her iron grip.
The shadow was solid now, a man. Wearing a white shirt and black pants, she didn't dare to look up but she knew he was big. He stopped Infront of Kira. Towering over her like a mountain, Intrigued by her lack of fear.
It put a hand on her chin forcing her to meet its eyes.
She looked straight into the black eyes, straight into a void. The black veins was climbing from its neck up towards it's face, framing it, enhancing it's pale features.
If she wasn't so certain she would die right here, in another life or maybe if she was a demon herself she could call it beautiful. Still holding one hand on her blade she pulled it out and plunged it straight into the demons stomach.
A sinister smile widened on his lips as it grabbed her throat and pulled the knife out, slowly bringing it to her face covered with thick black demon blood. It dragged the blade on her cheek making a small cut before letting go of the knife. She flinched at the pain and it leaned in closer
It was taunting her.
She didn't break eye contact when the Father spoke
"Please forgive us" he held his hands up walking slowly towards the creature. The creature still not turning hits head as if inspecting Kira, she had let go of Lilly's hand and held it around the demons wrists holding herself up.
With Lilly on her side pulling at her dress trying to get her away from the demon as Father Kane got closer
"Take the other let me punish the girl something like this won't happen again"
She felt it's grip tighten around her throat.
Still holding his hands up he approached the demon.
The demon reached out with unnatural speed and grabbed Father Kane's throat still looking into Kiras eyes. Her mouth curled up in a faint smile as he struggled under the demons grip, as she had struggled under his so many times.
Smiling wider at her reaction she saw it's perfect white teeth. She wasn't sure what she had expected them to look like, but she didn't think they would be white or have any similarities to a humans.
It snapped its head to look at Father Kane and his struggles and snapped his neck like a twig before letting go.
Looking back at Kira she realised everything had gone silent. She didn't dare to move, wondering if they had killed everyone or if they had fled. With Lilly crutched down next to her in fear refusing to leave she let go of the demons wrists. The demon took notice and turned it's head slightly.
"Take me but leave her alone"
The demon looked down at Lilly briefly before looking back at Kira with a dangerous smile
"What will you do for me in return?" His voice was deep, dark and penetrating her very soul.
She closed her eyes. It was curious of her she could tell. The demon held her life in its hands but it hadn't killed her, it just held her there in its control. Playing with her like it would a toy. And she felt herself getting pulled in, she had stared into it's eyes for to long and it's influence was starting to take over, massaging the back of her head seducing her slowly
"Anything" she opened her eyes
"That's a brave promise to make" still showing its teeth.
She should be scared but she wasn't, not anymore.
Slowly she lifted her hand tracing the black veins reaching it's jaw lines.
It's mouth curled up in a wider smile and she had to fight the urge to touch it's teeth. She could see three sharp on each side. Front teeth flat, the sharp ones starting at the fangs. Not to big, but definitely designed to hunt and rip her apart.
Looking back into it's eyes fully surrendering to it's influence she repeated "anything".
It let go of her throat and grabbed her dark hair, forcing her down on her knees.
She obeyed only to spare the girl. She was no longer scared, not for her self anyway. She had said she would get out one way or another. Death was just another.
Looking up at the demon infront of her, there was no defeat in her surrender. She was willingly giving herself to it, for whatever it wanted and in some ways it felt good. It felt good looking up at its face and being met with lust. And a proud expression only a creator would give it's child.
It dragged it's arm on its teeth making it bleed.
"Deal" and pushed it's arm against her lips with a simple command in her mind she grabbed the demons arm and drank it's blood.
"Good girl" it released it's grip soothing her, stroking her head like you would a child. It filled her with a strange calmness, the cause of her pain was comforting her and caring for her as she suffered.
She had been called good before and it had always filled her with disgust.
This time it filled her with a sense of pride and belonging.
She ignored the excruciating pain spreading from her throat down her stomach and continued to drink until she was told to stop. She wanted the demon to be proud she wanted to prove she would endure. She tried to fight the absurd idea in her mind but it was no use.
The demon told her to do what he wanted, and what he wanted was what she wanted.
The world around her started spinning and she was sure the blood of the demon was burning through every living cell in her body. Poisoning her, it was killing her. Parts of her was being erased. Her mind felt less like her own.
The demon pulled her back as she was convulsing, coughing and trying her hardest to keep the blood down, still comforting her as she failed. She threw up and the world went dark.