The Long Night

Ch. 2: The First Night

***TRIGGER WARNING: Religious and Physical Abuse***

It was late morning when her father and brother left her in the woods. By the evening, Sarah was struggling to keep some semblance of control on herself. Day time was difficult, but the nights were the hardest. Something about the moon hanging high in the sky made the beast in her more active and feral.

Despite the heavy metal aroubd her neck Sarah continued to pull and yank at the chains, desperate to run through the woods. She could hear everything around her- the soft steps of the animals around her scurrying for safety, the crickets and otuer nightbugs calling out to one another, and... voices? People. People were heading in her direction, from the village. That was never a good sign. Licking her dry lips the devil's dog took in a few deep lungfulls of air to steady yer breathing quicker before she fell silent and listened, trying to determine what method was to be used on her to chase the devil from her body tonight.

Chanting... They were chanting, but it was in Latin, a language Sarah definitely didn't understand. She was intelligent 'for a girl' or so her father told her, but it was more of a cleverness in figuring things out than anything that would have called for an education. She could follow along when someone read the Bible to her and could recite passages she'd memorized, even had her own tightly held thoughts and beliefs on what they meant, but beyond that she didn't believe she had any real scholastic affinity. Closing her bright blue eyes she tried to listen to the tone in which they chanted only to regret doing so quite quickly.

They sounded... serious. Intense, even. Sarah's eyes snapped open as she ran to the tree where her chains were locked in place and started pulling frantically. Sweat dripped down her back and the sides of her face as the physical exertion and absolute panic worked in tandem with the heat that had been slowly building in her blood. The voices of the villagers and church mongers grew closer and panic overtook her as she started screaming and clawing at the shackle around her throat.

Water hit her face causing her to pause in her outburst; her eyes met with Father Ovcheck and she knew the night would be long. "BE SILENT UNDER THE WATCHFUL GAZE OF GOD, DEMON!" the man bellowed so all the people around could hear him clearly. They looked to him to deal with her, a known, unholy abomination. "Sarah Ann Lewis, daughter of Sir Edward and Lady Mary Lewis, are you ready to repent your sins and veg for forgiveness in the name of our lourd and savior?" Father Ovcheck asked, his voice lowering slightly now that the crows that had come with him had circled around them.

Sarah stood with two groups of the crowd on either side of her, the priest just in front, and the tree at her back. Even if she weren't chained, there was no escape. "I have repented my sins, every week since I was old enough to do so. There is nothing more for me to tell the Almighty," Sarah replied, standing as tall as she could, her eyes locked on the priest before her as if no one else existed around them. Even so, she could vaguely make out movement in the corner of her eye and could smell the beginning of a fire. Would tonight be the night they finally burned her? She could only pray not.

"The demon lies within you, Sarah. It drives you to madness in time with the moon. Your affliction is my greatest failure and I renew my vow before God himself- I won't rest until I rend the devil from you." His words inspired the villagers around them, instilling hope in their otherwise worried hearts.

Only when her mother stepped forward and in front of her did Sarah's strength and resolve waiver. Some part of her still clung to the childlike hope that her mother would look at her, really look, and see her daughter before her instead of a demon. But of course, she'd neber been a blessed or favored girl. Mary drew her arm back and slapped her daughter hard across the face before taking a handful of her sweaty hair to pull. "DEVIL BE GONE! LEAVE THIS MOTHER HER ONLY DAUGHTER!" Mary screamed out as she pulled harder. Sarah cried out, her hands flying up so she could dig her nails into her mother's arm and try to claw her off. It was only the feeling of heat on her skin that quickly turned into searing pain that made Sarah drop to the ground and scream in an attempt to get away from whatever burned her. The smell of her own burning skin and hair caused her to gag as whatever was burning unto her was pulled back. Looking over she was horrified to see a metal cross, still red from being heated in the fire, being pulled back. The shape would forever be burned into her skin behind her left ear, but the pain that radiated out of the burn kept her thoughts from straying to something as vain as worrying over a scar.

Tears streamed down her face as Sarah xurled closer to the tree, trying desperately to evade whatever other 'treatment' was planned for her ailment. "Go away from me! Leave me! God can't want this," she begged between her sobs as she dared to open her eyes to see the priest and her father and brother standing before her now. In her father's right hand was a leather flogger with tight knots towards the ends of the whips.

"Father, please! It's me, Sarah! There is no devil, no demon before you!" she begged him to hear her, praying to God above for those around her to come to their senses. A small sob from her mother brought the priest to place a hand in Sir Edward's shoulder. "The demon speaks through her, Edward. You cannot hesitate in front of the devil," Father Ovcheck said loud enough for those around to hear. The crowd around murmured in agreement.

Before she could speak again, Isaac knelt in front of his younger sister and looked deep in her eyes. There was no softness, no pity- only cold hatred stared back at Sarah. He reached down and pulled a cloth from his pocket and shoved it in her mouth before gripping both her wrists and holding them in front of her faster than her pain addled mind could process the movement. The priest stepped forward and tied her hands tight. Sarah tried to fight and struggle as Isaac turned her around and ripped the back of her dress, exposing her skin to the cool might air and the eyes of those watching.

She already had a map of scars maring her skin from beatings anf punishments passed. She knew what to expect and somehow that made it worse. One of the men from the village came to hold Sarah up by one of her arms while Isaac held the other. The priest stood in front of her with his vial of Holy water and one glance behind her followed by a tight nod brought the whip down with a startling CRACK. The villagers around them all began to pray and beg to God on her behalf as the priest called out the exorcism rite he had long since memorized. A steady supply of lashings continued to land on her welted and broken skin and despite the cloth in her mouth her muffled cries rang out louder than their prayers.

When would they open their eyes and see? Or could it really be that they were right anf the devil had hold of her? She gave herself to God, dedicated herself to living to His holy word, but still she suffered. "God forgive me," she managed to beg between sobs, her entire body shaking and straining to get away from the beating she was being forced to endure. A particularly hard lashing caused her to wrench further and scream, the Holy water still splattered on her face and only furthered her irritation.

The heat in her blood began to boil as her self pity began to make way to bitter rage. "ENOUGH!" she screamed as she spit in the priest's face. Ome hand let go of one of her arms and she pulled the man from the village towards her and bit down hard, ripping his ear from his head. She spit the piece of skin and the man's blood from her mouth before jumping to her feet and whirling around to face her father. With a loud, feral cry she bolted forward as fast as she could only to stop short when the chain ended, throwing her flat on her back again. A boot coming straight for her face was the last thing she saw.