#ac086

THE PAST - 2001 BEAUFORT, SOUTH CAROLINA “Levi, what is that smell?!” Her tiny nose scrunched against the harsh smell that filled the nighttime air, enveloping her within it and threatening to turn her stomach just enough so that she emptied what little contents she contained onto the ground beneath her. “Genevieve, you have to be quiet.” Her brother hissed through his teeth, turning back to shoot her a look that would surely drop her dead if given the capability. She was young, just seven years old, she had barely been outside the confines of her basement, so she found it easy to forget to control the level of her voice. Her lips parted to mutter an apology, but Levi’s hand quickly came up, his index pressing against his lips as she exhaled silently. “If anyone catches us, we’re all dead. You have to understand that, okay Ginny?” This time, she simply nodded, swallowing inwards as her tiny bare feet padded silently through the forest, the smell growing stronger with each step she took. Just a few feet in front of them, her other older brother lead the way, turning around as he walked to motion to them that they were almost there, and that the importance of silence was more important than ever. Again, Ginny simply nodded that she understood. She was lucky that her brothers had even agreed to let her come with them, despite having no idea what exactly she was getting herself into. Before she knew it, her brothers had stopped walking altogether, moving only so that Levi’s hand gripped her wrist tightly as he tugged her towards an area of forest that had been cleared out, still managing to remain hidden behind a bush as to not be seen by their society. “Look…it’s just beginning.” His voice was barely above a whisper, causing Ginny’s blue hues to widen as she dropped to her knees in the dirt, unable to tear her gaze away from the scene in front of them.

Hooded cloaks draped the bodies of those standing in a perfect circle around the wooden posts, velvet in material and the color of blood. Single candles were held between the hands of the adult men and women who had gathered, their darkened faces covered, yet clearly intent on the scene in front of them. Standing in front of the wooden post was a male, who had seemed to abandon the candle for a large book, in which he was reciting from. His voice filled the forest as the foreign language rolled off his tongue with ease, his sound nearly alluring. A small fire burned at the bottom of the post, having already begun burning the person who was strung up, completely nude and bound by ropes to the wooden post. All at once, the community began joining in, all of them now reciting the words from the book in the foreign tongue, their sound almost musical as it filled the forest. Then, it ended. Silence filled the nighttime, and one by one the members of the cult began to blow out the candles until there was only one person left – a petite female. Without hesitation, she stepped forward, closer to the leader and the burning post before she bowed in front of him. Raising one hand up carefully, she pulled the hood away from her face, strands of red curls falling from the cloak as she used her candle to light the end of each of the ropes, the flames now climbing higher and higher as she stepped back into her place once she was finished. A few more sentences fell from the leader’s mouth, and with his concluding statement, the woman blew out her own candle. The smell grew stronger as the flames danced against the night sky. It was truly horrifying and beautiful all at once.

“C’mon guys, we have to get back now.” Levi’s whisper pulled Ginny from her trance as she pushed herself up from the dirt, moving as fast as her small body would allow her, following closely behind her brothers. “What was that?” Her voice broke as she struggled not to cough against the scent of burning flesh, but her curiosity beginning to get the better of her as she struggled to keep up down the unfamiliar trek back to their home. “What were they doing?” “It’s a sacrifice, Ginny. But, they call it a funeral.”