nothing will pull us apart [never again]

THE HANGING TREE

the two sisters burst through the doors of the mess hall, sprinting towards the hanging tree. they didn't dare spare a look behind them, they knew what was coming and they knew they had limited time to do what they needed to.

"there it is. go, go!" cindy exclaimed as the tree came into sight, purely out of instinct, urging her sister to reach the tree first. if anything happened - any of the 'ghosts' showed up, she would gladly give herself up for her sister to live. ziggy didn't respond, making the only noise between them the gasping and panting of their tired breaths as the space between them and their destination closed.

upon reaching the tree, they both immediately gravitated to the place they knew the witch of old was hanged, the place where - just a few hours ago - ziggy was strung up by her wrists with a bloody nose and a lighter's flame pressed to her arm.

cindy dropped on her knees and began digging her trowel into the earth. "here! here!" she screamed, again unneeded but at the same time wanted.

"yes, yes!" ziggy let out in relief, only a couple minutes and hopefully the horrors of the night would be over. she brought the shovel down into the ground repeatedly, doing her best to ignore the sinking feeling in her stomach - something didn't feel right, something was horribly wrong. she somehow knew what they were about to find wouldn't be what they had wanted but she would take anything over her sister dying because she bled on some bones.

for the next few moments nothing could be heard but their desperate gasping and the scraping of metal against earth, until a thud broke through and the sisters instantly paused and locked eyes. joining her sister on the ground, ziggy dropped the shovel and used her hands to push the dirt around to find what she had hit. cindy had abandoned her trowel to help and together they finally uncovered the fateful skull of the vengeful witch that haunted their town.

turning to retrieve the hand, ziggy noticed a shadow on the forest line getting closer - a young boy with a mask and a bloody bat with nails messily hammered in. her breathing picked up even faster as she flung herself back to face her sister. "cindy, they're coming," her voice was nothing more than a whisper but she couldn't help it, her façade was no longer - all she was now was a shivering, terrified teenage girl.

sparing a glance around them at the other shadows growing in the distance, cindy took in a deep breath to keep her brave face intact before she reassured her sister. "i know, ziggy. i know. let's end this."

with a sharp nod, the ginger haired girl lowered the skeleton hand into the ditch before her and let it fall the rest of the way. as the lost hand connected with the rest of the bones, she felt a familiar wetness underneath her nose; she lifted a hand to touch it and confirm what she knew when, suddenly, her sight went of focus. the last thing she heard was her sister screaming her name before she wasn't herself and she wasn't underneath the hanging tree. instead she was black haired and blue eyed.

a quick flurry of images flashed before her; it seemed as though time had both slowed down and increased. she took in all the information she was gifted - letting the shock of the truth immobilise her as sarah fier's (the first innocent life) final words ring through her head.

the truth will come out... yes it would, ziggy decided.

i will never let you go... ziggy would never let nick go, not until he paid for what he's done.

her sister was right, they could end this curse tonight. and they will. all they had to do? find nick goode and kill him. easy, ziggy declared to herself, it would be easy. but the memories of her day with him came back to haunt her. she had laughed with him, actually talked with him, kissed him. she had fell for him, and he had played her, but she had fell for him still.