Damaged

Chapter Six: Hanged

*Salem, Massachusetts -  July 19th, 1692*

     Months passed, trials of women, children and even men were passed at the Court of Salem. All found guilty and some sentenced to death. The Grand High Coven used their ways to make the Adams' women suffer, prolonging their stay in a cell. Always strapped by metal chains, enchanted chains that rendered them powerless to use magic.

Abigael wore the same dress she came in months ago, it was now dirty, ripped, and unclean. She was downgraded within the confine of her cell. She had no idea where her mother was, probably somewhere in this foul place. At the start she would scream for her Mother for days, and even weeks, but gave up hope. She could be already dead for all she knew. Abigael's tears fell silently, this was hell and she knew it.

"Look at you," a woman's voice pierced the air, making Abigael whip her head up to see Pauline at the bars of the cell. "Weak, helpless to do anything," she gloated at the situation.

"Why," Abigael's voice was harsh and soar due to the lack of water she was getting, but her British accent came through.

"Your Mother did not tell?" Pauline replied, the cloak sat over her shoulders, but raised with her right arm as she held up the lantern with the candle burning inside. "I was there for your birth. A birth that killed people," Pauline wasn't holding back on the information she held.

"Lies," Abigael spoke, twisting her head away from Pauline.

"No, not a lie. You know the Great Fire of London," Abigael remained quiet, she knew of the fire that burned through the city for four days. "When you came into the world, you cried, the bakery you were in, set aflame as you released a powerful wave of magical energy. I felt it, your mother felt it. Four days passed and the fire was put out, but it claimed lives," Pauline explained, letting the truth flow. "From that day, I knew you were dangerous, and the Coven needed to know. But Margaret was clever, and hid you and her away with a powerful spell, not even our powerful Witches could break," their was rage in her eyes, that she should have done something a long time away.

"Why shall I believe a word that falls from thy lips," Abigael managed to raise her voice at Pauline, though it wouldn't accomplish anything, she was feeling a lot of emotion.

"Because you are in here, behind bars, and will be sentenced to death with thy Mother," Pauline did make a good point, but Abiagel couldn't picture dying with her mother, it was a haunted sight that plagued her mind for months.

"You wicked hag!" Abigael found the strength to charge at the bars, and towards Pauline hoping to instill fear into her. However, the chains that bound her tugged harshly against her wrists, making her yelp in pain. For months she tried everything she could to tear these chains off, but nothing worked, and the redness around her wrists were proof of that. Abigael fell to the ground, finding her strength draining to nothing, but Pauline's bitter laughter just made her angrier.

"Tis justice, letting you live is dangerous. This is your fate," with a blink of an eye Pauline vanished from Abigael's view, meaning she was never here but merely a projection. Abigael leaned into her restraints, finding it to relieve some pain.

Suddenly, hurried footsteps came through the corridor of the prison cells, and the sound of a key rattling against the metal door of the cell began to open, as the accused women began to be led out. It was time, and Abigael feared the worst. A man stopped at her cell, finding her hunched over, but he didn't care, he unlocked her cell door and entered. She had no will to fight, no strength to stand her ground. He spoke not once, just doing his job, and unlocked the lock-pad that bound the chain. Once it was freed, he ragged on it, making Abigael jolt to her feet, but they dragged for a moment. Without a warning, he pushed her out into the corridor, finding it empty, as the women were already being escorted out and to their deaths...

There were six women in total, all being led out into the woodland area in Salem; they had a spot which had a high tree, and a thick branch, allowing the town to hang multiple women at once. The town folk gathered in the woods, crowded around a massive tree, all booing, and screaming at the accused women. Fear was in all of them. Abigael could not see her Mother, she must be back in the prison. The town folk began to throw fruit at the women, but all of the accused were too tired and hurt to avoid the oncoming projectiles. all had their heads hung low, tears streaming down their cheeks, but there was nothing they could do now, they were off to the chopping block.

"For your crimes of witchcraft, I sentence you to hang, until thy neck snaps," a male figure spoke, his voice loud for everyone to hear. But it made Abigael cock her head up to see the noose that was slung over the tree and placed around a woman's neck. Her Mother's neck...

"Mother!" She cried out, but her voice was harsh and low, but her Mother seemed to hear her in the crowd of screaming, and cheering town folk.

"I love you," she mouthed the words to her daughter for a final time, tears flowed freely from mother and daughter. With the wave of his hand, as he held the power, the three men that held the rope, ran backwards, and halted Margaret Adams up into the air, and she began to dangle, the noose choking at her neck, closing off her airways as she began to turn red.

"Mother!" A deep pain struck Abigael as she struggled against her restraints, and tried to fight her way through the guards, but they pinned her back. Margaret's feet flicked and kicked through the air, trying so much to live, but alas she drew her last breath, and hung there, lifeless and dead. "NO!" Abiagel screamed as much as she could, a whaling cry came free, but she had no time to mourn or do anything about it as the group she was with began to line up beside the hanging corpse. Nooses being slung over the branch and down to the women, and tied around their necks. Abigael couldn't peel her eyes away from her dead Mother, her heart shattered into millions of pieces, and she was at the far end, the last one.

"For your crimes, you will be hung until you die," the man spoke coldly, not even giving this a second thought at all. The town folk cheered, and clapped, ready for the public execution. The men were divided, and one was on each rope, ready to pull on command. However, something inside Abigael bubbled up with rage and anger, and she was ready to pop.

"You all will die! This city will burn by my hands, and those responsible will suffer!" Her voice bellowed throughout the wood, even a few scared birds flapped away from the trees. This was an empty threat, she couldn't come back from the dead, it wasn't nature's will. The man waved his hand down, and the men holding the ropes began to pull hard, and with each tug, it brought each woman up, higher and higher until they met the height of Margaret. All women began to choke, and flail around, legs kicking through the air, faces turning bright red as they were suffocating. With tears in her eyes, she noticed a group of women all wearing cloaks shielding themselves from piercing gazes, but Pauline was uncloaked and stared at Abiagel, a smile plastered over her face, as this outcome pleased her. With each passing moment, black dots danced around Abigael's vision, as the sound of choking came to her ears. Within a minute, the blackness reached, and she drew her final breath. The last thing she heard was cheering, and clapping...

The women all dangled freely in the evening breeze, lifeless. But this was just the beginning for Abigael...

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