Sheep to be Slaughtered

~Chapter Twenty-Three~

              My mission was clear. I was to gather as much food as I could find without getting caught... food that would keep... food that would last as we made our journey to escape the forest. A part of me felt guilty to be taking food from the villagers when it was so scarce at this time... and then they had to give up a little bit of what they had each day for Daily Offering...

               Wait ... what became of Daily Offering? Damien had said he used the time that everyone was at Daily Offering to rummage around and gather supplies... but what if Daily Offering was our answer? Every trip we made to the village would put us both in great danger, especially with the Venge in between us and the village... what if we could figure out where the Daily Offering went and take that food? Surely a couple days of taking all that food would be more than enough to get us through our journey... perhaps it was even enough to feed one more...

                As I followed Damien nervously through the trees, my thoughts drifted to Leanna once again... it was comforting to think of her as I combed the forest expecting to see one of the Venge... but I was greatly worried about her as well. I knew it wasn't safe for her out here... but it wasn't safe for her in the village on her own either... but which was worse?

               What if there was no end to the forest? No... there had to be. Damien believed there was... Founder Marco's journal suggested there was as well. There was an end to the forest. But could I take Leanna there? And what waited for her? More monsters? A world unknown with dangers we knew nothing about? What if this outside world contained monsters worse than the Venge?

               I had a month. I had a month to figure this out before the next villager would be sacrificed. I doubted it would be Leanna for Founder Marco needed her... the thought repulsed me, but it was likely that need that kept her safe. As long as she did nothing to upset or challenge him... so perhaps I had more time than I thought.

              Damien's glare from over his shoulder warned me I was being too loud. I had let my mind wander too much and realized now how I had begun to tromp through the snow, crunching the sticks and leaves beneath. I mouthed an apology before carefully resuming my pace, now paying more attention to where I was stepping. Damien just shook his head and continued onwards, leading me ever closer to the village that had condemned me only the night before... but it felt more like I was returning to Founder Marco... for once, I had been so far from him and out of his reach... I had gotten my first taste of freedom... of being in charge of myself... I was as the little lambs that would run about in the Spring but would yank and pull when they were drug back into the barn when the weather turned...

               The scene of Founder Marco slaughtering the lamb before us at Daily Offering returned to me and flooded my mind. I cringed at the memory... I needed to get Leanna out of there...

                Damien's pace slowed. Were we close? He motioned me up beside him as we continued walking. I looked up ahead to see a shade of brown wood that did not match the trees; one of the village houses. I felt a rush of dread and nervousness rush through me causing my feet and hands to tingle. Yes, we were close. Close to Leanna... close to Founder Marco... and close to Zander. Even simply thinking of Zander now was painful, the betrayal still so fresh and raw. I suppose true friendship was something that could not be had within the village, for everyone answered to one person in the end...

                Damien and I moved in closer yet before re crouched behind some bushes close to the tree line. He waved me down next to him. I knelt beside him as we both stared out at the village that had abandoned both of us.

                Only a short distance away from us was the herd of sheep. They were peacefully grazing, a village shepherd nearby keeping a careful eye on them to be sure they didn't enter the forest.

                "What about Daily Offering, Damien?" I whispered, sharing my idea with him. "What if we were to figure out what becomes of it? Surely, we would be able to gather enough food from that alone within just a couple days."

                The thought must have occurred to Damien as well because he shook his head almost immediately. "It's too great a risk," he whispered back. "Someone could easily spot us in the daylight like this. Daily Offering is the best chance to get in and out of houses without being noticed since everyone is in one spot and distracted."

                "But isn't what we're doing now risky anyway?" I argued. "We would just have to pull this off once or twice to get what we need."

                "We're not trying it," Damien's response was absolute and firm. "We can talk more about this later but now is not the time." His whisper had become fierce at the end, and I did feel a bit guilty to throw such a suggestion at him last minute... but... we only had so much time to find the end to the village and for me to get Leanna out of there... what if...

                But the sound of the bell broke my train of thought.

                The shepherd immediately began rounding up the sheep, guiding them back to their fenced-in pasture. I could see people beginning to head up from the river and out of the barns. They would be on their way to retrieve their Daily Offerings now...

                "Just a little while longer, then we move," Damien whispered. "If you need to leave something behind, do it. Just don't let anyone see you."

                I nodded, my eyes not leaving the sheep as they trotted away from their guide. They followed each other without any regard for their safety... one of them even may be taken for the Daily Offering sacrifice... much like the villagers were... just like I had been... and Damien...

                "Let's go," Damien said, once again interrupting my thoughts. He hopped up abruptly and began to sprint towards the village. I ran after him, my vision set on the house closest to the tree line. I tried to ignore the anxiety made me want to turn back around and the worry that caused me to want to run back to mother's house... if I could just quickly check on Leanna...

                No, I would do that if I had time. I had to be careful, and I needed to grab what I could. The sooner we found the end to the forest, the sooner I could get Leanna out of here... and I desperately needed to find something better to wear than the torn outfit I was currently in...

                Damien shifted to the right and my nerves only grew worse. I didn't want to split up... I felt safer with him beside me... but he had done this a few times and he would likely gather far more on his own than with me slowing him down... I kept going. The house wasn't much further now... hopefully today was one where Founder Marco felt the need to preach far longer than normal... maybe he had more to say knowing that I had been "sacrificed" the night before... he was likely discussing how my death was not without meaning and that my death meant the Venge granted another month of life to the village... that wonderful gift of life he talked about so often...

                ... and yet, he was always so quick to take it away...

                I ran to the back of the house. There was no door in the back, but I could likely get through the window. I quickly forced the window open and jumped up. I could feel the rough wood scraping against my skin and the fabric of my dress ripped even more, but I pulled my body through. The window was too small for me to pull my legs through, so I braced myself and tumbled to the floor on the other side. I landed especially hard on my left elbow and bit back a groan... that fall had been loud enough... better than going through the front and risking everyone simply turning around to see me sneaking about...

                I picked myself up, grimacing as I discovered the excellent job I had done in battering myself. I looked about the room. It was a bedroom... I wouldn't find any food here... but clothes perhaps? As much as I wanted to grab something to cover my exposed skin with, warm clothes were hard to come by and make within the village and as such, people didn't lose such important clothing. They would surely miss a winter cloak going missing... And Damien had said my one task was to gather food. I sighed in frustration. I just needed to find some... some that wouldn't necessarily be missed...

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Ope, kind of a boring chapter - I do be sorry about that! We're building up to a big event though so don't worry!! It won't be boring for long... ;) ;) hope you at least somewhat enjoyed this slow chapter!! There will definitely be more romance, gore, and horror in upcoming chapters ... but it's always much more shocking with a bit more buildup ;) ;) I also have a rather dramatic ending planned for this story so stay tunedddd!!! Thanks for reading!!!! :) :D <3 <3 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰