Sheep to be Slaughtered

~Chapter Twenty-Seven~

           All I could see were flashes of blood and teeth... all I could hear were the haunting screams of Matthew as he had been torn apart... but those sights and sounds were no longer occurring in front of me. Yet, my mind insisted upon repeating it all... over and over again... I could still smell the stench of the Venge, perhaps it was permanently stuck there... and although the scene had ended, I felt as though it were happening in front of me... again and again...

           I had never seen anything so horrible... my mother's passing had at least been quick... nor had the gore of her death been so seared into my mind that I could think of nothing else...

           "Hey..." Damien said softly.

           I heard him... I wanted to respond but I only continued to sit quietly as I stared at the stone floor beneath me.

            Away from me... that's what Matthew had said... he had wanted to die a sacrifice to the Venge as though it were the highest honor one could receive... Despite all his fear, he had wanted to 'atone' for his wrongdoings... and he was ready to lay down his life in order to do so... it was... astonishing...

           "Eleyah... for what it's worth..." Damien began.

           "You were right," I said quietly, a tear rolling down my cheek. "We can't save them."

           Damien sighed and got to his feet. I heard him shuffling about before I felt the weight of a fur blanket settle over my shoulders. Damien then took a seat beside me.

           "Maybe not all of them," he replied, his tone light. "But we'll go back for Leanna, I promise you that."

           I looked at him, a feeling of hope beginning to stir amidst the darkness of doubt and dismay.

           He smirked at the sudden spark in my eyes. "Thanks to your stubbornness... or foolishness..." he paused thoughtfully. "Or perhaps a mixture of both... I think we can get the resources we need much more quickly than I thought."

            "How?" I asked.

            "We're going after Daily Offering," Damien said decidedly. "I think between the two of us, we can take what we need, and Founder Marco won't even know."

             He sounded so certain, I believed him. Yes... we could do this. We would get the food we needed to survive the journey through the forest... we would find the way out... we would save Leanna...

            I smiled as I turned my head to look into the small fire I sat so close to. The feeling of its warmth upon my face combined with the fur blanket around me was comforting... but Damien's words had given me hope and I would cling to it. I began to relax, my eyes drooping slightly as the weight of the day came crashing down upon me. Without thinking, I rested my head on Damien's shoulder. He didn't stiffen or jump at my gesture, but I did feel the tension in his shoulders release. I was so grateful he was here beside me... comforting me in this moment and giving me something to hold onto... I had to hold on... for Leanna's sake...

             My thoughts drifted to Zander. Again, I wondered if he had felt at all guilty for what he'd done to me... did he regret going to Founder Marco? Did he miss me even a little? Or, did he find solace in knowing he had given me up to protect his family? Did he think it was worth it even though Founder Marco may never have known?

             It was as though I finally had a moment to breathe... to let everything that had occurred over just the past few days run through my head as I fought to process it all. But so much had happened in so little time... I only felt numb as the memories chased each other through my mind. Mother... Zander... the feeling of despair as I sagged against the ropes that had bound me to that cursed tree... only to be freed and to find out I wasn't alone in believing there was life outside the village... I wasn't the only one that believed there was something more out there... but evil persisted and it had struck hard today. I had now seen what the Venge could do... and I feared Damien was right in that bringing Leanna here would be dangerous. It would only be worth the risk if we found a way out... and we would find it. Together.