The Sentence

Laura's senses faze back in. Quite lightheaded, she groans faintly, wondering how long she has been out for and then quietly asks herself,

"W-where am I...?" But to her disbelief, she feels duct tape sealing her lips as she is tied to a stake. What makes the ropes firmer is that they are angelic ropes, powerful enough to limit a prince's abilities and put him in his "place". She tries to wriggle her way out like a butterfly coming out of its cocoon, but she cannot as her wrists are chuffed together behind the stake, thus remaining as powerless as a fly caught in a spider's web. Under the navy-blue evening sky dullened by big smoky grey clouds, a dozen people are gathered to face the stake, some holding torches as a few light sources fused into one grim aura. The captive in a bone-white dress with a red stain from the launch of a fake blood capsule is more than distraught. She is terrified as the stern, disapproving crowd just glare. What are their issues with her? Why will not even one of them come to her aid? Why do they all seem to...hate her? The judge clears her throat inaudibly right before she unravels a scroll.

"This cultist has been found guilty of defending a flawed series," she announces as she looks through Laura's apparent misdeeds. "Most notably the toxic relationship between a classist rapist she calls "her owl daddy" and an unfunny imp who used a slur against disabled people in the pilot, yet she happens to be on a certain spectrum, but that does NOT excuse her sinful actions, nor the actions of two fellow cultists of hers."

"Guilty!" a wrathful vixen of a swan-like demon would croon gleefully and sadistically with no sign of remorse for planning to have her ex-husband killed off. But in the case of a sinner like Laura who is at least well-meaning, the response is nothing but silence...and shame, especially as a woman on a certain spectrum in a world where many like her have been misdiagnosed or diagnosed much later in life, compared to men on the same spectrum. The judge continues,

"She is also guilty of not addressing the incidents at the animation department sooner because of how biased she is with the thing that has endangered her common sense since five Halloween nights ago. She has had too much faith in the series that has declined in popularity since the second season began." Laura swears that the old skin of being tarnished by her efforts to write the best spooky pasta she could being overshadowed by cult-like antics and vitriol towards far more recognised writers and their arguably iconic creations was shed, but now, it feels like she cannot shed her current skin that has been nearly scarred in a frighteningly similar way, even before she got weighed into stillness by the heat of the ropes that could leave burns. "Moreover, she has also been found guilty of failing to properly address the "blackface" incident regarding the radio demon from its sister series when she is supposed to be a "journalist". It is questionable and sickening how she has considered these shit shows a "coping mechanism" for her. That is pretty much her excuse to not think logically about the troubles they have caused to others, from the moth pimp to the penguins who spew slurs in their language. By now, she should feel bad for blindly praising the cause of such travesties, just like how a truly moral-driven person would."

Laura tries to blurt out her side of the stories in retaliation, especially her perspective during that one time she was mistaken for a heckler of an alternate version of the two avians in unholy matrimony that was wanted for so much more than just an heir, unlike in the mainstream continuity, but all that can be faintly heard from her is screechy muffling as her mouth remains taped shut. She is denied freedom of speech, unlike those who were not, yet they misused it without thinking of the consequences nearly a decade ago. The wretched double standards against her are back to nail her to the latest form of persecution, almost like a saviour being nailed to a cross. But in her case, she does not feel like the saviour of any repented soul after all this time of repenting from past faults and vowing to be a better author. Furthermore, there is no saviour for her in sight, much to her helpless state.

"She has considered herself a "writer"," the judge states. "But she cannot point out the flaws in the freakshows' writings to save her life, which is why today, we are ending it for the good of media literacy." The lady trembles. Fear smoulders in her gleaming hazel eyes as they sink in even more disbelief. "As contrived as the angelic ropes holding her in her place are, they at least have some good use for the cleansing to save the population of creative minds from corrupted thinking." Such hurtful and dehumanising remarks cause her to heave and squeeze a tear from her right eye. "Now, before we begin the execution, does anyone have any additional claims for why this sentence is righteous?" A few members of the jury unhesitatingly raise their hands. The judge pointed at a man who had recently shaved his head to let him be the first to speak out against Laura.

"She was using some people for her fetish fantasies and even thought of the rapist comforting a woman like her on her period." the man whose head is shaved exclaims. "Disgusting!!" An ebony-haired woman in a pink dress adds,
"She could have kept her shitty opinions to herself! Clearly, nobody asked for them! I warned her about shoving them up people's arses before. She has some vile tastes. She is just annoying and pathetic!" Another member whose left forearm is still faintly scarred shouts,
"The shitsack is not only a big simp to what is a complete waste of time but also a bad friend for almost causing someone to commit suicide for threatening to cut ties with them and ratting them out!" As Laura's sorrowful eyes continue to gloss with dried-up teardrops below them, a member who goes by They/Them pronouns scolds,
"I was wrong about her! She's a fucking adult! She should have acted like one, but I guess it's too late now! How hard has it been for her to make her own decisions?!" The deep brunette captive has nothing against the person's pronouns and once tried to make up for some accidental misgendering, but the jury does not care. The redhead next to them wearing yellow goggles snarled,
"She loves those insensitive shows so much, so that makes her an evil shithead by default! She should feel bad for worshipping the problematic sorceress like a queen. It's about time she has learned a fucking lesson or two!" What about the jury though? Aside from some fanatic wanting a shipper who went along with an incestuous ship dead, shouldn't any of them suddenly suspect that the accused one has been innocent all along? The last confronter stepped forward and snarled,
"She should have learned from the decaying potential of a cult of fucking idiots I heard that she used to be part of, but she has not! She will never learn, and she will never change! The offensive, talentless cunt!" The last statement is the biggest pinch of salt to be rubbed into the wound. Any ounce of mercy is denied.

"And now, we shall burn her for her crimes!" Unfortunately for Laura, humans are not fireproof, unlike imps. The judge paces over to the stake without an ounce of sympathy for her and yanks the tape right off her mouth, causing her to yelp. "Let this heretic taste the fires of a TRUE interpretation of Hell!"

"No, no! Please! Get me out of here!!" Laura pleads, her throat throbbing from her squealing. Once the tip of a torch held by the masked executioner touches the pile of wood, the flame latches onto a handful of it for growth. The judge raises her arms for her chanting jury as she returns to her spot with the scroll closed in her left hand. The menacing crackles begin to ring in Laura's ears, causing her to scream even louder and keep on begging for salvation. The fire spreads higher across and around the wood, consuming each branch into ashes and growing ravenously for her flesh. She heaves between dry coughs and weakens from the decrease of oxygen available for her lungs to consume as the heat against her tenses increasingly. The flames keep roaring, hogging all the oxygen and getting closer to engulfing her. The smoke torments her reddening eyes, blinding her into sheer hopelessness. Is this the end? Is she about to see her mother again...or be damned to the limitless supply of the eternally unvalued?