Seven Sins Committed

2. Gluttony

Sleep came easy, as though like a bear, I began the hibernation during the winter. Pain controlled the various nightmares plaguing my mind, the degrees worse the more intense my head throbbed. Dozing in and out of reality, I dreamed thousands of things--some I couldn't understand. Violetta played important roles in most of them; she was there, holding my hands and reassuring me that everything was, indeed, alright. I truly didn't believe her sight; she never wanted me to depart from her side in the beginning. I regretted my grievous mistakes, and I wished to return beside her. However, Adrienne planned other things, brighter ideas.

She stole my sense of reality, feeding my wild imagination constantly, spun an illusion I couldn't escape. Conjuring vivid pictures of a cold, damp room, I would stand in the center. Splayed spread eagle on a table, various dead bodies laid limply, ready for me to dissect. Women, men and even children became my cooperative subjects. Scalpel cutting skin, scissors snipping, I would open up their insides. Their bodies preciously stored, the organs were kept from rot, and I held kidneys, livers and portions of intestines. Ecstasy coursed through my still veins; she ended the dreams before I managed any further progress with my patients.

I tried to battle her salivating temptations, ignoring her ruses, but demons eventually prevail when someone is without divine protection. Old demons of mine resurfaced, breaking free of the crate I stored them in. This time I couldn't shut them away. When Adrienne roused me, awakening me from my restless slumber, I brought every one of my demons with me.

As soon as I peeled open my eyes, I immediately closed them, the light too harsh. Aches deep in my bones caused me to moan softly, and I curled into a fetal position. The cool stone I laid upon offered sanction, and I accepted gratefully. Minutes evolved into hours, I continued to rest despite having slept for what seemed decades.

"Awake, I see."

I rubbed my greasy, slick hair from my eyes. Grime smudged my hands; I realized I was coated in a sooty substance. "What is this?" unused, my voice croaked and broke mid-sentence.

Adrienne stood behind a set of iron bars, her arms folded across her chest. She held her elbows with her gloved palms. "Do you not remember, Renwick? You are on the road of potential."

Grunting, my precarious stance wobbled as I rose to my knees. Ravenous hunger rumbled my stomach; my skull threatened to split open. Speaking softly, I groaned as her voice sounded deafening. The meager candlelight burned my retinas.

Plump lips curved upwards, and Adrienne pursued, despite my obvious discomfort. "I am the Queen of Darkness, my kingdom is the sea. I need you, so I brought you salvation." Heavy rusted chains draped over the gate of the cell fell when she snapped her fingers. The padlock glowed white-hot, and molten metal melted into a puddle. Free, the gate swung open, letting her stride inside. "I granted you my pure essence in return for your service. If you overcome the monster I planted inside you, I will grant your strongest wishes."

Fire scorched my throat, parched like a barren landscape. I realized I was severely dehydrated; how my body managed without fluids for so long dumbfounded me. "Water," I rasped and tapped my throat.

Her hand covered her mouth as she chuckled. "You will be quite alright without that," she assured, though I doubted she understood the functions of a body. Adrienne knelt beside my hunched form, stroking my dirty hair. "Since you are my pet, I shall care for you. Do not fret."

I moaned, rolling onto my back, chest heaving. "Please," I choked, the burning sensation settling in my lungs.

Adrienne patted my cheek, pressing her hand against my forehead. "Still not quite complete, you woke early, but that's alright. Those who recover quickly are stronger." Curls of her dark hair slipped from her tightly pinned bun. She pinched my face, forcing me to stare directly into her red eyes.