74 Crosses (OLD)

"How could you!"

I have lived with my new parents for about 4 years now. They take me to the park and church, but I usually get bullied and taunted. I have to wear bands and hats to hide my horns and veils to cover my red skin. Besides that, my life is good. My father doesn't like me too much but Mom protects me from him. Ever since he found out about rum and gin he has been using all our money on that. We try to make him stop, but he replies with violence.

But there has been a disease spreading through our village. I fear my mom caught it. She has been coughing drily for a wile. The doctors claim it's just a slight cold, but I think otherwise. I have finally convinced her to stay in bed. Every day I would sit next to her bed and help her rest.

"My child, come close." She weakly told me. My heart pounds in my ears. But it has only been a few days! You can't die now. I leaned toward her.

"If I must die now, please try to help your father. I love him so but he has gone evil by alcohol. Forbid him from drinking." -she swallowed hard- "Keep him safe until it is his time." Tears trace the sides of my face.

"No, don't leave me here." I whispered to her. She coughed at my ashy breath. No matter what I try, hell's fire still burns my throat. I can never heal from the burns. I pull away from her, hoping that without my burning breath she may live a few days more. I take her hand delicately and watched her breathing slow. She gave one final cough and became stone cold. The crystal tears run down my cheeks. I sat there by my dead mother for what felt like ages.

A cold hand placed itself on my shoulder. "She's dead," Father's stern voice spoke to me, "get over it." I sat still until he pulled on the sleeve of my dress in impatience. Struck by grief, I followed him obediently. My mother's last words echo in my head. Keep him safe until it is his time. He led me outside and to the graveyard.

"Bury her wherever you like." His voice was cold and emotionless. I couldn't read is face for sadness nor joy. I grabbed a shovel and started to dig next to one of her disced friends. You couldn't split those two apart for a second. We considered her part of the family. She, too, was overcome by illness, but she went down by a common cold. She had survived through the virus, but afterwards she was weak and prone to the sickness.

Once I got the hole dug, I went back home to fetch my mother. I slouched to her room and suddenly tensed. Lucifer. He stood over my mother's body, the moonlight blocked behind his sickening head. I stared at him, anger spreading through me with a shiver.

"Oh, hello darling," he spoke sweetly wile looking down at my mother, "I guess my virus worked."

"What?! You did this? How could you!" I squealed at him with rage. He knew I loved her! And he knew she loved me!

"I was just helping a friend of mine." A shadow loomed over me. I look up to see my father holding a glass bottle with the bottom smashed off. Before I could react, He swung the weapon towards my head. The ground rushed to my face and darkness overcame my mind before I hit the wooden floor.

"Dad...?" I turned my head towards him. Why is he attacking me? Lucifer was the one who killed her!

"You did this to her," he spoke coldly, "and this is your punishment."

"But I didn't-!" He slashed the bottle at my face before I could finish.

"Don't lie to me, child! She took you in even though I doubted you, yet you kill her and her friends!" -he hit me again- "You are just as I suspected the first time I saw your burned skin. The devil."

Dark red blood dripped onto my eye from a cut on my forehead. I looked into his eyes with the other. It was pure rage. He really does think I'm Lucifer. Tears rolled down my cheeks as he continued to cut me up. He eventually stopped and grabbed my arm. He dragged me out of the house and to the center of the village.

"I have found the cause of our illness!" People walked out of their houses and gathered around me and my father.

"Your adopted daughter? What does she have to do with it?" Someone called from the building crowd.

"She used witchcraft! I overheard her talking about how she did it to my dead wife." Gasps blew at me as I burned from the glares.

"She did this!"

"It made me a widow!"

"She made our children orphans!"

My eyes flickered around the crowd. Father dragged me across town to the execution center. He was going to kill me for nothing I have done! He placed me on the pedestal and placed the rope around my neck. He pulled the lever without hesitation. The door under me gives out and I drop suddenly. The rope dug into my neck but I didn't die.

"The only way to kill a demon is holy water!" A familiar voice shouted from the gathered citizens. Lucifer wants me to come home. A group of people bring a bucket filled with a liquid. I remember every time I go to church I avoid the blessed water. I have never known why. I also avoid the rosaries and crosses. I always thought that it was because I have a strange fear of the design but it must be deadly to me. The trap door comes back and Father takes me down. I fall and glance at the citizens for mercy but the only people who didn't die by the virus was my father's followers.

They poured the contents of the bucket onto me and I instantly burned. It felt like holding the iron on a hand. I screamed for mercy as it flowed over me. I could feel my skin peeling off with each drop. I tried to close my eyes but my eyelids withered away. It burned to my bones and everything floated into the distance.