Deceived

[WP] The prophecy was a lie. You are just another in a long list of sacrifices to the abomination. As you lay there, body broken, it stands above you. And you think your final thoughts.

*****

I should have never trusted them. As I watched the scene of carnage unfold, I knew I had been foolish to ever trust them in the first place,

*****

We were always taught and told to respect and trust in the elders. That they were wise, all-knowing, and the closest liaison with the gods. That they were our ray of hope, and they were concerned about our feature. That they were the standard, the blueprint, the ones we were supposed to look up to if we ever wanted to be successful in life.

The ones who were doing all they could to deliver us from the abomination plaguing the land. The man who founded the village had done so after running to the altar of a demonic entity for aid and protection from his assailants. He received power, affluence, and all that was required to build a prosperous city but the catch was all of us, the descendants of the first settlers in the city would never be successful.'

We all barely managed to survive, and no one who left the city ever returned. They never did send any help from beyond the walls, so it was assumed that they died. We were cursed. And unless we had a savior, none of us would manage to leave the village.

Every New year, Iscarith the head priest would receive the prophecy of the year. For the three youths who were chosen to deliver the town. The elders told us that all the others got enticed by the things of the world outside the walls, and this was what led to their deaths. Every year, we cursed three youths that left the city, left all the teachings that had been instilled in them to partake in the frivolities of life outside the walls.

I had reached 23. I married Lily, the girl of my dreams and my childhood friend, and I already had one girl. My pride and my world, and she meant a whole lot to me. My wife was pregnant again, and in six months we would be having another child. Another bundle of joy would be welcomed into my household.

And then the prophecy came.

Iscarith's servants showed up at my door that morning, telling me of my summoning to the High Court. We all knew what it meant, and it was something we dreaded, yet looked forward to. We grew up wanting it, but after settling down and having a family, you do not wish for anything to come between you and them.

But I knew that this was the time for me to take a step towards freedom. Towards the best for my wife, my children, and the city as a whole. I would be the hero who would see all that lay outside, the enticing and enchanting scenes... and I would be the one to resist all that etch my name in the sands of time as the one who delivered my city from the curse.

What I was to do, I did not know. It was a secret that was only revealed to the chosen ones. Nobody saw when they left, and nobody heard from them again. The jinx was mine to break, I thought, as I entered the High Courts and sat with the other two youths this year.

Xeris, the blacksmith was chosen this year. His family was well known for the trade, and he was one of the makers of the silverware used in the palace and the high courts.

Jasmine was a musician who entertained us at the Friday Night opera and plays. She was a wizard with the harp, very skilled, and with a beautiful, melodic voice to match.

I was an architect, well known for my designs of the new royal palace which were executed magnificently. I realized that this year's choices were star-studded in all regards, and this gave me a sudden boost as I drank the wine we were offered.

"We are going to..."

I never finished that statement.

I think it was the screams of Xeris that woke me up. I realized that I was tied to a rock, and as I was trying to understand the situation, I heard another scream to my right.

I had never heard such a guttural scream, one that expressed the height of human pain, terror, and anguish. I turned my neck to see what looked like a nine-foot-tall demon eating him from the waist down while he was still alive, slowly chewing his legs before swallowing them.

Xeris looked on, still conscious, still very much aware of the things happening around and to him. He then looked at something behind me and cried,

"You lied to us! You're lying to them all! You're deceiving them."
I turned, and it was our elders, seated and looking on as we were being finished in what seemed to be a large underground cavern. The lair where it was rumored that the abomination plaguing our land was kept restrained.

Jasmine screamed. "You b*stards! You lying, selfish... It was never restrained. Our elders had entered a bargain with it. For your continued protection and safety, you offer three citizens to it each year. People that look up to you and trust-"

I heard the last gasps of pain from David and turned as the demon slowly bit into David's head. He finally died, he was finally free from the terrible pain he'd been put through.

"Take the woman next," Iscarith said.

"You dare tell me what to do?" The demon asked menacingly, and they all cowered before him.

"No, surely not. We just thought you'd prefer not to have all that noise."

The demon laughed briefly."I do."

It ripped out the ropes and picked Jasmine, smiling savagely before holding her two legs and ripping her apart slowly, her screams jarring my ears. From what I had just seen and heard, I suffered a trauma worse than death.

I died a thousand deaths.

"And then there was one. I think I'll take time to enjoy myself."

As the demon reached out for me, I turned towards Iscarith and spat at hum, the missile whizzing through the air and actually touching his face. He grimaced.

Muttering curses under my breath, I bit down hard on my own tongue and killed myself, unwilling to die such a shameful death for the benefit of the elders.

*****

THE END

I went for gritty and cold this time. I can never miss that, I know that fOr sure.

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