Trudging through the woods trying to find her lost dog is not how Zion had intended to spend her Saturday evening. Junebug always escaped the yard and ran through the neighborhood. However, this was a regular occurrence, and she was beloved by all the neighbors. Junebug might escape constantly but she always returned within the hour. But after 3 hours of waiting for Junebug to come home, Zion had become extremely worried she might be in danger. Especially since she had barked and growled at that pesty group of teens.
Not much of Zion’s life went how she expected but she always made the best of bad situations, if it was within her power. Like her daddy always told her, “Let’s make the most of it.” Being raised in the south with overprotective, old-fashioned, overly religious parents made her a great cook and wife to her late husband, James. Having been given a small wiener dog instead of the large husky she planned on buying was clearly divine intervention. Her parents moving to California before she was born during the California Goldrush had made all their lives wealthier. Now she’s 57-year-old widow with a wiener dog named Junebug, living off her husband’s life insurance policy. Junebug was all she really had left of James; all she really had left of anything. She didn’t have family. She didn’t have a husband or children. No grandchildren. Just a crazy dog named Junebug that was too feisty for her own good.
The sun was starting to set and Junebug was nowhere to be found. After exhausting all other of Junebug’s favorite stops, the only place left to look was the small woods a few miles from the town. The small town had been built in hopes that the surrounding hills had gold in them. After a few years of mining, nothing had come to fruition. However, Zion and James had decided to stay since he could find work in the nearby city, and they enjoyed living in the small town in the middle of nowhere.
After finding her way through the woods, she came across the familiar dirt road people used to find the mines. Zion knew these woods well since it was one of the places she and James would walk. She started making her way up the path and shouted into the open hole at the side of the hill. She was careful not to trip over the rusted over tracks of abandoned railway carts.
“JUNEBUG!!!”
“JUNEY!!!!”
Zion was about to turn to walk away when she heard loud aggressive barking coming from deep in the mine. She immediately took off blindly into the mine trying to follow the sounds.
“Damn it, Junebug!” She whispered to herself.
The sounds of the dog barking got louder and louder. Luckily this mine didn’t have too many twists or turns. Not too many ways to get lost, but it did get deeper. Zion could feel the angle at which she was running. Just as the barks were getting the loudest, they went silent. Zion stood still trying to listen more carefully. The only thing she could hear was wind traveling through the tunnel and herself gasping for breath. She placed more weight on one foot, since the other had always given her problems. This running was a nightmare on her joints. She was too old to be chasing after some crazy ass dog. Much less, in the dark of some abandoned mine. She pulled out her giant smart phone. It didn’t have any signal, but it had plenty of battery, at least she could use it as a flashlight.
Just as she got the flashlight on, she heard a loud yelp. A painful cry coming from deeper in the mine. She started running again… more like jogging. Her age caught up with her and she was still out of breath. As she made her way deeper into the mine, she tripped over something on the floor. Something had cracked under her feet, and she almost fell to the ground. Thank the lord she had caught herself or she would need someone to come rescue HER. As she looked back, she lifted her phone toward the direction of wherever the cracking sound came from. On the floor of the narrow corridor, was a ribcage of some small, abandoned creature. She had kicked it while on the move and splintered it to pieces. What remained of a small dog or big raccoon just sat there and had her transfixed for a moment.
“… a mountain lion? … here?” she thought while her mind raced.
She looked back at the mine. The pitch-black cavern sending a feeling of dread throughout her body. Junebug’s loud scream again. She started again, ignoring all the warnings in her brain telling her to stop and turn back. If Junebug could find it in her to be brave, so could Zion.
“Junebug!!!”
As she kept going, she could see up ahead a source of light. The closer she got to it, the louder the screams got. She finally found herself in a large, candle lit chamber. There were more bones of other animals thrown around along the edges of the room. She didn’t see Junebug when she ran into the room, but instead saw something else that made her stop in her tracks.
There was a girl sitting on the floor in the center of the room. Her back was to Zion, but Zion immediately knew who it was based on her bright blonde hair. Janet. One of those fucking teens from earlier. Zion heard Junebug whimpering, and suddenly a loud crack as Junebug screamed again. This got Zion’s blood boiling and was immediately sprinting toward the blonde girl as she screamed, “Let go of my dog, you bitch!!!”
Janet whipped her head around to look at Zion, and now Zion could see Junebug in her arms with rope tied tightly around her mouth in a makeshift muzzle. Zion was so enraged she didn’t hear the footsteps behind her when suddenly lightning struck the back of her head. She immediately fell to the ground, both hands gripping her head. She was extremely dazed, and her vision went nearly black. She could feel blood between her fingers, making her hair sticky. She rolled over on her side, still holding her head when she got hit again. A strong blunt force striking her stomach. Her eyes shot wide open on impact, and she could see one of the other girls standing over her with a baseball bat.
“Yeah, she won’t be getting up from that one.” A third girl said from somewhere in the chamber.
“Let’s just be sure…” the girl standing over her said. She pulled the bat back and to one side like a batter about to swing for a homerun. She brought it up and over, then finally down fast and hard, hitting Zion right in her knee. Zion screamed from the pain. All Zion could think about was the pain and how unfortunate she was that the first blow to the head didn’t kill her.
“What do you wanna do now? I mean, we can’t exactly let either of them go…” the brunette with the baseball bat said.
“Let them go? Ha! We aren’t gonna let them go! If anything, now we have more fuel for the fire. How many fucking dogs and cats are we gonna sacrifice before you two understand! The bigger the sacrifice, the more brutal the kill… The more satisfied she’ll be. Who knows? Maybe if we do this right this time, she’ll let us keep our powers.” The third girls voice said.
Zion laid there in agony. She was still too confused from the concussion to process what was happening. She could barely even make sense of the words. But she could make out the third girl’s voice. The town she lived in was small, but she never learned the brunette’s name. She only knew the blonde as Janet because of the police report she had to file when Janet tried to break into Zion’s house. But the third girl was new in town. Zion’s neighbor, Ellen, had run over to spread the gossip as soon as she found out there was a new person in town. Ellen said the new girl’s name was Abigail. She didn’t know much else, except that Abigail was clearly bad news and already becoming the leader of the “little bad girls club” , as Ellen called it.
“Move our table to the middle and tie her to it.” Abigail instructed.
Janet immediately stood to attention, leaving Junebug on the floor. She was tied down and in just as bad of shape as Zion. She lay there tired and defeated. Zion could hear dragging sounds of things being moved around. Finally, she felt the two girls grab her arms and pull on her almost lifeless body. They clumsily lifted Zion, and when they tugged on her legs to lift her, Zion screamed. Her knee had been shattered by that swing, and only now did she realize. The pain exhausted what remained of her energy, and she felt herself black out. She was going in and out of consciousness. The girls tied her hands above her head. As if Zion even had the strength to escape.
“Perfect! Now one of you kill that fucking dog. And one of you kill the old lady… Dog first!” Abigail instructed the girls. All 3 girls looked at each other for a moment. Janet had a menacing and excited smile on her face.
“You do it…” the brunette said to Janet.
“I’m gonna do the old lady.”
“…what are you going to do?” the brunette asks while looking over at Abigail.
“I’m going to read the words. Neither of you know what you’re doing. Just fucking do it or you’re next. Abigail said as she jabbed a long knife in the brunette’s direction.
Zion opens her eyes to see the brunette girl with her hands up and backing away from Abigail. Abigail still holding the knife and a small book under her arm. The brunette walks over and grabs Junebug who yelps in pain as she lifts her.
“On top of the old lady! Keep it in the circle!” Abigail barked her orders to the brunette.
Zion looks down to see the girl struggle to get on the table. Finally, she’s able to straddle Zion while clumsily holding Junebug. Junebug is still wiggling and trying to fight back while almost in a chokehold.
“It needs to be messy! Do it right!” Abigail yells.
The brunette looks over at the other two girls. A moment of hesitation, maybe? No. She takes a moment to steel herself, taking a deep breath then swiftly plunges a short knife into Junebug’s chest as she screams and tries to wiggle free. One short paw on the girl’s wrist, trying to push the knife away.
Zion succumbs to her concussion and fades away into the dark. Her eyes close in the middle of the chaos. Her consciousness flickering, like the candles surrounding this circle of hell.
Junebug’s wiggles turn to slow twitches and suddenly she is still. In one motion, the girl’s grip tightens around the handle as she pulls the blade downward towards the dog’s belly, causing blood and intestines to pour out. Zion gets covered in blood as the limp body of her dog drops on to her chest and rolls over to the floor. Mouth tied and eyes open, petrified in a terrified yelp. Her scared final moments scarred on her face.
Zion comes back to consciousness as the room spins. She can feel the blood coating her torso as tears run down the sides of her face. Anger floods over Zion and she starts to thrash around to no avail. The brunette straddling her almost loses her balance. She slowly climbs off Zion and the table and immediately keels over and vomits. The smell of puke and iron in the air.
Zion turns her head to see the girls. The brunette trying to gather herself. Zion realizes that Abigail’s eyes are wide, and she is mumbling words. Zion can’t hear anything. Her senses are all one giant blur.
There’s a loud humming noise that can’t be coming from any of the girls. Sounds like industrial equipment turning on, as vibrations travel throughout the floor. Abigail begins to read from her book, glancing up at the table as the blonde girl makes her way to the center of the room. The flames on the candles around the room begin to flicker faster and go out. Some of the candles burn brighter as heat emanates from them.
The blonde quickly climbs on the table and straddles Zion. Another surge of adrenaline pumps through Zion’s veins as she begins to struggle and thrash about once more. The girl on top of her just laughs, raising one hand up and moving it around like she’s riding a mechanical bull. Zion is too weak and too old to give this girl a fight, even if she wasn’t already at death’s door.
“Fucking do it already!” Abigail screams.
Janet reaches up her other arm and grabs the knife in both hands. The same knife that was used to take the life of poor Junebug. She smiles and her grin almost touches her ears as both eyes go wide and she plunges the knife straight down into Zion’s chest.
Zion screams with what little breath she has left. She can feel the cold hard metal of the knife stiff in her chest, making every breath a gasp. In a split second, the stiffness in her chest is gone as she feels hot blood pooling over her breasts and neck. She opens her eyes to see the girl bringing down the blade again, this time lower and closer to her belly. Over and over again, she feels the blade forcing its way through her ribcage, as if trying to touch something behind bars that’s just out of reach.
Zion is just staring up at the dark, as Janet leans over the knife stuck in her chest trying to get a glimpse of the pain in Zion’s eyes. Janet sits up and Zion feels the blade pierce her body one last time, the tip of the blade breaking through her rib. Zion doesn’t move. She’s lost too much blood. Her head falls to the side.
The few remaining candles that haven’t gone out go steady and become still sources of orange light against the dark background of the stone corridor. Zion feels more movement as the girl sitting on top of her hips begins to get to her feet. The girl gets to one knee and suddenly stiffens. Her head whips back with so much force that her neck pops. Her arms wide open like waiting for an embrace.
Zion groggily moves her eyes back to the girl mounted on top of her, only to see Abigail standing over them both. With eyes black as obsidian, she smiles menacingly as she pulls the blonde girl’s head back even further in an inhuman arch. She takes her own blade which is significantly longer than the one the Janet held and plunges it down into the girl’s neck. She grips another handful of her hair and yanks her head toward the blade as she pushes the knife in the other direction. The blade slices through her neck nearly decapitating her. Blood flows from the exposed arteries, and her body drops on top of Zion. Her head spins on loose folds of skin, hanging off the table and finally drops to the floor as its weight anchors it to the earth.
Zion closes her eyes as screams of the brunette fade into the distance. Zion slips away into total darkness and complete silence. For a moment, she feels peace and knows she is no longer. The emptiness is inviting and warm. She feels herself diving deeper into this abyss. Suddenly, she feels something grip and take hold of her. It rips her from this darkness and in an instant, she is back in her body screaming in agony. Panicked and scared, she begins thrashing again. Arms still tightly bound to the top of the table.
She opens her eyes to see Abigail leaning over her. Far too close. Eyes wide and pitch-black. Abigail jolts backwards and stands up straight.
“Forgive me, my Queen… I was unsure if the ritual was successful” Abigail says sheepishly. Abigail’s voice has now changed. Different. Altered in the most demonic of ways. As if multiple voices had been layered over each other and were speaking simultaneously.
A sense of calm washes over Zion and she lays her head back down on the table. There is no longer any pain from the back of her head where the baseball bat struck her. In a slow drawn-out motion, Zion pulls her hands toward her feet as the thin rope used to bind her frays and snaps. Zion slowly sits up and a voice whispers in her head… “We are free…”
“We are free…” Zion says aloud as Abigail gets to her knees in a low bow.
In one slow methodical motion, Zion tilts her head back and stretches her arms out wide. Dried dark red blood covering her face and chest. She begins to slowly lift off the table until her feet no longer touch it. She is levitating. She isn’t sure what’s happening but feels a dark twisted humor stir inside her. Her wounds begin to heal. The knife caught in her torso, is pushed out from the inside and drops to the table below. Her dark grey hair turns to a dark raven black as youth returns to her face and body. Her back straightens. Her broken knee is instantly whole again, and she no longer feels the sharp aching pains of arthritis in her joints. Her weak frail body is transformed into the figure of the strong 20-year-old woman she once was. Her senses return along with the strength of her former self… no… more than that. More than the strength of 10 men… 100… The energy flows through her body rejuvenating every molecule that is Zion…
As the transformation comes to its climax, Zion hears a whispered mumbling coming from the room. Abigail still and steady as before. Still in her position of praise. Zion opens her eyes, and they fall on a shaken and terrified brunette girl. She’s pushed back against the wall, trying to stay still and avoid making a commotion but the fear she feels reveals her presence. When their eyes meet, she begins to tremble as tears fall from her eyes. What’s left of her vomit staining a sleeve and her chin. Zion looks her over and sees the maroon stains all over her clothes. The baseball bat in one hand.
Zion lifts one hand in the girl’s direction. The lifted hand strained tightly begins to slowly turn as the brunette leaves the ground. Zion’s hand is shaking with rage and the force of her strength focuses on this woman. This girl. This insect.
Zion clasps her fingers closed in a tight fist as the brunette’s body twists and contorts. The sounds of loud pops and cracks as joints and bones become dislodged and splinter. The brunette’s screams fill the air and Zion feels a sense of satisfaction that blurs the lines between revenge and climax.
“Do it, my Queen.” Abigail says from behind the table, still on her knees.
Zion turns her head to see Abigail smiling, teeth bared. Eyes still endless pits of black fixed on the tortured girl. Abigail’s eyes turn to Zion, and she immediately turns her gaze back to the ground. She dares not stare at her Queen. She dares not to overstep. She dares not forget her place. She lifts her blade in both hands over her head, apologetically, offering it to Zion. A suggestion… if it please her Grace.
The blade lifts off Abigail’s outstretched hands and zooms across the room. It thrusts deep into the brunette’s chest as her broken body dangles midair. She doesn’t have the strength to scream anymore. It’s a miracle she’s even awake. Zion pulls her clenched fist to her side and the brunette’s body begins to move in her direction until the 2 are face to face. The brunette cries as dark mascara runs down her face. She’s pathetic. Her body lifts even higher until the blades handle is right above Zion. In one steady motion, the girl floats higher and higher as the blade stays in place. It slices through her sternum as crunching and tearing sounds of cartilage fill Zion’s ears. It’s music. Beautiful music. The blade finally makes its way to the bottom of the brunettes exposed belly. Her belly button piercing a misplaced ornament on a macabre Halloween decoration. Her insides fall out and cover Zion. Zion lets the burgundy rain pour over her face as she tilts her head back and closes her eyes.
Bliss.
The brunette’s body is launched across the room, slams into the stone wall and drops to the floor. A ruined toy doll cast aside.
The voice speaks again. “It is done, my child.”
Zion responds aloud and her voice cracks in fear, “What did I do? What’s happening to me…?”
Silence.
“Who are you?”
The voice whispers threateningly, “We are Legion. For We Are Many.”
“We are the daughters of Lilith… And you will serve us.”
Fear floods over Zion, and she can feel the cold darkness emanating throughout the chamber. The voice returns, only this time with a seductive persuasiveness “You can keep these strengths… You can wield our power if you so wish… Or you can be a witness to our unholy crusade. A prisoner in your own body. A mindless pawn tortured for eternity… A vessel… Powerless… as you’ve always been. Would you serve at our feet? Or rule alongside us?”
Zion hangs in the air with her arms at her side. She hangs her head down, eyes closed, unsure of what to do. She opens her eyes and sees her beloved Junebug. Lifeless. The previous moments flashing through her mind.
She was powerless.
Tears fall from her eyes as she seals them tightly again. She takes a deep breath and collects herself. Setting herself up straight again. Her eyes flash open. Endless black filled to the brim. A sinister smile crawls across her face and a crown of black flame ignites above her head.
“Let’s make the most of it”