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Every equinox or solstice, one child must be sacrificed.
They must be sacrificed before the equinox or solstice ends.
They must be between the ages of one and seventeen.
A ritual, following very specific instructions, must be carried out before the sacrifice.
The ritual and sacrifice must be carried out in a specific room.
If even one thing is done wrong, the world will be torn apart by all evils as they are released from their prisons deep within the Earth.
These sacrifices must be made to keep the demons and their curse at bay.
March 22nd, 11:48pm
Sacrifice Room
The room was almost entirely naturally made. It was part of a large cave system that ran under the seaside city of Raven Point. The rock inside of it had been smoothed out to remove tripping hazards. Markings had been made on the walls and floors to help the rituals go smoothly. Stalagmites jutted out from the ground while stalactites hung overhead. A large dais protruded in the center of the room, bloodstained from the multitude of children having died on its stony bed.
There were three entrance points along the walls. One was a door that led to the Library of the Eternal, a place where the Order of the Divine kept records. Some of the books in that room were over two centuries in age. The second door led to a storage room, where materials were kept for sacrifices. It was small and had an overwhelming smell of the herbs the Order used in their sacrifices. The third exit was really just the rest of the cave system. If you knew your way around enough to not get lost, you could climb out onto Raven Beach.
The door of the supply room opened and a parade of people came out. Their faces were hidden by the hoods of their long, black and emerald cloaks. In the very middle of the group, ten to her front and ten at her back, was a young teenage girl. Lannie Tolmson, at seventeen, was a willowy and fragile looking girl. Her long brown hair that she loved to style was let down tonight, giving her an ethereal appearance in the lamplight when combined with the long, simple, flowy white dress she wore. Her soft features were stained with tears as she wept. "Please," she begged, "please don't do this."
The person leading her, Billie Beryl, tried to block out the noise. Lannie was one of Celia's best friends. Celia was Billie's little sister. A part of Billie wanted them to just let go. Lannie's wrists were bound, but she could run. She could go up through the caves and get out on the beach. If she was fast enough, no one would be able to catch her.
But that would be selfish.
Lannie was one life. One life out of billions. Was that life really worth more than everyone else's? Just because Billie knew that one life?
No, Billie decided. It wasn't.
Lannie rushed forwards suddenly, pushing Billie off balance and forcing them to let go of the ropes around her wrists. While everyone took a moment to realize what was happening, Lannie sprinted desperately for the cave exit. Before she made it far, Sheriff Guthard grabbed her from behind. As Billie got back on their feet, they watched Guthard force Lannie back to the center of the room. Lannie, for her part, did everything she could to fight, but all attempts were futile.
Others rushed forwards, grabbing Lannie and wrestling her down onto the dais. They made quick work of securing her wrists and ankles to the rock. "You stupid, selfish girl!" Ms. Harris, the town librarian, scolded. "All you care about is yourself! Think of the rest of the world. If you don't die, they all will."
"For the last time, THAT FUCKING CURSE ISN'T REAL!" Lannie screamed, fighting against her restraints. "LET ME GO! LET ME GO!"
Billie felt a hand on their shoulder. They glanced back to see Mr. Rober standing behind them with a solemn look on his face. "Let's hurry up and get through tonight," he whispered. Billie nodded.
Despite Lannie's screaming and pleading, everyone resumed what they'd been doing. Billie watched as four people, each holding jars representing different elements, walked to different points in the room. The jar representing air was brought to the north, the one representing fire was brought to the south, and the ones representing earth and water were brought to the east and west respectively. Then, the chanting began. Billie whispered out prayer after prayer in a language they barely knew, letting the familiar words roll off their tongue and slip between their lips. Around them, many others were doing the same, while the rest continued the more physical aspects of the ritual.
Lannie's screaming began dying out. Billie guessed that maybe she'd screamed herself horse, but they glanced over just in time to see Lannie bring the back of her head down against the dais with as much force as she could. Billie reached out quickly and grabbed her head, preventing her from trying to bash her own skull in before the ritual could be complete. If she died at the wrong time, then all of this would be for not.
Then, Mr. Mackle, a local sailor, stepped forward from across the room. In his hands he held a silver dagger. The blade gleamed, slightly stained brown from the years' worth of blood spilt by it. The prayers were beginning to wrap up. Once again, Lannie was thrashing and screaming. "PLEASE, LET ME GO! THIS WON'T DO ANYTHING! LET ME GO, PLEASE!" Her words were tinged by her sobs. Billie looked away and tried to focus harder on the prayers. They felt sick. Lannie was a good person, she didn't deserve this fate.
Just then, something darted out from behind a stalagmite, headed for Mr. Mackle. Someone yelled and another person jumped in front of the sailor, knocking the thing off its feet and onto the floor. In the faint glow of the lanterns, Billie could see what - or, rather, who - it was. Their stomach dropped and the prayers died on their tongue. The whole room seemed to freeze as the person looked up at those standing above them.
"Guten abend," AJ Rober said coldly.
From somewhere behind Billie, Mrs. Rober let out a strangled sob. It was her son who lay on the ground, beginning to push himself to his feet. He was tall, lanky, and pale, with bright eyes and a gap-toothed smile. Well, he wasn't smiling now.
But, if AJ was here, then wouldn't that mean-
Billie turned, just in time to see two other figures slinking out of the shadows of the cave. One was a tad shorter than AJ, but much bulkier. He had dark hair and eyes and, if Billie could've seen his face clearly, they would've seen an animalistic snarl engraved across his features. The second person was much shorter and smaller. She had tanned skin and her hair was held back, up in its usual bun. They both moved speedily from their hiding spots, aiming for Lannie and the dagger.
Billie's heart dropped. The first person, the boy, was Devin, a friend of AJ's, and Lannie's boyfriend. The second person was Celia, a friend to Lannie, AJ, and Devin, and Billie's little sister.
These two new figures did not go unnoticed. Chaos erupted as both made their attempts to get Lannie free or grab the dagger. Celia, being the tiny girl she was, ducked and weaved under and around the adults. She had almost made it to Mr. Mackle when someone finally got a hold of her. Devin, meanwhile, was fighting off anyone who tried to get near him. He fought much more violently than Billie had seen before, punching and pushing people to the ground, regardless of who they were or if he knew them. He was almost in a frenzy, it seemed, trying to save Lannie.
Billie stood, frozen with shock, watching the display. Behind them, AJ had gotten back up and was aiming for the dagger, as well. Mr. Mackle, realizing this, shoved it into his robe again and began hurriedly making his way to Lannie. Devin got in the way and began blocking him. Celia tried to get close enough to steal the dagger from his pocket, but Mr. Rober grabbed her and forced her back. With everything going on, it took Billie a second to realize that something was off.
Where was Amber?
Billie's head swiveled around, skimming over the chaos of people and peering into the dark shadows of the cave. Amber, the final member of the friend group. Tall, glasses, short dyed hair. There was no odd shadow, no sudden darting. Was it possible that Amber wasn't here?
Then Billie noticed someone with their hood up, kneeling next to the dais and trying to undo the ropes binding Lannie's right wrist to the rock.
There was Amber, using the chaos around her to her advantage. Billie reached out and grabbed the girl's hoodie, yanking her back. Amber let out a startled yelp as she fell backwards. Billie got between her and the dais, trying to keep their voice level as they spoke. "Amber, you need to get out of here."
It took Amber a second to recognize the person standing above her. When she did, her lips twisted into a scowl. "Not without Lannie."
"If she doesn't die, we all will! How hard is that to understand?!" Billie cried.
Amber clambered to her feet. "That curse isn't real, and you know it, Billie! Everything that happened was just a string of bad luck blown out of proportion!" Then, she lunged, aiming under Billie's arm and for the dais again. Billie caught her by the wrists and spun her around, putting her into a headlock.
Across the room, Devin was being subdued by Mr. Rober and Sheriff Guthard, and Celia was being pinned by Mrs. Rober. AJ, meanwhile, managed to throw himself into Mr. Mackle, throwing the older man off balance and almost making him fall. He managed to reach into Mr. Mackle's pocket and grab the dagger, then he turned and bolted for the nearest door, the supply closet.
Out of the shadows, Dick Jones, a rich, privileged man from town, knocked into AJ, sending him tumbling to the ground. AJ landed hard, the dagger falling from his grasp and spinning across the ground. The teen curled up, holding one of his arms to his chest as tears of pain sprung to his eyes. Dick dove for the dagger.
Seeing what had happened, both Mr. and Mrs. Rober had gotten distracted. Celia managed to twist out of Mrs. Rober's grip and Devin managed to buck Sheriff Guthard off. Amber bit Billie's hand in a last ditch effort to get free. Billie, due to surprise and pain, let go. Devin and Celia ran to the ropes binding Lannie, Amber ran to Dick.
Devin knelt by the dais, clawing desperately at the ropes, trying to free Lannie's left wrist. "Don't worry," he said, trying to comfort both her and himself. "We're going to get you out. We're go-" Devin was cut off as a sudden force to the back of his head caused him to bash his forehead against the rock. Lannie screamed and Devin slumped, the world spinning as Mr. Mackle, the cause of the sudden force, grabbed his arms, pinned them behind his back, and dragged him away. Ms. Mowhill, a local school teacher, meanwhile, had grabbed Celia and was dragging her, kicking and screaming, over to where AJ was. AJ himself was trying to sit up but clearly was in too much pain to do so properly. Amber hadn't really made a plan, either, when going for Dick. He grabbed her easily and, as he saw what the others were doing, forced her to the same area as her friends.
Celia tried to stand. Amber leaned towards AJ, her eyes widening as she saw his injured arm. Devin slumped. Mr. Mackle forced Celia down. It became apparent to the four that they probably shouldn't get back up - at least, not right now.
"What should we do with them?" Billie asked.
"Put them in the supply closet," Mr. Shepard spoke. He stood against the far wall of the cavern, having stayed out of the chaos. As he was in his seventies, he'd probably made the smart decision. "Lock them in and let them out when the ritual is over."
"Or," Dick said, an evil glint in his eyes, "we could let them stay and watch. Maybe then it would get it through their heads that they need to stop. That all of this "hero" shit isn't worth it."
"No," Billie protested. "Lock them in the closet. We're not giving them the trauma of having to see their friend die."
"Why not? It would teach them a lesson."
"And you claim to be a good guy," Amber muttered, glaring at the back of Dick's head. "Yet you're willing to kill Lannie in front of us."
Dick turned to the four teens, his lips curled in disgust. "I don't remember asking you for your opinion."
"Dick," Shriff Guthard called. "We need to finish the ritual. You have the dagger."
"Go on," AJ teased, his voice light despite being laced with pain. "Go run to your master. You're a stupid, loyal bitch after all."
Dick pulled out the dagger and pointed its blade directly at AJ's throat. Billie, the Robers, and a few others yelped in surprise. "Don't you dare talk to me like that, you insolent brat."
AJ laughed, keeping eye contact with the older man despite the very sharp blade pointed at his neck. "You'd like to think you're in power here, Dick-And-Balls, but you're not. So read my lips," AJ leaned forwards. "Fuck. You."
Dick's face twisted in fury. He raised the dagger. "STOP!" Billie screamed, at the same time Mr. Rober and Lannie yelled "NO!" and Mrs. Rober and Sheriff Guthard began running to stop Dick. But before anyone could do anything, a sound cut through the air. Everyone froze.
The sound, although slightly distorted due to the echoey-ness of the cave, was easily identifiable as an alarm. Specifically, a phone alarm. For a few seconds, the only sound was the simple tune ringing throughout the cave.
Then Devin began laughing.
It was quiet at first, soft and breathy. It began growing in volume and in strength. Then, one by one, AJ, Amber, and Celia began laughing as well.
Billie had heard them laughing before, when they were hanging out at the Beryl residence. Their laughter was loud and hearty and sweet because it was four, later five, friends, just being themselves and laughing at some joke another one of them had made. This laughter was different. It was high-pitched and maniacal, the sound of people who'd completely lost their minds, underscored by the continuing chime of the alarm.
"Why are you all laughing?" Mr. Mackle asked, a hint of panic detectable in his voice. "What's so funny?"
"Nothing!" Amber managed to wheeze out. She was draped next to AJ, who was rocking himself back and forth, his fingers digging into his hair. "Nothing's fucking funny!"
In the corner of the room, a young woman whom Billie didn't remember the name of had gone to find the source of the noise. She pulled out a backpack from behind one of the stalagmites and took out a phone from one of the pockets. Celia's phone. She frowned at the screen for a second, then froze, horror detailing her features.
"You see it? You see it too, don't you?" Celia asked, noticing the woman. "You see the time? Five after midnight! Five after the end of the world!" Celia's moment of lucidity devolved back into cackling as the realization dawned on everyone else present.
Five past midnight.
Five minutes into the twenty-third of March.
The equinox was over.
The curse had detailed that, if even a minute passed after the period of sacrifice when no sacrifice had been made, the world would be ripped apart as every evil was released from their prisons.
No one had noticed the time. The sacrifice period was over.
There was no curse.
"No," Sheriff Guthard muttered, taking a step back. "N-No, you're lying. You-You've set the time ahead on your phone."
"She hasn't." All heads turned to Billie. They had pulled their own phone out of their robes, staring at the screen. They turned it to show those around them.
12:06am
The realization hit everyone differently. The woman with Celia's phone dropped it, ducking behind the stalagmite and throwing up whatever food she had in her stomach. Sheriff Guthard began to cry, memories flashing before his eyes of the kids, all of them, that he'd let die. Three people, Mr. Mackle included, walked numbly out of the room. They would all be found dead by individual suicides in the morning. Dazed, Mr. and Mrs. Rober walked over to the dais. They undid Lannie's bindings and stood back, staring at nothing. Ms. Harris shook her head. "No," she said. "No, no, no no no, you're wrong, you're all wrong! The curse is real! It must be! They've tricked us somehow! They've tricked us!" She continued her ramblings. No one bothered to stop her. Billie looked back at their phone, then put it back into their pocket. They walked to the jar of dirt that represented earth, the one used for the ceremony, and kicked it over. It tipped and shattered on the stone floor, its contents fanning out around it.
Lannie slowly sat up. She rubbed the blistering areas of where her wrists and ankles had been bound, swung her legs over the edge of the dais, stood, and walked towards her friends. The maniacal laughter the four of them had shared was slowly dying away, instead beginning to be replaced by tears. They'd begun to cry over everything that they'd learned in the past minute.
March 22nd, 11:01pm
Devin's Car
"Okay, I'm setting an alarm."
"For what?" Amber asked.
"For twelve-oh-five. If it goes off before Lannie is killed, then we've got solid proof that the curse isn't real." Celia showed her phone to Devin, who sat in the passenger's seat. He'd been too angry to drive safely tonight, so Celia had done it instead. He glanced at the phone and huffed, signaling he understood. Celia nodded and twisted around, now showing the screen to Amber and AJ, who sat in the back. They leaned forwards, almost in sync, to get a better look. Amber nodded, AJ met Celia's eyes and gave a thumbs up. Celia tried to ignore the bandage peeking out from under his sleeve.
"Just so you three know," Devin said as Celia tucked her phone into her bag, "I don't care what you do tonight. I'm saving Lannie, with or without your help."
"I don't know where you got the shit idea that none of us will help, but you need to stop buying from there," AJ joked. Then, more seriously, he added, "We've come too far to let her die."
"Fourth time's the charm," Amber said.
Devin grunted. He probably didn't believe them. That was fine. They just needed to execute their plan. Get the dagger and/or free Lannie. Stall for time if needed. They weren't going to let her die unless they all were dead as well.
March 23rd, 12:06am
Sacrifice Room
Lannie almost died for nothing. That had been Devin's realization when the timer went off. Lannie was Devin's girlfriend. He was a hopeless romantic. He loved her more than his own life. He'd almost lost her tonight. Forever. And for what?
For nothing.
My parents died for no fucking reason. That had been Amber's realization. When she was seven, she'd come home to find her parents dead, murdered. She'd been uprooted from her life in San Diego, moved to Raven Point, been diagnosed with a thousand different mental issues, and had never gotten closure on her parents' murders. When digging into the cult's library last fall, she'd figured out that some members of the cult were responsible for their deaths - they'd been trying to either get her or her younger sibling, El, to be the sacrifice that year, but her parents had refused to let that happen. A small part of Amber had been hoping that the curse was real, because then that would mean that her parents' deaths wouldn't have been so pointless. But that wasn't the case.
Amber and El had been robbed of their parents for no reason.
Almost two and a half centuries of this shit. That had been AJ's realization. When they'd first stumbled upon the cult's secret library back in September, one of the first things they'd found had been a ledger of all of those who'd been sacrificed. In it were hundreds of names of children, the first having been Jenny Hoffman, a nine-year-old girl volunteered by her family because they believed killing her would rid them of some curse. Names and dates and ages flew by in AJ's head. All kids, all dead because of some stupid belief. Four of them stuck in his mind now. Sebastian Peters, aged ten, killed almost a year ago, the first death at the hands of the cult that AJ and his friends witnessed. Then Conner Cloud, aged seventeen, in the following September. Finally, Dora Perez, four, last December. Each one AJ had witnessed, because for each one he and his friends had tried and failed to stop the sacrifice. The fourth name in his mind was of his great-aunt. Hannah Rober, aged five, volunteered and killed. All to stave off some curse that wasn't even real.
Almost two and a half centuries of death, all because people needed to believe in a curse.
Everything we went through, and for what? That had been Celia's realization. For almost a year now, she and her friends had known about the cult. For almost a year they'd been plagued by nightmares and paranoia. Anyone they knew could've been involved. Any one of them could be the next sacrifice, or could've been considered as one in previous years. The nightmares, the guilt, the fear, the anger, the sadness, the stress. Celia still remembered that night when it had all come out. She and her friends had left town after realizing that Billie and the Robers were, somehow, involved with all of this. They'd returned on the one condition that they were told everything - everything. The meeting had been held close to three in the morning. Devin, AJ, Amber, Celia, and Lannie had been squished together on one of the Robers' plush couches. Across from them sat Billie, the Robers themselves, Sheriff Guthard, and Amber's grandfather, Daryl Shepard. They were all members of, as they'd called it, the Order of the Divine. They explained what the cult was, how it operated, and why it did what it did. They tried to convince the quintet that the sacrifices they made, literal human sacrifices, were necessary. None of them were believed. And now, looking back on the past year, all Celia felt was exhaustion.
All they'd gone through, fighting off the cult, fighting with each other, and fighting their demons, all over some stupid curse that wasn't and had never been real.
Lannie lowered herself next to her friends. She ignored the blabbering Ms. Harris and the shock-stricken Dick and just watched her friends as their uncontrollable, bubbling laughter turned to hopeless sobs. Sobs for themselves, the lives lost, and everything even remotely related to the curse. She watched and felt her own tears form. She began sobbing silently as everything came to a close in her mind. She almost died. A lot of people did die. She was alive. Her friends were alive. Maybe injured, but alive.
Despite everything, somehow, she knew things would eventually be okay. Maybe not today, or tomorrow, or even in twenty years. But, one day, they would be able to look back at what happened and make peace with it all. At least, that's what she hoped.
One day.