In the Woods, by the River Read online

  “What’s wrong, honey?” he asked, concerned.

  She placed the pan back on the oven and turned it off. “I just burned myself, that’s all,” she lied with a smile and pushed his plate towards him.

  He walked over behind her and wrapped his arms around her. He kissed her head and said, “Well I hope it gets better. Love you.”

  “Love you,” she said back. That, though, was truthful.

  Together they ate breakfast. “Ready for later?” Noah asked Jane.

  She looked up from her eggs. “Yeah,” she said blandly. Quickly realizing the lack of emotion in how she said that, she forced a smile.

  “Me too,” he replied. “Hope I get a big’un.”

  “What time do you want to leave?” she asked him.

  “Around three, probably.”

  “Alright, sounds good.”

  When they finished their breakfast, Jane got up and threw the paper plates away. “I’m gonna lie down for a bit. Wake me up when it’s time to go,” Jane told Noah.

  “Alright, honey,” he told her. He went and sat on the couch and watched TV. She went to their room, lied down, and cried herself to sleep.

  In the late hours of the night, the woman screamed. The man got up quick and ran to her house. He brought in the lit torch that was outside her house. She was lying on her bed, convulsing. Her stomach seemed to be inflating. Laying the torch down, the man went to the woman. From an unknown force, her legs and arms stopped shaking; now it was just her stomach. He ripped her robe open and he saw things poking from within her.

  The woman stopped screaming. She appeared to have fainted, or died. Her stomach was getting larger. Silently, her stomach tore open. A small hand came first, followed by the body of an infant. It seemed to be pushed out of the woman’s torn stomach and fell onto the floor. It crawled out the door and more infants continued to come from the woman’s torn stomach. The man watched in horror as six more bloody infants came from the woman’s stomach. Blood was everywhere, and the infants didn’t cry. Another thing that scared him was the fact that they look like they were growing by the second.

  In a state of shock, the man stood in the woman’s house. Blood was everywhere. Her head lied limply on a wooden bed. Her skin was grey and cold to the touch.

  When the woman screamed, the boy woke up. He was going to her house, but he heard something else. “Come and see,” a voice told him. He looked about madly and walked towards the river.

  At the river’s edge, he stared across it. The moon shone brightly, so he could see well. On the opposite bank was a large goat, like the one he had eaten. They exchanged eye contact for a few seconds before the goat jumped across the river. It landed on the boy and knocked him to the ground. Up closer, the boy could see that it was the goat he had eaten, for there was a large portion of it missing from its side. The boy screamed and the goat bit into his neck and the goat’s hooves stamped into his body. His collar bone broke on both sides and the boy fainted from pain.

  The man heard the boy scream and left the room, gone from his state of shock. He heard it come from the river and he made his way towards the sound.

  In the bright light of the moon, the man saw a sight he never thought he would. A large goat that was missing a piece of its side was on top of the boy, biting his neck. Its front legs continued to stamp the boys chest and onto his face. A horrible cracking sound made the man shutter.

  Looking around, the man found a large stick. He ran at the goat and whirled the stick at the goat. It made contact with its head and the goat was slung from the boy’s body. As it neared the surface of the water, two hands reached up and grabbed its body.

  The man ran over and picked the boy up. With tears running down his face, he placed the boy in the river; he didn’t know what else to do. Two hands grabbed the boy by his bloody shoulders and drug him under.

  Not knowing what else to do, the man returned back to his house. His blood was pumping dangerously. Lying on the bed, the man had a hard time sleeping: the boy that the man had found and who had helped him was dead; the woman he impregnated was dead; his seven children were now running amuck throughout these woods. Eventually, though, he did sleep.

  The man awoke to the sound of people talking. Voices, both male and female, filled the air. He got up and walked outside. Seven people, four males and three females, were walking and talking about the area. They all appeared to be in their twenties. The women all had green eyes and auburn hair, the men all had brown eyes and black hair, like the man. All were covered in leaves and sticks for clothes, their skin dirty.

  He came to the realization that these must be his offspring, yet he was baffled at how quick they had grown.

  The seven paid no attention to him, so he just went to the river; it was the only thing he knew to do.

  As the man was nearing the river, he heard a voice. “Let me go,” a man grunted.

  Across the river, a fit, black haired man was being dragged by a creature with the body of a young boy and the head of a goat. The creature looked at the man and stopped. Its horns swirled high to the sky, like two towers. The man kicked and tried to release the creature’s grip.

  The man knew what that had to be… but why? Why would the Lord combine the goat and the young boy? ‘A child will help you,’ he remembered the Lord saying. More stuff must be done and the child must still be needed.

  When the creature neared the river’s edge, it dropped the man it had been dragging. Before the man could do anything, two hands reached from the river and grabbed him by the river. “Help!” he screamed. Nobody did. He dug his hands into the mud as he was dragged into the river.

  The creature took a large jump and crossed the river. It was standing next to the man.

  He had been living near the mountain for the past week and was watching us as we built for the Lord.

  The man heard that. The creature was staring intently at him and nodded. The man nodded in understanding.

  A whish sound made both the man and the creature stare at the river. The surface was on fire stretching forever. “Holy, holy, holy, Lord Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come,” the flame chanted. The presence of another was felt.

  “Baptize seven virgins in the lake of fire and I shall come upon your world,” the voice boomed. It echoed loudly in the sky and through the woods.

  Screams were heard. The man looked up towards the village and saw his seven children running. The man knew that they were the seven that the Lord spoke of; now he needed to catch them. He and the creature started after them.

  Jane’s father had told her of this property (that belonged to somebody, though he did not know who) that was full of animals, deer specifically. He had taken Jane there for her first hunting trip. She was awestruck by the beauty. Two tall mountains guarded a beautiful valley; rolling hills were on opposite sides of the mountains.

  When Jane met Noah, a common interest between them was that of hunting. One of their later dates was a hunting trip on the beautiful property. That was where they both had a genuine kiss and their feelings for each other became set in stone.

  The previous weekend, Jane had visited the property. She hadn’t been there in over a year and wanted to make sure it was still in good condition. She parked her car on a make-due road and got out. There, she saw wildlife everywhere, so she was content. Signs of human activity were present: water bottles, footprints, wrappers, etc.

  Through the woods was a large open area surrounded by trees. On the East-side were the two mountains, who stood like gods watching the land. Behind the trees by the mountains were the rolling hills. Many people hike those hills and through the woods, yet Jane wasn’t aware of that, so she was frightened to see a man walking through the woods.

  She was wearing a camouflage coat that was outlined in bright pink, so she couldn’t necessarily hide. The man stopped and looked in her direction. He started walking towards her. She took a step back but stopped when he said, “Hey there!”

  Jane awkwardl
y waved at him, saying “Hello.”

  He was running now and she backed away a little. He slowed as he neared her. He was a dark-haired, bearded man and had a nice face, so she calmed down. As he caught his breath, he said, “Sorry if I frightened you.” He took a breath. “I was just wondering if you had a bottle of water. My tents over on some hills behind the forest and I am parched.”

  “I bet,” Jane said in a friendly voice. She motioned him to follow her, and he did so.

  She retrieved him a water bottle and he quickly drunk it. Jane stared too much at the man, for she thought he was very hot. He would steal a peek at her too.

  “Well, I think-” the man started but was interrupted. The ground beneath them shook violently. A strange sound grumbled beneath the earth. Jane fell forward onto the man. He grabbed her and held her tight until the shaking stopped.

  When it had stopped, they both stared intently at each other. She wanted something from him and he wanted something from her.

  Jane and Noah were a pure couple. They both did not want kids and were both virgin pure. Neither desired to be other than that and was content in their relationship. However, deep within Jane, she did want a kid but never brought it up to Noah; she kept it concealed.

  The previous shaking seemed to trip a wire in her. The concealment was no longer there. Her morals were gone; no love, just lust.

  Back to the current, Jane’s wish seemed to have come true. Noah didn’t know it, yet she knew she would have to tell him some day. That day won’t be this weekend, she thought. This would be a fun hunting weekend. Jane would just have to ignore what happened the previous weekend.

  The drive to get to the property was about two hours. Jane and Noah talked and listened to music to pass the time. It was a genuine bond between them. She loved him and he loved her. They created a mutual happiness that each valued. Jane was soaking up these good times to cover her sins.

  Pulling onto the dirt road leading to the open area, both were ready to hunt. When they parked, they noticed something horribly wrong. The two tall mountains were no longer mountains, yet rather hills; the trees in the distance next to the mountain all appeared to be dead.

  Noah pulled out his concealed pistol from the glove box and Jane got out and retrieved the hunting rifle from the back. Both of them wanted to check out what had happened.

  The man had six of the seven children contained in a house. He guarded the door as the creature went out to fetch the final one. He waited impatiently.

  Crossing the open area, Jane and Noah were frantic. They stayed close to each other, always looking over their shoulder, jumping at the slightest of sound. They both knew something was horribly wrong.

  As the both of them neared the other side of the open area, the side near the mountains (hills) and the dead trees, they heard something moving quickly through the woods. They stopped and both aimed their weapon in the direction of the noise.

  “What is it?” Jane asked fearfully.

  “A deer maybe? Hopefully,” he added the last part silently as to not show his fear.

  Through the cross-eye, Jane saw the head of a girl. It quickly disappeared as the girl fell. When she stood, Jane saw her again. She was running towards them, running from something.

  The girl released a bloodcurdling scream. Both of them lowered their weapons and their bodies became covered in goosebumps.

  The girl breached the tree line and was charging the two. She was covered in bloody scratches and clothed in leafy vines. She reached her bloody hands in front of her at the couple, looking frantically behind her while doing so. She screamed again. A gunshot. The girl fell; blood seeping from her chest.

  Jane stared in horror. Noah lowered his gun and stood there. “She was going to hurt us, and I couldn’t risk that.”

  Jane was speechless. She was no longer staring at the girl, but staring at the tree line. Behind a bush, she saw the head of goat with tall horns on the body of a child. It started walking towards her.

  Noah was talking to her, attempting to console her, yet she heard nothing. She just started running. He stared at her and then to the woods. When he saw the creature, he followed after Jane.

  Jane looked behind her and saw Noah running after her, the creature right behind him. She tripped over herself and fell; Noah fell over Jane. Both lied on the ground holding their breath. The shadow of the creature fell over the two of them. Both released a scream as they were lifted off the ground. Their kicks and cries were nothing. The creature walked back to the woods towards the village.

  The man left the home as he saw the creature carrying two people. When it neared the man, it threw both the people down. They just lied there.

  He killed the seventh one so I brought him so the Lord can choose what to do with him.

  The man nodded. “Well, is either the man or the woman able to fill her spot?”

  The creature nodded and pointed at the man, Noah. The creature leaned over and grabbed the two, making them both stand. Smirking, the man grabbed the man and pulled him over. “What a good boy you are,” the man said to Noah.

  “What are you talking about?” he asked, trying to escape the man’s strong grip.

  The man sighed, annoyed. “I’m going to be straightforward with you. I am trying to summon a Lord and in order for me to do so, I need to baptize seven virgins in the lake of fire.” The man turned and pointed at the river. “That would be the lake of fire, and you will be one of the seven virgins, along with six others trapped in the house,” he finished, pointing to the house behind him.

  “Take me instead! Please!” Jane cried. She knew she was no virgin, but maybe they wouldn’t know; Noah didn’t so how could they?

  Behind Jane, the creature shook its head. The man chuckled.

  “There is no need to lie,” the man said.

  “She isn’t!” Noah said. “She and I have never… committed the act,” he ended modestly.

  Chuckling again, the man said, “You might not have committed the act, but she has.” Behind her, the creature pointed to her midsection. “Ah! What a surprise this must be: she’s pregnant!” the man said too enthusiastically. “I presume it isn’t yours?” he finished, looking at Noah.

  Tears were falling down Jane’s face as she forced herself to make eye contact with Noah. His face pursed together. “Wh-What is he talking about, Jane?”

  She struggled to speak. She had nothing to say. She just shook her head and sobbed. Noah’s heart fell into his stomach. The woman he loved was pregnant with somebody else’s child. Jane cried in regret. She loved Noah, but what she did was unforgivable.

  “Crying time’s over,” the man brazenly said. He walked over to the house, still gripping Noah, who was weak. His emotional state made him lose the strength to move his legs. His head hung like his arms, his breath slow. “Come,” he ordered the other six. They followed like lost animals.

  In a line, the man led the seven virgins to the river. The creature pulled Jane, following the group. They all stood in front of the river.

  “Holy, holy, holy, Lord Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come!” the man screamed. With a whish, the river was ablaze. The presence of another was felt.

  Jane watched in horror as the man led Noah into the river. Unlike the man, Noah screamed in pain. The six virgins on the river bank started shuffling about, blatantly scared.

  The man laid his left hand over Noah’s nose, his right on his forehead. Without a word, he dunked him under water. Through teary eyes and screaming, Jane could have sworn she saw two hands grab Noah as he was going under. He never came back up.

  Two, three, four, five, six, seven. One by one, they were all baptized; nobody came back up. The man departed from the water, unscathed and dry.

  The fiery river started to shake violently, as did the ground. Jane had felt the same shake in the previous weekend. The flames became thicker and ravaged about like waves, becoming brighter too. The heat was burning the already-dead grass near the river edge. A figure ap
peared in the flames, walking towards the man, the creature, and Jane. As it left the water and came onto the dry ground, Jane recognized immediately who it was.

  Jane knew the body that she fell into; she knew the arms that grabbed her; she knew the eyes that stared into hers; she knew the man that asked for water.

  He came upon them and said, “Follow me.”

  He walked past them and into the village. Between the houses, he stood by the fire pit. The creature stood opposite him, still holding Jane, who stared at the man in shock. The man stood next to her.

  “You,” the Lord said to the man. “You will live a golden life.”

  The man bowed and left. When he returned to civilization, there was a lot of money in his bank account. From where it came was unknown to him, but he did not complain. That day, the price of gold dropped for some reason. The man spent all of his money to buy the gold. The next day is skyrocketed at an unbelievable rate. That same day when gold went up, the man inherited the large piece of property (the property where the Lord resided) from an unknown family member. From there, he became rich.

  “You,” the Lord said to the creature. “You have fulfilled your purpose. I have no need for you. Come towards me.”

  The creature dropped Jane, who fell to the ground weakly. The creature took a step through the fire pit, towards the Lord. With that step, a flame was birthed from the fire pit. It grew and engulfed the creature, killing it. The flame died out and the creature was gone.

  “You,” the Lord said to Jane. “You will birth my child.”

  Jane lied on the ground, weeping. The Lord dragged her into a house and tied her down.

  Jane gave birth to a plump and beautiful girl named Esther. Golden blonde hair, tan skin, green eyes. The girl grew quickly. Over the course of the week, she appeared to be in her twenties; she stopped growing from then on.

  Jane was the Lord’s slave. His plan was to fill the small village with his children. Jane didn’t want to aid in his endeavors, so she wished for death. During the conception of the second child, Jane’s wish came true.