Page 9 of Insatiable Hunger

“It is custom to burn heretics and witches in these lands,” the Puritan leader shouted, as if addressing the entire settlement, “but due to the cosmic evil nature of this man’s sins, it has been decided that he shall endure an execution fitting of his crimes, slower and far more painful than a simple burning at the stake. A death in which I pray can cleanse his wretched soul of his crimes. And if not,” the coffin swayed, swinging back and forth, “then may he burn in hell for all of eternity.” My stomach raised as the coffin rose into the air, my body lifting with it.

The wooden box crashed into the water, my skull slamming against the front of the coffin, bouncing roughly against the back due to the impact. My chains rattled as I wriggled within, cold dark water flooding through the cracks of the coffin as it flowed inside. A slight panic set in as I slammed my bound fists against the wooden lid to no avail.

“Do you think I fear death?” I shouted, frantically slamming the chains against the sinking coffin, the cold dead water rising around me. “This is only the beginning! I may die here in this box, but I shall haunt your lands until the end of time! Even if it takes me centuries, I shall wreak chaos upon these lands! I swear on the mother of magik herself, you shall—”

Water quickly filled my mouth, draining my words, pouring into my lungs as the faintest hint of light dissolved into darkness alongside me.

Cold, wet, empty darkness.

Death cannot stop me.

Chapter

Nine

ALASKA

Cain’s voice trailed as he finished telling the horrible story. A chill crept up my spine, my stomach slightly sickened by the idea of such events potentially taking place in real life.

“Wait,” Lazarus sat up from his chair, “so John Crowwasa witch?”

“No way.” Cain brushed the idea off. “They just called him that because he killed so many people in such a mysterious way. The idiotic people back in the day couldn’t comprehend how John, a frail foreigner, was able to commit such methodical murders. So, throwing all logic aside as usual, they slapped that ‘witch’ label on him and condemned him to his fate. Fucking stupid really.”

“Well, howdidhe do it?” Lazarus asked, genuinely curious.

“He poisoned them with hemlock; hence why they’re called the Hemlock killings.” He rolled his eyes, opening another beer. “Apparently, he had this wide knowledge of plants and shit, which made it easier for him to carry out his crimes. I heard he chose that plant specifically because there is no cure. Once consumed, the victim will experience a slow, painful,agonizing death. Apparently, hemlock poisonings were unheard of back then, meaning none of the puritans knew what was really happening. Smart, if you ask me.” Hearing Cain refer to methodical murder as smart made my stomach twist. He smiled lightly, taking a sip. “Story goes that, after his execution, the people of the settlement remained standing at the water’s edge all night, waiting to see if John would magically emerge from the coffin. But he never did. When the sun began to rise the next day, they dragged the coffin from the cold water, wrapped it in layers of chains, and buried him in an unmarked grave, where his corpse was left to rot for eternity. The rumor is that his spirit now haunts the graveyard, waiting to seek his revenge on those who killed him.”

“Too bad they’re all dead.” Lazarus chuckled. “Man, wouldn’t that be something interesting to find?” he teased.

“Indeed,” Cain whispered, “it would.”

LAZARUS

Jinx tapped Ruby’s shoulders, signing. “It’s getting pretty late; maybe we should go to bed?”

Ruby nodded in agreement. “We’re going to turn in for the night,” she informed us all. The two women rose as Alaska and I wished them goodnight, Alastair licking Jinx’s hand as they left the living room and headed upstairs to their room. Cain remained silent, quickly finishing his beer, ignoring them completely.

My eyes moved to Alaska as she stood, Alastair rising with her. “We should probably call it a night as well.” I nodded to her as she flashed me a soft smile before moving her gaze to Cain.

“I’m not sharing a bed with that dog,” he groaned. Alaska froze for a second, unsure of what to say or do.

“Come on, Cain, let her have him in her room. You know Alastair won’t leave her side. You can take my room.” I slowly motioned for Alaska to leave before he could protest. “I’ll just sleep on the couch. Problem solved.” Alaska hesitated, waiting for Cain’s approval before walking away.

He stood, stumbling a little as he opened a new beer. “Sleep well, baby girl.” Cain approached her, kissing the top of her head. “Come find me if you get lonely.” He winked. “Keep your room, Lazarus,” he mumbled, dropping onto the couch, “I’ll just sleep here tonight.” Alaska mouthed a thank you as she and Alastair headed to their room down the hall.

I sighed, sitting back in the chair adjacent to the couch. Until Cain fell asleep, I wasn’t budging. His temper was far more sensitive under the influence, and I wasn’t going to risk him doing something stupid. Not with Alaska nearby.

Cain offered me a beer. “Why not?” I accepted, popping the top of the glass bottle with my teeth. The sound of the crackling fire filled the void between us as we drank.

“You two have always been so close.” Cain took a sip, staring into the flames. The statement was out of the ordinary, concerning me for a moment. I tried to brush it off.

“Well, I’ve known both of you since high school. The three of us go way back—”

“Ah,” he raised a brow, pointing to me with the open bottle in his hand, “but you two have always been closer than you and I are.” His eyes darkened. “Why is that?”

I shrugged, attempting to play it cool. “No special reason, Cain. We just seem to get along well.”

He chuckled. “She ‘gets along’ pretty well with me too.” If I didn’t know better, I would think he knew the truth of what was really happening between Alaska and myself… but there was no way. No one knew.

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