The Divine Tree's Blessing

I was planting seeds in the fields when the village secretary, Isaac Holton, ran over to me. His face was crinkled in joy as he exclaimed, "It's finally your turn, Hailey!"I tossed the seeds aside and excitedly rubbed my hands. "Really? Thank you so much, Mr. Holton!"Isaac was pleased by my reaction. He gave me a once-over with his hazy eyes, not bothering to hide the lecherous glint in them.I wasn't bothered by his gaze, but the woman working in the next field shot a look of disdain at us before muttering, "She is acting so promiscuously. Fred sure is unlucky to have a daughter-in-law like her."I rolled my eyes and retorted, "You're a shriveled up, old hag now, so it makes sense that you don't understand what a privilege it is to serve the divine tree. I'll definitely satisfy it. You agree with me, don't you, Mr. Holton?"Isaac nodded vigorously. Using the saplings around us as cover, he ran his greasy hand along my thigh.The woman's face turned a ruddy red when she realize

I kneeled in front of the tree by myself, listening to the sound of my heart hammering against my ribcage.The concoction I drank had heightened my senses. I could smell a sweet fragrance wafting from the divine tree. It smelled like the bradford pear trees that lined the entrance of the village.I wasn't sure how far David and the others had gone, but I could feel multiple sets of greedy eyes staring at me, making goosebumps erupt all over my skin.I looked up at the soft but powerful vines again. I licked my lips. My mouth felt a little dry.The vines looked exactly like the ones in the murals in the church. They seemed to be able to sense my presence as they began slithering toward me.The first vine brushed against my shoulder. I shivered at the cool and smooth sensation. I could feel the little bumps on its surface when it wrapped around my arm like a snake and began to rub against my skin.The concoction began to take effect. I felt my body heating up, and I reflexively mov

I screamed as the excruciating pain yanked me out of my memories and back to reality.The men continued torturing me. One of them even used a branch to hit me, staring at the red welts on my body with a manic glint in his eyes."Why is this bitch so quiet now? She was moaning so wantonly earlier!" one of the men spat in irritation.Another man approached me and placed his finger under my nose, checking to see if I was breathing. "We can't let her die so easily. I haven't had my fill of fun with her yet."I bit down hard on my lip. The metallic taste of blood spread across my tongue. I couldn't die here. I hadn't taken revenge for Sarah yet. I was determined to make these beasts pay for what they had done to her!The man breathed a sigh of relief before he grabbed my breast with a wicked grin. "She's still breathing. We can still have fun with her."Just then, a piercing whistling cut through the air.The men paused and exchanged glances with each other.David buckled his belt a

That night, the rest of the men gathered in the hall, keeping the lights burning through the rest of the night.I carried a pot of stew that I had spiked with a "special ingredient" into the hall and said softly, "All of you have been working so hard. You should have some stew to keep warm."They gratefully accepted the bowls of stew from me and began scarfing it down.Meanwhile, I stood in a dark corner and watched as they collapsed one after the other. They foamed at the mouth while their limbs twitched erratically.Finally, only one man was still breathing. He pointed at me with terror shining in his eyes. "You… The stew…"I kneeled down next to him and whispered into his ear, "Remember how you killed Sarah Langdon five years ago? She's my sister."Jack was waiting for me outside when I left the hall. He was carrying two bags with him."Is it done?"I nodded and stared at the silent forest in the distance. "Sarah can finally rest in peace."I turned to look at the corpses t

Three months later, Jack and I jolted awake when we heard someone hammering on our door one morning."It's the police! Open the door!"Jack and I exchanged glances with each other.It seemed that our actions had finally caught up with us.I inhaled deeply before heading toward the door. I turned to look at Jack before I opened the door and noticed that he was wearing an odd expression.It wasn't fear or resolve. Instead, it was a complicated emotion that I didn't quite understand.Two uniformed police officers were standing outside the door along with a few other officers in casual clothes.The officer at the front of the group showed me his badge and said, "Ms. Hailey Langdon? We're from the municipal police station. We need you to cooperate with us to solve a terrible crime."I nodded and shifted to the side to allow the officers to enter the house.Jack stood in the center of the room. The color had drained from his face.The next few hours were like a hazy nightmare.Tim