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Time ticked by. The Reverend hadn't said what time it was when he came down, so I didn't know if another day was almost done. I just needed to do what he wanted for now, and then I would try to bolt again as soon as I could I told myself. Eventually he would get tired of me running and would either let me go, or kill me if I wasn't successful. I needed to try though. I had a whole life waiting for me out there that I had just discovered.
The light switched on. I drew a deep breath, preparing myself for whatever was going to come next. I could do this. The Reverend came down the stairs slowly. My resolve to play along weakened as he came into view. He was dressed in what I imagined was his version of groom's attire, a stiff black suit with a long, thick, red tie. I had always imagined my groom wearing a bowtie, but I guess since this wasn't my real wedding it would have to do. I really was losing it if that was a thought in my head.
Without speaking to me, he walked over and unlocked my cuff from the chain. He then took my arm firmly in his and walked me up the stairs, down the hallway, and into the room where I had stayed the first two nights. Laid out on the bed, looking freshly pressed, was what I assumed was my wedding gown. I instantly hated it.
"Put this on," he said sternly, pointing to the dress laying on the bed. "I will be coming to collect you soon. You will find everything you need to get ready in the bathroom."
After giving me one last look of warning, he walked out of the room. The lock clicked into place behind him.
Not wanting to examine the dress yet, I walked into the bathroom. Laid out neatly on the counter were a variety of cosmetics along with a brush. He hadn't left out anything remotely sharp that I could use as a weapon. Looking at the shower I debated whether to take one. He had made Anna stay in the room with me while I showered last time, not wanting to leave me alone for even a second. He didn't seem concerned about that now as he had left the room, but would he come in while I was showering?
I decided to risk it. A night in the woods followed by another stay in the basement meant that I was once again disgusting. I turned the shower on, threw off my clothes, and stepped in, surely breaking the record for the world's fastest shower with how fast I cleaned myself off. I stepped out and wrapped a towel around myself, walking over to the bed to examine the dress as I did so. There was a set of blood red, lacey underwear laying next to the dress that I hadn't noticed before. I shuddered, wondering if he had come in and left them there while I was showering.
Afraid that he would return soon, I slipped the undergarments on, knowing that red underwear would fill me with dread for the rest of my life. I stared down at the dress he wanted me to wear. I slowly stepped into it and zipped up the side zipper before turning to look at myself in the mirror that was in the room. It was fitted on top with a sweetheart neckline, before flouncing out with what felt like a hundred yards of tulle. There were little crystals all over the bodice. It looked like something someone would wear to prom I thought to myself idly. I wondered how he had managed to get something so close to my size.
Suddenly there was a knock on the door. I turned, nausea turning my stomach as the Reverend opened the door. He turned, gaping at me, lust filling his expression.
"You look indescribable," he gasped at me. I again said nothing to him. If he was going to force me through this charade, I wasn't going to make it pleasant.
He took my arm and once again we went out into the hallway before walking into a large room I hadn't seen yet. There were at least fifteen to twenty bouquets of red roses placed around the room. The smell of roses permeated the air, turning my stomach. There was a large tv set up in the front of the room. The Reverend led me in front of the tv, reaching for a remote with the hand that wasn't holding mine.
The screen turned on, strangely showing a still shot of himself. The Reverend turned to me, his screen self also looking at me.
"I couldn't think of anyone better to bless this union than myself," he explained. "I recorded myself officiating our marriage earlier. Just answer as if another person was asking the questions."
I visibly blanched and this time he didn't ignore it.
"I gave you plenty of time to get used to this idea, Eva. Don't make this any harder than it needs to be," he scowled.
The recording began. The screen Reverend gave a spiel about how this union was blessed by the heavens. It then went on about the women's role, how the wife was meant to serve the husband, to make him happy at all costs. I couldn't believe what I was hearing.
The time came for us to exchange our vows. Despite my earlier pep talk to myself to go along with it, I couldn't find the strength to do it. Unbidden images came strolling through my mind of myself in a wedding gown, but this time one that I had chosen. I imagined Damon, Mason, and Beckham both in the place of the groom, separately, and then all together. This evil man didn't get to take my "I do" away from me.
The Reverend eagerly said yes when the screen him asked if he took me as his wife. The silence was deafening when it came time for me to speak. I stonily stared at him, my chin hard with determination. His face filled with rage as my time to speak passed, and the screen Reverend began to move on to the next portion of the recording.
"These vows will be binding before God no matter what you do," he said, spittle sprinkling my face from how hard he forced the words out in his anger. He smoothed out his face, taking a deep breath to calm down. We listened to the recording as it got to the part I was most dreading.
The screen Reverend droned "You may now kiss the bride."
The Reverend standing in front of me gave me a big smile, his eyes glittering with desire. He grabbed my chin and gave me a long, slimy kiss, his wormy tongue threatening to break into mine.
I pulled my head back from his grasp as hard as I could, gagging as I did so. The Reverend laughed in amusement and grabbed my hand, dragging me into the dining area where the Andersons had been murdered right before my eyes.
The table was laden with what looked like fine china. He pulled out a chair and forced me to sit in it. After sitting down he called out, "We are ready!" I held my breath as Anna came wobbling in. I couldn't help but gasp when I saw the state she was in. She looked like she had been beaten within an inch of her life. He had hacked off her hair and her face was barely recognizable with how bruised and broken it was.
I cried silent tears as she set food in front of us. She didn't look at me, and the guilt swarmed over me. This had happened to her because of me.
Anna left in between servings. I didn't touch my food of course, but the Reverend inhaled his food, going on and on about our new life together. The tingling in my back was getting worse as we sat there and my body began to feel like I was burning up from the inside. I wavered in my chair, feeling like I would pass out at any moment.
The Reverend finally finished his meal. Anna had disappeared again. He stood up from his chair and collected me, before marching me back down the hallway into my red and black bedroom. The same cloying scent of roses filled my nostrils as we walked in. There were red rose petals sprinkled all over the room. There was a single lamp in the corner. The glow from it made the room seem even more foreboding for some reason.
The door closed behind us, clicking as he locked it. This was it, I could see it in his eyes. I wasn't going to be able to put him off anymore. I turned to bolt, but he caught my arm, ripping off some of the tulle on the bottom of my dress with his exuberance when he stepped on it. Suddenly the tingling feeling that had been growing in intensity the last few days turned into more of a burn. I gasped in pain as my back felt like it was tearing in two. All of a sudden something popped out of me, tearing through the back of my dress.
The Reverend immediately let go of me, stepping back with wide, astonished eyes. I reached back with one hand, trying to see what was back there, while using my other hand to keep my ripped dress covering the front of myself. I yanked my hand back when I touched something that felt like feathers. Did I have freaking wings? Whatever they were, they felt like new appendages had sprouted from my body. They fluttered involuntarily, and I fell back a step at the sensation. The Reverend was still staring at me, his disbelief turning into wonder at whatever had sprang from my back.
He reached out a hand, his intent clear that he wanted to touch my "wings." I took a step back. My mind was spinning wondering if this had something to do with my birthday, and if any other special powers were going to make an appearance and save the day. I tried to take another step, but the new weight of the wings made it hard to keep my balance and I stumbled. I reached the door and pulled on it, forgetting for a second that the Reverend had somehow managed to lock it from this side. I was trapped.
Suddenly the room's temperature began to rapidly drop. I looked around wildly and sure enough, I saw the black shadow of a specter in the corner walking towards us. To my surprise, another specter appeared behind it, and then another. They continued to multiply until there were too many to count, filling the space around us.
