Breaking

Day 1


Knocking wakes me from my nightmares. Light peaks under the door and through the cracks in the window. I hug my coat around myself and carefully crawl out of the chair. Harder, more desperate knocking.

"Cecil?! Open the door!"

A familiar voice at last! Mr. Alderson! I grab the handle and throw the door open. Joshua Alderson' s blond hair is plastered to his forehead with sweat. He's panicked and disheveled, despite his church clothes. Clammy hands grab my arms and yank me out the door, "Miss Cecil, thank the Lord you're alright. What happened?"

I look around him and check the tree line, expecting to see the two monsters from the night before. "What?" I wonder out loud. Why weren't they attacking?

"Your horse!"

He moves from in front of me and points to Heather. Her corpse had been laying out all night and flies had begun to gather. If she has started attracting flies then so have... I stumble forward and vomit off the side of the porch.

His hand rubs circles on my back. "Dear, what happened?"

I spit the left over bile out of my mouth, " My brother's were late coming home so I rode out to find them. I was attacked by these two..." maybe I shouldn't say they were monsters, "men. These men. They chased me back to the house. I tried to turn Heather and she fell and they trampled her. I only just made it back."

I need to get my brothers bodies but I don't think I can handle seeing them again.

I turn around and grab his shirt, "Please! My brother's never made it home! Would you please find them, Sir?"

He nervously runs his hand across his stubble covered face, "I'll find them for you! Don't you worry." He jumps on his horse and takes off into the forest.

"Be careful!" I yell after him.

Alone again. Why haven't they attacked yet? Could I be safe for now? I swat away a large carrion fly and watch it buzz back to the horse. I need to get rid of the body fast. Keeping an eye on my surroundings, I make my way to the wood pile. A pyre should take care of any disease, I'll need to salvage the saddle and bridle.

---

From the porch, I watch the flames eat away at my dear horse. It's high noon, Where is Joshua?

A cart followed by two other men on horseback make their way up the trail towards me. Or if the men is Joshua. He looks even more shaken than he did when he left. They are leading two horses behind them, Samuels and James's horses.

I walk out to meet them. The closer they get, the more I recognize the other men. Joshua must have found the bodies and ran to town. He had gathered the constable and the church pastor.

I knew what would be found, why does my heart hurt so much? The beginnings of a sob break my lips and I cover my mouth to try and hide it. Tears snake their way down my cheeks. I don't bother with them and keep my hands tight over my mouth. The constable dismounts and approaches, cart in tow.

"Miss Pattison?" He starts, "I'm very sorry. We've found your brothers in the wood. They'd been killed."

I choke on another sob. My knees shake as if they are going to buckle. I go to the cart, hoping for a miracle. Hoping that they won't be there or that they'll be alive.

"Cecil!" Joshua yells.

Pastor David leaps off his horse and runs for me. "Cecil, don't!"

Two sheets held down with rocks cover the bodies laying in the back of the cart. They don't look right. They're shorter than they should be and the sheets are turning red at the neck. Or is that the shoulder? Where's all that blood coming from? I pull back the sheet from one of the bodies and scream.

"Their heads!" The gaping wounds that use to have heads on the end of them are crusted with dirt, leaves, and dried blood. The clothes are obviously James's and I rip back the cover on Samuel and find the same mess. A lump in my throat builds, but breaks as I shriek "where are their heads?"

Pastor David pulls me away and tries to turn me around but it takes him and the constable to force me away from the cart for Joshua to cover the bodies back up.

"Where are their heads?" I shake Constable Proctor.

"I'm sorry, Miss Pattison, we couldn't find them."

"At least we retrieved what we could," David tries to comfort me. "I already informed the grave digger that we'd be bringing them back directly." He prys my fingers off the constable's shirt. "They will be buried at the church cemetery with your parents. If you'd like to ride with us, you can come pray with us and oversee the burial."

This is all happening so fast. They're going to be buried today? I nod my head, "I'll come with. Let me stable one of the horses and I'll follow."

I take Samuel's horse and lead him to the goat pasture. He's sweating under the saddle and blanket as they're pulled from his back. I unbuckle his bridle and he sets off at a run. Lucky creature. I swing myself onto James's horse and the four of us make our way towards town.

The constable keeps looking down at me from his spot driving the cart. "Cecil, I need to know what those men looked like."

They were demons with fangs who could move faster than my eyes could follow. “A tall man with short blond hair and blue eyes. The other man was young, like I am, with brown hair and blue eyes. They were pale and… Frightening. They felt evil. Like demons.” I steal a glance at Pastor David who is watching me intently, hanging on every word. I frown, “Forgive me, I just want some time to think.”

“Of course,” Proctor frowns, “we’ll discuss more when we meet the sheriff at the church.”

---

I must have told the altered story a hundred times to the sheriff as they wheeled my dear brothers to the graves. The lawmen crowd me and dig at me. Questions pile up as I watch them lower the bodies into the ground.

“Did they have any accents? Were they English or French?”

David steps to my side, “Gentlemen, I’m sure Miss Pattison is exhausted. Don’t you feel that you have enough information for the time being? This poor girl has lost a lot in a short amount of time.”

“I’d say she has,” the sheriff admits. “Thank you for this information, Miss Pattison, I will take the discription around town and find out if anyone has seen these men.”

I nod.

David sends me a half smile, “May I talk to you in private?”

Finally a chance to get away from these questions, “Yes, of course.” I nod to the sheriff and constable and follow David into the church.

“I have a trinket the church acquired some time back. It’s a chain forged in England when they feared demons entering their church at night. The chain was blessed and, when the sun was setting, they would wrap it around the handles of the door so demons could not enter.” He wrings his hands, “I felt overcome by the Spirit to tell you this after you told me how the men acted like demons. I feel like God wants me to help you.”

“You may have whatever you wish from my home. My brother’s possessions are yours if that is what it will take.”

He smiles kindly, “Thank you Cecil. I only require a few things that can be used by the church, perhaps a few bits of clothing, blankets, perhaps a bed if you can part with it. But there is something you can do for me,” He takes a deep breath, his eyes closed.

I can tell he’s searching for strength, probably praying. When he looks at me again, his shy boyish appearance is replaced by a determination I’ve only seen when he’s preaching at church.

“You brother spoke to me briefly in the morning before he died. I was not going to mention it on this sad day, but I was meant to visit you today.”

I can’t catch the gasp before it leaves my lips, “Oh, David.”

“This is a difficult moment for you,” He opens a cupboard retrieves a long chain, perhaps the length of my body, and rolls it up. A small cross hangs from either end of the length, “Wear this and pray when you feel yourself possesed with sadness. You’re brothers are with God now, but He chose you to remain here. I would like it if you would consider a marriage with me.”

For the first time all day, I smile. “You are so kind. Perhaps we could share a meal.” I stop suddenly. How would I have a dinner with this man with those monsters at my door in the night? I can’t put David in danger.

He see’s the change on my face and frowns. I smile again and place my hand on his. “Could we have an early lunch? You could come tomorrow to retrieve the donations to the church and I will have food ready for you.”

Joy sparks in his eyes and he nearly leaps into the air, clapping my face in his hands and pressing a kiss to my cheek. “Yes!” He realizes what he’s doing and steps back shyly. “I can’t wait.”

My dearest Samuel, I didn’t know who you meant when you mentioned suitors. Beautiful David. I lean forward and place a chaste kiss over his lips.

He sheepishly hands me the chain, “I will see you tomorrow.”