Laverna slipped into one of the empty rooms. Through the keyhole she watches Abigail walk past her. The young girl's hands were bloody as she spoke to what looked like a head in her hand. Lavernas' stomach dropped as she recognized the severed head of Stephen. His eyes roll in his skull similar to puppets.
Abigail whispered into the missing ears of the head how much fun she had. She giggled happily leaving a trail of blood behind her wake. Laverna felt a bile rise in her throat but swallowed it back down as her tears fell from her face. It had been her fault. She should have declined the meal instead of letting her hunger take hold.
She fell backward holding her head in her hands as she sobbed quietly for the only friend she had. She could feel her teeth digging into her tongue and tasting copper. How much longer could she go on? Her body felt numb as she moved from the floor and slipped from the room.
She quickly got to work cleaning the bloody trail but keeping away from Abigail before the girl vanished into her “Fun Room”. Laverna wasn’t allowed in the room unless thrown in, the girl enjoying the messes usually cleaning themselves up through the same magic that locked the doors and kept her prisoner in the home.
Laverna quickly gets in the kennel, feeling the heat and the stench of death run through her nostrils. The cages were hotter than normal; she would have guessed that it grew closer to another “Hunt” night. How the family enjoyed watching their prey run away like scared animals. Forced to flee the hounds otherwise, they would be shredded like so many before them. Their screams echoed through the woods but were never heard or if heard they were ignored.
Fear lingered in the lands from the family as their crimes were known but their money and influence placed them in high standings. Laverna had learned that money would silence any tongue and turn the back of even the good hearts. She moved through the cages leaving behind the cup of water and food before the stench of fresh death filled her nose. “Who?”
She asked softly before watching fingers point to the cage in the back right. Her heart sped up as she moved over. “Peace be with you in this life and the next.” She softly said, her ears lowering. Her tail stopped moving as it sat still in respect for the lost soul.
The woman's tattered clothes hide bruised and battered skin. Her hair was in dark curls that framed her swollen face as claw marks went from one side of her face to the next. Dirt and blood filled the wounds as she seemed to have passed in her sleep.
The stench of body fluids filled the area as the deceased woman's body started to decompose. Laverna opened the cage and carefully covered the deceased woman's breast as she moved the body onto a separate cart. She slowly pushed the cart out allowing the others to give their own respects before moving toward the left side of the room.
A large hole was carved into the stone, leading into a pit where a heavier stench of decay flew from. Holding her breath Laverna managed to push the woman’s body and drop the body down the hole before hearing the tearing sounds of teeth and flesh as well as the howling sounds of the beasts that lived below.
New tears fell down her face as she covered the hole once more and moved the cart back into its spot. Opening the door once more, she walked inside cleaned up the body fluids, and soiled hay, and picked up and looked for any items left behind.
A pin the size of a coin was jammed under the left side of the cage. A family crest with a shield and two lions. The letters T.L. were enlarged as well and the back having the words “Never allow them to Die.” was deeply carved into the metal. Laverna placed the item in the box so the family could go through it before slipping from the cage and finishing any other tasks in the room.
Sweat fell from her face as she left the room. Her fingers traced the small box once more before moving into the study. Her heart picked up speed as the turning of pages could be heard in the room as well as the soft scratching of pen on paper.
She felt her throat tighten up as she knew Thomas and Magdalene were in the room. She would be quick and quiet placing the box of the items she had found this week onto the appropriate spot before dipping from the room. She only prayed that they paid her little to no attention.
Her heart was racing as she walked through the doorway, her eyes trained on the floor with the box in her hand. Her feet quickly carried her toward the wooden table. It was relatively small with a ridge that held the box in place. Gems moved down the table that glittered in the firelight.
The study was large. It covered floor to ceiling with bookshelves containing some of the rarest reading material. Fur rugs from various animals adorned the floor as well as above the fireplace. In the middle of the room in the back stood a large desk that is carved in a U-shape.
Papers and books were strewn over the table as well as several candles and orbs with light. Thomas sat in his custom chair with the finest leather one could purchase; the armrests were carved from mahogany and wrapped with the same leather as the chair.
It was large and similar to a King's throne. He didn’t look up from his writing as he continued to scribble in a ledger she would only presume. To the left of him were large cases full of stolen items, most rare in their own way.
Yet, skulls from those whom he found “interesting” were labeled and placed into jars or just preserved in the cabinet. Plants covered the area as well as weapons. To the right was a fireplace that could easily fit a human inside that glowed with light as the flame licked high.
The marble of the fireplace glistened in the light as carvings of naked women danced around the fireplace. Mirrors were placed on either side while a painting of the family stared at anyone who entered the room. Two large couches were placed around the fireplace with furs of every color as blankets.
Magdalene sat on the couch, her nose up and book in hand as she flipped through the pages, her eyes only briefly looking at Laverna before a snort escaped her and her attention fell back to the book. In the corner sat the guard captain, looking at her as she felt her body freeze up. Her eyes scanned him over quickly before looking back down.
She had been rude by looking at them and the thought slammed into her like a ton of bricks. Her ears bowed as her tail stopped nervously swaying from side to side. She placed her fingers to her front before hearing Thomas dismiss her for the night.
Laverna quickly left the room, trying to calm down with the hopes that they wouldn't hear her racing heart and smell the stench of fear emanating from her. Without hesitation, as if she were not there, her ears picked up a rather stern comment from Magdalene. “She survived…" She scoffed. "The boys will have to try better next time.”
Escapes Magdalene's lips before she shakes her head and flips another page. Thomas laughs before looking at his wife and nodding. “Tonight, we can just give her to my princess as a gift. We will have a new housekeeper here soon anyway. Don’t worry about her.”. He clearly says to the guard captain. “She was a thief given to us by the governor.”.
He lies, waving the pen in the air. “We will just send her off back to the psych ward.”. They both laugh at the lie before going back to their tasks. Unsure if what they said would happen or not, Laverna slipped back into the shadows, her mind strolling back to Abigail with Stephen's head, hearing Abigail's words and hearing her evil laughter strikes fear in her heart even more.
She felt her stomach drop before placing the cart back in its spot and making her way to her room. The words “Tonight we can just give her to the princess...”. continue to echo in her mind as the reality of what could befall her is realized.
She will die tonight. They had finally grown tired of her. Emotions flew from her as fear, sadness, uncertainty and a hint of happiness ran through her body. She will die tonight. That was a fact she had already decided her own fate and refused to allow a monster to take her out.
The moonlight danced in the sky as the sounds of the world outside echoed into the room. Coldness nipped at her skin as the light of the candle flickered chasing away the shadows before they crept back. Laverna had come to terms with her decision a while ago.
The fear of what the child would do plagued her mind and heart. She refused to be her little plaything until she disposed of her however she pleased. Laverna looked at the mirror on the table before picking it up and smashing it on the ground. Glass shattered on the ground as she slid down looking for the best piece. To her morbid joy, a medium-sized chunk lay in a mess with a sharpened edge piece.
She picked it up feeling the sting in her hand as the glass sliced into her palm. As the moon rose higher she knew that they would come for her. She would sit ready to strike refusing to go down without a fight.
The biggest issue was the room itself was soundproofed; the footsteps that would come towards her room were unheard. Thus she would have to rely on being faster than whoever was sent to get her. She crouched at the edge of the bed, the blood racing from her ears.
