Four Corners of Hell

Ophelia runs terrified into the woods. Visions of the horror she has just witnessed running threw her brain. She has no destination, no idea of where she is going. She is running like a scared child just as far and as fast as her legs will take her. Finally she is stopped by running head long into a man going in the opposite direction. She is knocked to the ground. She falls violently down and looks up fearing what might see. Her fears are quelled as an older man, in a simple dark robe stands before her. He has gentle eyes and seems genuinely concerned for her. "Are you alright?" he asks extended his hand to help her up. She quickly gets to her feet and tells the man of what she has seen, "I fear you will not, but you believe me when I tell you something terrible has happened. A monster has attacked my village." The man seems surprised but not shocked by this revelation. He says, "A Monster, so the rumors were true." "What rumors?" Ophelia asks, "What is happening?!" The man sighs and says, "We must go, I will explain later, but now we must get away from this place." Confused and terrified Ophelia accepts this and goes with the man.

Meanwhile within the city Purgatory's followers have found themselves caught in serious trouble. It seems young Maurcio attempted to recruit the wrong people and has raised the ire of the local church. The news of his and Trigo's plan to resurrect Purgatory was apparently not a secret. The revelation that they succeeded has led to the town forming violent mobs to seek them out and hang them for their crime. They've held up in a barn on the east side of town, hoping beyond hope their master will come to their rescue. As they hide among the hay and dung Trigo chastises Maurcio. "Maurcio you idiot, I told you to be clever about who you asked." "I was" Maurcio assures, "How was I to know they were Christians?" "I told you to seek out criminals and degenerates and you went to a tavern!" Trigo says chastisingly. "I assumed it would be a could place to find sinners," Maurcio says, clearly feeling responsible for their predicament. "For god sakes everyone around here drinks, you might as well have gone to the Vatican and asked the pope. Now are only hope is that the Master finds us before they do." Trigo says as he places his ear to the wall listening to the ruckus and confusing outside.

The old man reveals his name is Elijah. He is a preist from a local church in the city. Ophelia her mother's instructions when dealing with Christians do not lie about your faith, but if they do not ask do not tell them. However Elijah did not seem like the christians Ophelia had been warned about most her life. He seemed kind and gentle, as though he really wanted to help her. As they continue threw the wilderness they come upon a clearing where people are waiting. Upon seeing Elijah the people begin to stir a man calls out to him, "Elijah they've found them, they've found the witches that raised summoned the Devil." "Good Lord," Elijah says surprised, "Are you sure? Are we certain they are the ones." "Of course," the man says, "They were seeking out recruits in the beer hall." "We've already prepared the stakes," another man shouts. "A proper end for those damned witches!" shouts another. An increasingly worried Ophelia whispers to Elijah, "Witches did not do this." "What did you just say," Someone shouts out over hearing Ophelia mumbled retort. Knowing she had little option and unwilling to compromise her beliefs Ophelia says loudly, "Witches did not do this." The crowd gasps shock and soon angry conversations began to arise. Despite this Ophelia presses on, "They wouldn't, witches do not worship the devil. We are children of nature and the earth." "We?!" a voice says accusingly. "She a witch!" Someone shouts. "Quick get her!" Shouts another. However before anyone can do anything Elijah steps infront of her. He calls to the people, "Listen, she is not your enemy. She too is a victim of this monster. We can not let are anger overwhelm our wits. We must stand together." For a moment there is silence as the people seem to be contemplating Elijah's words, then out of the crowd comes a loud shout, "Do not suffer a witch among you!" The people turn to see a well dressed man exiting a horse draw carriage. "Surely noble reverend you would not deny the very words of god." Says the well dressed stranger. "Artimus," Elijah identifies the man, "Please this woman has done no wrong, we can let our fear blind us to our morality." "Morality?! It is moral to allow these pegans safe haven. To let them spread their gospel of falsehoods. To summon these demons against us. No dear reverend I think it is you who is blind to morality." says Artimus sternly. "He's right," calls a man from the crowd. Artimus calls to the crowd which now completely in his favor "Take her, we shall burn her with the others. As a sign to all the wicked hearts that dwell in this forrest." As Artimus says this last bit he makes sure to look directly into the eyes of Elijah. The people have no issue pushing Elijah aside and grabbing her and carrying her off. As she is filled with fear and terror a horrible thought pops into her mind. What has happened to Zacharias. For she did not see him in the house with her mother. Had the Monster already killed him, had escaped, would he suffer the same fate she is about to.

The people carried Ophelia off to an old trading post in the center of town, where just outside she saw large wooden stakes being driven into the ground, and bails of hay and kindling being set up. They took her inside to a make shift jail. They opened the big steel door and tossed her in. There she sat with three others, a man, a slightly older man, and a woman. As the mob left Ophelia wept in the corner, fearing that all she had known and all she had loved had been destroyed and now she too would die. From across the make shift cell one of the three called out to her, "Woman, what is your name?" She did not answer, having no interest in speaking to them. The man continued on despite he said, "I am Trigo, this is my wife Belladonna, and our friend Maurcio. I was not aware there were others like us around here." "I am not like you." Ophelia says despondently, "I am not a Satanist." "It doesn't matter you know," Belladonna says, "They hate us all the same." "But you are Satanist, you hate them. I am wiccan, I don't hate anyone." Ophelia says unwilling to allow herself to feel empathy for her cellmates. Then Trigo said something that caught her off guard, "We weren't always Satanist you know." Ophelia looks up as she sees Trigo staring down at the ground looking quite reflective. "It's funny," he said, "my father was a alchemist. He believed science was the key to man's enlightenment. They killed him, hung him from a tree. They called him a witch. I guess that's just their name for anyone who doesn't think like them." Trigo looks over at Ophelia, sees the tears in her eyes, and says, "Don't feel bad, I wouldn't want to be one of us either." After a moment of silence between them Ophelia finally says, "My name is Ophelia." "Well then Ophelia, if you're not a Satanist, then what are you doing here?" Trigo asked. "A monster attacked my village, and killed my mother. I went into the woods for help and that's when they found me. Once they found out I was a witch. They took me here." Ophelia explains. "A monster?" Belladonna asks, "What kind of monster?" "A giant beast, with wings like a bat, and horns coming out of his head." Ophelia explains still shaken by the event. "Huh, I wonder why the Master attacked your village?" Maurcio asks, thinking out loud. "Master?" Ophelia asks suddenly recoiling in fear, "So you did summon that beast?!" Maurcio continues "Yeah but it's weird, he said he was going to get his woman, and yet he went and attacked your village. Hey wait a minute, maybe his woman was one of the women in your village." "Maurcio quit being an idiot, obviously if the master went to her village and killed her mother, she's the woman he was referring to." Trigo explains frustrated with his friends incompetence. Ophelia jumps to her feet outraged by the casual nature and content of their conversation. She shouts at them "What are you talking about?! I am nobody's woman except...." Then it suddenly hits her. Zacharias' absence, his strange behavior, the fact that he was not their when the monster attacked Ophelia suddenly sank back down. "No it can't be." she says to herself despondently, "It can't be him." Ophelia puts her face in her hands and begins to weep. Maurcio goes to say something but Trigo stops him, and shakes his head. As if to say leave her be.

As the sun begins to set the crowd has gathered for the days event. Four large stakes sit in waiting as bundles of hay and wood are spread around them. Ophelia, Trigo, Maurcio, and Belladonna are lead out in chains, each to their own specific stake. They crowd cheers as they are bound. Artimus arrives in his lavish horse drawn carriage and takes a place near the front. As the torches are brought in Elijah can finally take no more. He grabs the torch from the hand of the would-be executioner and shouts to the crowd, "I can not allow this!" The crowd is shocked and livid, they have come for blood and they demand it. Elijah presses on, "While I can not speak for the others this woman is an innocent, she has done nothing to deserve this fate." "She is a witch!" Someone shouts in response. "Perhaps," Elijah says, "But she is still a person, and still a child of God. We can not simply kill her, then we become no better then the evil were are to fight." "No better?" Artimus calls out. "Why my dear reverend you are beginning to sound far too friendly towards are enemies. Need I remind you these people have rejected god. Turned their backs on his church, and furthermore have summoned the devil himself to this place. And you stand here arguing that we are no better than them." "We are all sinners Artimus, we all fall short of God's glory. Was it not Christ that said, he who is without sin cast the first stone." Elijah responds unwavering in his position. Artimus smirks and says, "You speak so kindly of them, perhaps you'd like to join them." "I will not be moved by threats Artimus," Elijah responds, "However, if you are set on killing innocent people, then you must go through me to do it." Upon this statement Artimus and the crowd begins to recoil in fear. At first Elijah believes it is his threat before suddenly realizing something is behind him. He turns to see a giant man with bat wings and horns standing mere inches behind him. "It's the demon!" Shouts a man in the crowd. "He came for us Trigo, I told you he would," Maurcio says excitedly. Elijah shakes in terror as he stares at the giant beast that stands before him, however Purgatory calls to him. "Collar, you're at a crossroads, who's side are you on there's or mine?" Shaken but still resolute Elijah answers him, "I am with God." Purgatory responds apathetically, "Whatever." Then says, "Let me put it another one, cut down the girl and the three idiots, and get them out of here and I might not rip you limb from limb like I'm about to do to all these people." "I can not allow you to kill them, though they are wrong they are still God's children." Elijah says to which Purgatory responds by grabbing him and lifting him up to eye level. Purgatory then says to him very menacingly, "What part of my statement sounded like I was asking?" Purgatory then tosses Elijah over into a pile of hay saying to him, "Just do it, maybe for once one of you idiots will be good for something." Unsure Elijah looks up to see Ophelia staring down at him in terror. He decides go with Purgatory. As he sets about freeing her and the others, Purgatory turns back to the mob. A smile comes across his face as he sees the sea of people staring back at him in fear. He calls to them, "You know I've killed a lot of people in my time, some good, some evil, but never have I felt this strange sensation come over me. It's almost like, I feel justified." As Elijah gets the last of them down off the stakes they head for Artimus' carriage. Ophelia, Trigo, Maurcio, and Belladonna jump into the cab, while Elijah jumps up onto the drivers seat. As he beckons the horse forward he looks back and watches as Purgatory advances upon the crowd. He turns his head up towards the sky and says, "God forgive me."