The Sacrifice

Mark watched from the shadows as the SUV’s burned in the flames. Successful again. He knew his leader didn’t approve of his more...radical actions, but then again he no longer cared. He saw too much darkness in humans to give a shit about their wellbeing.
In fact, he thought that ANI, the animal rights group, didn’t do enough to further the cause. Animals needed to be liberated. Humans were the problem. If they just disappeared, animals could live free again. They could all agree that animals were better than people, right? So why didn’t they agree with his ideas?
The sound of wailing sirens in the distance was his cue to run. No sense getting thrown in prison before his work was complete. The cops could go to hell too. They succeeded in protecting the humans he hated so much. He could do so much more if they weren’t there.
As he jogged back to his house, Mark thought about the one thing he wanted to do more than anything. Animals had been oppressed for centuries, possibly millenia. There was nothing humans could do to make up for the shit they put animals through. But perhaps a human sacrifice could wash away their sins. He didn’t believe in the Bible but the idea of one man sacrificing himself for the good of many intrigued him. It would be the ultimate act of selflessness on behalf of the humans. Maybe then Mark would finally feel at peace despite the acts of cruelty going on in the world.
The sacrifice wouldn’t be him, of course. He was doing too many acts of good and was too important to be sacrificed. It should be an animal abuser, someone who did especially heinous things. If Facebook was to be believed, there were plenty of choices. What about that girl that threw puppies in a river? Or someone that straight up put cats in sealed bags and drowned them. Hell, it could be any commercial farmer that cut the beaks off chickens or ripped away baby calves from their mothers.
Getting ANI on board with this idea would be extremely difficult. But he had the perfect setting and words to convince them. When they went on their monthly nature retreat, he would appeal to their higher natures. The sacrifice of a twisted, evil man to appease animals everywhere would show that humans truly wanted to make peace with them.
As he entered his apartment, Mark decided to start packing even though the retreat was a few days away. He was just too excited. He grabbed his hiking boots, along with a few t-shirts and cargo pants. They were going to stay at a nature resort and hike a trail winding up a well known cliff this time. Better pack his trail mix and camel back as well.
Finally the day of the retreat came, and all seven members piled into the gas efficient, energy hybrid SUV they had chipped in for. During the drive there, Mark reviewed the plan in his head. First, they would need to pick a target and figure out where they lived. Then the group would need to follow this target for a little while to learn their schedules and the times they were most vulnerable. Finally, they would need to kidnap them using the rope and chloroform Mark had stashed in his apartment and sacrifice them in a spot of the group’s choice.
Finally, they reached their destination and settled into their rooms. A few hours later they were ready to hike. Anticipation raced through Mark’s veins. As they headed onto the trail, the setting sun seemed to shine brighter and the air smelled even more crisp. He barely had the patience to listen to the groups’ typical tree hugging stories and plans to organize peaceful protests. His plan was much greater and would accomplish much more for animal rights.
The group decided to settle in a small grassy clearing with a rocky outcrop overlooking a deep canyon. They were going to have a picnic and then hike back for the night. Mark decided that the spot in front of the outcrop and the setting sun would be the perfect platform for his speech. When he strode over to the outcrop and turned to face everybody, he liked that the sun shined at his back. It gave him a fiery glow.
“Everyone, listen up! I’ve got the perfect plan to help the animals. We must sacrifice a vile human!” He couldn’t keep the grin off his face. As they turned their heads and watched, Mark told them his plan, ignoring the expressions of horror on some of their faces. A few of them, including the leader, looked thoughtful. Maybe he could get the people who mattered on board with this, after all.
“You’re saying that a human who commited vile acts should be the sacrifice?” The leader thoughtfully stroked his chin.
“Yes! Any vile human will do.” Although Mark had a few prolific animal abusers in mind.
“Very well.” The leader took a step towards Mark. “If all it takes is a vile human, you should have no problem being the sacrifice.”
Mark stood deathly still. “What?”
“I accepted you into our group because you seemed passionate to the cause. Yet all you have done is committed one violent act after another. You are forgetting that humans are animals too, and you have been bent on causing them needless harm. You are too dangerous to walk out of here alive.”
Before Mark could react, the leader closed the distance between them, and pushed Mark over the edge of the cliff. His mind was chaos as the air whipped around him. There was no making sense of what just happened. The last thing Mark saw was the dying light of the setting sun. And then, darkness.