Inside the cell, a girl with a flaxen ponytail was sitting on the edge of the stone wall eating something. Although it was still unpalatable porridge with a rancid smell, the amount was much larger than the previous day, and it also had grandpa's share. , Grandpa and grandson don't have to share a portion of food to go hungry together.
She swallowed the food one by one, it was already dark, the torches hanging on the stone wall were burning outside, and the fire was shining on her face. From the cell came the sound of children talking, the banging of spoons and basins, and the sound of sobbing that still sounded from time to time.
At this moment, the atmosphere in the cell is very oppressive, the air is so heavy that it is hard to breathe, and fear is written on every child's face, because they all know that after dinner, someone will come here, Pull one of them out and become a sacrifice on a distant altar.
No one knows if they will be the next sacrifice.
This oppressive atmosphere infected everyone, and even Kerry, who had a lively and tenacious nature since childhood, became reticent.
She experienced being framed and almost died, the little boy she wanted to protect almost died in her place, and the boy who killed her in the end became a sacrifice and died—this series of things, the innocence that belonged to the child that still existed in her eyes yesterday has been Dissipated, and no longer lively.
During this day, in addition to eating, and occasionally looking up at the place where Garland is locked in the distance, she almost always sits quietly at the foot of the stone wall with her knees folded, her head bowed and silent without saying a word .
She made her grandpa feel heartbroken, but she couldn't imagine it.
Watching Sun Goddess drank porridge in silence and sadness, the old man took two sips, sighed, put down the bowl in his hand, and wanted to speak.
However, before he had time to speak, there was a crisp sound of metal slamming, he subconsciously turned his head to look, and then saw that the door that had been locked tightly was creaked open.
The red light of the fire shone in from the outside, and reflected on the small figure standing at the door of the prison, forming a reddish halo in the outline, making the figure look like a fire god appearing in the flames.
In the darkness, he came with fire and light.
The old man's heart jumped violently, and he rubbed his eyes subconsciously, only then did he see that it was the blond child who called himself Gal who had opened the prison door.
Before he could react, Kerry, who had been silent next to him, stood up suddenly.
"Gal!"
The girl shouted excitedly.
She took a few steps forward, and only then did she realize that the prison door was opened by Garlan, and she was a little stunned.
"You... how did you put this... you are... "
Garlan nodded to Kerry, but did not answer her. His eyes swept inside the cell. At this moment, there was still a little sound in the cell. It was as if time had stood still. All the children were told that the person who opened the cell door was actually the same child as them. This incident was stunned, and I couldn't turn my head around, so I could only stare at Garlan blankly.
"come out."
Garland said in a deep voice, "Everyone will come out immediately, there is no one outside now, we can escape!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Kerry's eyes suddenly lit up, she rushed out the door without saying a word, stood beside Garland and looked outside, and was surprised and happy when she found that there was really no guard.
Before she could recover from the surprise, Gallan stuffed a large number of keys, and the old man who came out was also stuffed with one.
Garland said: "Quick, open the other prison doors."
Kerry nodded sharply, then ran quickly to the nearby cell, nimbly trying on the large bunch of keys.
The three of them split up and quickly opened up all the four or five caves on the mountain wall. Kerry, who had completed the task, ran back to look for Garland, and when she was happily trying to show her merit, she saw Garland staring at the cells with a solemn expression.
Klee subconsciously followed Garlan's gaze, and she was stunned when she saw it.
The doors of all the cells are open, but except for a few children who can't wait to run out, most of the children are huddled in the cells, looking out with timid eyes, although the eyes looking at the gate are full of longing , but no one dared to take a step outside.
They dare not.
Kelly was in a hurry.
"Why don't you come out?"
She couldn't help shouting at the children who were huddled in the cell and refused to come out.
Garlan glanced outside subconsciously, and after confirming that there was no one nearby, he did not stop Kerry from shouting.
"...there is no escape."
A child responded naively.
"right."
"We can't escape."
"We don't even know where this place is."
"How to escape?"
"Definitely...will definitely be caught back."
The children looked over with their godless eyes. In the darkness, their eyes did not have the slightest light, as if they were completely shrouded in shadows.
The children who ran out were the same as Kerry, who were sent over yesterday. And those children who have been here for a long time feeling the fear brought to them by the cult have completely shattered their ego will, like walking dead, without ego.
Kerry, who didn't understand this point, was angry and anxious for a while, and looked at the children with a hateful expression, but she was helpless.
Although the old man who understands that these children's minds have been poisoned by the religion of all things knows a little bit, but at this time, he doesn't know what to do. After all, the time is too tight, and it is uncertain when there will be people from the cult. come over.
At that time, no one can escape.
"Are you going to die here?"
A loud voice suddenly sounded in the darkness.
It is like a sharp sword that can penetrate the darkness, clearly pouring into everyone's ears.
The timid children in their eyes subconsciously turned their attention to the person who made the sound.
In the dark of night, Garlan stood there, the light of the fire illuminating his bright blond hair.
"Listen, there are no guards here because they are preparing for a major ceremony. Therefore, the sacrifices they will offer tonight are fifty."
With a bang, there was a violent commotion in the cell.
Fifty people, nearly half of the people here.
Some children are afraid and unwilling to escape. They fantasize that the 1% chance will not fall on them, but now half of the people who are going to be arrested, no one can guarantee that they will be among the sacrifices. a member.
"Listen! Not one, but fifty!"
Garland repeated again, "Now half of the people here will be dragged to the altar, their throats cut, and their blood will be seen alive. Don't think that it's not your turn next time!"
Speaking of which, Garlan's voice suddenly increased.
"If you don't want to die, stand up and run—there's no one here, get out! The forest is outside! The river is below! Jump into the river if you can swim! Run into the forest if you can!"
Garland knew in his heart that he couldn't talk to these young children, and he could only use the most straightforward language to encourage them.
"There are only fifty of those people!"
He said, "As long as you can outrun others, you don't have to die—"
Kerry looked at Garlan in astonishment, how could this be? She thought, isn't this just telling those children that if they outperform others, they can let others die and live by themselves
She couldn't help but want to ask Garlan, how could he say such terrible words
But before Kerry's scolding came out, there was a sudden movement in the cell, and an older child rushed out.
Garland's words had an immediate effect, and at this moment, the children's desire for life overcame their fear of cults.
Then, a few more people rushed out.
As soon as someone takes the lead, it is like a breach of a dyke, and the flood rushes out in an instant. Almost all of the children seemed to have changed, rushing to the outside.
At the back, almost a bunch of people squeezed out, for fear of falling behind. Most of them got into the forest, ignoring the scratches on their hands and feet, and kept digging into the dense bushes. Others ran straight down to the river and jumped into the water.
"let's go."
In this chaotic scene, Garlan said to the stunned Kerry, turned around and left.
He finally glanced at the three or four children who were still numbly in the cell, stopped talking, and rushed into the dark forest.
- God can't save those who have given up hope of life.
…
…
In the dark night, in the dense jungle, there are two figures, one big and two small, walking through the bushes.
The bright moonlight penetrated the branches and leaves and fell into the jungle. Garlan looked up at the cloudless night sky and cursed to himself.
There was no moonlight at all last night, but it was so bright tonight.
After scolding, he had to move on. Kerry held the old man's hand, bit her lower lip, and followed behind him without saying a word. She didn't dare to stop to rest.
Kerry didn't know how long she had been gone, it seemed like a long time, but it didn't seem to be long, the mountain and jungle in front of her seemed to have no end in sight, her face was flushed, her forehead was covered in sweat, and her body was covered in The bruised area is hot and painful.
She looked at the front, and the bruises on the blond child in front of her were much more serious than hers, probably because the skin was white and tender, and a slight scratch left a conspicuous red mark. It was red and swollen and looked shocking, but she didn't hear the other party screaming in pain.
She remembered that when she was about to fall into despair, the figure that suddenly opened the prison door and appeared in front of her with bright firelight.
So small, in her eyes at the time, it was taller than anything else.
That seemingly small figure could grab her hand and pull her out of the abyss of despair.
Kerry thought, Grandpa and the others always said that King Camos was the patron saint of Aaron Landis, but she felt that the so-called patron saints were not necessarily as powerful as King Camos, but also some like Gal. In this way, he doesn't look strong, but he can give people hope in the dark, he guards her heart that was almost shattered by fear, and awakens the withered hearts of those children—
She thought that this beautiful child who suddenly appeared in front of her and her grandfather must have been sent by God to help them.
Just when Kerry looked at Garlan's back and felt extremely relieved, a loud noise suddenly came from behind.
Kerry was startled - it was the sound of people talking, and the sound of the bushes being pushed away, the sound of dogs barking faintly in the wind, and the sound of running footsteps, getting closer and closer.
The chasers are coming!
A sense of panic instantly filled Kerry's chest, and she shook her grandfather's hand uncontrollably.
For some reason, or perhaps instinct, she subconsciously raised her head and looked at Garlan.
Garlan also heard the voices of those who were chasing, he looked around, and then pushed Kerry and the old man under the fibrous roots of a huge tree that protruded from the ground. The crooked fibrous roots were crisscrossed and covered with ivy, which was pitch-black in the shadows, making it difficult to see.
He raised his hand and made a shush gesture at Kerry, then stuck his head out to look.
The next second, the barking of the dog made his eyes twitch.
He originally thought that he could hide and wait for those people to find him and escape in a different direction. However, those people were carrying dogs, and this time, they might not be able to escape.
… Do not.
It's not that 'they' can't escape.
Listen to the sound, those who tracked only brought a dog, so...
Garlan glanced back, and he saw the girl squatting behind him looking at him nervously, her big bright eyes full of trust in him.
He turned his head and lowered his eyes, his long eyelashes covering his eyes, as if he was thinking about something.
A second later, Garlan raised his eyes and looked forward.
He got up.
Kerry, who was squatting under the staggered tree roots, had been watching Garlan nervously, so when Garlan moved, she immediately felt it.
"Gal?"
she cried softly.
Kerry saw Garlan who had stood up and turned back again. In the darkness, she could not see Garlan's face, but the blond hair on Garlan's cheeks reflected a little light, allowing her to see the child's slight upward movement. lip corners.
She was startled.
In the second she was stunned, the figure that had paused because of her shouting moved again.
Subconsciously, Kerry reached out and grabbed it.
But she caught it empty.
She instinctively wanted to shout Gal's name, but her whole body was jolted, she grabbed an empty hand and yanked it back, covering her own mouth with force.
She squatted on the spot stiffly, and watched Garlan running fast to the other side, alarming the people who were already chasing not far away.
A big dog barked excitedly and chased after Gallan.
All the people also followed the dog.
The girl crouched in the dark, looking ahead with wide eyes.
Her hand was tightly over her mouth, and big tears fell from her wide eyes and rolled on the back of her hand, burning hot.
There was a helpless and sad sigh from her grandfather beside her.
…
It is impossible for a child to run past vicious dogs, nor can it outrun the strong guards. Naturally, Garlan was caught after running for a while.
Along with the children who were also caught, they were escorted back by a team of guards.
Instead of being escorted back to the cell, they were sent directly to the huge altar.
The bonfire on the altar has been lit, and the raging fire is burning in the darkness, and the fiery red light illuminates everyone's faces.
He was pushed around and walked towards the wooden cage where a bunch of children had been imprisoned.
As he walked past, he heard anxious conversations between his captors and believers near the altar.
"I've only caught more than 30 now, it's not enough!"
"It's about time for the sacrifice!"
"If you don't catch as much as you can, sacrifice as much as you want first, and catch the rest in-"
"No! The priest said that there must be fifty children, and none of them must be missing. Otherwise, not only will it not please the mother goddess, but it will anger her."
"But our manpower is limited, and it will take time to catch those little devils back!"
Hearing the anxious conversations of those people, the corner of Garlan's mouth lifted.
Yep, that's his purpose.
He knew that with those children, without the help of outsiders, it was impossible for him to escape successfully. He didn't expect those children to escape by themselves. He knew that even if those children escaped, they would be caught sooner or later.
Therefore, his purpose from the beginning was only one - to delay time.
Hundreds of children run away together, enough for this group of people to be in a hurry, and it takes time to catch those children back, which will delay a lot of time.
The sacrificial ceremonies of the church are strictly stipulated, and there is nothing wrong with them. As long as the number of sacrifices is not enough, the festival will definitely not be held. In this way, the sacrifice time will be missed. Therefore, this time, even if the large-scale festival is abolished, the lives of the fifty children will be saved.
Come again, just wait for Brother Camos to come...
Just when the plan had been successfully implemented, Garlan breathed a sigh of relief, and suddenly felt that the silence around him was a little scary.
Turning his head to look, he found that there was no one beside him, and even the guard who escorted him stepped aside, with his head lowered and his face respectful.
There is a strange atmosphere in the air.
Garlan, who felt that something was wrong, turned around abruptly and looked up.
The next second, his pupils contracted forcefully.
The man in a black cyan robe who should have been standing far away beside the bonfire on the altar quietly appeared behind him.
The hood on the robe was worn over the man's head, hiding the man's face in deep shadows, making it invisible.
But Garlan could feel that a terrifying gaze that made his blood seem to freeze fell on him from the shadow of the hood.
"...bright...soul..."
The man said in a low voice, as if coming from the deepest dark abyss.
It seemed to be the deepest sigh, inexplicably creepy.
"...And, with the vitality of light."
As if muttering to himself, the man in black robe looked up at the believers behind him.
"Now start preparing for the sacrifice," he said.
"But, Lord Priest, the number of children is not enough..."
"enough."
A pale hand stretched out from the black cyan robe, and the man in the black robe grabbed Garlan tightly, drawing deep bruises on his wrist.
The man in black robe said, "This one is worth the souls and blood of hundreds of young children."
His deep voice was like a sigh, full of deep satisfaction.
"This will be the most satisfying sacrifice to our mother goddess of all things—"