Trial By Trust

Maria was a young adult who had lost everything. Eighteen and still living with her parents, she depended on them for nearly everything. Her house was burnt down in a horrible fire and her parents were trapped in their bedroom, unable to get out. The last thing she heard from her parents was them telling her to get out of the house and leave them. Maria had no home, no family, and no hope. That was until an extended relative reached out to her and offered for her to stay with them. Maria, desperate to have something of a normal life again, accepted the kind gesture. A decision she would come to regret.
When Maria arrived at the relative’s house, she felt like she was in a fairytale. The town was modern, but somehow not at the same time. They used most modern technologies, but the way they acted and dressed was different, to say the least. It reminded her of a parallel dimension or some kind of storybook. She was forced to abandon the only possessions she retained from the fire, a choice she did not make lightly. Her phone, her clothes from the outside world, and even photos of her parents. She hid one photo in a book she was instructed to read instead of playing on her phone. There were only a few select books she was allowed to read. Nothing too heavy, and nothing educational. 
Her relatives had their peculiarities. They dressed and acted as everyone else, but they seemed happy to have Maria’s company, while everyone else was weary of her and hardly spoke to her. They gave her chores to do around the house, which she happily did as her payment for letting her live there. She would do dishes, watch the children, clean floors and shelves, assist with dinner, and practical help with everything. She quickly found herself tired at the end of each day. When she went out shopping, she was required to take the children with her. She didn’t mind, as she enjoyed the company. 
Her new clothes were fairly foreign to her. She felt like she was dressed for some kind of convention or festival. Her long blonde hair was typically braided and often decorated with flowers or jewelry. Her outfit was a dress, sometimes a blouse and a skirt, she often had jewelry or cloth of some kind decorating her to compliment her outfit. Her shoes varied anywhere from flats, to sandals, to wedges or heels. Her nails were always done and she always had makeup at her disposal. 
Maria couldn’t complain, she had everything she needed or wanted. Her family was well-recognized in the community and they didn’t have anything to struggle for. Maria would be driven around places in nice cars or trucks, and she quickly became well-regarded in the community as well, though some still had some weariness around her. Maria didn’t deny that her life was going well. She became more popular in the community when she began treating others' illnesses with the knowledge she had obtained from her mother and father, who specialized in herbal and natural medicines. She became known as the village's medicine girl. They considered themselves lucky, as she came when a horrible flu swept through the village. Though this proved to be a difficult and often draining task for Maria, as the flu stuck around for years, being passed from one family to another. Despite that, things were looking up for the previously distraught and hopeless Maria. Sadly, this wouldn’t be long-lived.
Maria was in her house, cooking dinner while her relatives were in the living room, socializing and playing games with the children. They sounded like they were having fun, which brought a smile to Maria’s face. There was a knock at the door and Maria stepped away from the soup she was making to answer the door. There she was surprised to see the village’s Mayor, Jackson. He was six feet tall, maybe even taller. Towering over Maria’s Five foot, six-inch frame. She looked up at him with a welcoming smile and tilted her head.
“Well Hello there Mr. Franklin! What brings you to our house at this time of day?” She smiled, but her smile hid her nerves and her fear. She knew the heinous accusations that surrounded this man. Rumors that he kidnapped vulnerable people and butchered them if they did not obey him. Maria’s friends had warned her to keep her distance from the man. Though he was the leader of the community, so she couldn’t turn him away. He took his hat off and bowed to her, taking her hand and smiling up into her greenish blue eyes with his own icy blue, almost gray eyes. 
“Ah, Maria I assume? Please, call me Jackson. Everyone has been very pleased with you since you arrived in our wonderful little village! Is Gale home? I need to speak to Him.” Maria nodded and smiled.
“Of course! I’ll get him for you! Should only take a moment, but feel free to come in and make yourself comfortable!” Maria held the old oak door open for him as he strolled into the house casually. He looked around and nodded in approval as Maria began walking off elegantly to get her relative, Gale. “Gale, we have a visitor!” Maria’s cheery tune and happy smile gave Gale an idea of who it was. Gale stood up, leaving his children with Maria and Gale’s wife, Nadia. 
“Maria, I can handle the children, so go work on dinner.” Maria nodded, not waiting to be told twice. She walked back out to the kitchen and continued to watch the soup. She heard faint talking in the distance of Gale and the Mayor. They sounded like they were getting closer. Maria got a little nervous as footsteps entered the kitchen. She heard the Mayor take in a deep breath, then sigh.
“It smells wonderful here, Gale. Maria is doing a wonderful job! Perhaps I will borrow you for my own home sometime.” Those words sent a shiver down her spine, but she laughed softly and continued to cook. The Mayor began coughing and cleared his throat. “I apologize. I have not been feeling well the past few days, which is actually why I am here. I was hoping Maria could help me.” Maria did not want to help the Mayor, but Gale smiled happily and nodded.
“Of course Mayor! I’m sure she’d love to be of assistance, right Maria?” Gale knew about the rumors surrounding the Mayor and knew how much Maria disliked him, he often urged her to at least give him a chance. 
“Of course, I’d love to.” She swallowed her nerves and stirred the pot of soup, turning off the heat and collecting bowls. Jackson coughed again and smiled. Gale tilted his head and smiled.
“Why don’t you stay for dinner, Mayor? Maria made homemade chicken noodle soup.” Maria gave Gale a strong side eye and filled up the bowls with soup. She was going to have words with Gale once this was over. 
“Of course! I would love to stay for dinner!” He took off his coat and handed it to Maria, who quickly hung the coat up. He sat down at the dinner table as Maria sat down the bowls and silverware. She set out cups and filled them with filtered water, getting a glass of wine for the adults, beside her. Everyone sat at the table, the children were still a bit rowdy from playing games with their mother. Maria quickly got the children under control and watched them eat, she usually waited till everyone was done and ate the leftovers. The Mayor didn’t touch his food, instead watching Maria. “Aren’t you going to eat?” He raised an eyebrow. Maria looked nervous, and that was when Gale spoke up.
“She eats after we are done.” The young Mayor looked horrified. He moved out the seat beside him and smiled, patting the seat. 
“Oh no. Maria, come eat. You are family, not some dog.” Maria looked at Gale, who looked away. Slowly, Maria sat next to the Mayor. “Here, eat.” He smiled softly and got up, getting her a bowl of soup. Maria looked at him for a moment. Was this man such a bad person? She shook her head, her friend would never steer her wrong. This man was a monster, and his facade would not convince her otherwise. Regardless, she took a bite of the soup and smiled, nodding at Jackson.
“Thank you, Mayor.” The Mayor chuckled and shook his head, taking a bite of his soup. He smiled softly at Maria.
“I told you, call me Jackson. No need to thank me, you deserve to eat like the rest of us.” He cleared his throat and looked over at Gale, who seemed lost in thought. “Gale.” Gale’s head quickly turned to Jackson as he smiled. “I have a favor to ask of you. I’d like to borrow Maria for a few days. I feel I have no need to explain and I expect to have no problems with that, yes?” Gale nodded and smiled happily.
“Of course, that’s not a problem! I’m sure Maria would love to get out of the house. She’d be more than happy to help you with whatever you need help with.” Maria glared discreetly at Gale, who smiled at Maria. Why was he doing this? Maria was fuming, but held herself together, as lashing out was extremely frowned upon. 
After dinner was done, Maria got to cleaning up the dishes and putting away the soup that was left. She felt a presence behind her and turned around. It was Gale. “Maria, I know you’re angry, but this isn’t an opportunity that many in our village get. I expect to not hear one complaint from you and that you will complete any task he asks of you. Am I clear?” Maria took a deep breath and nodded. “Good. Now finish this mess and pack your things.” 
Once Maria finished putting things away she went to her room to pack. She didn’t have much, but she was instructed to bring her best clothes, so she did. She packed a couple of books and a sketchbook with a few pencils. She was occasionally allowed to draw, so she figured she could try to get some sketches in during any free time. Once her bags were packed she got in a black car with tinted windows, then was quickly escorted to the Mayor’s house. 
His house looked similar to the others, it just had an older and fancier look to it. It had pillars on the front porch and a solid oak door. The windows were decorated with elegant shutters, and there were flowers of many kinds decorating the outside.
“Wow. This place is pretty.” Maria smiled to herself but suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up and saw Jackson smiling down at her. 
“Yes, it is. Why don’t you come inside?” He took the bag from her hands and began walking to the door. “It’s even more beautiful inside.” Maria nodded and followed him inside. She felt like her heart was beating out of her chest. On one hand, she was intrigued, but on the other hand, she was terrified. 
As they entered the main entrance, Maria’s jaw dropped. It was beautiful. There were oak stairs leading up to a banister and the ceiling was very tall. A luxurious red and black carpet lay elegantly on the stairs and followed up to the banister. Small sculptures were sitting in the entryway, which had a slightly spine-chilling effect on them. Doors leading in every which way were placed in an organized manner in the hallway. Some of the doors were decorated with wreaths or flowers, others were left bare. 
“Come. There is more this way.” Maria nodded and followed him into the next room, the living room she assumed. This room was also huge and had a beautiful dark gray couch that sat in front of a television. The TV seemed outdated to her standard, but in comparison to the rest of the village, this TV was top of the line. They were only allowed to watch certain channels and only during certain times of the day.
Jackson led Maria to the kitchen next, which was equally as breathtaking. It was the most pristine and new-looking kitchen she had ever seen. Even before she moved to the small village. The sink was shiny and completely clean, the counters were black and gray marble, the floors were black and white tile, and pots and pans hung beautifully from an overhead rack. She smiled at the sight. Jackson watched her reaction and smiled as well. There was only one thing that stuck out to her as odd. In the back of the kitchen was a door with many locks on it. Maria assumed it was some kind of pantry. She walked towards the door, which was met with Jackson standing in front of it and shaking his head. “We do not go in this door. Ever. Am I understood?” Maria gulped and nodded quickly. Her heart dropped as she swiftly got a reminder of who she was with at the moment.
“Yes, sir- I mean yes, Jackson. I apologize.” She did not make eye contact, but rather looked down at the ground. Jackson smiled and tilted his head. He led her around the house, showing her every other room, eventually landing on a room with a rose wreath on the door. “Well, that’s pretty.” Jackson smiled and nodded, opening the door to a beautiful bedroom. The bed was a queen-sized bed with pale blue bed sheets. The blanket almost looked like a cloud. The curtain was a deep red velvet. The ceiling was tall and there was a vanity on the far wall and a desk in the corner with a lamp on it. There was a door that led to an elegant bathroom on the side.
“This will be your room. I apologize for your bed sheets not matching the curtains, that set is currently in need of replacement. However, I hope you find your room satisfactory.” Maria nodded and sat down on the bed. It even felt like a cloud. She leaned back on the bed and giggled, It was so soft. She hadn’t slept on a soft bed since before the fire. She frowned remembering the fire. She sighed and sat up, seeing Jackson was now gone. Her bag was neatly sitting next to the closed door. She got up and inspected the room, finding a note on the vanity. It told her what times to do what chores and that dinner was at five-O’-clock every day. There was a reminder on the back of the note to stay away from the door in the kitchen and ignore it at all costs. It was signed by someone named Becky. That wasn’t Jackson. This note must have been left by another worker, perhaps a previous worker even. The thought sent shivers down her spine. What could be hiding behind that door? By now it was night and bedtime was quickly approaching, so Maria got a bath and changed into a nightgown then got ready for bed.
In the morning Maria got up and got ready for the day. She sat at the vanity putting on her makeup. When she finished her makeup and hair, she got dressed. She walked down the stairs and got straight to work on her chores, mostly working on breakfast. She decided to make pancakes. Some chocolate chips, some regular. She sat them out on the freshly cleaned table and poured a cup of hot coffee, sitting it by the plate as Jackson walked in. “Where’s your plate, Maria?” She froze and looked away.
“I didn’t make one for myself.” Jackson looked at her and tilted his head. His neatly brushed shoulder blade length jet black hair fell to the side. He put his hair up and sighed softly.
“And why not? Do I have to remind you to eat at every meal? If so, this is going to be tedious.” He seemed unamused, Maria panicked and quickly rushed to get herself a plate. When she came back he was grinning happily. “See? Was that so hard? I swear, what are your caregivers teaching you? Do they always treat you like some kind of animal?” Maria looked down at her plate. She thought her life was pretty good, but now that he was pointing out the flaws she was starting to see them. She did not respond, and he did not need a response. “Your silence says volumes.” He then took a sip of his coffee. Maria gulped and took a bite of the pancakes. 
Breakfast was filled with an awkward silence, only broken by a word here or there. Maria quickly got up and began collecting dishes when the two were done. A question sparked the young woman, so out of curiosity she asked. “Um. Jackson?” He looked up at her from his chair, taking a sip of his coffee. “Aren’t you married? Where’s your wife?” She tilted her head out of curiosity. He sighed and sat his cup down.
“Being nosey will only get you in trouble, Maria.” Maria felt the air get caught in her chest. He looked at her seriously for a moment, then grinned and laughed. “I’m kidding! Loosen up, Maria!” Maria sighed in relief and smiled nervously. “She had a business trip to go on. No idea when she will be back. She tends to leave for long periods.” Maria nodded, she knew that Jackson’s wife was fairly busy. She was one of the busiest people in the village besides Jackson. She finished cleaning up and left to do the dishes. 
As Maria worked on the dishes her mind wandered. She heard a loud yelp from behind her and she jumped. When she turned around she found no one was there. “Strange.” Maria tried to ignore it, but her concentration was broken by another scream. A woman was screaming. Maria felt her blood go cold. She turned around and listened to the screaming. It was coming from the door. Maria shook her head and quickly finished up her dishes, then ran up to her room, where she cried for hours. She wanted to go home.
Maria was downstairs cleaning a shelf when she felt a presence behind her. She turned around and saw Jackson standing behind her. She gasped and looked up at him. He was smiling eerily down at her. She felt goosebumps crawl up her arm. “Good afternoon, Maria.” Maria nodded and smiled nervously.
“Good afternoon, Jackson.” Maria felt her heart pounding as he leaned in closer and whispered in her ear.
“You haven’t seen or heard anything strange going on around here, have you?” Maria’s fair skin went pale as paper she and quickly shook her head. Jackson grinned and nodded. “Good. This may come as a surprise, but this building is extremely haunted. I’d hate for any of the… residents… to spook you.” He chuckled and held a finger up to his lips in a shushing motion, then winked down at her. She shivered and looked away. She felt a hand pat her head, but when she looked up Jackson was gone. What an odd occurrence. She shrugged it off and went back to cleaning. 
Maria had some free time and decided to doodle in her sketchbook. She enjoyed venting through her drawings, which meant her drawings often came out creepy or disturbing. She didn’t mind, but she knew it would cause a disturbance if anyone else saw it, so she hid her sketchbook away from others. Her drawing was interrupted by a knock at her door. She got up and answered the door, there stood none other than Jackson. He had a sweet smile on his face and he was holding something behind his back. “Oh, hello. Can I help you?” Maria smiled and tilted her head. Jackson shook his head and pulled a box from behind his back and handed it to Maria. She looked at it curiously,  but when she looked up he was gone. Why was he just showing up and disappearing like that? Maria shook her head and closed the door, she sat on the bed and opened the box. She pulled out a beautiful necklace. It had some kind of red gemstone hanging from the silver chain. She slipped the necklace on and walked to the vanity, smiling softly at the sight. It was a beautiful piece of jewelry.
As Maria was working on dinner, she would occasionally look over her shoulder towards the door,  but it was silent. The silence only put Maria more on edge, so she sang to herself. When she was done she sat out two plates, one for Jackson, and one for her. She didn’t feel like being reprimanded again. She poured drinks for the two respectively. When Jackson came into the room he had a new outfit on. He seemed like he had just gotten a shower too, which was strange considering the time of day, but Maria chalked it up to his routine. He sat down and began eating. He smiled and looked at Maria, who was picking at her food. She wasn’t really hungry. “What’s the matter?”
“I just.” Maria sighed and thought. “I enjoy being here and all, but I want to go home.” Jackson thought for a moment and nodded. “It has nothing to do with you, sir. This place is lovely. I just got used to home. You know?” Jackson stood up and sighed, walking over to Maria. She felt a chill go down her spine as she looked up at the cool blue eyes that stared through her soul.
“I understand. One can get used to less than ideal conditions.” Maria tilted her head in confusion. “You get used to the neglect, and the darkness is the only thing that feels familiar.” He placed a hand on her shoulder, which made her shiver. “I am not the enemy, Maria. I simply want to give you a way out of there. I am offering you salvation. I hope you come to realize that over your stay here.” He went back to his seat and continued to eat. The rest of dinner was rather eventless. Not a word was spoken.
After Maria cleaned up, she went back to her room and got ready for bed. The next few days were uneventful to say the least, just working on monotonous chores. She worked on meals and kept the house tidy, hardly leaving the house. Jackson said he didn’t trust everyone else enough to let her leave. Maria disliked being stuck in the house all day every day, but she would occasionally go out to the garden and relax out there when she had a free moment. 
One night in particular, Jackson wasn’t acting like his normal self. He seemed like he had something on his mind. He was sitting in his chair with one leg crossed over the other in a thinking position. Maria asked what was on his mind. He simply shook his head then walked over to a record player that began playing a slow song. Maria just observed his odd behavior. He smiled joyfully and turned to Maria with his arms wide open. “Maria, darling, dance with me!” 
Maria thought for a moment and nodded, she didn’t want any bad reports to reach Gale. She walked over to Jackson and placed a hand on his shoulder. He put a hand on the back of her shoulder blade respectfully. Their other hands were holding the other’s. Maria leaned in and whispered to Jackson. “You’re not very sick, are you?” 
“Of course not. I needed to convince Gale to let you stay somehow.” A smile curled into the corners of his lips.
The two swayed and danced together, and Maria actually found herself having fun. She blushed and giggled softly, which was met with a content smile from Jackson. They both seemed to be genuinely enjoying the moment. This enjoyment was short lived as there was a loud bang that could be heard from around the area of the kitchen. Maria nearly jumped out of her skin as her head swung towards the direction of the bang. Jackson sighed and looked down at Maria with a sad smile. “I will be right back. I’m going to go check on that.” He let go of Maria’s hand and slid away into the next room. Maria stood and waited for what seemed like hours. He never came back. 
Concerned, Maria went to inspect the sound herself. She hesitantly stepped into the kitchen. Everything up until this moment was going so well. She began getting used to living there. That was until she walked into the kitchen and saw something rather odd. The door was open. 
Maria felt her breath catch in her chest. She walked closer to the door, where she heard the faint voice of a woman calling out for help, Maria hesitantly reached for the door. She waited, for what she didn’t know. Perhaps for Jackson to come and stop her. To save herself from her curiosity, but no one came. No one stopped her. She reached the door handle and opened the door the rest of the way, then walked downstairs which led into darkness. 
When she reached the bottom, she was mortified. There were cages and various ancient-looking devices that couldn’t have been of good use. She felt ice run through her veins. There was a chair with straps on the arms and legs, and spikes covering the chair. There was a table with long, claw-like gloves hanging off the edge. There was blood all over the floor, but more disturbingly were bones in some of the cells and the floors were covered in blood and other unknown substances. The smell was awful. She stood shocked for a few moments before a call for help broke her trance. 
She looked in one of the cages and saw a woman. She recognized the woman in the cell. It was Jackson’s wife. She was a mangled mess. Her arms both looked badly broken, and her legs had bone jutting out of the skin. The once beautiful woman was now a dreadful sight to see. She was covered in dried blood and fresh blood mixed. Her red hair was tangled and matted, and some spots on her scalp were completely bald. Her blue eyes were bloodshot and full of terror and pain. She was shaking and her clothes were tattered and covered in blood. Maria gasped and backed up. She looked around quickly for a way to open the cell. “Hey, you.” She shivered and turned quickly, to be met with a swift blow to the head, and Maria was unconscious.
When Maria woke up her head was pounding, and the room was spinning. She felt wet blood beneath her feet. Looking around, Maria found herself strapped to a chair in a cell. She began panicking and struggling against her restraints, and even though Maria was strong, she wasn’t strong enough to break through the restraints. She began crying to herself as she gave up on the restraints. She just wanted to go home. A voice rang through the darkness and Maria looked toward the source in horror. “Good morning, sleepy head.” It was Jackson. He walked into view and tilted his head to the side. “I warned you that your nosiness would get you in trouble, Maria.” He had a melodic tune to his voice, and he seemed in high spirits. “Lucky for you, I don’t want to hurt you. I want quite the opposite for you.” Maria was confused. He was insane.
“Why are you doing this? What do you want from me?” Jackson casually strolled over to her and pulled a knife from behind his back. He gently ran the blade along her arm, giving her goosebumps. He chuckled and smiled.
“Oh not much, but suppose my wife left for a business trip and.” He paused for a moment. “Suppose she never came back? A traitor, some lowly scum who abandoned her husband.” Maria felt sick to her stomach. He pulled the knife away from Maria and sighed. “But suppose the husband found someone else? His worker for example. Purely hypothetical by the way-” Maria looked at him in horror. He smiled sweetly back. “Suppose they fell in love, and he saved her from a less-than-ideal living condition, hm?” Maria grimaced and looked away, but he grabbed her face and made her look at him. “Now, why are you so scared? I’d never hurt you.”
“You have me tied to a chair in your basement where I found your mangled wife, and now you’re holding a knife to me saying you want to marry me. Who wouldn’t be absolutely terrified?” She had tears welling up in her eyes. Jackson smiled softly and wiped them away.
“No. No, don’t word it like that, Maria.” He chuckled. “You make me sound like I’m crazy. You don’t seem to understand. She was in the way.” Maria looked away in disgust again.
“You are crazy! You could have just divorced her like every other normal person!” She shook her head and took in a deep shaky breath. “Just. Um. Can you please let me go?”
“Hm. No, I don’t think I will. At least not yet. You don’t seem to understand.” Maria bit her lip as she looked at the knife. She had to play her cards right if she wanted to survive. She looked up at him with sad eyes. He stared back and raised an eyebrow. “What’s with that look?” Maria began crying.
“H-Have I not been through enough? I listened to my parents screaming as they burnt to death, and lived in that God-awful house for years! Now, This?! Have I not suffered enough?!” She cried hysterically. Jackson tilted his head and sighed, patting her gently on the head. He kneeled and smiled at her sadly.
“Remember what I told you, Maria? I am your salvation. All you have to do is accept the offer. I will make sure you never struggle for anything again, and no one will ever dare lay a finger on you. No one will even look at you wrong. I can save you. You just have to let me in.” Maria sniffled and looked at him through her tears.
“I just have one question.” She asked with desperation, and he tilted his head curiously, standing back up. “How many? How many have you taken life from?” He looked away and thought.
“I lost count. The number didn’t matter as long as the end result was you, Maria.” She looked at the bloody floor. 
“I-” She thought for a moment and looked up at him, he stared back with complete attention on her. “That’s kinda. Um. Romantic.” She watched the man standing over her blush and looked away nervously.
“It is?” He glanced back at her out of the corner of his eyes. She smiled up at him sweetly and nodded. He kneeled back down and grabbed her hand, which was cold from the restraints being too tight. “I’d take the last breath from this entire village for you, Maria.” Maria shivered but smiled happily at him. He looked down and saw her hands turning blue. “Ah, I must have gone too tightly with the cuffs again. Here, this should be better.” He undid the restraints. Maria stood up slowly and looked up at Jackson, who was smiling down at her affectionately. 
Maria swung her leg and swiftly kicked him in the knee, buckling it backward. He groaned in pain and fell to the ground. She jumped over him and ran out of the cell and sprinted up the stairs. She reached the kitchen and grabbed a knife out of the knife holder. She attempted to run out of the house, but was caught by Jackson and tackled to the ground. Maria was trying to bring the knife up to defend herself, but Jackson had her pinned down. “Let me go you psycho!” She cried and screamed, thrashing as much as she could. He tilted his head, a look of disappointment on his face.
“Oh, Maria. The ever stubborn. You see there’s one problem with letting you go, I can’t-” His grin grew as he raised the knife over Maria’s face. “You see… If I can’t have you, then no one will.” Maria shrieked in pain as the knife sliced down into her eye. She tried to pull away, but she couldn’t. The pain was excruciating. She raised her hands and held onto his wrist, but it was no use. “And if I cannot have you, then I will at least take a piece of you, my love.” He laughed as he pulled out her eye on the knife. Blood dripped down the knife and poured from her eye socket. She reached for the knife that fell beside her and stabbed him in the shoulder, then kicked him off while he marveled over her eye. She sobbed and ran out of the house, holding her hand over her eye socket, blood oozing from the wound like a water faucet. She ran to a nearby gas station and begged for help, and was quickly transported to a hospital.
The hospital was old and outdated, but it still saved her life. Sadly, her eye could not be saved since it was still in the possession of Jackson. Police came to investigate the situation and Jackson was quickly arrested. After Maria eventually got out of the hospital, she was advised to come to court and testify against Jackson. She did so, but that was the biggest mistake she had ever made in her life.
When she was done testifying and telling her side of the story, Jackson started acting erratically. He was thrashing about and spouting off nonsense. When the court was finally able to get him under control, he began screaming about witchcraft. The judge demanded order, but he would not stop yelling about witches. Maria felt her blood run cold. She was a healer, yes, but not a witch. And even if she were it wouldn’t mean she’d hurt someone. She knew witches back home and loved learning about their practices, but this was different. She began crying and he screamed in agony. She became even more hysterical at his actions. “Devil’s bride! You are an evil woman! Set my soul free, you fiend!” Maria stood up and he shrieked in terror. “She is no healer! She is a witch who has been poisoning all of you! Why do you think you keep getting sick?” Maria watched as the jury began to panic and murmuring took over the courtroom. 
Maria looked down at Jackson, who glanced at her and winked. She felt repulsed. Maria ran out of the courtroom in tears. This couldn’t be happening to her. She ran as far away as fast as she could. She heard people chasing her. She didn’t even look back, she just ran. She ran into the woods and hid behind a tree, sobbing and hyperventilating. She couldn’t catch her breath and her heart was pounding. The sounds of dogs barking got louder and louder. She knew they were on her trail and they’d soon catch her. She figured it would be best if she turned herself in. She walked back in tears. She just wanted to go home again. As she caught up with the crew chasing her, she was met with police officers who quickly handcuffed her and brought her back to the village.
She sat again in the courtroom and stared up at the judge with her only eye. This time it was Jackson testifying against Maria. And so his side of the story played out. “It started when I first met young Maria.” He was cool, calm, and collected. “She charmed me, I do believe. She piqued my interest, and frankly, I became obsessed.” He blushed and looked away from the courtroom. “She had cast a spell over me, of that I am certain. My love for her became so overpowering, it was all I thought about.” Jackson laughed. “And what would I, the Mayor of this town, with a loving wife, child on the way, want to have anything to do with this… Outsider!” He scoffed and looked at Maria, who sat silently and let him speak. Though utter hatred filled her face. “I couldn’t control myself, I lashed out at others, I took this imposter into my home, under my graceful care!” The courtroom was fixated on his story, not a soul interrupted him. “I even did things I am not proud of, but as the witch took me into a room and attempted to eat my insides, I fought back! I managed to rip out the horrid creature’s eye, weakening her power and giving me enough room to free myself from her wretched grasp! You see, I am not the victim, I am the survivor. This is my story of triumph!” The judge interrupted.
“But what proof do you have that she even cast a spell over you?” Jackson’s deceitful eyes lit up and he smiled reassuringly.
“Look at the necklace she wears. It is the charm she received from the Devil as a result of their unholy relationship.” The judge was about to speak, but Jackson talked over him. “And her book! She holds a grimoire unique to those of others.” A man in a suit walked in with Maria’s sketchbook. She shuddered and hid her face, knowing what was in there. “See, she even knows her guilt. Your Honor, please look through the book and tell me what you see.” The judge quickly scanned through Maria’s rather detailed and disturbing drawings. They were never meant to be seen by other people, Maria glanced up and saw the disgust on the judge's face. Court was dismissed for a decision to be made, and Jackson approached Maria as she sat alone. 
“Get away from me. I’ll scream if you don’t leave me alone. I’m not kidding. See how you like it.” Jackson laughed and tilted his head.
“You know I can make all of this go away, right? All you have to do is promise to come with me. Stay with me. Be mine.” Maria scooted away from Jackson and shook her head.
“I’d rather die than live in your delusion.” Jackson sighed and nodded, smiling sadly.
“That is a shame, but so be it.” He chuckled and walked away. Maria could feel the cold breath of death on the back of her neck. It felt like hands were gripping her shoulders and beckoning her to come with them. To leave this world behind and finally find peace. 
Maria sat in the courtroom and awaited her decision and punishment. The judge looks at her and deems her under the accusations of witchcraft, she was to be submitted to trial by ordeals. She held her breath and awaited the final decision. Her ordeal, trial by cold water. She fell to her knees and begged for mercy. The judge ordered for her to be taken to a cell under careful observation, she was never to be unattended. 
Crying in her cell, Maria reached her shaky hand up to her gauze-wrapped eye. She was filled with hatred and spite. Wanting nothing more than revenge. Suddenly her thoughts were interrupted by someone coming to visit. It was Gale. Maria reached up and held onto the bars of her cell, Gale kneeled and slipped something into her cell quickly. “Maria… Oh, Maria. What have you gotten yourself into?” His green eyes looked into Maria’s. He had a sad smile on his face as he reached up and touched her cheek. “I should have never encouraged you to stay with him, now look at you,” Maria said nothing, she only listened. “I know you’ll get through this. They’ll pull you out and he will pay for his accusations. Maria began to cry again. She was angry and afraid.
“I don’t want to die, Gale. Please don’t let them do this to me. He’ll have me killed.” Maria shook and sniffled. Gale wiped away her tears but was quickly reminded to keep his hands away from her. He smiled sadly and nodded.
“I’ve tried to get them to change their minds, they won’t budge. I won’t let you die, Maria. I promise.” Gale smiled reassuringly and Maria thought for a moment, then nodded. “I brought you clothes, they’re going to let you dress up nice and pretty for the occasion.” Gale was half joking, but he had a serious tone to his voice.
“How did you manage to convince them of that?” Maria scoffed and looked down to see her favorite outfit. A white blouse, a white skirt, a red sash, and her favorite wedges, but there was some kind of black cloth in the pile, she held it up curiously and looked at Gale. “What is this…?”
“That’s a veil. You’ll wear it over your face. It’s a customary thing around here.” Maria felt sick. Executions like this were common enough to be customary? “They want you to look beautiful in your last moments. It’s a big deal around here.” He laughed nervously. “Of course, you won’t die.” Maria got the sense that he was only trying to calm her down.
“Oh. So I’m going out in style at least… Great.” Gale looked at Maria sadly. “Can… Do you mind if I just spend the rest of the day alone? I have a lot to think about.” Gale nodded and smiled sadly, then got up and left quietly.
Maria did not sleep that night. She stared at the ceiling and thought over her life. The impending doom tore her soul to pieces. Before she knew it, it was morning and he was being taken out with her arms tied behind her back. She was dressed in the outfit Gale brought and she still had the horrid necklace Jackson gave her. Groups of people were gathered around the water. She looked around nervously and tried taking deep breaths to calm herself. She didn’t want them to see her nervous. They didn’t deserve the satisfaction. Jackson walked up to her and whispered in her ear. “Last chance, darling.” He gave Maria a sip of holy water, but Maria spat it at his shoes as the rope was being tied around her. 
Jackson grimaced and pushed Maria into the water. She sank like a rock to the bottom. Nothing happened for about a minute, then bubbles began to surface. The village held its breath as the bubbles turned into bubbly screaming and thrashing in the water. The person performing the trial looked over at Jackson, who had the rope to pull her up. “You can pull her up now.” Jackson simply watched the bubbles and smiled. The man reached for the rope.  “Mayor, you need to pull her up or she will drown, she’s-” Jackson backhanded the man, who fell to the ground. He laughed and yelled out to the crowd.
“This is justice! She is only screaming because the sin is being purged from her body! Let the witch rot in Hell where she belongs!” The crowd started cheering along with their Mayor. 
Maria, still under the water, had stopped struggling. There was a sense of calm in the water. She looked up to the sky as her lungs felt like they were about to burst. She listened to the cheers and chants of the village celebrating her death as she watched the world go dark. 
Maria was pulled out of the water, liquid leaking out of her swollen corpse. Her face was still covered by the now-soaked veil. Gale sat on his knees and sobbed. The rest of the town comforted him by telling him he was lucky to survive in the same house as her, but this brought no comfort. Jackson approached the mourning man, a smile plastered on his face. “Do not be sad, Gale. She was a creature of darkness. May her soul rest now.” Gale stood up and threw a punch directly to Jackson’s nose, and blood came pouring out. He simply stood up and sighed. “You may not understand today, you may never understand, but this was for the greater good of the community. Let this be a lesson-” Gale grabbed Jackson by the collar of his shirt and pulled him in close.
“You sick man, I will never forgive you for what you’ve done. You are running a cult here, no community. My family and I are leaving tomorrow, and you can’t stop us. Everyone will know what you’ve done.” Gale put Jackson down, who simply straightened his shirt and patted himself off.
“Fine by me, but you’ll be missing the best part.” Jackson grinned as Gale looked at him cautiously. “Tomorrow, after the body dries of course, we will be burning it to cleanse the land and break her hold over everyone once and for all.” Gale covered his mouth as tears rolled down his cheeks.  Jackson laughed and walked away. “Have a good life, Gale. Your family will certainly be missed.”
The next day was held as if something were being celebrated. Children ran around and screamed as they chased each other and played games, Adults gathered around with drinks and chatted about recent events. There was a joyful feel to the atmosphere.  Maria’s corpse had been tied up and doused, with wood and coal surrounding her. It was up on an elevated place in the village so everyone could see. A match was lit and thrown onto the body, and it erupted in flames. Everyone cheered and celebrated as the body burned. The celebration went on for hours before folks began to go home and get ready for bed. 
After the body had been sufficiently burned and the celebration had ended, the remains of Maria’s body were tossed into the woods and forgotten about. Gale and his family moved quickly after the tragedy. However, in the village, life continued as normal. Jackson continued with his heinous deeds and his poor wife’s body was never found.
About one month after the incident, Jackson was woken up at night to the sound of knocking on his door. He got out of bed and answered the door. There in front of him stood a woman with long blonde hair standing with her back turned to the man. He reached out to the woman, but she began walking away. “Excuse me? Ma’am? Can I help you?” But the woman walked away without saying a word. Jackson would begin seeing the woman everywhere. He never saw her face though. She either always had her back turned to him, or her face was obscured by something, or sometimes his vision would blur. Whatever the occasion, he never saw her face. 
It was driving him mad. He needed to know who this woman was. He found himself obsessed with figuring out who she was. When he realized no one else saw this woman, he turned to psychics and mediums, pendulum sessions, Ouija boards, and other forms of connecting with the other realms. During one late-night session with a Ouija board, Jackson was desperate for answers. He begged the board for answers. He asked if he knew the spirit, and the spirit answered yes. When he asked for the name it would go silent or spell out gibberish. The board would cycle through the numbers and refuse to answer his questions. His Candles blew out and he was left in the darkness, then the planchette moved to Goodbye. 
At his limit, and unable to be his usual charismatic self, Jackson decided to take a stroll in the woods. As he walked along the trail he usually walked to clear his mind, he heard crying. It sounded like a woman crying. Seeing it as an opportunity to recruit someone for his community, he investigated the crying. When he found the source he found a woman in white tattered clothes. She had long blonde hair that was unusually well kept considering how rough the rest of her looked. Jackson walked up to the woman and put his hand on her shoulder, getting an uneasy feeling in his gut. 
“You came. You actually came.” The voice sent a chill down his spine. He knew that voice. He turned to run, but it was too late for him. The woman pounced on him and began clawing at his chest and abdomen as if trying to free his organs. The cloth over her face blew up in the calm breeze as Jackson screamed in agony. His eyes shot open in terror, seeing Maria’s face staring down at him with excitement. She was enjoying it as she shredded through layers of skin and flesh. Jackson desperately tried to fight her off, but he was unable. The longer he stayed there the weaker he felt. He was losing blood fast and he was in horrible agony. He shrieked out for help, knowing no one was around for miles. Tears streamed down his face, and with one last swipe, Maria grabbed his intestines and began pulling them out. Jackson, now very pale, watched as the girl pulled his intestines up to his neck and began choking him with them, cackling and grinning wider than she ever had in life. Jackson fell limp and the light slowly left his eyes, the last thing he saw was Maria’s sick grin standing over him, pulling something out of his body and taking a bite. Eating him as he accused her of trying to do in the courtroom.
Over the next few months, the community was a mess. They couldn’t find their leader, and without him, they had no idea what to do. Groups of men would go into the woods and have search parties for him, but none of them ever returned. A rule was made that no one was allowed to go into the woods anymore in an attempt to save lives, but one by one someone would be lured out and never seen again till very few people were left in the once fairly well-populated village.
Category:Weird