Sheep to be Slaughtered

~Chapter One~

         How many had lost their lives within the forest that seemed to stretch on to the very ends of the earth?

        I stared into the dark of the forest, the dark I had been taught to fear... to respect... for beyond the border of our village, evil lurked. I had never seen this evil. I hadn't heard the howls of those that had passed on, their bodies being transformed into the very creatures we had to sacrifice the living to.

         I was twenty years old now and yet, I still struggled to accept this bleak world I had grown up in. How could I? How could anyone within the village? To be told there was nothing beyond the village... nothing but a never-ending forest filled with danger and barren of all food and water... all we had was each other... and the village.

         How desolated it felt. Everyone carried on and tried to make a decent life for themselves. They farmed... stitched clothing... anything to pass the time, while hoping they weren't selected to be the next meal for the Venge. Some embraced it, however, as they saw being the selected as a release from the confines of this realm. They were ready to pass on, to become one of the Venge, and to at least be free to roam throughout the forest.

          It was sickening. The thought that some villagers would have preferred to feast upon the flesh of their own rather than live this life within the village would always disgust me. Somehow, this was entirely normal. This mentality was accepted... welcomed even.

         Founder Marco was always acceptant of volunteers...

        I wasn't alone though, in having difficulty in accepting this life. In fact, many of the youth of the village whispered of their dissatisfaction amongst those they could trust. For if Founder Marco heard of their "faithlessness," they would quickly find themselves being the next victim of the Venge upon the first night of the new month.

        The elders kept silent. They did not question Founder Marco nor did they voice any concerns regarding the lives we led here. They reminded me of the flock of sheep I often cared for... foolish and being led about wherever I forced them, as though they had no minds of their own.

         The winter breeze stirred my waist-length hair, the icy fingers of winter clutching at the exposed skin of my neck. I shivered yet continued to gaze into the forest. The leaves had fallen from the trees a couple months ago... two deaths ago... I could further into the forest, further into the immense expanse of trees. No creatures stirred in those woods. The only animals nearby were the livestock we had within the village. Perhaps Founder Marco was right about the forest... there was no food for us out there. We would surely starve if we ever attempted to leave the village and find our way out of the forest.

        But then, he told us there was nothing beyond the forest. We were surrounded on all sides by an endless sea of trees...

        I raised my hand up... one of the tree branches so close to my fingers. What if I could climb from treetop to treetop? I would be out of the Venge's reach... what if I could find out for sure whether there was anything else out there? What if once I got to the treetops, I could see something in the distance? My hand grew closer to the branch...

        "Eleyah! What are you doing?"

        A fierce whisper had me withdrawing my hand back to my side and I whirled to face the voice.

        "Nothing!" I hissed back, seeing the familiar face of Zander.

        "You're going to get yourself in trouble one of these days," Zander was frustrated. "You're lucky Founder Marco hasn't caught you daydreaming about the forest yet. Come on." He grabbed ahold of my arm and pulled me away from the forest.

        I followed along. I stressed out Zander constantly and felt I at least owed him some cooperation in this moment. He worried about me daily and had often caught me gazing into the forest. There had been one occasion I had even stepped inside...

         He hadn't let that one go for weeks...

         He had good reason to. His father had been sacrificed to the Venge only a year ago. Gone were the discussions we had about ever leaving the village and whether there could be life outside of our home. He was terrified to lose anyone else, and I couldn't blame him. I had been lucky so far. My mother and younger sister were good at fulfilling their roles and keeping their heads down... I had never met my father... and my mother refused to talk about him. Instead, she practically worshipped Founder Marco and told me he was the only father I needed, and I should depend on him for anything and everything...

        The thought repulsed me, and I refused to believe I was the only one that felt that way. I knew Zander, for example, would never have considered anyone other than his real father to fulfill such a role.

        "Sorry, Zander..." I mumbled. I truly did feel terrible about the stress I caused him, yet I missed my friend. I missed who he was before he lost his father... was it wrong to think such things? I had once thought if there was anything beyond the forest, the two of us might be the ones to discover it... to push the Venge back and lead our families... to lead the village to a better life...

          Zander only grunted in response. "You were supposed to be gathering water," he replied as he pulled me onward, not bothering to so much as cast a glance in my direction.

        "You think I don't know that?" I couldn't help the irritated retort from slipping out.

        "Everyone has jobs to do, Eleyah," he spoke firmly, biting back his own irritation. "It's hard enough to get through the winter with everyone pulling their weight... we don't need you wandering near the forest and leaving more work for everyone else."

         He never would have spoken to me like that a year ago...

         But I supposed he was right. The winter months were long and difficult and there certainly was plenty of work to be done. I had already apologized to him once though. I was too prideful to apologize for a second time...

         We had neared the village and the river that ran close by. Zander let go of my arm.

        "Stay on task, Eleyah," he warned before walking away.

        I glared at his back as he walked away towards one of the barns. It was selfish of me, but I wanted my friend back. He was one of the only people that made me forget about the miseries of this life... of feeling like one of the sheep that grazed before me...

        ...a pathetic, mindless creature with no control over its own life... merely waiting for death or slaughter, whichever came first... 

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Definitely a much darker tone to start off the first chapter of this book compared to Phantom in the Rain and Forget & Forgive! Hope you guys liked it! I know it's a little built of scene-setting but I hope that in the cult-context, that makes it a bit more interesting! Thanks so much for reading!! :)