“Mom! Dad! We are back!” I shout as I close the front door behind my brothers and myself.

I take off my muddy shoes off as my brother run inside to the kitchen. Slowly, I make my way inside our small, but comfortable home. My three brothers were speed talking to our parents about our day in the fields. There isn’t really something new since it is the same things our dad always did every single day.

“How’s the crop son?” dad put a hand on my shoulder as I sat down next to him behind the table.

“It’s growing good. I feel like it will be a good year and if we continue on this pace, we won’t have to worry about the taxes and have enough to feed everyone during winter,” I report back with a tired smile as mom and my sister put a bowl of soup and a piece of bread in front of each of us.

“What about you two boys?” dad glanced to my two younger brothers who have already started to stuff their mouths.

“The steers are in good health. We fed them and washed them. They are now resting in the barn,” William the older of the two answers as he stops eating for a second.

Dad nods in approval before we all start eating. Then in the middle of supper, dad breaks the silence by asking, “What about you, Emma?”

“I helped mom make supper, washed and sewed the clothes,” Emma shyly answers without looking up.

“How’s Margaret?” I ask between two bites of bread.

“Her fever won’t break down. If it continues like this, she won’t be strong enough to last through winter,” mom sadly answer as dad take her hand in his.

“Oh… Okay,” I simply answer before finishing my food.

The rest of the meal in silence. Margaret has always been weak, any changes in temperature can make her sick. I hope she can make it through this winter. Sunday, I will have to pray for her too. God will surely heal her since she is a good girl.

“Okay, everyone goes wash up and after that, it’s bedtime,” says mom making us all nod as Emma and her go to wash the dishes.

We all walk out of the house as dad and I start to pump the water out. Cold water splashes into the big container on the ground as William and Charles wash their faces first. Then it was their turn to pump the water out as dad and I wash. All clean, we went to our room and we all go to sleep. Tomorrow, we will have to repeat everything again.

ꐑ(*ꐌ◡ꐌꐐ*)࿐࿔࿓

“We can’t do anything for her. She is getting weaker every day. We should call for the priest so he can guide her to heaven,” dad says with a saddened expression as watch my parents take care of Margaret.

Winter is rougher than last year and she isn’t taking it. Her fever worsened and she pukes everything she eats. At night, she coughs a lot and in the morning I see mom wash blood off of some towels. No matter how I pray every day, she won’t get better. Why isn’t God helping her? She is a good girl and has never sinned. But when I ask the priest, he always answers that it is God will to take her to his side. She will be watching us from heaven. It can’t be helped. But I don’t want that. I don’t want her to leave us. I promised her… We made a promise that I will take care of her no matter what. I won’t let her leave like George did.

I heard some people talk about a witch coming to town today. Maybe… Maybe she can help Margaret. Even if she is a witch and that I will go to hell after that if she can live and be safe… Then, I will risk anything for her.

Putting my scarf and shoes on, I silently slip out of the house and run to town. I can’t let anyone see me, but where can I find her when I don’t even know how she looks like. I walk around town looking around, but no one seems to look like a witch. It is almost night time and I have to get back home or I will be in troubles.

Running back home, I try to sneak inside, but the front door suddenly opens revealing a very angry dad. If I could, I will already have shrunk into the soil under me.

“Where were you?” he asks with his arms folded in front of me.

“I was in town…” I mumble not daring to look up.

“Do you know what troubles you have caused by your absence? Your brothers have to go look after you and today chores are still not done,” he scolds making me wince.

“I-I heard there is a witch in town and she can heal Margaret. I just wanted to help her!” I explain while finally looking up to the older man.

“You went to look for a witch?!” he shouts angrily as he lifts his hand to slap my cheek. The impact brings me to my knees as I swallow the tears threatening to spill out. “You never go look after that witch ever again. What if the guards catch you with her? You will be burned on the stakes! You understand?”

“Yes… Sir.”

๑•́ㅿ•̀๑) ᔆᵒʳʳᵞ

“Can you heal my sister?” I ask the young woman in front of me as she seems to stare me up and down.

“What if I say that I can?” she gives me a charming smile as she pushes her brown hood off.

“I will do anything, so please, heal her from her illness,” I beg as I show her the small pocket. Every last penny that I have saved is in there. It isn’t much, but I am still hoping that it will be enough.

She walks toward me and still gets closer and closer until we are face to face. I blush since I have never been this close with a girl. But she really is pretty and different. Her skin is so pale and her hair and eyes are so black. I have never seen someone like her before.

“Will you offer me your life?” she asks completely ignoring the money I have offered.

“M-my life? How can I do that?”

“Don’t worry about it. You won’t die if that’s what you want to know. Let me rephrase it, will you marry me?”

I blush hard, “M-marriage?!” I stutter.

Well, I am twenty-five and I am considered old since I am still unmarried. I still can, but I will not be the first choice since I have nothing ready for my family if I do marry. But I will be marrying a witch, it’s not like I will have a normal life. But, if it’s for Margaret…

“Okay…”

ᗜੂ௰ᗜੂ

“We are getting married,” I state as my parents stare at us.

“With her?” my dad asks while raising an eyebrow and I nod. “No,” dad answers curtly shortly after.

“Why?”

“On that subject, we have already found someone more suitable for you. She is under the same Lord as us and her family has a good reputation and relationship with the priest. The wedding has been settled as soon as the snow melt,” dad explains while avoiding my question.

“Dad, if you want me to marry the girl you chose, please give me an answer.”

“She’s an outsider and we don’t know anything about her heritage which is much more dangerous,” he squints his eyes at her while Elizabeth keeps a polite smile on.

“I understand your worries, but I am already twenty-six and I even have my own piece of land. Elizabeth and I will finally be able to finally found a family like you and mom did.”

“It’s still no.”

“Please do consider it,” Elizabeth finally says as my parents gasp in shock.

“You wanted to marry that witch?! I told you to not get close to her!” dad shouts as he holds mom close to him.

“She helped Margaret to get better! She saved your daughter’s life,” I argue trying to keep my calm.

“She is better dead than being saved by a messenger of the devil. I want you out of my house and never come back. The patch of land that I gave you will be given to your brother instead. By doing this, you have shamed us! Do not come back!”

“But dad-”

“I am not your dad anymore nor do I know you. Now get out of my house!”

We leave the house and walk toward the city in silence. I can’t believe that dad disowned me when I saved Margaret’s life. All his words of love are lies. Mom is not better, she didn’t look at me when I tried to talk to her. What great persons they are.

I sigh as I glance at the woman next to me, “How did they know that you are a witch?” I ask the question that has been burning my tongue since the incident.

She turns at me and gives me a warm and motherly smile, “I will tell you, but…” she looks at her surroundings, “Not here.”

I only nod and follow her. I don’t know where she is leading me, but I still follow her since I really want to know the reason. As we walk, we keep getting farther and farther from the city. Soon, we walk into the forest that is surrounding the region.

“I don’t think it’s safe for us to get in there at night… We don’t know what might be roaming around,” I say worriedly as I grab her hand to keep her from walking deeper into the woods.

“Don’t worry, there is a shelter that I have been living in since I came to this village. It is safe,” she tries to reassure me.

“But…”

“Trust me, okay?” she caresses my cheek before giving me a chaste kiss on the same spot.

“Okay,” I am going to marry her, so I may as well believe in my wife.

Like she says, we soon reach the shelter which is a one-room wooden house inside the forest. I have never been here since I have always been working in the fields. Now that I am disowned, what should I do? I have no means to take care of Elizabeth. I have no house, no field and no money. We are both doomed if I marry her, so It is best that I don’t.

In front of the house, she opens the door and walks in first. She holds the door open for me until I too get inside. She lights up a lamp in the middle of the room and tells me to sit wherever I want. She gives me a glass of water before sitting next to me on her bed.

I wait for her to take a few sips of her own drink before asking her again, “How did they know that you are a witch?”

“Do you really want to know?” she asks in a whisper while looking down at her glass of water.

“No matter what, you are still Elizabeth right?” I take her smaller hands into mine.

“Yes, I am and always be Elizabeth,” she answers making me smile. “Then I will show you why they call me a witch.”

She turns her body, so we are now face to face. I watch her perplexed since I don’t understand how she will show me. I watch her carefully until I see her eyes slowly become red. She smiles at me and two pointy teeth are way longer than the rest. She tilts her head to the side as I continue to stare at the person in front of me.

“W-what are you really?” I whisper as if in a sort of trance.

“Humans call me a witch, but in reality, I am a vampire,” she smiles revealing her fangs making me jump away from her. She is like the demons the priests are always talking about.

“What are you going to do?”

“We had a deal, I cure your sister of her illness and you give me your life. Come,” she extends her arm toward me, “It won’t hurt.”

“Y-you didn’t do anything to her right? If you did I will never forgive you!”

“I only took care of her. Humans are so fragile, but no, I did nothing to her.”

I take a deep breath, “A deal is a deal,” I finally say as I take her hand.

ヾﾉ｡ÒㅅÓ)ﾉｼ (As if I will put vagina here!)

Where am I?

Why am I here?

Who am I?

Why can’t I remember anything?

I look around the small wooden house, but it is empty. I am the only one here, but why? I sit up as the bed loudly squeak under my weight. I look down a blush when I see that I am naked. I pull the blankets on my naked body hoping it will be enough to cover myself. At the same time, I hear another creaking sound. I look to my right and see that the wooden door has been opened as a beautiful young woman comes in.

She smiles, “You’re finally awake. Do you remember anything?”

Confused, I shake my head, but instead of answering her, I ask the question that has been burning my tongue since I have woken up. I can’t resist it, how can I? After licking my dry lips, I ask, “Who am I?”

She gracefully and silently walks toward me before stopping at the edge of the bed, “You’re Micah, my child.”

“You are my mother?” I ask confusingly since I would surely have remembered my own mother.

“Yes, how do you feel?”

Without thinking, I answer, “I am hungry.”

She chuckles before giving me a cup that is filled with a thick red liquid. I frown at the sight of it, but it smells so good. Without thinking twice, I gulp it all down. Once I have the last drop of the beverage, I sigh in relief somewhat feeling satisfied.

“I hope you are ready to meet your siblings,” she gently touches my shoulder as the door is slammed open as other people around my age comes in.

٩(๑`ȏ´๑)۶//

It has been a few months since our mother, Elizabeth, has disappeared. The first few days without her is normal since she is always on the move, but after a week without any news of her, we can’t help but think that something happened to her. Many couldn’t control themselves since they were so hungry, so before any of us dies, we all decided to leave the house even if it was against the rules.

At first, we were always together and the feeling of the sun on our skin has a constant itching sensation. With time, we separated into smaller groups until I left on my own. Something about this town is drawing me in. I can’t quite put a finger on it, but I know this town. Walking around in the village, I wander around without a goal until I stop in front of a familiar house. Looking around, I see an endless field of crops and another house farther down the road. There, I see a man plow the earth. Getting closer to the man, I watch him do his stuff until he stops.

“Are you lost, young man?” the older looking man asks making me tilt my head.

“Do I know you?”

“Excuse me?” he asks in confusion as he puts his axe down before wiping the sweat off his forehead.

“There is a girl named… Margaret who lives here… Is she well?” I ask hesitantly not knowing why, but that man is making me feel nostalgic. Plus, who is that Margaret? The name has come out naturally, but I don’t know any Margaret.

“Did you know her?” he answers sadly making me frown, but I still nod. “I see… Well, she died years ago because of an illness…”

I flinch as a pain erupts in my head. What is this uneasy sensation? Somehow, I feel betrayed, but why is that?

“What do you mean? Wasn’t she cured?” I ask as if possessed since I have no idea what I am talking about.

The man’s eyes widen before he starts to bite his lips, “Since you know about that too… Apparently, she was healed by a witch, so the priests have decided to exorcise her. When the demons left her body, Margaret… She died…” he explains sadly before he starts to stare at me. “By the way, you really resemble someone I knew… But that’s impossible, it was twenty years ago…” he mumbles to himself.

“Thank you and farewell.”

I see… Humans have killed her. They killed the only being I have ever cared about. I shall have my revenge. First, let start with the priest-hunt.