The Gravest Girl of All

by Amy Cross

  “Damn you, Faraday!” She turns to another page. “This is all -”

  Suddenly the book is snatched away, and she turns to see that the Vassal has taken it from her hands and is grinning as he looks at the pages.

  “Give that back to me!” she yells, trying but failing to snatch it back. “It's mine!”

  “Looks like a pathetic collection of half-baked ideas,” the Vassal grins, before turning to Abberoth. “Humans really will believe any old nonsense, won't they? Especially when it's about things they don't entirely understand. I suppose desperation -”

  “Give it to me!” Sam shouts again, lunging at the Vassal and grabbing the book, only to suddenly cry out in pain as she feels a snapping sensation in the right side of her ribs.

  Dropping to the floor, she leans on her hands and knees for a moment as the pain throbs and radiates through her body. She tries to take a deep breath, only for the pain to strike her again. This time she waits a few seconds before trying again, and finally she's able to take in a gulp of air.

  A moment later, hearing a tearing sound, she looks up and sees that Abberoth is slowly tearing the book in half.

  “What do you want?” she gasps. “Why are you here?”

  “I've already told you,” he replies, dropping the book to the ground. “The Devil is in this place and I will see him now. You seem to have chosen to consort with him from time to time, and your assistance will make this process mildly less irritating. So please, tell me where exactly I can find him, or I shall have to use other methods.”

  “He's gone,” she stammers.

  “I beg your pardon?”

  “He's -”

  Suddenly an invisible force lifts her up and presses hard against the small of her back. Her damaged rib crackles with pain, but Sam's powerless to fight back as she's slowly drawn through the air until finally she's hovering directly in front of Abberoth.

  “I'll give you another chance to answer my question,” he says calmly, “and this time I hope you'll understand the extreme importance of being honest. As that other creature learned to her cost, defying me is a sure way to end up in the depths of Hell itself.”

  Horrified by the foul stench of rotten flesh, Sam tries to turn away, only for her head to be whipped back around so that she's once again facing him.

  “He's gone!” she gasps.

  “That is a lie.”

  “No, he's really gone! He was here but he ran away!”

  “I have taken measures to prevent his escape,” Abberoth replies. “Anything that tries to leave this town will suffer extreme consequences.”

  “Like being burned to death?” Sam snaps, filled with anger. “Like a bunch of innocent people who were only -”

  “I tire of this!” he roars, leaning closer to her. “I have no trouble believing that the Devil would have wanted to flee. He would not, however, have been able to do so.”

  “Well, he did,” Sam replies. “I saw the proof with my own eyes. I'm pretty sure he was burned in the process, but he made it through. He's probably miles from here by now.”

  “Then perhaps I underestimated him,” Abberoth purrs. “He must have picked up a few tricks here and there. Fortunately, I have tricks of my own.” He leans closer to her. “This is going to hurt you a great deal, girl, but it's necessary. It's the only way to make him come back. Surely, he will answer your dying screams.”

  ***

  “Sam!” Anna yells, rushing along the cobbled street with a bundle of books clasped in her arms. “Sam, where are you?”

  Racing around the next corner, she almost slams straight into two men who are watching a crowd that has gathered further down the hill.

  “Have you seen Sam?” she babbles. “The girl from the cemetery. Have you seen her anywhere?”

  “We're trapped,” one of the men replies, turning to her. “Anyone who tries to leave Rippon gets burned to death.”

  “Even the phone-lines are down,” the other man adds.

  “I need to find Sam!” Anna says firmly, struggling to keep the books balanced in her arms. “It's really important!”

  “I can't get any signal at all,” the first man grumbles, tapping at his phone. “No calls, no internet, nothing. It's like something's suddenly cut us off from the entire world.” He looks up at the sky. “Like an invisible dome, like in that TV show. And that was invisible too, wasn't it? Or it was made of glass.”

  “Think how dirty something like that'd get over time,” his friend says. “They'd run out of air, too. Do you think we'll run out of air?”

  “I hope not,” the first man says. “Got to wonder, though, haven't you? And the sky's getting so much darker.”

  “I need to find Sam,” Anna mutters, turning and starting to make her way along the next street. “I need to -”

  Suddenly a scream rings out, agonized and filled with pain, and Anna immediately trips on one of the cobbles and falls to the ground, dropping all the books. As the scream continues, she looks over her shoulder, at the road that leads up the side of the hill and all the way to the town square.

  “That's Sam!” she gasps as the scream becomes even louder and causes nearby windowpanes to rattle in their frames. “I can tell! That's her!”

  ***

  “Doesn't he care?” Abberoth snarls, dropping Sam to the ground with such force that she lets out a brief, pained grunt as she hits the cobbles. “Doesn't he rush to your aid? Does he have no decency at all?”

  Rolling onto her side, Sam desperately tries to get her breath back. The pain might have only lasted for a few seconds, but for the duration of those seconds she felt as if her entire body was being torn apart. Barely even able to think straight, she rolls onto her back and stares up at the sky, but for a moment her vision is blurred and it takes several more seconds before she's able to see properly. Even then, she can feel trickles of pain still running through her body and dancing on her nerve-endings, as if the agony might at any moment return.

  A moment later, she turns and looks over at the bloodied corpse of Victoria from the library, whose crushed head is leaking blood into the gaps between the cobblestones.

  “So much for the knight in shining armor,” Abberoth says darkly, stepping closer and then peering down at her. “It seems your friend the Devil does not care for your suffering. He could return at any moment, if he so chose. Evidently he does not so choose.”

  He pauses, before leaning closer to her.

  “No!” she gasps, just about managing to raise her hands to cover her face, in a vain attempt to protect herself. All her bravery is gone, all her thought of fighting back. She can think only of the pain, and of ways to make sure it doesn't come back. “Not again! Please!”

  Trembling with fear, and starting to sob, she squeezes her eyes tight shut and waits for the pain's inevitable return.

  “Please,” she whimpers, “don't...”

  She waits, and then finally she hears a sniff of laughter. Opening her eyes, she looks up at Abberoth and sees that he's chuckling to himself as he continues to stare down at her.

  “Perhaps we shall try this one final time,” he sneers, tilting his head slightly. “You are protected from death, at least while you remain here in Rippon. However, that protection only extends so far. Evidently the Devil believes you to be safe, but I know certain ways to break the rules. If I have to kill you, then that's exactly what I shall do.”

  “No,” she stammers, “I -”

  Before she can finish, Abberoth smashes his right hand against her chest, breaking her ribs and digging his claws deep into her body. As he closes his fist around her heart, Sam can only scream once more.

  Chapter Ten

  “Oh this is bad, this is really bad,” Anna mutters under her breath as she hurries along the street. “Sam needs to know about this right now, so she can come up with a plan and -”

  Stopping suddenly, she sees that the sky above is darkening with each passing second, and that thick storm clouds are starting to churn. The air
is getting colder and an icy wind is beginning to pick up, and Anna shudders – purely out of habit – as she turns and looks around.

  There's no sign of anyone.

  Above, thick clouds churn and spread in front of the sun, immediately casting an increasing gloom across the entire town.

  “Stay calm,” Anna tells herself, although her voice is trembling a little now. “If you panic, you won't be able to help Sam, and Sam's going to be able to fix this. Sam's a... Sam's pretty much a superhero. She can fix anything with -”

  Suddenly a scream rings out, filling the air as Anna turns and looks back up the hill, toward the town square. Again, nearby windows rattle a little, and this time the ground seems to shudder as well. At the same time, Anna looks down and sees a trickle of blood running down the hill, seemingly seeping all the way from the town square.

  “That wasn't Sam!” she gasps. “That can't have been Sam!”

  The scream continues for a moment, twisting and getting louder, before finally spluttering out as the sky rumbles ominously above.

  “That definitely wasn't Sam,” Anna says, trying to make herself believe that everything will be alright. “It's just someone who sounded like her, that's all.”

  She pauses.

  “A lot like her.”

  She hesitates, as the wind blows stronger and seems almost to be beating her back down the hill, but finally she starts walking again. Terrified of what she might find when she reaches the top of the street, she nevertheless forces herself to keep going until eventually she gets to the edge of the town square. The wind is blowing dust through the air, making it difficult to see too far, but after a moment she realizes that there are thousands of old twigs and sticks flying through the air and gathering in the center of the square, while several figures are standing at the far end and -

  “Sam!” she shouts suddenly, as she spots Sam shivering on the ground.

  Racing out across the cobbles, ignoring for a moment the several skeletal figures that are gathered all around, she drops to her knees and reaches out to touch Sam's shoulder, only to hold back a little as soon as she sees that her friend is completely still.

  “Sam?” she stammers, leaning around to get a better look, “what -”

  She gasps as soon as she sees the blood that's smeared all over the front of Sam's torn shirt, and then she sees more blood caked around Sam's neck and face. Frozen in fear, she stares back down at Sam's chest and sees several broken ribs poking out from beneath the fabric of her shirt.

  A moment later, sensing movement nearby, she looks up and sees Abberoth towering over her.

  “And what is this?” he growls, with a hint of amusement in his voice. “Something else that wishes to die?”

  “What did you do to her?” Anna asks. “Why did you hurt her?”

  Spotting Victoria's body on the ground nearby, she sees chunks of brain matter oozing out onto the ground, and she realizes that the blood trickle is coming from between the girl's cracked skull.

  “Perhaps your cries will turn the Devil's head and bring him back,” Abberoth continues, reaching toward Anna with a long, bony hand. “Perhaps the two of you together can -”

  “DON'T TOUCH HER!” Anna screams, turning to him, and for a fraction of a second her eyes fill with a yellow glow that causes even Abberoth to pull back.

  Not quite sure what just happened, and now wanting to believe what she suspects, Anna rolls Sam closer and then gasps as she sees her friend's glazed, dead eyes staring up toward the sky.

  “No,” she whispers, grabbing Sam's shoulder and shaking her gently. “This can't be happening. Sam, wake up! We need you!”

  Sensing movement again, she looks up to see that Abberoth is leaning closer.

  “I SAID LEAVE US ALONE!” she screams. Her eyes glow again, and then she winces as she feels a brief, sharp pain beneath her shoulder-blades. Having not felt pain – having not really felt anything at all for a while – she's shocked by the sensation.

  “Such petty, ordinary human behavior,” Abberoth purrs, as the Vassal steps closer to take a look. “You would do better to concern yourself with the lives of those who still live.”

  “It's going to be okay,” Anna says, ignoring him and instead trying to pick Sam up. Unable to support her weight, she tries a couple more times and then she hurries around and grabs Sam's ankles. “I'm really sorry, I know this isn't very dignified, but I've got to get you out of here. Then we'll figure out what to do next. You can come up with a plan, and tell me how to help you.”

  “Your friend is dead,” Abberoth explains. “There's nothing more you can do for her. Leave her corpse and flee from here.”

  Still ignoring him, Anna struggles to drag Sam back across the town square, making achingly slow progress but refusing to rest for even a moment. As she struggles, however, her shoulder-blades start flickering with pain and the yellow glow returns once more to her eyes. This time, the back of her shirt also ruffles slightly, as if it's being disturbed from beneath.

  “Pathetic,” Abberoth mutters, turning to walk away.

  “Sir, I think perhaps this is not ordinary behavior,” the Vassal says, stepping after Anna and watching her efforts, paying particular attention to her still-glowing eyes. “Unless I am very much mistaken, the eyes of humans do not – as a matter of course – fill with light. Not even under considerable duress.”

  “I tire of these trivialities,” Abberoth replies, already making his way back toward the carriage. “Evidently the girl's cries were not enough to trouble the Devil's soul. While I await his inevitable capitulation, I shall begin the construction of my temporary palace here on this wretched world.”

  “Are you merely human?” the Vassal asks, creeping closer to Anna as she continues to drag Sam across the cobbles. “You're not, are you? There's something else inside you.”

  He watches for a moment, and then he reaches out to touch her shoulder.

  “Keep away!” Anna yells, finally managing to get Sam up onto the pavement so she can start dragging her down the nearest street.

  “I sense something in you,” the Vassal continues, creeping bent-double around her and then reaching once more for her shoulder. “Something unlike these other -”

  “Touch me and I'll kill you!” Anna snaps, barely able to get the words out as tears stream down her face. Ignoring the books she dropped, she adjusts her grip on Sam's body.

  The Vassal hesitates, and then stops for a moment to watch as she continues to drag Sam away.

  “Yes,” he says finally, with a hint of wonder in his voice, “I think maybe you could. Which begs the question... What are you really?”

  Chapter Eleven

  “You have to be okay!” Anna sobs, as she continues to drag Sam's body back up the hill toward the cemetery. “Sam, I know you'll be okay! This is all part of a plan, right? You came up with some grand plan and faking your own death is just one of the steps. It looks bad, but actually you're being really clever and -”

  Suddenly she loses her grip on Sam's arms. Falling backward, Anna slams down hard against the cobbles and lets out a pained grunt, but she immediately gets back to her feet and grabs Sam again.

  “Anna!” a voice calls out from the bottom of the hill. “Wait!”

  As she starts once again dragging Sam along, Anna glances back the way she came and sees Scott hurrying to catch her. A moment later, spotting something moving above, she looks up and sees that the clouds are churning in the sky, and that a red tint seems to be spreading across the gathering storm. At the same time, the icy wind is starting to blow scattered trash along the street.

  “What's going on?” Scott asks breathlessly as he reaches her. “Is this -”

  Stopping, he stares down in horror at Sam's bloodied corpse, and at the hole that has been punched in her chest.

  “Anna?” he stammers. “Is -”

  “Gah!” Anna yells as she loses her grip again, and once more she slams down against the cobbles. With tears in her eyes, she gets up
and tries again. “I won't let you down, Sam, I promise!”

  “How badly is she hurt?” Scott asks, taking hold of Sam's feet and lifting her up, and then helping Anna along the street. “Do you know what's going on? No-one can enter or leave Rippon, and people are starting to panic. I know this is going to sound crazy, but it almost feels like the end of the world!”

  ***

  “Put her up on there!” Anna blurts out as they maneuver Sam into the cottage's workroom. “Hurry!”

  “Is that Milly Allen?” Scott asks, horrified by the sight of an elderly woman's body already laid out on the slab.

  “I don't care!”

  Reaching over, Anna grabs the woman's ankle and pulls her off the slab, sending her crashing down to the floor. Then, as she helps Scott put Sam's body in place, she steps on Mrs. Allen's wrist.

  “She looks dead,” Scott says, staring down at Sam's open, glassy eyes. “Anna -”

  “Leave me alone!” Anna hisses, hurrying around to the other side. “She has a plan! Sam always has a plan! Do you have any idea how much stuff she's dealt with since she came here?”

  “I know you guys have been busy.”

  “Come on, Sam,” she continues, wiping tears from her cheeks as she looks down at Sam's face. “I know you, and I know this can't be how you die. You're going to come back to life and save everyone, right? You saved us from Fenroc and you saved us from that weirdo with the traveling circus, and now you're going to do it again.” She waits, holding her breath and hoping against hope that Sam will suddenly blink and come back to life. “That's what you do,” she adds finally, as her bottom lip starts trembling. “You save people.”

  “Anna,” Scott says cautiously, “I'm not sure she's really going to -”