Arterial -The Evil Within (Intro)

    Throwing charcoal into the fire, which sparked violently to stir up the drama, she continued her tale in the dead silent night.

    **"Long ago, several decades before this camp came into existence, there was a village here named Agrona. It was located exactly where this campsite sits and it was one of the smallest in the entire kingdom of Asteria.

    It contained a cheerful community whereby people go about their day to day lives without knowing that shortly they will be living in a land closest to death than any other community in the entire kingdom. The men worked, the women cooked, and the children played in perfect peace and harmony.

    However, oblivious to them, the rest of the kingdom were battling a malignant illness "the black death" that was unknown to all the physicians in the entire kingdom. To say that that was their only problem is a huge understatement. There was a great famine and crime along with hunger were becoming very prevalent in the land.  The King and his chief advisors, and all the top ministers of the kingdom decided that it was witchcraft since no other possible cause could decipher the problem. The King empowered the high priest to decide on a way to determine the evildoers among them.

    A very ancient way of sorting out witches was decided. The suspected women (those with mental disorders or illness, disobedient wifes' and female children) were forced out and a mole on their backs was pierced. If blood spilt out, the person was a witch but if It didn't, the person was spared"**

"Come on!! That's insane" Stacey interrupted

Ignoring her Miss Claire continued 

**"So many unfortunate women and children were imprisoned in hopes of ending the calamity and were executed. The villagers decided that burying the evildoers (a work that many communities refused to do believing it to bring bad omen) would bring them money they desperately needed since they were the most underprivileged in the entire kingdom. 

 The one's cheerful voices of the village were replaced with wailing, cries, and pleas of the innocent women and the helpless children."** she paused, adjusting her glasses and releasing a sob before resuming

**" According to the legends there was one particular woman that was imprisoned because she was a widow with grey long hair and claw-like nails. She had a daughter, her only child that was confined with her and bounded with a torture mechanism that hinders speech and does not permit the mouth to open wide. The mechanism was embedded with spikes that will pierce the throat, jaws and lips if the bearer attempts to open her mouth to speak.

Despite the pain and agony, it caused her, the woman will wail and shriek nonstop day and night for her daughter who was just an eight-year-old, but the guards ignored her. They were barely fed and they could barely eat the food since the torture device will not be removed (because it was believed that the device will stop the witch from chanting spells). The woman will give her food to her daughter and would use her bare hands to open up the bars piercing her skin in the process so that her daughter could eat better and serving her blood as water so her daughter could drink for twelve nights until they were moved in a wooden shaft to Agrona where they would be executed.

The wagon they were in arrived in Agrona before dawn. The crows and vultures welcomed them to the blood-soaked land and the guards, villagers and the high priest stares pierced into their souls as they approached galganoak (meaning: the place of execution in Asteria). There were different styles of execution that were taking place there already; women were hanged in stakes, young girls were made to swim past a fast-moving stream, and perhaps the most fortunate ones had their heads chopped off, an easy peaceful departure while others were brutally butchered with machetes. Everywhere her wretched face turned, there were mornings and great agony and everywhere she saw blood squandered on the earth.

They dragged her and her child out of the shaft and forcefully separated the crying child from the mother.

"Wait " she forced a whisper 

"Wait" she managed to shout surprising the guards there "you've denied us our rights," she said spitting blood out of her mouth, blood oozing from her throat reopening her wounds.

"At least let my daughter have a fair trial " she pleaded. The guards just laughed, trial session ended when they were declared witches.

However, there was a last test to determine witches, so they bound the girl's hands and feet throwing her into the river before her mother's grieving eyes. If she died she would be declared innocent of witchcraft, but if she survived she would be hanged at the stake."** At that most of the students gasped in shock.

**"The mother collapsed on the floor, her aching body could not withstand the agony any longer not could she accept the loss of her daughter, so she could only lay down semi-conscious Bubbles of air appeared from the river supposedly confirming that she was drowning. But, something unexpected happened, something that left everyone in the audience in utmost shock.

A man was shaking in fear, pointing his index finger at the river's edge. It was the little girl. Somehow she managed to break free of the bounds on her hands escaping the river's current till she was able to swim across and was seen crawling on the riverbank.

The bewildered guards were ordered to re-capture her. Many were hesitant, too terrified to move a foot. Her mother raised her weak eyes at the commotion and saw her daughter alive at the other side of the bank.

"Run!!" She screamed at her, giving the guards the boost they needed to chase after her. The other guards that were remaining were then given the order to execute the woman so she would not attempt to escape. The people that were watching at the blood stain-free sides of the place cried that the woman and her child should be executed for they were afraid that they would be bonded with spells if they escape.

The woman did not struggle anymore and was bound with chains around her body and neck. She was hanged at the highest point in galganoak."** she paused tears rolling down her cheeks, being no longer able to control her emotions. Mixed emotions fill the air as some were angry, some were sad, others approved.

**"Devoid of energy, and torn apart by agony and pain the woman gave everyone in the audience yet another shock. Though her entire weight was hanging on her neck and the chains draining the life out of her, she spoke, yes her final words. The words that would serve as a curse to this village and the kingdom for the rest of eternity.

"All of you shall repay in full, everything that you have done to us," She said in a weak tone loud enough for all to hear. Taking the last gasp for air she rested peacefully hanging in front of all of Agrona.

From that day onwards, things did not turn out well for Agrona and all of Asteria.

No one knows what exactly caused it but the entire village mysteriously died off and/or disappeared. Some day it was fire, others snow from the mountain close to the village. The kingdom was defeated and its name disappeared from the world's map. "** she said finally concluding her story. Everyone in the audience was quiet and thoughtful.

"Was it not the witch's curse that doomed the land?" a student asked breaking the silence.

"It was their cruelty and wickedness that doomed them. There were no witches " she replied

"What about the woman's daughter, " Stacey asked in curiosity

"Nothing was ever heard from her, but she did escape execution from galgnoak. Whether she was later caught or whether she lived off her life no one knows"

"Sad,"  another student exclaimed

"Alright, everyone to your rooms" Mr Matt ordered dispersing everyone to their rooms with their hearts contemplating on what they've just heard.

"Why do you keep telling that story," he asked still sitting beside Miss Claire 

She replied not removing her gave from the fire "I warned you, I warned the principal, and every owner of this school not to build the camp here"

"But you ignored me," she said turning her fiery gaze to him.

"Hey relax, this is a very economical piece of land" he replied "why should we leave such an opportunity because of some folklore curse.

"It is not folklore Matthew," she said raising her voice 

"The mine that was built in the mountain very close from here exploded"

"Not one survivor"

"The wildlife resort, avalanche "

"Not one survivor"

"Agrona, not one survivor and you're telling me folklore..."

"All of these cases had an explanation Claire" he interrupted 

"Not a survivor, do you have an explanation for that?"

"Relax okay, don't worry we will all be fine," he said calming her, 

"I hope so," she replied calmly "I hope the curse won't come this time around"

"It won't " he reassured "By the way, what does Agrona mean," he asked breaking a stick he took from the ground

"It means death" she replied, instantly a violent wind blew out the bonfire.