Satan's Vegeance

The Maslenitsa festival is celebrated at the end of winter every year to bid farewell to winter and welcome spring. However, there is no joy in Irum village this year. The entire winter was spent in fear by the villagers. Father Jalonov promised them that everything would be fine before Maslenitsa, but unfortunately, he couldn't keep his word. Satan's greed destroyed the village, and the deaths of those innocent people caused him more pain than his own wounded body. He wants to move forward with his almost lifeless body but finds it difficult to breathe. He raises his head and looks up at the sky, saying, 

"Help, Lord, help us."

"Father!" Valeria comes in front of him with teary eyes and kneels down. Her dress hat is torn and stained with blood. Fresh blood is also flowing from the other side of her neck. Valeria drops her hand and places her father's head in her lap. She cries when she sees her father in a state of shock.

"Father, please speak," she implores.

"We couldn't save anyone, Sister. They finished off the innocent people. It's all my fault. They died because of me", Father Jalonov says, scolding himself in a regretful voice. Valeria tries to convince him, saying, 

"It's not your fault, Father."

"It's my fault, sister. It seems that Satan's temptation is more than that." Valeria stopped him, drawing the cross on her chest.

"Father! Don’t say this. God will be displeased," she added, trying to console the Father.

"Father, you said that good lies in what the Lord does. Don't lose faith in the Lord," she continued.

Father's breath tightened, his body was bloodless and pale; his eyes were full of tears, expressing the pain of death. The Father clutched the left side of his chest,  smiled dryly and said, 

"You don't have to break down like this, Sister. Now you will take on the responsibility of ending the devils-you will be my successor."

He pulled out a small round box from his pocket with a trembling, weak hand. The box looked royal, with red velvet laces and beautiful zari all around. There was a blue, glowing stone above the box. He handed it over to Valeria and said,

 "You have to reach this box to Father Kazimir anyway. From now on, he will guide you. And, yes, they must not know about this box. Leave this place immediately. 

"I'm not going anywhere, leaving you in this situation," Valeria cried. 

Father stated,                                                        

"It's not the time for stupidity, sister. Leave before they come back here again."

He struggled to breathe, his body growing still. Even after urging Valeria to leave, she sat still, crying. The father's mouth was open, but no words came out. Suddenly, a wolf's roar echoed in their ears. They were coming. The new moon hung in the sky as nature danced with frenzied evil forces.

Father looked towards the forest in the east with blurry eyes as a familiar voice screamed. He pointed Valeria in the direction of the screams coming from the eastern forest, which led to the snow-covered plain. The bushes in front of the house hid them a bit, but Valeria could see three people running towards them: Father Augustus, Dr. Boris, and Nina. Valeria also saw a group of ferocious wolves running behind them. Her body trembled as the wolves caught their prey, and the screams stopped.

Valeria drew a cross on her chest and cried. Father Jalonov ordered her to flee in a hoarse voice,reminding Valeria of her duty. The roar of the wolves was getting closer.

Father took his last breaths with a weak hand, painting the cross on his chest for the last time before passing away. Valeria had seen death before, but the brutal deaths of her father and companions left her feeling powerless. She looked towards the forest, watching as bats flew out. The devils rejoiced in their victory, but it wasn't supposed to end like this. Victory was certain for them, but where did it all go wrong? 

She had to run away before the devils realized their presence. She saw Father's face one last time; the man had loved her very much. Seeing the wolves in front of her, rejoicing with the dismembered corpses of her companions, she cried. Father Augustus's smile and Dr. Boris's scientific analysis did not stop the tears as she remembered Nina's fickleness. With a broken heart, she somehow managed to enter the abandoned house in front of her and hide. She knelt down, clasped the cross, and wept silently. Her tears were stuck in her throat at the sound of the wings of a nearby bat fluttering. Suddenly, the door in front of the house opened loudly. The heavy sound of boots began to move forward. Valeria closed her eyes, and tears rolled down her face. Bellatrix's face flashed before her blurry eyes. Valeria remembered her in her heart.

"Krasivaya!

Belatrix pulled her sick body out of bed and sat down. It was late afternoon and turning into evening, yet there was no sign of Madam. Bellatrix weakly called out, "Madam, madam." But there was no response. Bellatrix got off the bed, her head spinning as she tried to stand up straight. Her body had been deteriorating day by day, with her skin becoming increasingly pale. But at least she wasn't plagued by that nightmare anymore, thanks to Madam's sleeping pills  that Bellatrix takes every night. However, the wound on her neck remained as fresh as ever, and that's where Bellatrix's fear lay. Nicholas left last night. However, Bellatrix hadn't been awake at the time of Nicholas' departure. Ever since the incident in the kitchen, she has been keeping herself as hidden as possible. The sound of Nicholas' laughter echoed like sweet music in Bellatrix's ear. Could anyone have such a beautiful smile? She immediately scolded herself, saying, “You only love Peter, and his smile was the one you admired”. 

Suddenly, the sound of a cat's "meow" snapped her out of her thoughts. Where did the cat come from? Madam didn't like cats.

One day, the neighbor's cat had been lurking around the house. Once, Bellatrix had picked it up, and Madam had shouted,

 "Let it go; let it go now!" she said, as if Bellatrix had held something dirty in her lap. Despite her reluctance, she put the cat down that day. The cat had looked at Madame with scared eyes. Madam had thrown her shoes at the cat and chased it away, warning Bellatrix to stay away from it as long as it was in her house. Bellatrix felt bad about Madame's behavior.

Bellatrix was glad to hear the cat again today. Before seeing Madam, she thought she would hide it in her lap and give it a little pet. But as she walked towards the living room, she realized "There is nothing". She looked around, but it was nowhere to be found. Abruptly, the sound of knives clattering in the kitchen broke her concentration. Madam is home? Hadn't she heard Bellatrix's call? Bellatrix slowly made her way towards the kitchen.

 As she approached the door, she saw Madam standing with her back to her, holding a sharp, bloody knife, and cutting something. The dismembered body of the little cat lay in front of Madame. Bellatrix shuddered at the sight, and forthwith Madame turned around, her face covered in blood. Bellatrix’s eyes opened her cracked cell; she screamed and fell to the ground. Madam's lips curled into a smile, and she came towards Bellatrix, knife in hand, saying, 

"He was right; hot, fresh blood is very delicious. The blood of this cat is no less flavorful. Will you check some, Bellatrix?" Madame threw the knife ahead of Bellatrix.

Bellatrix stood up again, screaming in fear, holding her blood-stained hand in front of her face. She ran into the room and closed the door. Madam's laughter was coming from the kitchen. Bellatrix's breathing stopped in fear and panic. There was a difference between the loving Madame she knew, and the person before her. What evil shadow had come into their lives? Bellatrix approached the bed, trembling, and then fainted.