1689 by Amy Cross

Author:Amy Cross [Cross, Amy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-06-08T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Sixteen

Rain and wind battered the window, causing the glass panes to rattle loudly as Rebecca lay wide awake in bed. She had scarcely even closed her eyes since retiring, and while Richard lay sleeping soundly alongside her she could only stare up once again at the ceiling.

Wind was whistling through the eaves, bringing the house almost to life, causing all manner of creaks and groans. Rebecca had thought that a new house would be better able to withstand the onslaught of some bad weather, but instead she found herself wondering whether the entire place might yet blow away. Yet, in truth, this cacophony was not the cause of her wakefulness.

In her belly, a biting hunger was clawing at her guts, demanding sustenance.

Finally, sitting up, Rebecca realized that Oliver's arm was most likely still in the storage room, but that another source existed now, one that might taste fresher and more succulent. She knew that Richard and Fanny had laid Oliver's corpse out in the room to the side of the study, ready to take it into the village the following day; she herself had not gone through to see the corpse, but now she found herself imagining the red, moist flesh that was going to waste down there. She told herself that she must show some restraint, yet at that moment a fresh burst of pain filled her gut and she somehow understood that only meat would calm her body.

Although she knew that Richard would be horrified, she carefully climbed out of bed and crept across the room, and then she made her way out onto the landing. This time she was wearing only her nightdress, having not even stopped to cover herself with a gown.

Once she was sure that nobody else was up, she hurried down the stairs, going as quickly as possible while taking care to make little noise. A few of the steps let out small bumping sounds under the pressure of her bare feet, but Rebecca soon reached the hallway and crept through to the study. She told herself that she only needed a few morsels of the man's flesh to calm the pain in her belly, and that then once daylight arrived she would be able to find some way to stop these cravings forever.

She stopped and listened to the gentle bumps and groans of the house, and then she stepped into the study. As she was about to head to the door at the far end, she stopped as she saw a crucifix resting propped against the wall. She stared at the shape, confused by its presence, and then as she stepped closer she realized that it was the same crucifix that Oliver had taken from the grave outside. Confused about how it had ended up inside, she reached out to touch the object, although she held back at the last second.

As she tried to work out what to do next, she stood in the cold study and felt a shiver run through her bones.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.