Read Online Cult of the Hexad (Afterlife saga Book 6) by Stephanie Hudson - Free Book Online
Authors: Stephanie Hudson
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was only the height of your average garden shed, I knew it wasn’t going to be too hard. Not even for Ari who hated heights.
“Ready?” I asked.
“No.”
“Good. Let’s go.” I said jumping, knowing she would do the same.
We landed on the soft grass without damage and once we checked the coast was clear, we set off for the house. It was lucky that the back of the house was facing the old barn and that the window I had crawled out of was also on this side. It wasn’t long before the last of the twilight had gone, making things even more difficult in finding our way. This of course wasn’t the only reason it was a race against the clock as our mother had made it clear she was only letting me out just before it was time for the leaving ritual.
“We’re going to make it.” Ari whispered when we came to stop behind a wood store just near the house. We checked first that no one was around and then made another last run for it. We both skidded on the grass as we stopped ourselves abruptly, so as not to make a sound by banging into the side of the house.
“You ready for this?” Ari asked me and I scoffed.
“Were you ready to jump?”
“Good point. Now go!” She said as she was bent down holding the window open for me.
“Sir, yes sir.” I replied before doing as I was told and sliding on in there. The ladder was still where I had left it, which was my first good sign. Once I was in I looked back up at Ari and gave her a wink, which was all the encouragement she needed to get going. The last part of this plan was to simply wait for my jailor to come and get me and no one would be the wiser.
I knew we couldn’t go through with all this again. I couldn’t put Ari in danger like that… I just couldn’t. But I also knew that no matter how much I warned her of the risks that she would only do it all over again, even if it meant she would get caught right alongside me.
So that’s why I knew that from now on we both needed to make sure we made no more mistakes. We had too much riding on being allowed to leave in a month’s time.
Just one month.
After years of suffocating with what felt like the Fathers’ hands around our necks we would finally get a chance to breathe clean pure air for the first time. Air that hadn’t been polluted by lies and blind devotion of the worst kind. The kind that infects the mind and poisons the good right out of people.
The type that killed our mother.
I closed my eyes against the anger that one thought invoked within me and exhaled as I turned my back to the window letting go of my bitterness…for now anyway. But that’s when I felt it. Those hands around my neck squeezing the breathable air from my lungs as panic started to seep in.
My eyes snapped open and I took in the dark room trying to make sense of the cold dread. Was it the vision? Was it my old fears coming back to haunt me? Then it hit me as a voice penetrated the room and all other fears before now seemed lost in a sea of insignificance.
“Hello Katie.”
That’s when I felt it… That’s when I felt the ice. So I said the only thing my fear would allow me…
“Hello Uncle.”
Chapter 5
A Crimson Moon
Sat here now staring at the Divine Judgment passed down by God was as unnerving as awaiting my own judgement. Studying the two neighboring cities as they were completely consumed by fire and brimstone offered little comfort and I was starting to hate the painter John Martin. I shook my head for where my thoughts were leading to for the millionth time, wondering where Ari was.
Once I was caught red handed I had expected my punishment to have been delivered down there in the basement, however this didn’t happen. After finding him sat at the base of the staircase in the dark and on a rusty school chair waiting for me, I had expected him to lash out when he stood. But to my surprise and trepidation my Uncle had done nothing but motion for me to precede him
“Ready?” I asked.
“No.”
“Good. Let’s go.” I said jumping, knowing she would do the same.
We landed on the soft grass without damage and once we checked the coast was clear, we set off for the house. It was lucky that the back of the house was facing the old barn and that the window I had crawled out of was also on this side. It wasn’t long before the last of the twilight had gone, making things even more difficult in finding our way. This of course wasn’t the only reason it was a race against the clock as our mother had made it clear she was only letting me out just before it was time for the leaving ritual.
“We’re going to make it.” Ari whispered when we came to stop behind a wood store just near the house. We checked first that no one was around and then made another last run for it. We both skidded on the grass as we stopped ourselves abruptly, so as not to make a sound by banging into the side of the house.
“You ready for this?” Ari asked me and I scoffed.
“Were you ready to jump?”
“Good point. Now go!” She said as she was bent down holding the window open for me.
“Sir, yes sir.” I replied before doing as I was told and sliding on in there. The ladder was still where I had left it, which was my first good sign. Once I was in I looked back up at Ari and gave her a wink, which was all the encouragement she needed to get going. The last part of this plan was to simply wait for my jailor to come and get me and no one would be the wiser.
I knew we couldn’t go through with all this again. I couldn’t put Ari in danger like that… I just couldn’t. But I also knew that no matter how much I warned her of the risks that she would only do it all over again, even if it meant she would get caught right alongside me.
So that’s why I knew that from now on we both needed to make sure we made no more mistakes. We had too much riding on being allowed to leave in a month’s time.
Just one month.
After years of suffocating with what felt like the Fathers’ hands around our necks we would finally get a chance to breathe clean pure air for the first time. Air that hadn’t been polluted by lies and blind devotion of the worst kind. The kind that infects the mind and poisons the good right out of people.
The type that killed our mother.
I closed my eyes against the anger that one thought invoked within me and exhaled as I turned my back to the window letting go of my bitterness…for now anyway. But that’s when I felt it. Those hands around my neck squeezing the breathable air from my lungs as panic started to seep in.
My eyes snapped open and I took in the dark room trying to make sense of the cold dread. Was it the vision? Was it my old fears coming back to haunt me? Then it hit me as a voice penetrated the room and all other fears before now seemed lost in a sea of insignificance.
“Hello Katie.”
That’s when I felt it… That’s when I felt the ice. So I said the only thing my fear would allow me…
“Hello Uncle.”
Chapter 5
A Crimson Moon
Sat here now staring at the Divine Judgment passed down by God was as unnerving as awaiting my own judgement. Studying the two neighboring cities as they were completely consumed by fire and brimstone offered little comfort and I was starting to hate the painter John Martin. I shook my head for where my thoughts were leading to for the millionth time, wondering where Ari was.
Once I was caught red handed I had expected my punishment to have been delivered down there in the basement, however this didn’t happen. After finding him sat at the base of the staircase in the dark and on a rusty school chair waiting for me, I had expected him to lash out when he stood. But to my surprise and trepidation my Uncle had done nothing but motion for me to precede him
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