“What is this?” Emma asked.
“This is one of the most haunted places in all of Florida,” Caroline told her. “This is where Tate came when he walked through here.” When she saw Emma’s expression she asked, “Do you know why they call this place Tate’s Hell?”
“Caroline, I’m not sure-” Kayla started. Caroline silenced her with a look.
“It’s called Tate’s Hell because, like a hundred and fifty years ago, there was a man that lived here called Jebediah Tate. He had a son named Cete. They tried to make the land work, but they couldn’t. They were going to lose everything, so you know what they did? They called on a medicine man to help them. Kayla, get ready.” As Caroline said this Kayla started to rifle through her backpack.
“The medicine man said he was going to help old man Tate, but they would have to pay. They would give him their fattest, healthiest pig every year, and they would also give him the pine-tree forest on the land. Against Cete’s objections Jebediah made the deal. ‘Don’t forget my pig,’ the medicine man told them, ‘and stay out of my pines.’
“Well, they got rich and happy after that for like four years, but Jebediah was an idiot and he forgot that they owed everything to the medicine man. When the next sacrifice was due he wouldn’t give it up to the medicine man, so eventually the crops and the cattle both died. Jebediah and Cete were starving. They had more pigs than they could handle, but no one wanted them. They wanted beef and corn.”
She paused for a moment, glancing around at the clearing.
“Eventually Jebediah died, leaving Cete alone with this failing farm. So he did the only thing he could think of: he took his old dog into the pine forest to hunt scrub cows.” Behind Caroline Kayla was standing by the chair, watching the two avidly. Caroline was almost within arm’s reach of Emma, who fought the urge to take a step back.
“You know what happened in those pines?” Caroline asked. “A panther got Cete’s dog, and a rattlesnake bit him in the ankle. He got all lost and turned around, and he couldn’t find his way out. For nine days he was stuck in these swamps. When he came out on the other side he was, like, fifty miles away. He said he had seen Hell, said he had seen the Devil and walked through his kingdom. He even said he sat in the Devil’s throne.” Emma and Caroline were very close now. Slowly Caroline reached out and took Emma’s hand, then turned back to the chair in the clearing.
“See, he was half right. Xan is not the Devil,” she turned to look deep into Emma’s eyes, “but this is his chair.”
“Zan?” Emma asked.
“Xan,” Caroline corrected. “There are places in Florida, hidden far away from people, where little gods still have influence. This is one of those places. Xan took Cete, but kicked him out because he wasn’t worthy.”
Caroline pulled a hesitant Emma to where the chair and Kayla stood waiting.
“Not worthy?” Emma questioned. She was sure the two were playing a prank on her. This must be a special kind of Florida hazing that was designed to scare her senseless, and despite the cold spike of fear she felt in her chest she refused to let the other two see her fear.
“Xan told them - told both Tate men - that they had to give him a pig as a sacrifice every year, then they would be in his good graces. When Cete refused to give the pig up, just like his dad, he proved that he wasn’t worthy. Now it’s time to see if you’re worthy.”
Emma looked from one girl to the other. “Worthy of what?”
“To see Xan. All you have to do is sit in the chair.” Emma looked to Kayla, who was examining the ground to the left of her and Caroline. “We both did it already, and I’ve got to tell you that it’s gonna be cool!” Emma was standing in front of the high-backed chair, and with a hard push Caroline knocked her backwards. Her legs hit the wet seat, and she fell back into it. A small, disgusted cry escaped her lips, but before she could move Caroline’s hands brought her arms to the moldy armrests and held them there. Caroline straddled Emma, holding her in place with her weight. Her bony knees dug into Emma’s thighs.
“Ow, what the crap? Get off me!”
Caroline raised her head to the canopy over them. “Xan, we brought you the sacrifice. Accept this pig, and deem us worthy!” She looked at Kayla, still standing next to the chair, her eyes wide. To Emma it looked like Kayla was in shock. “Do it,” Caroline told her.
Kayla didn’t move.
“Do it!” Kayla looked from Emma to Caroline, but hesitated at the sharp command. When Emma looked at the girl on top of her she saw true madness in her face. Fear began to course through her then, stronger than before.
“Fucking do it, you stupid bitch!”
When Kayla looked at Emma her face was set with determination. The girl beside the chair raised her fist, a kitchen knife clutched in it. The blade was dull in the gloom, but it was almost the length of Kayla’s forearm. It was the kind of knife Emma’s dad had in their kitchen back home, the kind he called his ‘do anything’ knife.
Before Emma could react Kayla stabbed out with the knife.
At first there was no pain, just a pinch in her side. Then she could feel the blade slide into her, yet there was still no pain. Kayla held up the blade, now covered in a thick liquid which looked black in the shadows.
“You
