Sasha wasn't foolish. She knew giving herself up meant losing her life and that of her daughter's. But, seemingly, not giving in to their demands would get Tara killed all the same. It was a gamble she was not willing to take. But just handing herself over couldn't be her only play. There had to be something.
Desperately, she scanned the ground for anything she could use. She could only hope some sort of plan would formulate in her mind. Then, she saw it. She had to stop an evil grin from spreading across her face like a disease. Staring down at a parking lot, she saw several cars huddled together. It was perfect. Quickly, she began her descent.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Carol Leighter once again stood in front of her fellow citizens. The town she had called home was barely recognizable. Not because of the angry mob before her. Not even because of all the deaths. No, she did not recognize her town because it had let this evil become a part of it. Whether this Sasha woman was practicing black magic or not mattered little to her. In fact, she hardly believed it was real. However, she knew she had brought the evil upon this town, one way or another. There had been peace and understanding in Carlisle. Then, the bitch had arrived.
She had taken everything from them. Their innocence, gone. All of their joy, broken. Trust in those who swore to protect them, like Sheriff Harrison, dismantled. In the matter of a few nights, this disgusting woman tore the fabric of their quaint town apart. Carol loathed her for it.
Carol Leighter viewed herself as the savior of Carlisle. And why not? The sheriff had betrayed them and now he was gone. Her goal had been to merely run him out of town but the unlucky bastard had played chicken with a moose and lost. Perfect. The killer of all her fellow townspeople was being brought to justice. No more innocent lives would be lost. If it meant killing the woman and her little child, it would be worth it. After all, what were two lives versus hundreds? Carol would make that trade every time. In her mind, any reasonable person would. To not would be inhumane.
The make-shift altar before her had been made out of sticks, books, papers, and anything else which would be flammable. When the time was right, it would light up like a new year’s celebration. Best of all, Sasha would find herself in the middle. A witch burned at the stake. The punishment couldn’t be more appropriate. She felt like a puritan. They were the true saviors of this country, Carol thought. They did what was right. The women killed during the Salem witch trials had been the first step to cleansing this land of the impure. Carol knew those women hadn’t sold their souls to the devil. But many of them were impure. Adultery, native sympathizers, and liars were all done away with. They only fouled up the land with their presence. Every last one of them deserved what they got. Carol was sure of that. Just as she was sure Sasha would too.
“No,” Carol yelled. “Don’t pour the fuel yet. It will evaporate before we’re ready. We’ll have to wait until we have the witch in custody.”
Two men holding red canisters took a step back and placed them on the ground. Carol shook her head, wondering if she were the only educated person in the entire town. Sometimes she felt like it.
In the town hall, Tara sat with a bag over her head and a rope wrapped around her body. It led to the handrail leading up the stairs to the stage and held her securely in place. She wriggled around in discomfort and fear. Carol stepped over the threshold of the hall and approached the unsettled child. In one clean motion, she removed the bag from the girl’s head. Carol saw the tears running down the little girl’s face and decided to say something.
“Little girl, it’s going to be OK.” She lied. “This town merely wants justice. I know it’s difficult to understand but your mother has done something terrible to us. One day, when you’re older, you will understand what happened here tonight. When that day comes, you will want to thank us. We stopped a monster. You will see.”
Tara looked up at the woman and wiped tears from her eyes. “You’re the monster.” She said with a leering glare. Carol held back laughter. The little girl had a fighting spirit. It would be a shame to kill her too but there was no other option. Even though they were doing the right thing, the rest of the world would call it vigilantism. In God’s eyes, they would be victors but the world would condemn them. In order to keep the town safe, they would have to destroy all loose ends. God would understand, Carol was sure of it. She felt no remorse in her heart. Besides, her mother was a murderous, black magic dabbling whore. Who’s to say her daughter wouldn’t turn out the same. Killing the girl would prevent her from one day hurting others.
Carol placed the bag back over Tara’s head and smiled. Everything was coming to an end. In a few hours, the town would be back to normal with this terrible incident behind them. Sure, wounds would need mending but like all great towns, they would come together to heal. She had nothing but faith in her happy little town.
She stepped out of the town hall and back into the night air.
