CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
( ! bodies in bags ! )

PAIGE HADN'T SEEN Oliver in a while and was nervously looking around for him with Abbi, who was looking for Constance. Neither girl wanted to imagine where their sibling was, but anything they could have imagined couldn't have been as bad as reality.

Abbi grabbed Paiges hand, needing something to hold as she shouted her sisters name off into the distance. Paige looked to her side, seeing commotion beginning around the Meeting Hall. She quickly pulled Abbi that way, the two girls looking around with the rest of the stressed out town. Screams were heard as people began realizing what was going on.

Cyrus Miller had locked all the children in the Meeting Hall with him.

Paige and Abbi let go of the other, both trying to push forwards and past people to get into the Meeting Hall. "Oliver!" Paige screamed, tears brimming her eyes as she had no idea what was happening.

Her mother was somewhere near, trying to get into the Meeting Hall like the rest of them to get her son back. But Paige didn't care. She wanted to find her brother safe and sound.

Usually Paige wouldn't worry that Oliver was with the pastor, she trusted him. But people had been talking and saying Cyrus Miller wasn't acting like himself. And with the Millers also screaming to get in, Paiges anxiety skyrocketed.

Paige began hearing bangs from the side of the hall, catching as Sarah, Isaac, and Thomas all ran that way. She was quick to run over at the sound of a louder bang, catching that the door was now open and Solomon Goode was looking at his brother.

"Keep everyone back." Solomon instructed before walking inside with a pitch fork. Paige ran forwards trying to slam her way through. Isaac held her back, hating that he had to ignore her screams and cries for him to let her through.

"Isaac you let me through this instant!" Paige shouted, pushing against him as more and more people began trying to make their way past him, Elijah Goode, and Caleb. "My brother is in there!" She continued, almost begging.

Tears streamed down her face as she continued to try and push past Isaac, Abbi now on her side looking inside with a heartbroken look. "Please, please, please." Paige cried, her voice getting quieter and quieter as more tears fell.

Isaac felt horrible. He had no clue what was going on but hated he had to help cause Paiges pain. He had always wanted to take it away, not add to it.

She could barely see past Isaac, Cyrus was at the head of the room at the platform and Solomon was looking up at the pastor. But it was quiet in there, especially compared to outside where everyone was fighting to make it through.

She just wanted her brother to be okay.

With another push, people began to make it inside. Paige pushed past Isaac, this time being successful as he couldn't keep his grip, even though he had tried.

Paige looked around, her head moving between all the kids before she caught sight of Constance's bright red hair. Paige looked over a bit and instantly caught sight of Oliver.

His head was down and it would have looked like he was praying if he wasn't completely and utterly still, not even breathing.

Abbi had made it over first and her horrified scream sent Paige tripping over the other girls feet as she kneeled in front of Oliver.

Her own horrified scream left her mouth as she saw her brother. His eyes had been cut out and dried blood was sticking down his cheeks as if they were his tears. There was blood all over his shirt and his hair was all in his face.

Sobs left Paiges mouth as she moved his hair from his face, tilting his head up a bit before his body seemed to just roll to the floor. She acted quickly, picking him up from the chest and hugging him close, not caring what blood got on her own clothes.

Paige sobbed into his shoulder, Oliver's own head resting on hers. She held him as tight as she could, as if he'd just melt away if she let go.

"I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry." Paige cried, repeating the three words over and over to the boy who could no longer hear her. She instantly blamed herself. If she hadn't told him to go off with Constance he could still be alive.

Paige didn't want to think of the pain he must have went through but couldn't help it as her mind wandered to his eyes, or lack of. She looked up for a second, catching sight of Cyrus Miller and that sight seemed to start a new wave of sobs.

For his eyes too where no longer there, but he was still breathing. He had done this to her brother, but it was her fault.

Paige looked over at Cyrus once again after initially looking away to try and understand but immediately wished she hadn't. For what she saw was Cyrus falling to the floor as Solomon pulled his pitch fork out of the man's side.

Grace Miller quickly ran to her now dead husband but Paige saw no more as Isaac had ran over to her and pulled her gaze away from what was happening in the front. He didn't want her to have to see that.

Paige looked at Isaac but he could tell her mind hadn't fully caught up to everything that had happened. She had this look in her eye. One he didn't think he'd ever forget. She looked almost like a piece of glass one small poke away from crumbling to the floor. He had never seen her look that breakable.

So he did the only thing he could think to do, Isaac wrapped Paige up in his arms and let her sobs fall on his shoulder. He let gravity pull them to sitting positions, Oliver laying numbly besides them.

Cynthia had ran in, but Paige hadn't noticed. She didn't see the moment of vulnerability on her mother's face as she looked down at her son. She didn't see the sadness or the anger or even the regret. For in that moment Cynthia Marks realized that she couldn't even remember the last time she had told Oliver she loved him, or either of her kids.

Paige faintly heard as men began shouting about witchcraft, but Isaac held her head down when she tried to look back up. She didn't fight, she was in no mentality to fight.

She just turned her head ever so slightly, more tears streaming as Oliver's face was faced back towards her own. One of her arms fell from around Isaacs shoulders and she grabbed Oliver's hand in that newly fallen one.

"I love you." She whispered to the boy. She didn't know if he could hear her, but she hoped he could. Paige squeezed Oliver's lifeless hand in her own, trying to keep every detail of him in her mind.

She wanted to remember her brother for his smile, for his laugh, their late night talks in her room, not this moment. And she wanted to remember him for him, the kindest person she had ever known.

PAIGE DIDN'T WANT to be at the town meeting. The kids often weren't meant to go, but with the recent tragedy Cynthia didn't want her only child left too far away.

So, Paige sat in the very back on a small stool with Abbi and Lizzie. She sat between the girls and Lizzie had noticed quickly the look sported on both of her friends faces, grief.

Paige honestly couldn't tell if she had stopped crying. Her features felt numb and she felt exhausted. It was night now but it had taken a while for Cynthia and Isaac to even be able to pull Paige away from her brother.

She didn't want him to go away, she just wanted him back.

"Hear ye! Hear ye! Good people of Union, listen! There is a dark and evil force at work here. If we are ever to end this misery... then we might root out the guilty. We must—" Jakob Berman, Abbi and Constance's father, began. "Jakob! Please, Goodman Berman! The man responsible is dead. Pastor Miller—" Solomon interrupted but was quickly interrupted himself.

"The pastor... our pastor was a man of God. And this was not him! He was possessed by a darkness." Jakob continued and Paige wiped her eyes as she felt a new wave of salty tears fall from her face. She understood the need to find a reason for why the pastor did what he did, hell, she wanted one just as much as everyone else maybe even more.

But taking all the blame from the man who killed her brother and instead blaming demons and the Devil was just mocking the memories of all those who had died.

"My child, my dear Constance, and many others... are dead. Our futures... many of the our entire bloodlines have been stolen from us. Someone must pay!" Jakob continued, yelling at the end. The adults of Union all cheered in agreement.

Isaac looked back, a look that didn't match the ones of the others on his face as he looked to Paige. She looked back for a second before wiping her eyes with her palm once more and her attention soon turning once again as Mad Thomas took the stand.

"I saw some little lambs of our town... laughing, dallying on the full moon last!" Thomas exposed and Paige bit her cheek. "Would any of ye lambs like to explain this?" Thomas continued, looking around the church.

Isaac stood up, his gaze going back to Paige for a second before he took the stand himself. He looked nervous and Paige wished she could help him. But, she had to stay in the back and quiet.

"There were some of us in the woods, but there was no... we drank Apple Jack. We danced. We are young. That is not a crime!" Isaac explained, quickly met with the yells and screams of the adults.

Isaac got off the stand fast, taking his seat once again as adults continued screaming his way about his sins. Paige then watched as her own mother walked up, an angry look on her face.

Slightly making eye contact with Lizzie for a moment, Paiges expression turned hard as she looked back at her mother. "My son is dead. Whoever has called the Devil upon us must speak now. For you've left me here with my sweet daughter to pick up the pieces of yet another family tragedy. How many more of us must you take? How much more pain must you cause for you to be done? I ask all of you, as a mother, find this sinner. For I agree, the young teens have acted poorly. They've gone against the rules for a bit of fun, but fun doesn't summon the Devil. Dancing doesn't summon the Devil. So, we need to find whoever is killing our children and turning us against our youth. We need to find this evil hiding among us."

People were silent for a moment, taking in her words. It wasn't common for a woman to speak during a meeting, it rarely happened if ever. It was especially uncommon for quiet Cynthia who didn't interact with many townspeople unless needed.

But they all allowed it. For they had known her and seen her pain. They understood the need to speak when tragedy after tragedy was laid at your door. So they took in her words and agreed with her fight.

Thomas took the stand again, Paige noticed how madness seemed to radiate off of him. "Look upon your children! For they will bear the Devils mark! No matter if dancing didn't cause their sin, we don't know what else they could be hiding! Maybe the youth aren't to blame, but whoever is will bear the mark. We must take every precaution."

Thomas once again got off the stand, allowing Elijah to take his place. "Yes, witchcraft. But just as my brother Solomon heroically expelled the darkness among us by killing our afflicted pastor, we too will punish and surmount this evil!" The men in the front and the women in the back cheered, showing their support.

But Lizzie, Abbi, and Paige just sat quietly. None of the three felt the need to have an opinion, it wouldn't matter anyways. For they were seen as the sinning youth and even if they wouldn't all be blamed for this tragedy, someone would be.

"As survivors, our faces always will remain towards the sun." Elijah finished, stepping down himself. Jakob stepped back up, wanting to once again speak. "I traced it on my patrol! This scourge centers on Union proper. I've searched the woods. It does not extend beyond the settlement. It's here! It's in Union! We are being punished, and I have a list of names!"

With that, people began standing and demanding the names. Thomas was excited to see who was marked down, but Solomon seemed entirely over it all. "Enough! Enough! Listen to yourselves! Speculation! Chasing shadows! Imagined curses! I ask... do you have proof?" Jakob didn't respond. "No. Or you?" Thomas only scoffed at the question. "Or any of you?"

No one spoke for a second and Paige was thankful. She wanted her brothers death to be seen for what it is, not some curse. It was a tragedy that was avenged but wouldn't be easily forgotten. This witch chase was pointless.

But then Caleb stood.

"I have proof!" Solomon looked at Caleb a bit shocked, but people quickly urged Caleb to tell his tale. "It was some nights back when the full moon had risen just beside the sun. As I lay sleeping, she came to me. She witched me and led me to the woods. She was naked... and riding a red mule. And the red mule became a horned man. And she made me watch as she lay with the Devil. As both of them lay with the Devil."

"Both of them?" Elijah questioned, believing Caleb completely. Caleb just looked the older man's way. "Hannah Miller and Sarah Fier!"

"No!" Hannah's mother shouted and Sarah's father stood. Paige went to speak up. Once he spoke their names she knew he was twisting the truth, recalling the night he had been made the fool for his one sided attraction towards Hannah.

But Cynthia saw her and made sure no one else did as she sat her daughter right back down. "I have no clue what you want to say, but it will not be said." Paige could tell by the look in her mother's eye she believed Caleb, and that proved to Paige that if her own mother wouldn't listen, no one else would.

The only thing the truth was, was dangerous. Dangerous for anyone to speak for it would only be turned against them.

Paige and Abbi made eye contact, both knowing the other was on the same page as them. Lizzie caught their gazes too, she didn't believe Hannah and Sarah could or would do that either.

But different townsfolk began backing up Calebs story. First Elijah, then a few others, Jakob Berman, even more men, and Mad Thomas. By that point everyone was convinced besides the three girls in the back, Isaac, and Solomon.

Caleb was back on the stand and suddenly turned his head before pointing his finger out at the sight of Hannah and Sarah listening in. "Witches! The witches!"

Men began running out, grabbing lanterns and going on the search for the two girls now accused of being witches.

AUTHORS NOTE!
ask any questions you have about things that have happened in any of the parts so far! I'm going to make a chapter answering some questions you guys have about anything left unexplained or things you guys just wanna know! so if you wanna know other details about annie, ask! same goes for anything else you're wondering!

ask here!

also, did I cry writing about oliver and paige? yes. yes I did.

anyways I'll be getting into a lot more writing of the younger group that wasn't in the movie so it's completely original work until I come back to script so just be ready for that stuff!

finished writing this an hour after publishing the last chapter so this one is ready and will be coming out when you see it!

warning: mentions of witchcraft, religion, gore, death, hangings