-"Aaaaaaarrrrrrggggghhhhh!!!"
Seth Johnson knew precisely where he was even before opening his eyes; the pain he felt this time was real; every organ in his body was in the process of failing, the screams were loud, the prayers too.
Every single thought that crossed his mind at that moment reminded him to hate the people who got him here in the first place. He opened his eyes because the pain was unbearable, and he was too scared to stay motionless.
His eyes captured his mother immediately; she was standing next to his father and their friends, she was trembling like an autumn leaf, yet she kept her face straight while leaning towards her husband, who remained strong until the end.
"I hate you." Seth whispered from between his injured lips.
He could have been here without a single injury, but he chose to confront, argue, and go the extra mile to change them, but he never knew that corrupted souls could not be fixed.
((FORGIVE US WE SINNED))
The prayers were too loud to purify. Every word that came out of their mouths felt like knives upon Seth's skin.
((FORGIVE US, LOOOOORD))
There he was, standing in front of eight thousand people from different countries and ages to witness this spiritual cleansing.
As the chanting music started, everything in his mind was becoming twisted; Seth felt his heart pounding, his breathing became difficult, and everything would undoubtedly worsen.
He closed his eyes because the bright lights were shining brilliantly, making it too difficult for them to remain open.
He started to think about the video game he had played with his virtual friends for the past three years. That was random, but somehow it calmed him until he heard someone from the audience shouting, "Let the show begin!"
He wanted to scream, but the most he could muster was a hoarse cough. A white sheet was covering his mouth. Nervously, he looked at his mother, but at this time, she remained unbothered.
He closed his eyes, and different memories flooded in. He recalled the web novel he had been reading for the last two years.
"What are you waiting for?" Someone else shouted, breaking him away from his thoughts…
Seth Johnson is the only son of Martha and Edward Johnson; he is sixteen, and it was on these two factors that the cult decided to sacrifice him for their ritual.
Growing up in such a family was too hard for him. It felt like they were living in a world that revolved around something he could not understand; countless parties, dinners, and meditation trips that always resulted in him crying in his room because he was too scared to join them in their actions.
Even when he was too little to understand, he knew precisely that hurting another person was not okay.
When he was eight, he went on a meditation trip with his parents into the forest; there were no other kids, he always asked his parents about it, but they consistently avoided giving him an answer.
Back then, he always thought that as long as he was safe and sound, Seth wouldn't think about or intervene in their rituals, and that's how he ended up here... eight years later.
Just the day before, he received his first confession of love from one of his classmates. This was a big deal for a boy his age, but he couldn't help feeling uneasy as he always thought of himself as scum.
Seth knew perfectly that he couldn't run away from this; perhaps his entire life purpose was to stand in front of all people at this moment.
His mother assured him that he won't feel pain once the anesthetic started to numb his body. It took so much time for it to do its work, but the heaviness of his own heart was becoming more threatening to his life than being here.
He opened his eyes again, and this time he looked at the crowd joined in this theater.
He recognized the place immediately, this was the local theater, and it was placed in the middle of the city.
The building was ancient, significant, and precious due to its history.
It was not his first time standing on this stage.
When he was 10, his school organized a play, and he acted in the lead role.
Who knew that he would be standing here again, only to be mercilessly killed.
Because of the darkness, he could only see the people standing near the front of the stage, but he knew exactly their number. Everyone that joined his parent's cult was here... all the eight thousand people seeking redemption.
The lights were focused on him. To the crowd, he was the star of the show; they were all joined here to purify their souls by offering him to the other side...
The other side that everyone so desperately wanted to believe existed.
He wanted to talk and beg for his life, but the sedation was too much, so much so that he couldn't form any proper words.
This was making him go crazy; he looked at his parents one more time and felt his heart drowning under concrete; there was a look of pride in their eyes; it felt like this was the only thing he had succeeded at in his life.
Seth cried; his world was shaking; being a good kid to them never mattered; he never mattered until this particular moment.
He thought to himself, 'Pride? Of course not ....you were their biggest failure, you never believed in the cult's teachings, and as a result, you had to be terminated... They had to set an example for their disciples and even used your death in their favor.'
Seth was intelligent, smart enough not to fall for their corrupted ideals his whole life, wise enough to know the world as it is, not through their deceiving eyes, and for that, he had to be punished.
His only fault was being brilliant.
That moment...
Seth killed them in his head and enjoyed it enough to smile at the end of their show...