Halloween Horror.

Halloween Horror
300 years ago

Sarah Porter sat at her small round table that was pushed to the far side of the cabin. In her pale hands she held beautifully decorated cards. Sarah had been sitting in the same position for nearly an hour, shuffling her cards intently, muttering under her breath as she then lay the cards in a particular pattern. She glared at the pictures the cards showed as she tried desperately to interpret their meaning. Frustrated she gathered the cards and placed them neatly in their black leather pouch.
Sarah was just in the motions of hiding her tarot cards in their small cubby hole below the floor boards under her bed, when her door opened. Sunlight and a chilly October gust blew through the dimly lit cabin.
“Close the door Gabe!” Sarah snapped, shivering against the wind, not turning around.
“How did you know it was me?” Gabriel Parker asked, a crooked smile playing on his lips.
“You’re as loud as an elephant!” Sarah laughed, “I don’t have to be an Oracle to know you’re coming.”
“Hmph.” Gabe pouted
“So what did you come to me about?” Sarah asked, placing the floor board back into place before straightening to finally turn and face her guest.
Gabe was her oldest friend. Practically her brother. They had met way back when they were crawling, barely able to speak. They’d been friends ever since. Gabe was a Goblin, Sarah an Oracle.
“I think I’ve discovered what that feeling you’ve had all month is.” Gabe said hurriedly
“What is it?” Sarah asked, now fully alert.
“Come with me. There’s been a murder.”
Gabe led the way out of the cabin and out into the crisp cold morning of October. There was an eerie quiet throughout the village. Not even the birds seemed to be out.
“Where?” Sarah asked, already fearing for the worst.
Without a word, Gabe tugged Sarah’s arm and pulled her through the maze of cabins. All too soon they were in front of Mrs. Perks cabin. There was a crowd of what seemed to be made up of the entire village. It explained the quiet, Sarah thought.
“Excuse me.” she said, as she made her way to the front of the crowd.
Within moments they were in front of Mrs. Perks. The greying, thirty something mother was kneeling on the ground holding her son. She was choking back sobs, tears streaming down her cheeks.
Sarah gasped as she realized the child was dead. How could she not have seen this coming?
At the sound of the gasp, the woman looked up at her new audience members. It seemed to take her a moment to recognize Sarah and Gabe. Finally when it seemed she recognized them, her expression of sorrow turned to fury.
“Come back to the scene of the crime then have we?” Mrs. Perks spat savagely
“What?” Sarah asked, shocked.
“Don’t you dare deny you had any part in this!” the woman’s voice grew shrill, her eyes nothing short of accusing. “This has Witch written all over it!”
“Mrs. Perks!” Gabe exclaimed, incredulous, “You cannot be serious!”
There were many gasps and shocked voices from the crowd.
“Sarah isn’t the only Witch in this village Kathleen!” an outraged cry came from the crowd
Everyone looked about themselves to find the voice
“There are at least ten other witches in this village including me!”
It was Ms. Stevens, Mrs. Parks neighbour.
“Yes. But Sarah is the only Oracle of this village. She is also the strongest Witch in the village. Therefore she either foresaw this event coming and had every chance to stop it or she committed the murder herself.” Mrs. Perks shrieked, her accusing eyes never leaving Sarah.
More murmurs erupted from the crowd. Sarah was well known around the village and highly liked. She was the last person anyone would even consider to accuse of murder.
“It’s true Kathleen.” Gabe said, ignoring the shocked faces on the surrounding faces “Sarah did know something horrible was about to occur quite soon. She was aware of it all month.”
“I KNEW IT!” Kathleen shrieked, her face murderous
“No!” Gabe continued, Sarah stood frozen next to him, her ears buzzing. “Sarah only was aware some horrible event would soon occur, but wasn’t able to see what would happen. She tried so hard, couldn’t sleep a decent sleep for quite some time.”
“What a load of crock!” Kathleen roared, fresh tears springing out of her eyes “Sarah has never failed to have a decent foresight!”
Finally, Sarah spoke up, “Kathleen, I’m so sorry for your loss, I really am. But I promise you I had nothing to do with your sons murder. It’s true I knew something was coming, but I tried so hard to see it, but I couldn’t. I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t talk to me. You as good as killed my boy!” she spat
“We need to take this to the courts!” a shout came from the back.
*

Two hours later, the entire village found themselves crammed into the small court room. “So,” the judge, a greying plump man started, “we are here today because of Jared Perks’ murder sometime early this morning. On trial is Sarah Porter. Oracle and Witch. She’s accused for his murder.”
Excited murmur broke out.
“What, Ms. Porter, do you have to say for yourself?” Judge Mathews asked.
“Your honour, I have to say I’m so sorry. For the first time since my first vision, when I was two, they have never failed me. Not once. I feel so horrible. You have no idea how sorry I am. I tried all I could, I swear it, but for whatever reason, I wasn’t to see it. This event, how ever awful, was supposed to occur.” Sarah said her eyes downcast.
“Do you really expect us to believe you, you of all people couldn’t see this coming? Sarah Porter you have foreseen every murder, robber and every wrong doing that ever occurred in this village.” Mrs. Perks shrieked. “So the only sensible conclusion to be made here is you wanted my boy dead!”
“Objection!” Gabe roared, “Sarah would never want any harm to come across an innocent!”
“Sustained. Thank you Mrs. Perks. I’m aware of your hurt and your loss but try to control yourself.” Judge said “So now I believe we have heard all we need. I’ll now ask the jury, how do you find the accused? Innocent... or guilty?”
“Your honour we find Sarah Porter guilty.”
“Your honour!” Gabe protested, panic stricken.
Sarah grabbed her friends wrist to shush him. Her face was completely expressionless. “It’s no use.” was all she said
*
Soon after the court case was done, Sarah was taken to the jail cells. She would be hung tomorrow morning.
Sarah sat Indian style on the straw covered floor, her head in her hands. She didn’t know how long she’d sat like that. A long time, she supposed. The cell floors were covered in straw and smelled quite dingy.
Just as she was thinking this, Sarah heard a faint scuffling from the other end of the jail room, belonging to distant voices. She sat up straight and strained her ears, trying to catch what the guards were saying.
“...going to be quite the slaughter tomorrow, that’s for sure.”
“So you don’t believe they have any chance at all then?” the other guard asked.
Sarah was now at the bars straining with all her might to hear the conversation. Who were they? Why was there going to be a slaughter?
After a moment of silence, the first guard answered, “After Sarah Porters conviction? No Supernatural is safe. They’ll want them all executed for fear it doesn’t happen again.”
The guards continued in the opposite direction of Sarah’s cell.
Sarah clamped her hands over her mouth as the realization of what was going on hit her. The townspeople - the people whom she’d grown up with- were now scared- terrified- that because of one Witch’s horrible act all had to be punished.
Feeling defeated, Sarah slumped against the bars of her cell and dozed off into an uneasy sleep.

*

What felt like only moments later, Sarah was jolted awake by the sound of the heavy jail door opening and a clamber of many heavy thudding feet against the pavement staircase. There were many cries of protests and uncontrollable sobbing as the many footsteps descended the stairs.
Sarah got up on her feet, hand closing around the thick cold metal bars, trying to see who was coming. The opened door at the top of the stairs shed late afternoon sun, lighting up the dark and cold cell.
A moment later, Sarah saw the owners of the descending feet. Sarah cried out in surprise as she realized it was all the Supernatural’s.
“Sarah!” many cried and shrieked her name as they saw who was the inhabitant of the cell.
There was no time for happy reunions as Sarah counted ten guards, shoving and pushing everyone into cells. Sarah’s became the women’s and the cell across from hers became the men's. The guards used blunt force, not at all being gentle. More than once someone was being thwacked over the head with a wooden stick. It took maybe ten minutes for everyone to get into a cell. When the guards’ duty was done they left silently the way they had came. They slammed the door shut on them, sliding the bolt home, locking them in.
“What is going on?” Sarah asked the small Vampire beside her.
The nine-year-old named Danielle, looked up at Sarah with pure fear in her eyes, “They want to execute us.”
“After your conviction they had quite the discussion.” Sandy Baker, a Sorceress stepped in, “It went on for a good hour. Then it was decided, the Supernatural’s are too dangerous. We pose too great a risk. We aren’t like Humans. We have ‘distrustful’ and ‘immoral’ views on how to live our lives.”
“Immoral?” Sarah scoffed outraged, “What’s-“
”So there was only one answer.” the Sorceress continued, interrupting her, “They’re going to sentence us to death. By hanging.”
“That’s awful!” Sarah breathed, “Do you at least get a trial? I can’t believe everyone agreed to this.”
“That’s it. No trial. It’s done and decided, we’re sitting ducks. There were of course many protests. Friend and neighbours but those were silenced by the stronger voiced, in higher positions. It was made quite clear to everyone that we shouldn’t have been accepted in the first place. We should have been dead years ago. We are abominations. This had such an effect on everyone that they’re thinking of making it an international thing. Supernatural’s everywhere will be no more.”
“It had gone so quiet in the jail, as all listened, Sarah was certain she’d hear a pin drop if one were to fall. She gazed at the opposite cell and found her friend gazing back, panic stricken. They uttered not a word to each other. There was no need. They both knew what was on each others minds. This was exactly what Sarah had sensed all month.

October 31st
Samhain

No one slept that night as they all awaited their death sentence. The cells were extremely crowded, so they were forced to sit shoulder to shoulder. Children tried to be brave,
holding their sobs behind agonizing gasping shudders. Adults and teens alike either held silent conversations or sat on the dingy floor in worried silence. They would be dead before noon.
Just as the first ray of sunlight leaked through a tiny crack in the cement wall, the heavy door hanged open and three guards from yesterday came clambering down the stairs. Upon their arrival, everyone stood up, pushing to get to the back of the cell, farthest from the doors.
“Listen up.” One burly and frightening looking man roared, “This is how it’s going to work. We’ll be hanging five Supernatural’s at a time. You will come quietly or we will use force.”
At this, there were hurried whispers and crying children.
“Sarah Porter, Gabriel Parker, Sandy Baker, Danielle Portman and Johnathon Reid you’re first. Step up to the front. Now.” the guard barked.
Quietly and obediently, the five stepped up to the front, resisting the hands which made to pull them back and the sobbing and cries of horror.
Within minutes they were released from their cages only to have their hands bound tightly behind their back.
They were forced up the stairs and into the harsh morning light, not at all kindly. They were then told no talking and were pushed behind the jail where they kept the hanging posts.
Already a large crowd had formed around the posts. It broke apart wide enough for them to pass up the wooden staircase. The guards slipped a noose around their necks and stepped off the porch.
The rope’s noose was rough and extremely uncomfortable as Sarah and the others whispered a final goodbye to each other, before facing the crowd, their eyes accusing. Some were crying but others were jeering and throwing tomatoes there way, splattering them with red juice. Within moments a guard pulled a rope, pulling the porch which the five Supernatural’s stood right out from under them.
This is it. Sarah thought as the noose jerked and tightened around her neck and before the world turned black.

*
From that day on the courts of that small Salem village took their case to villages across the State and eventually internationally. Every Supernatural was executed by being hanged. Eventually all Supernatural’s became sparse, taking up hiding in another dimension, one which they could roam freely, unjudged. Years later Witches seemed to be reappearing in Salem and other countries and towns. This sparked the beginning of the Witch trials.
As for Samhain, every year on October 31st, the Supernatural’s took it as the one day of the year in which they could roam our dimension freely, wrecking havoc and scaring the pants off little kids. This is due to the fact they feel as though they need to give Humans revenge for their ancestors.
Because of the irrational fear Humans hold of the unknown, Supernatural’s were shunned. Perhaps if they thought more rationally towards the real murderer, Sarah and her fellow Supernatural’s would still walk freely among us.