Legion's Arc

Chapter 13 of 22

Legion crossed the last of the pines and stopped. Ahead, the half-dead town waited under gray light. Warm smells drifted from its windows. Meat. People. The old woman. But the town was not asleep. Bells rang. Doors slammed. Legion tilted its rat head and listened. They knew it was coming. Inside the pub, Margaret set down her cup and heard the roar roll through the walls. She had waited her whole life for that sound. Her hands did not shake. She stood, her hardened face set, and looked at Diana across the room. "It's here," she said. "The thing that took my boys. My sons went into those woods and never came back." She pointed a bony finger at Diana. "You burned the book. You made it worse. Now you'll help me fix it." Margaret pulled a heavy coat over her shoulders. "The preacher taught us this when I was a girl. Every Sunday. Get everyone to the church.” She grabbed Diana's wrist and dragged her toward the door. "Move. We're out of time." They ran into the street. Margaret shouted at every window she passed. "To the church! Now!" People spilled from their houses, pale and silent. They had heard the sermons too. An old man carried a child. A woman dropped her basket and ran. Margaret herded them all like a shepherd, her anger louder than any bell. Behind them, Legion entered the town. Its clawed feet cracked the frozen mud. It followed the herd of warm bodies, drawn by their fear. It caught one scent above the others, sharp and known. Diana. The woman who had made it this way. Legion did not remember her face. It only knew the smell meant answers to the ache inside it. Margaret shoved the last stragglers through the church doors. Diana stumbled in behind her. The townspeople crowded the pews, praying, weeping. Margaret slammed the tall doors and dropped a wooden beam across them. "Hold," she whispered to the wood. Legion reached the church a breath later. It struck the doors. The beam jumped in its brackets. It struck again. Dust rained from the rafters. The people screamed. Margaret went to the pulpit, opened it to the bookmarked place, then looked back up at the doors. The doors held. Legion circled the stone walls, snout dragging, searching for a way in. It found none. But it did not leave. It settled outside, patient, hungry, waiting. Margaret turned to crowd huddled inside then looked back down at the old bible. "Time to begin. Quickly everyone. Gather around.” Margaret knew this day would come. Legion was back for what she knew it deserved. She could only hope the ceremony she was about to do actually worked.