BURDEN OF AN ANCIENT OATH by Joshua Brown (early reader books TXT) 📕

“Look, man, you’ve got the wrong people,” Spencer said in protest.

“Our children,” Caroline said, turning to the door. Without a second thought, she started darting towards Andrew but didn’t make it far before he struck her with the butt of his shotgun.

“Your kids are in excellent care,” I said.

Andrew, without needing orders, collected a zip tie from his pocket and bound Caroline’s hands. Then, with a roll of ducktape, he shut her mouth. Blood poured from her nose, and she looked faint, but he pulled Caroline to her feet, propping her up against the wall.

“Why are you doing this?” Spencer shouted, tears streaming down his face. He was a blubbering mess.

“Because you are the spawn of a most vile evil,” I replied.

Andrew approached, tying up Spencer’s hands and shutting his mouth in a similar way to Caroline.

From there, he led them down the staircase, shotgun in hand, ensuring their obedience. By the time we got downstairs, the living room light was on and the children were strapped up all the same as their parents.

“You sure you don’t need us for anything else?” Andrew asked, setting Spencer and Caroline down on the long sofa beside their children.

“No, you can go. It’s best you keep an eye on Jane Dench.”

Andrew and his crew believed I was here for a long-standing debt rather than my true intentions. I didn’t think their attitudes would remain the same regarding the situation if they knew my true intentions. But with the family bound and gagged, I didn’t see a need for them there anyway.

Andrew’s crew would only hinder my rituals, cleansing the world of sin.

I waited for them to leave the house and disembark in their black van before continuing. Once they were gone, I set out to accomplish my goal.

“It’s a tremendous shame and a bout of unluck that we find ourselves in this position, Mr. Crossley. You could not choose the world you were born into, nor could your children.”

Spencer wriggled in his chair, looking over at his wife and children, shaking his head. His eyes pleaded with me, begging for their release. But I couldn’t do that. Unlike my father and those who came before, I wasn’t soft. This line died tonight, never to bear offspring again. The innocence of children only lasted so long, I knew.

And though I may have had to pay the ultimate price for serving their lives up in honor of my God, so be it.

I drew my ceremonial dagger from beneath my robe. It was simple in design yet elegant. The pommel resembled the white ivory mask I wore that evening. Beneath it, a short, glass tube waited empty. Finally, the blade, a thin, a short piece of metal designed to funnel blood from the victim into the glass tube, ensuring a cleansing of the blood.

“I’d hate to have your family watch you suffer, Spencer,” I sighed, taking short steps towards the youngest of his children, Sarah.

I could hear his begging from behind the duct tape covering his mouth. I ignored it.

The girl was screaming, and her panic only intensified as I pulled her out of the chair. I kneeled before her, shaking my head. “There’s no need for tears, child. It’s over now.”

Her parents’ protests came, Caroline dropping out of her chair to beg further. But it was too late. I was on the brink of destroying yet another witch bloodline. And nothing would stop me from completing my task—not now.

I pressed the tip of the blade against Sarah’s neck, and with a single flick, blood started to pour. At first, I held it there, allowing drops to sink into the glass tube before releasing her. She collapsed to the ground.

Spencer, from his position behind, managed to get to his feet and charge at me in this time. With a heavy shoulder, he slammed into me. His lightweight body collapsed atop me, and with every ounce of strength he had left, he forced his head up and down against my own.

I felt blow after blow, which connected to my face, nose, and forehead. I saw stars, felt as though I might pass out, and for a second, had the thrill of my life. How foolish of me not to tie his feet, I thought.

But with control of my hands, I managed to break free from him reasonably easily.

“You think this is a game, do you?” I shouted.

Spencer couldn’t get to his feet with his hands tied, and I delivered three strong kicks to his head and face. Each one harder than the last until he stopped squirming on the ground. Was he dead? I didn’t know. I collected my knife from where it fell not an arm’s length away and wedged it into his chest. He kicked to life once more as the blade delivered the final blow to his heart.

I said nothing else to Caroline and Jackson, ending them the same as Sarah.

Now, it was on to the Dench household.

Chapter 27

Jack

The Salty Oyster was a dump. From the dirty floors that were sticky from booze that sat too long to the crusty people that had mean looks in their eyes. It was a big building with corrugated steel roofing and walls covered in posters and pictures. It stood with two floors, the first being where angry folk would drink their cheap booze and pray for a better tomorrow, while the second had a dance floor.

Tables, overcrowded with bad people, spoke their twisted business of drug trafficking and murder. Guns were drawn at the drop of a hat, and fists were thrown with little provocation. The Salty Oyster was a world of its own, with bad people looking for easy money.

I felt disgusted from the second I set foot in the building, all the way until Aaron and I stepped