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Scene #17
Anna felt the cold stone floor before she opened her eyes. She dragged her bare feet close to her and hugged her knees to her chest, rocking gently back and forth. The stale smell of urine crept into her nostils and she shook her head to rid the repugnant smell of it.
She stood at once and looked around the room. A feeling of dizziness overcame her and she leaned against the wall for support. Where was she? She looked down at the clothes she wore and grimaced at the amount of dirt that clung too her arms and legs. The material she wore was practically thread bare but the grime kept everything hidden. She heard a cackle nearby and rushed to the only window in the small space that held her. "Who's there?" The words hurt as she made the sounds. She didn't even recognize her own voice.
"The witch will die today!" The voice screached.
Anna backed away from the window and stumbled over a tray of rotten food.
The door burst open and Anna stared at what seemed to be medieval guards. Two of them rushed forward and yanked her up roughly by the elbows. She let out a gasp of alarm and struggled briefly against them. They tied her hands quickly and pulled her forward. She was forced to move or fall on her face. "Who are you?" She screamed choking out the last bit.
The guard that held her close slapped her hard across the mouth. She would've fell back if not for the ropes. She tasted the blood and blinked back the tears that threatened to spill. He snatched her forward and she stumbled but did not fall.
She blinked against the sun's harsh rays as they made their way outside. They stopped in front of a crowd that had gathered. "Help me." The words that came out were barely a whisper. She swallowed quickly trying to ease the discomfort. Then the chanting began : "Burn the witch, Burn the witch..."
Anna tried too back away but the ropes held her tightly. Was there anyone that would help her? And at that moment she saw. An elderly woman stood apart from the group. Her eyes were all knowing and it was as if she wanted to tell her something but couldn't. The compassion in her eyes eased Anna's discomfort if only for a second. The guard pulled her roughly and tied her to the wooden stake. It was then that she noticed there was not one stake but two.
She saw them bring him forward. He was unconscious and bleeding profusely. He had silver shackes on his feet and hands. He groaned as they tied him opening his eyes. It was as if he were searching for someone in the crowd. Then his head turned sharply to the side and looked at her. Those brown eyes that were so close to black were intimadating. She couldn't look away.
A feeling of unease overcame her and she turned and saw a figure walking to her. The crowd had parted for him bowing their heads as he passed. She saw the elderly woman cross herself quickly muttering softly with her eyes closed. As the figure came closer she shivered involuntarily. It wasn't a man. Or atleast it wasn't all man. It was a blur of man and demon. She blinked quickly trying to clear her vision because what she was seeing couldn't be real. When she looked at him the second time she saw a man but she knew what lay underneath the mirage.
"You will burn now. Right next to your demon lover." The man that stood in front of her smiled and she saw his teeth grow. She blinked quickly and the image went away.
The crowd piled wood at their feet and she looked to the man that was tied next to her and saw that he was staring at her. "We will be together in the next life. I won't lose you again."
The wood was lit and it didn't take long to reach her. She screamed when the icy hot flames scoarched her skin. She was still screaming when she woke in bed. It took her a minute to realize it was just a dream. She laughed softly to herself. "Just a dream," she said as she threw the blanket off. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw the dirt encrusted on her feet...
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