Life in Death Read Online Free PDF Page A

healer told them when and where to meet him the next night, as well as what he’d need as a sacrifice. Albinos were highly prized for human sacrifice. They decided to get Lucien, the albino boy in the village. It would be simple to lure him, he with his crush on Saura. They’d use his weakness for her to lead him away from the village.
    The next night, Saura used her feminine wiles to entice Lucien from the village to a secluded spot, where Edvard knocked him unconscious. They bound, gagged and carried Lucien to the healer. He moaned and tried to get loose. When they met the healer at the appointed spot, and placed Lucien on the large stone altar, Lucien’s bowels loosened. Edvard laughed. He guessed Lucien figured out what would happen to him.
    The healer had them remove the gag and force his mouth open as they poured putrid liquid down his throat. He spat it out the first time. Edvard punched him hard in the face. They tried again. This time, Saura held Lucien’s nose closed, which forced him to open his mouth. The healer had told them Lucien needed to be alive when his organs were harvested for the spells to work.
    A few minutes later, Lucien appeared to be in a trance. The healer said the boy wouldn’t be able to move. They removed his bindings at the healer's direction.
    Others arrived: men and women, young and old, well or sick——they all came. They danced to the drum beats. Their movements were sexual, from slow and undulating to fast and frenetic. The dancing excited Edvard.
    The healer sacrificed chickens and goats. When they reached the climax of the evening, the healer asked Saura to assist him. She took her place beside him at the head of the altar.
    The healer instructed Saura as she worked. First, he had her raise one of Lucien’s arms over his head and plunge a wooden spout in just below his armpit. She looked into his eyes. They were vacant. He didn’t scream or moan; he didn’t move at all. Spittle slipped from his open mouth down his chin. She held a goblet to capture the red, almost black, blood that gushed from the wound.
    Edvard, Saura, and the healer drank from the goblet. Lucien’s life force flowed into them. Edvard felt stronger, more powerful.
    The ceremony lasted several hours. They offered Lucien’s organs to the dieties on behalf of the participants for wealth, prosperity, and to ward off evil spirits. They placed strips of Lucien’s skin and hair onto their bodies and fashioned charms out of his bones for good luck.
    By the end, only Lucien’s torso remained, which they threw into the woods for the animals to consume.
     
    Saura had never looked more beautiful to him. They made love for the first time that night. He gave her a very special gift afterward: it was a statue of a man bound in ropes with feathers jutting from his head. His eyes were rolled back in his head as if in ecstasy. She loved it.
    That night, their alter egos, Saura and Edvard , were born.
    They never looked back.

CHAPTER 5
    No Jack . The muscles at the back of Kari’s neck relaxed. At least she didn’t have to deal with him yet. Instead, she grabbed her lunch and drove to a nearby park. She ate in her car and listened to light jazz, as kids on the playground laughed and chased each other. For a short time, she forgot about the events of the day, if only for a few minutes.
    She had to speak to April today. Kari wanted all the facts before she told Jack, but she wouldn’t wait much longer. He needed to know.
    After she finished lunch, she returned to work, parking her car in the smaller lot reserved for their department. As she waited at the crosswalk for the light to turn green, April crossed the street mid-block. Almost as soon as she’d stepped off the sidewalk, a car came from nowhere and accelerated toward her. Kari called to April, but she didn’t hear her.
    Kari wanted to turn away, but couldn’t. A sickening thud sounded in her ears as metal hit flesh. Kari screamed. April rolled over the hood and