Part 25

"Huh?" said David. Far showed around the edges of his eyes and tainted the single syllable. He looked around, attempting... and failing... to do so furtively.

"You don't have to fear me, boy" said Thule. "But everyone else in this town is a conspirator in your upcoming murder. And a beneficiary."

"I don't understand," David edged away from the stranger, who ignored his discomfort and went on to explain.

"There is a darkness in this wasteland... beneath and behind it. The Lord of the Rune hasn't seen fit to show me its true form, but there was... and is... a great evil here. Nothing prospers without its warrant, and that warrant is not given lightly. Long ago, men came here. Perhaps they were travelers that fell victim to the waste... perhaps they came in search of what eventually found them. I know not, but I do know that a bargain was made. Prosperity in exchange for tribute. Crops that grow in abundance... animals that do not fall sick... families that thrive and multiply... all in return for a child of its choosing, at times of its choosing."

David wondered when the actual explanation would come. Soon, he hoped...

"Now is such a time, boy. And you have been chosen."

"How do you know?" David asked flatly.

"This story is not unique. History is full of desperate men, dark spirits, and bargains between the two. It is always the same... only the names are change. Names..." Thule stared into his own thoughts for a moment. "...names."

"But what does this have to do with ME!? How do you know it's ME!? My dad isn't going to-"

"Your parents are not your parents any more, boy. One can only sacrifice what one has. Parents can sacrifice a child... but a town cannot. Not unless the child be first given TO the town. A ceremony, perhaps. A ritual..."

David thought back to the party... to the parts of the night that he could only recall in pieces. He remembered the strange songs... songs that sounded more like the chanting that the robed stranger had done earlier. Prayers?

"Yes, boy," said Thule. "I see it on your face; now you are beginning to understand. You have been given to the town; you told me such yourself only a few minutes ago, though you didn't know it. Your parents are not your parents. At least... not your ONLY parents. You belong to them all. To the town. And soon... perhaps tonight... they will sacrifice you."