The Cult: Part 1

"Umm… Hello?"

It was Mari's voice as she tried to know where she was. But, nobody answered. She hesitantly asked one more time.

"Hel…lo?"

But, it was a quiet place, dark, smelled like rotten eggs, and humid. She almost threw up as she tried to stand up but she held those feelings. She fumbled around as if trying to hold onto something. But, she couldn't reach anything and when she tried to reach further, she slipped and fell. The floor was kinda wet on certain parts.

*Thud*

Mari fell on her back. Her head hit the floor really hard. She couldn't say any less than

"Ouch..."

After all of this bad luck, she remembered Yoko's word had never come true. It wasn't wonderful another world, more like dreadful another world. She then carefully stood up as bruises appeared on her feet. It wasn't visible, but the stinging sensation was there. Besides that, Mari's black hair was drenched with dirt after she slipped. She could feel some of it in between the strands of her hair.

"Yoko! You bastard!" she screamed as the act of blamed for Yoko's 'lies' promise. While she was screaming at the top of her lungs, she heard someone's footsteps coming closer. She then stopped her screams along with the disappearance of the footsteps sound.

*Knock-knock*

Someone knocked on the door. Mari tilted her head to find the knock sounds. After she was sure the voice came from the front, she crawled toward it.

"Wait! Don't leave! I will be there soon!" She screamed as she thought that was a help or something. She crawled, crawled, crawled, and…

*Bang*

Her head hit the iron door. She felt the pain on her forehead as if it was going to turn into a bump.

"O-ouch... Who put the door her- Ah! The door. Yeah," She snapped back into reality after the pain she felt.

*Bang*

*Bang*

*Bang*

*Bang*

*Bang*

Mari put all of her strength in both of her hands. Then knocked on the door a few times while sitting on her feet. Not so long after that...

*Shhhrk*

A small window on top of the door opened. Finally, Mari was able to see some light. Her eyes were adapting then she tried to look out the window.

"It was too bright. But who... is that?" She sat with a confused face.

All she could say was that person looked weird. He wore a black mask with a pointed hat of conical form like the notorious racial cult she knew when she was alive.

"Isn't that like the KK-" Before she finished that, suddenly that person threw something inside.

*Ching*

Mari then turned her head quickly to the object. With the hope that it was a key that could be used to open the door, she tried to reach it. But, that hope was gone since it wasn't something like she predicted.

*Woosh*

Unknown gas filled the whole room. Mari held her head since it was cloudy. The dizziness came afterward and made her lose balance. Whenever she tried to stand up, she fell. She tried a few times, but it didn't seem to work. She then decided to ask for help with some consciousness left.

"Help m-!" Before she finished that, the light disappeared as the person closed the window. She was slowly closing her eyes and then fainted away.

****

"W-what is this smell?" Mari gained consciousness. She then tried to open her eyes, but...

"Why I can't see anything? AAAA... My foot and hand can't move. As if they tied onto something," She tried to free herself. But she failed to do that. Her body was tied like an X and stretched in opposite directions. It's limited her maneuver even more.

"RELEASE ME!!" Mari screamed, but no one answered. Instead, she heard faint voices of people chanting something. She wasn't sure what that was until the voice gradually increased as if it was getting closer to her. She then heard something like...

"Mufaron Mefaron... Accept this moron. Eat this soul whole. She was a fool. O God-" They repeated the chant, but she couldn't listen to the last part clearly since they screamed in euphoria. Until...

"Yoko? That stupid Goddess was yours? I know her. Release me," She stopped the chant with her cockiness. But that didn't end well since she caused the anger of the cult for calling their Goddess stupid.

*Splash*

"Wait, Why it does smell like... Are you guys NUTS?! Why do you pour gasoline on me," Mari panicked. She tried to run but she couldn't. All the chance to stay alive was begging for their mercy.

"I am sorry! I didn't mean to insult her. I love her. I even met her once," She was trying to convince them by lowering her tone.

"Liar! You disgrace her! She's nowhere in this world. All we can feel is her motherly love, not physical form." One of the crowd rejected Mari's confession. They continued their chant while Yoko kept persuading them.

"Mufaron Mefaron... Accept this moron. Eat this soul whol-"

"I know Yok-"

"Mufaron Mefaron... Accept this moron. Eat this soul whole. She was-"

"Can you guys stop? I know Y-"

"Mufaron Mefaron... Accept this moron. Eat this soul whole. She was a fool. Goddess Yoko!"

Every time Mari tried to intervene, They gradually increased their chant's speed as if they tried to silence Mari's voice.

All of this craziness went on for 5 minutes until they stopped. The leader then came forward and said.

"BURN THIS LADY!"

"BURN! BURN! BURN!" All of the followers copied the leader.

"NONONONONONO... I swear I met your Goddess. Her appearance was fully white. From skin to the wing." She tried to convince them once more.

"Interesting, you know her through the holy book of this cult. More reason to sacrifice you. Outsiders shouldn't have known that." When the leader said that, Mari felt something warm approaching her. She crazily moved her body as she knew that a torch. Her life flashed for a second. She suddenly remembered Yoko's last words.

"ETERNA, ETERNA. I AM ETERNA. YOUR GODDESS CALLED ME THAT."