A deadly honeymoon

It was 2015, Loren and Alexander, a happy and lovely young couple who had just get married are starting their road trip to Noros, the chosen city to their honeymoon.

Everything was going as they planned, after the marriage – a pretty and intimate ceremony on the beach, with a few family members and friends under one of the most beautiful sunsets they had ever seen – they packed all the necessary things and started their dream travel.

Loren once told Alexander that before her grandmother die, she told her that was a great desire that Lorena visit Noros one day, the city where her family came from and to where she always wished to return. Noros is a small village founded in 1000 A.D surrounded by mountains, castles and monuments. She can still remember of all the times when she was a little child and her grandmother used to tell stories about the old myths of Noros before go to bed.

It was 4a.m when they left the last bag on the car trunk.

“Ready for the best 10 days of our lives?” Alexander asked.

" I’m always ready when is about staying with you.”

The closer they get, the view from their window’s car starts to change. The houses begin to rare and are replaced by trees, plantations and livestock.

A shiny sun is rising when they pass the portal of Noros and Alexander almost lose the direction of the car scared by Loren’s scream.

“Jesus Christ! Are you okay?” He looked at her trying to understand what was going on.

Stupefied, she pointed to the right side out of the road, a few meters far from them. He hold his breath while he noticed what they were seeing. Hung by wooden stakes a headless ox where bleeding out, it’s flesh almost completely torn by the vultures with the belly opened and the guts falled on the grass. Passed the first shock, they saw the head of the ox aside, it was the center of a pillar made also by wood, around the head there was a circle of burning flowers.

“What the hell is that?” Loren asked, her stomach churning at the sight of the dead animal.

“I don’t know. Have your grandma ever talked about something like that?”

“No. Not at all. Jesus!”

Alexander steps on the accelerator and only slow down when they finally reach the downtown. What was that? The couple wondered without finding a logic reason for what they saw on the road.

Besides the creepiness of before, the city was quite charming. The houses were made by stone and everyone seemed to have a pretty garden and a kind of amulet on the door. While they were driving to get to the hotel, they saw families walking with dogs, kids playing on squares and at least three churches. It was no supermarkets or shopping malls, the city seems to survive by it’s own commercial places.

They’ve decided to book a room in a hotel near a piazza, so they wouldn’t be so far from the population neither the shops and restaurants.

Arriving at the hotel, a nice old lady came to receive them showing their room and all the facilities they could find there. They couldn’t avoid noticing the same amulet behind the woman on the reception’s wall. Filled with curiosity, Lorena decided to ask what was that about.

“Oh, it’s the sign of Oggimáh.” Said Mrs. Ortiz.

“I’m sorry, but we don’t know this name.” Lorena frowned.

The woman looked at them with a soft smile, her pale blue eyes were a bit baffling, like she could see through them.

“It’ okay, she is not much known outside our community. Oggimáh is the goddess of female power, fertility, revenge, strength and lust. I believe you will see a lot about her during your stay.” By her tone they could see she was very devoted to this goddess.

“All of that? She must get tired eventually of such responsibility.” Alexander said laughing, he never believed in such thing as God, or religious entities in general. Loren was the opposite, but she knew how to don’t take his jokes personal.

That didn’t happen with Mrs. Ortiz, her smile instantly faded and she looked at him as if he was a naughty child.

“Don’t underestimate her, boy. You won’t be smiling when she meet you on your last breath.”

Feeling that it was better leave before something more awkward happen, Loren picked up the keys and grabbed Alexander’s arm leading him to their room, but curiosity took the best of her.

“Mrs. Ortiz, do you know that there is a dead ox in front of the portal of the city?” She couldn’t forget it.

“Oh my darling, it’s completely normal!” She said with an expression of joy. “The inhabitants use to do it every beginning of the spring as a gift to Oggimáh, a sign of good fortune for the season.”

The couple looked at each other concerned about the place they ended up, Loren’s grandmother never told that Noros was a such a superstitious city. What other peculiarities the place could hide? They didn’t take longer to find out…