Birthday From Hell

Ruby bellowed and cussed as she was roughly shoved onto a cross and tied to it.

And to think- all this because she'd been jumped by some puriteens and had the nerve to fight back- and win!

Her parents couldn't stand the negative attention, despite Ruby not being at fault, and her mother had the perfect solution. Ruby had been shipped off to Louisiana, to spend the summer with her strict grandmother.

From the minute the town had seen her they'd hated her. She'd heard the whispers and felt the glares. Her grandmother bitching about her during her Saturday Bible study . . . Always being singled out when forced to attend church.

But she never thought this could happen!

The preacher of the church strolled up to the platform she was tied on. He hardly spared her a glance, back to her as he stretched out his hands.

"Is there any who feels pity for this child?" His voice was reedy, but clearly heard over Ruby's cries. No one spoke up.

"Good." Preacher nodded sharply. "You see the truth before your eyes . . . This is no girl! But an abomination!" His voice, quiet at the start, had quickly risen into a wavering holler that roused the crowd.

"She came to this God fearing town to try and tempt our children into Satan's flock! But God's power will ALWAYS triumph!" The crowd was whipped into a frenzy, calling to burn her, kill her.

"You can't do this!" Ruby tried to sound strong, but her voice cracked.

The preacher merely smiled. "Oh, why, will somebody report you missing? Our respected Sheriff will write up the report detailing how you ran away the minute you became a legal adult."

The Sheriff stood just to the right of the platform, a sick smile on his face, holding a gas canister.

"Kill her Preacher! Cleanse my family tree of that filth." Ruby's grandmother called shrilly. Preacher bared his teeth in amusement.

"Sheriff, if you would please hand me the canister?" The preacher's hands reached for the gas canister, and Ruby tried again to plead with the mad man.

"No, no- listen don't do this," Ruby babbled as the pungent smell of fuel struck her nose. "Let me go and I swear I'll leave this town- Please-!" A stinging slap to the face cut her off, a sharp gasp escaping her.

"Accept your fate with dignity." Preacher told her coldly, and started tipping over the can, gas spilling out over her body.

"Let us pray . . ." Preacher requested, and reached into his pocket for a wooden match.

"Please," Ruby gasped.

Preacher lit the match. "Oh, yes . . . Ruby . . . Happy Birthday." with one last chilling smile, he flicked the match forward. With the amount of gas used, it took seconds for Ruby to be engulfed, and milliseconds after that for her guttural screams to fill the night.

The prayers rose above her dying screams, jubilation and worship filling the hearts of the townsfolk as they watched Ruby die in the name of their God. Surely He must be pleased, for never had they seen a brighter fire, almost sapphire in color- as if it was fire from Heaven sent to purge the evil from God's green Earth.

As one, they said their last Amen.

The fire suddenly vanished. The flames, the heat, all gone, as if sucked into a vacuum. Ruby's body still hung on the pyre but it didn't look as it should? The hair was gone, yes, and her skin was cooked to a midnight char but . . . other than that, she looked . . . whole.

"What in God's name . . ." Preacher heard the Sheriff whisper, and had half a mind to scold him. Preacher looked at the Sheriff, but before the two could utter a word, a soft voice broke the silence.

"Oh . . . you made a big mistake."

The two men whipped around with shouts, and they watched the head of Ruby lift up, and her eyes open. Her eyes, once brown, were now the most bold yellow, like a daisy's center. Those eyes slid over the horrified crowd, before her mouth cracked open to grin. Preacher's face lost all its blood as he took in her shark-like teeth.

"She's a witch! A real witch!" Someone screamed.

"No dumbass." Ruby sighed, and with a grunt she leaned forward, the burnt ropes off her like snipped ribbons. Her clothes had all been burnt in the fire, leaving her in nothing but her new skin as she brushed away the remaining soot and char. She swept her hands over her scalp and new hair tumbled down in their wake.

"You- you are . . ." Preacher suddenly mumbled, trembling. "A demon."

"Oh, you'll be seeing a real demon tonight!" Ruby promised gleefully.

". . . The Anti-Christ!" Preacher whispered, legs suddenly giving out underneath him. He dearly wished to run, but he felt too heavy to move, and could only stare up at her horrible yellow eyes, even as he heard the townsfolk screaming and begging God.

"Oh, no," Ruby waved away the thought like a gnat. "Not that high up . . . Dad's strong though, and surprisingly protective."

Preacher might have asked who her father was, or if her mother and grandmother knew. Preacher might have done a lot of things, but he couldn't-

Because Preacher's head had been ripped clean off his body by a clawed hand that came from the darkness. Slowly, her eyes moved up from Preacher's head to lock onto an identical pair that shone in the dark. Those eyes squinted in an obvious sign of happiness and winked at her.

"Happy Birthday, honey." Her father's voice sounded like every horrible scream and every velvet whisper that had ever trapped a human soul. Ruby beamed, and watched her father as he stalked towards the whimpering townsfolk.

I hope you enjoyed this story! If so, perhaps you'd like its predecessor Love is Killer. Please like and share this story, and have a good one!