Name: Human Skin Lantern
Rating: 5.0 (1 reviews)

Chapter 1

I stood amidst the crowd, watching the lively performance of music and song in front of the shrine. The air was buzzing with excitement.

Ricardo Barnes, the village chief, drew out his words dramatically, "Choose the Saint and sacrifice to the ancestors."

My cousin Ruby Peterson had been chosen as the Saint.

Once someone became the Saint, it meant a lifetime of serving the ancestors, never being able to come back.

Ruby, dressed in elaborate ceremonial attire, had her hands and feet tightly bound. She lay on a stretcher, waiting for the appointed time to be carried into the shrine.

Her parents looked beaming with joy.

I couldn't understand it. Ruby was about to be sent into the shrine, never to be seen again, yet her parents looked at her with pride and happiness, even more so than anyone else in the crowd.

Ricardo's gaze lingered on Ruby's exposed skin with a disturbing intensity.

The boys around clapped their hands and shouted happily.

The old priest waved his hand and shouted, "The time has come! Open the shrine!"

Several burly men stepped forward, lifting the stretcher and carrying Ruby toward the hall.

I cried as I pushed through the crowd, grabbing at her parents' pant legs. "Matthew! Jasmine! Please don't let Ruby be sacrificed as the Saint!"

But they kicked me away forcefully. "What do you know? Becoming the Saint is Ruby's great fortune. It will bring us the blessing of the lantern, ensuring peace and safety for our family. Get away from us, you little jinx! Don't ruin Ruby's blessing with your bad luck."

I tried to rush forward again to grab Ruby, but she looked at me with tear-filled eyes and silently mouthed, "Katie, go back."

After Ruby was carried into the shrine, the villagers began a lavish village banquet outside its doors, eating and drinking from noon until nightfall.

I stayed in my small room, waiting. Only when the villagers finally dispersed did I step outside.

It was already dark and there was total silence all around, with no other sounds except the barking of dogs in the distance.

I picked up a hatchet and headed toward the shrine.

During the ancestral rites, the Saint was required to stay in the shrine overnight.

By dawn the next day, all that would remain were scattered bloodstains on the ground, a red lantern inscribed with sacred talismans hanging from the beam and no trace of the Saint.

Sometimes I could hear the Saint's shrill cries in the hut.

But the villagers always said it was because the ancestors were exceedingly pleased with the Saint.

I couldn't let Ruby stay with the ancestors. I had to save her.

I slipped into the shrine. The dim candlelight flickered, casting eerie shadows. Ruby was tied to a large platform beneath the ancestral tablets.

She hadn't had a drop of water or food all day, and her lips were cracked and peeling.

I rushed to her side, raising the hatchet to cut through the thick ropes binding her.

The moment I touched her, I realized her hands and feet were ice-cold. Her wrists and ankles were torn and bleeding, the wounds horrifying to behold.

"Katie, why are you here?" Her hoarse voice broke the silence.

"Ruby, I don't want you to sacrifice."

As we struggled, I suddenly heard two old, raspy voices.

"Ruby is a lucky girl. The money they gave us is much more than before."

My heart pounded wildly. What did they mean by that?

Who were these people?

Ruby pushed me away with all her strength.

I held my breath and hid behind the platform, crouching in the shadowy space beneath the shrine tablets.

"Creak."

I didn't manage to save Ruby.

Ricardo and the old priest entered, carrying a large cloth sack between them.

The moment they stepped inside, they couldn't contain themselves, their hands roaming over Ruby's body.

"You will die there too, let me enjoy you first."

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Human Skin Lantern

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