Tenant Two

Slaughter is a religious experience. Your blood sacrifice is accepted by the merge.

The knife wound in the woman's stomach cannot be healed. She knows this. Still, she clamps her hands over her stomach and prays that the Luminary will take pity on her, that he'll change his mind about her sins. She didn't want to come here. She didn't want to be a part of this. . . this. . . cult. But sometimes, the choice is not our own.

"A blood sacrifice," The Luminary purrs. "At such a perfect time."

Someone grabs the woman from the back, lifting her despite her injuries. She's bleeding all over the floor, her strength dripping out of her with every second, but still, she fights. She fights as much as she's able, as much as her body lets her, but it isn't enough. They slam her on top of the long tables, where dinner is served often, where she'd sat only this morning and ate a breakfast of toast and eggs.

Her life starts to ebb as she bleeds too much, all over the table where children eat.

Someone reaches in with a knife and cuts a filet from her stomach, making her gasp in horror and pain. Her vision goes fuzzy, but the Luminary's smile is clear as he leans over and whispers, "Your blood sacrifice is accepted."

He tilts his head back and consumes her.

He laughs and laughs and laughs as he slices more away and feeds her to the others.