Sun Kissed Innsmouth
Part Thirty Two
Felecia noted that none of the fence posts were leaning so severely as needing immediate attention so she continued on with her chores, feeding chickens, feeding Rachel, collecting eggs and as much milk as Rachel felt like giving up for the day. Half of the days haul went into a small pack that Felecia secured to herself before she collected up her bow and began up the lane to Phillip and Taryn’s house. She felt, and assumed she rather looked like, a character in some ridiculous children’s tale. Something about a wolf disguising itself as kin.
Somethings happened rather quickly after that life changing night for Felecia, others though? In many ways it seemed like nothing ever changed, not in the village, not for her or Phillip, and certainly not for Rotary house.
Most of the villagers were within ear shot of what happened inside the small hut. Many heard the lout beating the Conway girl, stating his clear intent to kill her instead of ransom her off. Many heard him explain between blows how he would beat her to death and mutilate her body. Many ears heard the sudden end to that confrontation. Those who could see, as few as they were, saw only what they wanted to. A crazed, armed girl, slashing and stabbing wildly at anyone who came near her. A hysterical person who was busy wounding villagers until someone stepped in and tried to put a stop to the insanity.
Felecia killed the man, of that there was no question and she was unconscious and barely breathing by the time the mob gained access to the hut and pulled her victim off of her. The knife was still lodged in his neck, the girl was covered in blood, soaked in it through her clothes.
The mob stopped being so concerned about the fiend being held in the boat launch. His captors had already done what the lout had to Felecia and worse. Mullens’ boy wasn’t going to be able to hurt anyone else, not ever again, and it was with that sense of assuredness that his watchmen left their post to see what all the commotion was about.
Phillip was past shouting commands at the villagers and had begun pushing at them and knocking down some who chose to get in the way. He was near the door of the hut when the men from the boat launch reached the hut and heard the villagers howling about a maddened murderess and how their beloved groundskeeper was taking her side against the village.
Worse and certainly longer lasting consequences could have been decided by the mob on the spot for both Felecia and Phillip save for the villagers superstitions and cowardly subservience to the name sake of Conway. Felecia had murdered, no matter the circumstances, justice demand she swing for it, but Felecia was a Conway and no one left alive in the village felt capable enough to be the one to put a noose around her neck.
After several agonizing minutes it was decided that Felecia would likely die on her own, she was after all unconscious and barely breathing. The villagers decided to let fate decide, so long as fate was on their side. The hut door was closed, no thought given to the whereabouts of its former occupants. No guards were posted as the mob turned its full attention and ire on their beloved groundskeeper.
Phillip never took a life that night, or since, much to his credit. The groundskeeper did however beat several village men near to death, permanently crippling a few of them in the process, as he fended off the growing mob that kept him away from Felecia and then began surrounding him with sinister intent.