Berserk Fan Fiction ❯ The Hanging Tree ❯ The Trunk ( Chapter 3 )

Note: I do not own Berserk, nor the rights to it. That belongs to Miura-Sensei.

A/N: This is where the shit that hit the fan starts to splay around everywhere.

 

 

The Trunk

Chapter 3 of 5

 

Pain and cold, that was all she felt. Why am I so cold? Sabina wanted to open her eyes, but something told her to keep them shut. Pulling her knees up to her chest, she tried to curl up into a fetal position, but her thighs ached with a constant pain. Her back hurt from lying on the hard wooden floor of her den. She guessed that she must have tossed and turned all night, but she didn't even realize that she wasn't in her own bedroom. Unconsciously trying to pull her covers closer to her she reached out for them, but her hand only found the hard wooden floor. Why am I on the floor? Did I fall out of bed? Her curiosity got the better of her and she slowly lifted open her eyelids to see the image of the ceiling come into focus.

 

Clutching her chest, she realized that her nightgown had been ripped, exposing her bare breasts. Tracing her finger along the ripped fabric, she discovered that her whole body was exposed to the open air. She started to panic. How did I rip these? Is that why I'm so cold?

 

“Mama, Papa?” her voice cracked, but no answer came.

 

Taking deep breaths, she waited for the smell of her mother's freshly baked bread to fill her nostrils like they did every morning, but only the stench of death invading her senses. A wave of nausea hit her hard as she closed her eyes and rolled over to her left side to let the bile escape her mouth. Coughing up the last bits of vomit, she opened her eyes only to regret ever doing so.

 

In her line of vision was the gaze of a dead woman lying naked on her kitchen table. Gasping, she covered her mouth and shook with fright as she recognized the woman as her mother. Darting her eyes around the room, her gaze fell upon the two mutilated bodies of her father and Mortius. Flies were already feasting on the congealing blood that spread on the floor like a lake. Crumpled bits and pieces of flowers lay motionless in the pool of blood like scattered body parts. Suddenly, the memories of what had happened last night flooded back to her like a tidal wave. She could still feel the violating touch of a man on her badly bruised body. Digging her nails into her skin, she tried to scratch out the feeling of his abuse.

 

She sat there and let the reality of the events that took place last night settle into the alcove of her mind. Her vision was starting to blur as endless streams of tears flowed down her cheeks. Her body failed to react, her mind refused to think; all she could do was cry. The tears she shed were for the many things that she had lost in the last few hours: her parents, her neighbor Mortius, and especially her innocence. She wanted to run away from the death that was fouling her den. She didn't want to see the decaying bodies of her loved ones slowly turning into food for maggots and worms.

 

Sabina tried to stand, but immediately fell down as she remembered the searing pain in her thighs. Looking down at her legs, she noticed the trail of dried blood smeared over her inner thighs. Turning her eyes away from her lost innocence, she immediately focused on her bedroom. She saw the doorframe to her room and crawled a few inches until her hands touched solid wood. Using the doorframe to support her, she brought herself to a standing position. Her legs wobbled as if she was a newborn trying to take her first steps. Carefully bringing one foot in front of the other, she edged her way closer to her room and saw her bed. It looked so inviting and welcoming with the slightly ruffled sheets and soft pillow. She knew she couldn't use the wall as support to get to her bed. She had only one chance: to push off the wall and hope her legs wouldn't fail her. She was scared to let go of the doorframe, but the warmth and comfort of her bed helped her overcome that fear as she took one step towards her goal. Suddenly, her legs buckled under her and she pushed all her weight forward only to land face first onto the soft mattress that seemed to welcome her.

 

Darkness began to take over her body as she slowly ebbed between consciousness and sleep. Her senses started to dull and she found herself curled up in a little ball as her sheets were draped loosely around her body. A loud bang alerted her senses as she heard someone shouting. Her heart rate quickened, fearing that her assailants had come back to kill her like they did with her parents. Then she heard the screams. They reminded her of her mother's last scream before she was eventually killed. Pulling the covers over her head, she tried to block out the sounds coming from the den.

 

The echo of footsteps was barely audible over her hands and sheets, but she could distinctly discern the sounds of two people calling her name. Afraid that her attackers knew her name, she remained hidden under the covers and hoped that whoever was in her house, would inevitably be her saviors rather than her end. She heard the footsteps enter her room and shook violently with fear. The touch of a person's hand on her shoulder forced her to recoil into an even tighter ball. That hand is a man's hand. He's come back to finish me off!

 

She would never had broken her defensive barrier if she didn't feel the soft gentle touch of a woman's hand trying to stroke her head. It was mainly her voice that calmed her: it was so soothing and warm as it told her that everything was going to be fine. She heard the man speak to the woman and instantly recognized his voice.

 

“I can't believe this is happening! If the men who did this to her are still here, I swear I will kill them” Dagu spoke as he watched his sister trembling.

 

“I know you're angry, but right now we need to think about the welfare of your sister. She's the only one we found alive,” Tessia said, trying to calm her husband down.

 

“You're right Tessia. You're always right,” relenting to his wife's logic. He watched his sister with a painful expression as her shaking was slowly starting to subside. Putting his hand on her shoulder, he called her name hoping that she would open her eyes.

 

“Sabina, please open your eyes,” Dagu pleaded.

 

Cautiously, Sabina cracked her eyelids open to the blurry image of a younger version of her father. “Dagu?” she said barely above a whisper.

 

“Shh, Sabina, you're going to be ok now,” Tessia coaxed with her sweet voice.

 

Sabina looked to the beautiful woman kneeling beside her brother and remembered the blond-haired beauty who had captured Dagu's heart. Her eyes were brilliant shade of blue that gave her an angelic aura. “Tessia?” she said between tears, afraid that her tattered appearance would disgust the beautiful woman.

 

Before either Dagu or Tessia could respond, Sabina flung herself onto Dagu's arms and wept. She was afraid that this was all just a dream and wanted to make sure that the two people in front of her were real. Tessia put her hand on Sabina's shoulder and she quickly reached out and grabbed it as tight as she could so she wouldn't lose her. Dagu wanted to fight back the tears that threatened to fall, but seeing that his sister was safe overwhelmed him as he relented to his emotions.

 

Tessia smiled as Sabina's sobs were dying down. She also wanted to rejoice in the safety of her sister-in-law, but knew that there was much that needed to be done. Bringing her lips closer to her husband's ear so Sabina couldn't hear, she whispered, “Honey, I think we need to take her with us. I'll get her cleaned and clothed if you could remove the bodies from the den. I don't want her to see them as we leave.” She hoped to spare Sabina's eyes from the carnage in her house; unfortunately what was unknown to Tessia was that Sabina had already etched that image forever into the recesses of her memory.

 

She watched as her husband nodded in agreement and slowly loosened the embrace of his sister and left the room. Sabina stared listlessly at Tessia as she sniffled back her last remaining sobs.

 

“Here, let me get you cleaned up,” Tessia said to the poor girl.

 

Grabbing a rag, she found a basin that Sabina probably used in the mornings and dunked it in the cool water. Wringing out the excess water, she brought the rag to Sabina's face, which was caked with dirt and blood.

 

Occasionally, Sabina would wince as the rag made its way over her bruised cheek and the cut that she had on her lower lip. She was grateful for what Tessia was doing and wanted to smile, but was afraid that it would look awkward with all the bruises and cuts she had. Her long hair was also a mess as some strands were matted against her lanky body and thin face. Uncertain as to how to thank her, she settled for a soft, “thank you.”

 

“You're welcome,” Tessia smiled as she concentrated on cleaning the girl.

 

After she had finished cleaning and getting Sabina some fresh clothes, Tessia made sure that all of Sabina's belongings were packed. She told Sabina to rest while they waited for Dagu. Tessia knew that it would take some time for her husband to bury his parents and she also wanted to give him time to mourn. Watching the sleeping figure on the bed, she felt a sudden fit of sadness overcome her. Dagu always told her stories about his sister and how she was always vibrant and alive. Tessia knew that her husband was overprotective of her and sometimes she would get jealous as he recounted the many stories of his beloved Sabina. He said that she was the most innocent person he knew. Looking down at the girl, Tessia noted that she still retained that innocent appearance, but she knew that Sabina had probably lost it during the attack.

 

Unconsciously, she clutched her stomach and cursed the attackers who had destroyed her husband's village. She felt as if an integral part of her unborn child's past had been robbed from her. Her child would never get to meet his or her grandparents and never get to see the small quaint village where she and her husband met.

 

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the doorframe. She turned around and saw her husband as he slumped his shoulders in despair and dried the tears from his eyes. “Is it done?” she asked her husband.

 

“It's done. I'll wait for you outside,” he said to his wife as he scuffled out to the door, trying to avoid the large bloodstain on the floor that he wasn't able to remove. He knew he didn't have time to properly mourn, but he hated how he wasn't here to protect everyone. He hoped that this trip would've been a joyous reunion: one where he could have told his father about the new addition to the family. He never thought he would be burying almost all of them. If only he had arrived one day earlier, then this feeling of guilt wouldn't be so overbearing. He had let his family down, particularly Sabina. Now his main priority was to take care of her: his last remaining blood relative.

 

Sabina felt Tessia nudge her lightly and she woke up to the sound of her soothing voice.

 

“We need to go now,” she said to her sister-in-law.

 

Reluctantly, she got up and followed Tessia out of her room. She paused after seeing the large bloodstain on the floor and pulled her cloak tighter around her body. Catching up to Tessia, she took her first step outside to feel the touch of the wind on her face. The sun wasn't warming her skin like it usually did since the clouds blocked their rays from reaching the wounded earth. See looked along the ground to see some wildflowers still swaying lightly with the wind. She remembered that she had intended to make a bouquet for Tessia. The flowers she picked were always the sweetest and prettiest. She wanted to inhale their sweet scent once more before she left, but her nose only caught the odor of burnt wood and flesh.

 

Perplexed, she looked to her left where her village was and saw the remnants of what was her childhood home. Most of the houses had been burned to the ground as the streets were littered with the charred remains of her neighbors. One of the houses was still burning as the skeletal structure of the house creaked eerily with the crackling of the fire. Another house collapsed under the weight of the weakened wood and was reduced to nothing but dust and ash. Her eyes welled up with tears as she clung onto Dagu's arm, afraid that he would also crumble into dust. He and Tessia were the only people she knew who were still alive and she didn't want to lose either of them, especially Dagu.

 

They cautiously walked further and further away from the village, wanting to leave all the destruction behind them. Tessia watched as Sabina clung to her brother's arm as if he was going to disappear at any minute. The tall grass they were walking through came up to her waist as she tried to keep an eye on where she was stepping, but unconsciously diverted her attention to her husband and Sabina. During one of these moments, she had tripped over something on the ground and almost fell down.

 

Dagu saw his wife trip and quickly rushed to her side. “Are you ok?”

 

“Yes, I'm fine,” embarrassed by her carelessness. She was going to turn around and see what she had tripped over, but before she had the chance, Sabina's shrill scream pierced the morning air.

 

“Crissy?” Sabina almost cried as she stood in shock of the gruesome sight before her.

 

The body was almost completely ripped apart, save the face. Her attackers had apparently dragged her body out into the field and brutalized it beyond recognition. The ground had been painted with the wild splashes of her blood. Crissy's face had strangely been left unscathed. Her white porcelain cheek and lifeless brown eyes made her look more like an intricate doll that had been attached to a broken body.

 

Dagu tried to rip his gaze away from the haunting image of the dead woman as his breaths grew more ragged each second. He had remembered the girl who had been his neighbor and first crush. He probably would have married her if he hadn't met Tessia. Everything from his past had been tainted or destroyed; even the blissful memories that he had as a young boy had been brutally taken away. Enraged and confused, he quickly grabbed Sabina and his wife by the arm and pulled them away from the death and destruction that was his childhood. He wanted to get as far away from it as possible and never be reminded of what he saw this day: but none of them would ever be able to banish that memory, no matter how hard they tried.

 

Clinging onto Dagu's arm, she nervously surveyed the houses and people around her. They had traveled for three days now and finally made it to her new home. As they made their way through the village, everyone said their `hellos' to Dagu and Tessia while eyeing Sabina curiously. Her bruises had started to slowly heal, but they were still visible on her face. Self-consciously, she hid between her brother and Tessia, shielding herself from everyone's stares.

 

Tessia put her arm around Sabina's shoulders as she watched her grip her husband's arm as if it were her lifeline. She felt so many conflicting emotions as she watched the girl. Both pity and jealousy seemed to dance around in her head as unlikely partners. She knew that these feelings would eventually pass, but one cannot forget the life she had before Sabina was ever rescued. Pushing aside her feelings, she tried to focus on the more important matter at hand, getting Sabina acquainted with her new life.

 

* * *

 

A month had passed and Sabina's physical wounds had already healed. She still clung to her brother, but slowly started to rely on him less and less. Tessia did all that she could to break the girl out of her protective shell she had built up since they found her. She tried to talk to her about the baby she and her brother were expecting and how she was going to be an Aunt. It was what they wanted to tell Sabina's parents on that fateful day. The topic would occasionally bring smiles to the young girl's face, but every so often Tessia would catch her clutching her stomach as if Sabina unconsciously knew that she was also bearing a heavy burden.

 

Dagu and Tessia knew that some people may have already suspected what had happened to Sabina, but they never mentioned the event outside of their house. They could sense the slight apprehension of the villagers towards the young girl. Dagu did his best to protect her, always putting his hand on her shoulder when they walked and making sure that she never left the house alone. It was all that he could do to keep his last living relative alive, even if seeing her reminded him of everything that he had lost. Unfortunately, his actions also had its consequences, as gossip would start to spread in the town like a virus.

 

No one can really say when it began. It just started as a feeling, something that can't be seen, proven, or heard: only felt. Slowly that feeling grew into rumor as soft whispers could be heard all around the village. The whispers would reach everyone's ear, even Sabina's. They usually came to her at night, taunting her. You carry a child. You carry your brother's child! Whore! Incestuous slut! You killed your parents and burned your village! You plan on killing Tessia to become your brother's wife! Your child is a bastard! A demon! Leave us you harlot! Sabina would try to ignore the whispers because she knew they were wrong, but as it is with rumors, they grow into gossip and eventually become what one would think is the truth; for after time, no one can discern the truth from rumor.

 

It had been six months since Sabina was rescued by her brother and sister-in-law and her belly had grown along with Tessia's. Sabina tried to hide it at first, but once the child had grown to a certain point, there was no hiding the life that was growing inside of her. The village finally found their evidence to support the rumors that had been plaguing the village. Dagu and Tessia grew more and more distant towards their young ward as the village gradually tore their relationship apart. Tessia's emotions were being stretched beyond their limits. Her pregnancy only enhanced them even more as feelings of jealousy and contempt became apparent towards her sister-in-law. She wanted to throw her out, but a part of her also said that she didn't deserve to live out in the streets all alone. Her logic told her that all the rumors were false, but emotions will typically overrule logic; all she was waiting for was a legitimate excuse to hate Sabina.

 

Not even Dagu was spared from the aftershocks of countless months of lies. The once overprotective brother had become cold and broken. He almost believed the rumors at one point and resorted to drinking to muddle his thoughts. He thought that saving his sister was the right thing to do, the noble thing. He never fathomed the consequences of his actions. It even affected his marriage as memory of the peaceful life he had with his wife six months earlier loomed over his head, mocking him. He had been quiet about these problems by bottling them up, but he was on the brink of tipping over.

 

One night of drinking became particularly heavy. He normally avoided coming home in a drunken stupor, but so many things had changed. Opening the door to his house, he staggered to his bedroom where Tessia was sleeping peacefully. He usually slipped into bed with his wife without hesitation, but tonight something stopped him. Pausing at the door, his feet led him to the door on the opposite end of the house. A solid oak door was the only thing blocking his path to his sister's room. He opened the door with little difficulty as a bit of moonlight illuminated Sabina's sleeping figure. Burning with a drunken fury, he quickly closed the distance between himself and the bed. He threw the covers off his sister and covered her mouth with his hand.

 

Sabina panicked as she felt her covers thrown off her body and large hands cover her mouth. She had had nightmares in the past of that day six months ago, but none were as vivid as this one. She felt a heavy weight on her legs, like someone was sitting on them. Opening her eyes she saw the dark shadow of a man hovering over her body. This is no dream! He's back! One of her worst fears had returned to haunt her. She wanted to call out to Dagu or Tessia for one of them to save her, but the hand over her mouth prevented her from screaming. Trembling, she felt the man's other hand rest on her protruding stomach.

 

“This is mine, isn't it?”

 

Sabina stiffened when she recognized the voice as her brother's. Confused, all she could manage to do was shake her head.

 

“You lie!” he shouted.

 

She could smell the strong odor of alcohol tainting his breath. She had heard from her father how liquor and ale could change a man, but she never thought that her brother was one of those men.

 

“Why, Sabina? Why did you have to do it? Can't you see Tessia and I are suffering? You didn't need to fuck up our lives!” he screamed as his hands wrapped around Sabina's tiny neck.

 

Gasping for air, she tried to wrench her brother's hands off her neck. Her eyes widened in a state of fear and confusion. Tears naturally made their way down her face and damped the hand that had a firm grip on her neck. She searched her brother's eyes for any sign of the Dagu that she knew and loved, but all she saw was her own frightened reflection staring back at her as she started to slowly lose consciousness.

 

Dagu watched as his sister's life was slipping away. He watched her expression of fear etched all over her face. His emotions were running madly inside his head in a heated battle. Hate, fear, love, lust, guilt; they were all fighting amongst each other while he straddled his sister and tried to take her life. His eyes leered over his sister's body and a sudden fit of desire overtook him. He broke his grip on her neck and let his hands wander over to her breasts.

 

Sabina gasped for air as she felt Dagu's hands release her neck. She thought that it was all over, until she felt his hands groping her breasts.

 

“Dagu, don't,” she said in a panicked plea. Her body shook violently as it relived the night she had her innocence and parents taken away from her. She never realized that her brother would be affected this way.

 

Upon hearing Sabina say his name, something stirred in him. His eyes started to focus and he saw the tear stained face of Sabina lying on the bed while he molested her. He wanted to stop what he was doing, but his head was spinning so violently that he started to lose focus. His lips found her neck and he slowly tasted her sweat. Lying on top of Sabina felt so comfortable and intoxicating. He let his arms wrap around the girl, careful not to put too much pressure on the baby she was carrying, and relinquished his body and mind to the alcohol pulsating through his bloodstream.

 

Sabina trembled at the sensation of her brother licking her neck in a heated passion. She tried to push him off of her body, but he pulled one of his arms around her like a lover. She was afraid that she wouldn't be able to fight him off. Hoping to prevent the inevitable, she tried once more to push Dagu off and finally succeeded. Panting, she was waiting for him to roll on top of her again, but nothing happened. She looked over at the man beside her and breathed a sigh of relief when she realized that he had passed out.

 

Her body shivered with the thought that she was almost killed and raped by her own brother. She wanted to tell Tessia, but she wasn't sure if she could or how she would take it. Before she could decide what she was going to do, the sound of fast approaching footsteps alerted her that someone else was in the room. She turned to see who it was when the sharp sting of a hand coming across her face almost threw her off the bed. Sabina covered her left cheek with her hands and looked up at her assailant, Tessia. Her ice-blue eyes were staring at her menacingly as if she were judging her.

 

Tessia had woken-up to the sound of shouting coming from Sabina's room. Pulling on a robe over her large belly, she walked out of her room to see the door to Sabina's room wide open. She woke too late to see her husband trying to kill his own sister; all she saw was his body lying on top of Sabina as he caressed her breasts. Her jealousy surfaced once again, but this time it was followed by betrayal and hatred. She had found her excuse to hate the young girl who had destroyed her life. Her mind told her that she was a harbinger of doom who wanted to annihilate the life that she and Dagu desired. She mustered all her strength and brought her hand back to strike the harlot who was ruining their livelihood.

 

“Get out of my house!” Tessia screeched like a banshee.

 

Sabina stared dumbfounded at Tessia's sudden violent action. She wanted to explain, to reason with her, but those cold-blue eyes told her that she was not in the mood to reason.

 

Acting on her anger, she grabbed Sabina's long hair and practically dragged her out of her room.

 

“Harlot! Slut! You seduced my husband!” as Tessia kicked open the door to her house and tossed the girl out like she was a filthy animal.

 

“Leave! Take your bastard child away from us! Take your curse away!” she screamed at Sabina who was kneeling on the ground in shock. Tessia grabbed the closest cloak that was hanging on the wall and threw it at the girl in anger while shouting various obscenities.

 

Sabina eyed the red cloak that had been thrown at her and quickly wrapped it around her body as she slowly stood up. Half the village heard Tessia's frantic screams and watched in eager amusement at the scene unfolding before them. Sabina looked over to the villagers for any sign of comfort or sympathy, but there was none. Hesitantly taking a few steps further away from the pregnant madwoman cursing her very existence, Sabina put her hands over her stomach protectively and ran.

 

She ran away from the house and out of the village. Tessia's frantic screams were getting fainter and fainter as her legs carried her toward the far plains. Panting, she struggled to climb a small hill that overlooked the village she had resided in for the past six months. Tears still streaked down her face as she took a last look at the town. A few lights danced in the moonlight, laughing at her. The two people who were the last remnants of her family had betrayed her. Turning her back to the village, she started to walk into the mysterious darkness of the bitter world and prayed for hope, for now she was alone.

End of The Trunk

 

(continued…)