The Ritual

One by one, people were ripped from their homes in the city. Fingernail scratches dotted the tops of doorways, second-story windows were shattered, evidence of women, children and men clutching in vain for dear life. Curiously, despite the shower of glass, wood and blood in each foyer, every bed was made perfectly. Everyone was brought to a clearing, hovering up above the treeline, suspended in mid-air. Struggling only caused them to spin slowly in place, as if they were impaled by some invisible bar throu