That Time I Took Down A Cult, page 1
That Time I Took Down A Cult
REBEL CARTER
Copyright © 2024 by Rebel Carter
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Edited by Luna Girl.
Cover Magic by Kimberly Lemming.
Let this book serve as a reminder to never ever join a cult, not even when the demon god is smokin’ hot.
Contents
Author’s Note And TW List
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Also by Rebel Carter
Author’s Note And TW List
Hi Bestie!
Thank you so much for picking up That Time I Took Down A Cult. This book is a Cozy Dark Romance full of camp, tender moments and plenty dark humor that I hope will have you smiling the entire way through. There are few books that I’ve written in my life that have given me such joy and happiness, and this book is one of them.
While this is a bonafide book of my heart please know there are trigger warnings to be aware of, bestie.
That Time I Took Down A Cult contains sexually explicit scenes, to include include public masturbation. There are references to emotional abuse, sexual abuse and coercion(not shown or on page), as well as on page violence, gore, misogyny, murder and mutilation, parental murder, throwing of severed heads, brainwashing, and human sacrifice.
I hope you love this book but read with caution because there’s nothing more important than you!
Love y’all <3
Chapter
One
I LAY ME DOWN TO SLEEP AND IF MY SMILE SHOULD BREAK, I PRAY MY SOUL WRATH TO TAKE.
“Are you shitting my dick?”
“Those better not be your wedding vows, Buffy.”
“I mean…”
“Buffy!”
I grin at Meadow and wave her off while I go back to applying my lipstick. It’s a rosy pink that goes perfectly with my tawny skin, a lucky thing seeing as there are only six approved colors sold in town. It’s not my favorite color, but it is the one I use the most. The red would have been a better choice, but that would have been…too bold for a Blossom on her wedding day.
Blossoms are perfect and I will be perfect, even if the Witch of the Woods says otherwise.
“You think you’re a perfect, pretty, pretty Blossom, but you’ll be nothing but dust under their heels. Crushed in the flower of your bloom. Such a waste.”
I wasn’t supposed to see the witch today, but magic is funny that way. The Witch of the Woods comes and goes as she pleases. We all know that, it’s why we stay out of the woods. But I wasn’t even in the woods when she spoke to me, which seems like a major cheat on her part.
If she can teleport anywhere she wants then what’s to stop her from catching you in the bathroom or when you’re struggling to parallel park? Nothing, that’s what.
Totally not fair.
When the Witch of the Wood caught me, I was walking down Main Street with a basket of fresh laundry my mother had just washed, meant for the school. I was almost there, too. I wouldn’t have even been caught by the Witch in the first place if I knew how to drive, but I’d never learned. Not completely, at least. Not without hitting the curbs in town. Why were there so many curbs here, though?
We are one small town, with one cult to its name. The amount of curbs there are to hit the side of in my father’s car is excessive. I’m not even saying that because I can’t drive. Luckily, my wedding day is meant to be perfect, which means today was the perfect day for a walk and that’s why I’d volunteered for it when all the other Blossoms were resting.
The sun shone bright and the birds were singing while children played in sight–a true treat of a day. I stopped and turned my face up, soaking up the sun with my eyes closed until I felt the cold wind of the witch blow over me as she spoke.
When I opened my eyes and looked, she was there, just a blink really, with a gnarled finger and a sneer in my direction.
“What do you mean? Under whose heel?” I asked, like an idiot. You never speak to witches, everyone knew that. Dumb Buffy.
“Pretty, foolish, Blossom. You’ll see when they pluck your petals off tonight, you smiling fool.”
Then she was gone.
Having magic doesn’t mean she’s right. Besides, Wrath has far more magic than she does.
Everyone knows that.
“I’d never do that, Meadow,” I say, my eyes on the tube of red lipstick sitting so close, yet so far away. My fingers itch to touch it, but I won’t. Nothing will ruin tonight, not even the Witch of the Woods and her cryptic popping in whenever she pleases. I don’t care how Arcane and Ominous she is, she doesn’t know what she’s talking about.
Meadow tips her head to the side and looks me over like she doesn't believe me, which is fair. She knows me too well. Meadow Atlier is my best friend and a Blossom, like me. Which makes this her wedding night, too. I’m so happy I get to share my night with her. She raises an eyebrow at me and her lips almost turn down into a frown when I lift my eyes from the lipstick to look at her and her wobbling smile.
“Wouldn’t you?”
“Don’t ask questions you don’t want to know the answer to,” I tell her, dropping the pink tube of lipstick onto the dressing table with a flick of my wrist. The tube bounces and spins on the smooth wooden surface of the table and I let my lips curve into my long practiced smile. Now is not the time to let my smile break over something as silly as lipstick.
I’m about to marry the most handsome man in town. The smartest man in town. The man every girl wished would get down on one knee for her. Yet the Founders made me a Blossom and made the match.
They chose me.
Me. I’m the chosen one.
I’m the one marrying Callum O’Hare. Having my wedding night with him is a dream come true. I’m a virgin like every Blossom and Callum is my Prince Charming. He’s tall and strong with blond hair that shines like gold in the sun and green eyes that make me think of springtime. I’ve never seen a more beautiful man than Callum, which might not sound like much when you’re a member of a cult, but it counts for a lot to me. The other Blossoms have gushed about how lucky I am to have Callum as my first. We’ve always been chaperoned when we were together, but there have been a handful of almost kisses and handholding.
“I think I love you, Buffy.” He’d said after the Autumn Harvest Festival last year. I can’t wait to visit this year's festival with him next week as his wife. Callum means what he says to me too, I can tell. I know Callum will make tonight perfect.
I know it.
Callum is the first son of the O’Hare’s, the most powerful family in town. They were the ones to first set down their claims in Sweet Tooth. We wouldn’t have our town, cult, or community without them.
I wouldn’t have tonight.
The O’Hare’s are so powerful there isn’t a thing denied to them. Not a council seat or board they don’t have the final say in. After tonight, my family will join them. The Martinez’s won’t be the laughing stocks of Sweet Tooth for a day longer after tonight. Even though I know that, there’s a feeling I can’t shake.
It’s the Witch of the Woods.
Damn her.
Her words feel sinister now that night has fallen. It was easy to ignore her when the birds sang and the sun still shone, but now her words are all I can hear. The harder I try to forget, the more they loom over me and give today’s joy a bitter taste in my mouth.
“You smiling fool.”
“Buffy, your smile, be careful,” Meadow warns and shakes a finger at me. I fight not to jump, but do it anyway, smashing my elbow into the dressing table. Her finger looks so like the Witch’s that it's impossible not to flinch, but she doesn’t notice and goes back to straightening her plain white wedding dress. It’s floor length with a modest scooped neck and capped sleeves. I have the same dress on. There wasn’t anything to decide on when it came to our wedding dresses. The Founders chose the dresses. While it left a lot to be desired, there was no way around it. Blossoms didn’t get to choose their dress—no one in Sweet Tooth did.
“You didn’t tell me what you thought about my new saying,” I remind Meadow when she looks like she’s going to lay into me. I want to think about my stolen words from the Outsiders, not worry about the witch’s bu
It means nothing.
Nothing.
Blossoms usually ready themselves alone, but it’s an obvious choice to do it with Meadow, so I snuck in from my dressing room. She’s the closest thing I have to a sister. I’m an only child and so is Meadow, so it works out perfect that we’re best friends. Even though we’re both Blossoms, her family is different. Her dad didn’t fall in love with an Outsider and marry her. Meadow’s dad married the second daughter of the Smith founding family, which is a pretty big deal. She’s worried about me tonight because, even if we’re both chosen, I’m different.
The Martinez’s haven’t mattered since my father took his vows with an Outsider.
The only time my mother is valuable to the Founders is when they can trot her out as a cautionary tale to anyone that tries to step out of line. She’s the woman that begged to join Sweet Tooth because of how cruel the Outside is. She’s proof that life out there just doesn’t work. Why we need the Founders to keep us safe.
I still want to see the world, though. There’s so much beyond Sweet Tooth, I know it. The Outsiders remind me every work assignment I have in the flower shop or the hot springs. We’re known for both, with exclusive deals with every tourist company in the area.
Why anyone would want to come see Sweet Tooth, I don’t know. I’ve dreamed of leaving it and the Cult of Wrath for as long as I’ve known the Outside exists. I’ve tried to ask my mother about it, but she gets tight-lipped and changes the subject. Just like when I ask her about where my name came from.
She named me, just like every mother in Sweet Tooth does, but there’s no one else in town named Buffy and I can’t find a record of it in any of the Sweet Tooth lineage ledgers. Wherever Buffy came from, I know it was from the Outside. Sometimes mother slips up when she thinks she’s alone at home and I hear the ghost of who she was before she came to Sweet Tooth. She’s really into Christ on a Cracker and missing something called White Claws, which I think are the pastries Ms. Donna and Ms. Fisher are in charge of making Sunday mornings when we know the biggest groups of sightseers are scheduled to visit town.
“Buffy, I swear to Wrath,” Meadow huffs.
“It’s a winner. You know it is,” I insist.
Shitting my dick is solid gold, I know it. Even if Meadow isn’t saying it, she does too. It’s a saying I heard from the Outsiders when I was helping in the flower shop two days ago. It was my last assignment before my wedding. I’ve committed all their sayings to memory. Some I know better than others or get wrong, but I won’t be forgetting shitting my dick, just like I won’t forget to find out what a Waffle House is when I leave Sweet Tooth.
Whatever it is, it has to be psychotic…but with waffles. What else would they serve with a name like that?
That basically makes it the Promised Land.
I won’t work when I’m married. The O’Hares will send me to the city with Callum. We’ll have such a perfect life in the city. Every Blossom that’s been sent to the city loves it and will be there to show Meadow and me how everything works. I think that’s my favorite part. That I’ll get to share it with Meadow and that Sweet Tooth won’t be too far away. I’ll learn how to drive and never hit a curb again, not even when I have to parallel park.
My life will be good and perfect.
My parents will visit and maybe my mother will finally tell me what a White Claw is. It’s going to be amazing. It’ll be nothing but red lipstick and waffles as far as the eye can see. No Witches popping up with warnings ever again.
I can’t wait.
“Fine. I like it,” Meadow mutters and pats her hair. “It’s got a certain charm. I’ll admit it.”
“So much charm. Oodles of it,” I say and wiggle my fingers at her as I come to stand beside her. She rolls her eyes at me when she hears ‘oodles’. It's another stolen word from Outsiders, but even so she smiles at me and this time it’s real.
“Tons of charm.” She takes my hand and gives it a squeeze. “Everything is going to change tonight, Buffy.” She’s marrying Roy Aguirre. He doesn’t compare to Callum, but he’s nice enough. A little boring, but maybe Meadow will liven him up with time.
I squeeze her hand. “I know.”
The mirror in front of us shines bright with our reflection. Meadow’s auburn hair and my jet black hair stand out against the stark whiteness of our dresses. Dressed identically, we could pass for sisters and the thought warms me through. The glow of it and Meadow’s hand in mine pushes back at the heavy feeling the Witch’s words gifted me.
Her warning is nonsense. I am no fool.
Tonight I meet my destiny and become a Blossom Bride. It’s what I was meant for all of my life. It’s a dream come true to finally fulfill my rite as a Blossom with Meadow at my side. There’s a knock at the door and I give a little excited shimmy while Meadow joins me with a giggle. We answer the door together, not even bothering to hide that I snuck in from next door.
The usher—Mister Carmichael—scowls at seeing me. Next to him is Miss Fisher, who’s banging on my door and calling my name with a strained smile in place.
“Buffy, please answer the door. Now is not the time for cold feet, my dear. Callum is waiting for you,” her voice is pleasant, more of a song than anything else and she jumps when Mister Carmichael snaps his fingers at her.
“She’s here,” he mutters. The men don’t have to smile in Sweet Tooth. It’s just the women and girls that have to pay our tithes in smiles.
Relief floods Miss Fisher’s face and she comes forward with a bright smile in place. “Ladies, ladies, ladies, you know the rules. You were meant to stay apart tonight.”
“We’re sorry,” Meadow and I apologize in unison, but Mister Carmichael waves us off.
“Not much time left anyhow. Let them play,” he grumps and gestures for us to head down the hallway where the other Blossoms are falling in line. I wave at another girl, Lylah, who beams at me as she hurries to take her place in front of me. The hall is full of familiar faces, all women that I’ve known my whole life. Each one a Blossom chosen for The Reaping.
It’s with smiles and giggles that we head down the hallway to meet our husbands and begin the most valuable service a Sweet Tooth woman can do for the cult. Every year Blossoms are Reaped, to marry in Wrath’s name.
There is no greater honor than to be chosen.
I’m so lucky I was chosen. Thankful for the chance to bring honor to my family and to be able to become a wife. It’s the only thing I’ve ever truly dreamed of for myself.
“All right my beautiful Blossoms. Follow me, it’s time to meet your husband,” Miss Fisher’s voice trills through the hall and we all fall silent. This is the moment we’ve dreamed of since we were chosen as children. When we start down the hall, it’s with our heads held high and our hearts full. Even when Mister Carmichael glares my way, I smile like I always do. This time it’s even easy.
Nothing will stop me from being the best wife ever dedicated to Wrath.
Chapter
Two
The walk through the Hall of Worship and into the night is quiet. It’s also faster than I would have thought it would be. For the past five hundred years, the Founders’ Circle is where all Blossoms become true brides and it’s where Meadow and I will join them. She’s just behind me and even though Mister Carmichael glares at us and Ms. Fisher smiles nervously as she walks up and down the line ushering us towards the forest that holds the Founders’ Circle, I still reach back for her hand.
There’s nothing but the full moon shining to light our way. The moonlight makes the stones we walk on light up like gemstones. All around our path is darkness, but each stone shines bright. It’s just like Meadow and I imagined it would be. My heart feels like it’s going to leap out of my chest until Meadow squeezes my hand.
I hold it tight as we step into the trees single file and walk the white stone path that leads us to our grooms. Beyond these trees are the hot springs we’re famous for. Outsiders from all over come to enjoy the healing waters of Sweet Tooth. We’re blessed by Wrath for our obedience. For our smiles that never falter and serve as currency to our god.
The god that I’ll meet tonight when I become a bride. Only a precious few are allowed to look upon Wrath and only ever the Blossoms.
