"The devil is in her child's womb—it is her sinful spawn!" Bishop Christabella ignored Dahlia Gillespie and raised her arms in a shout.
The followers watching from the first and second floors all cried out in response, demanding that Sharon be burned to death at once.
"No, she's mine!"
Dahlia Gillespie's roar was answered by a follower's heavy punch, knocking her to the ground.
Sharon's father was still unconscious at this moment. A follower holding a wooden club had struck him in the right temple.
His head hung limply, and his right eye socket was badly swollen.
"We must hold the ritual once more and preserve our purity."
"Burn this witch, and we defeat the devil!"
"If we burn this child, we fight against the devil!"
Christabella raised both arms, turning in place as she shouted to the followers in every direction.
"Burn the child!"
"Burn the child!"
"Burn the child!" All the followers shouted excitedly, their expressions solemn and grave.
It was as though what they were doing at this moment was something immensely sacred.
"Stop! She's my daughter, not some witch!"
Sharon's father, Christopher, finally shook off the dizziness in his head and slowly regained consciousness. He discovered that he had been tied to a tall ladder.
When he saw his daughter being held captive by a filthy stranger, he immediately shouted in fury.
He struggled violently, but as an ordinary man, he was utterly powerless against the finger-thick hemp ropes binding him.
"The police are outside! You people are insane! Don't touch my daughter!"
"Let me go! Sharon, don't be afraid! Daddy's here!"
Unfortunately, no matter how loudly he shouted, the followers ignored him. They continued yelling at the tops of their lungs, their voices chaotic and disorderly.
Standing beside the spot in the center of the