I do not own Call the midwife BBC do, I do own Benedict and other OCs if I do not say otherwise.
The devil's mark.
Benedict Jones was a small child with deep ginger hair and big blue eyes, he like so many other children lived at the Poor Sister of St. Augustus orphanage. He was not like the other boys at the orphanage no little Benedict liked to read and was often seen with a book in front of his face, he didn't like the game that the other boys would play like wrestling or anything were you had to fight. Some of the other boys thought that he was a wimp and would often tease him about it and even beat him, the sisters at the orphanage would just tell him to fight back and not be a tattle-teller.
On the day it all happened it was a sunny spring day and Benedict was sitting and reading a good book, when someone put a hand over his mouth and many hands started to drag him to the cellar that was barely use in the summer and spring, Benedict tried to fight the older boys that was dragging him down but he was not strong enough for it and with the hand over his mouth he couldn't scream either.
The leader of the band of boys was called Frank and was nearly thirteen and a bully.
"Let's try this," he said smiling evilly and showed a terrified Benedict an old branding iron "We found it in an abandon flat and thought you Benny was the best person to try it on."
Frank and his friends laughed.
Three boys held poor Benedict down while Frank and another boy started the fire and warmed the iron in the flame till that it was red hot.
"Hold him still now and pull down his socks," Franks said and when that was done he pressed the red hot iron on poor Benedict's leg the sound of the flesh frying and the scream from Benedict could be heard till one of the boy stuffed the sock into his mouth to stop Benedict from screaming, the smell of burnt flesh started to become stronger and just as the boys had the most fun torturing Benedict fainted and with that it was no longer fun.
Frank took the iron from Benedict's leg and grinned happily when he saw the burn marks he had given then younger boy it was three perfect sixes and he know that the little boy would get punish for this not him Frank no he was the good boy who had found the devil's spawn a mad giggle could be heard and with that he and his friends ran off to play or bully someone else leaving Benedict's still form on the floor of the cellar to be found by one of the sisters of the orphanage.
It was sister Ottea that found Benedict and when she saw the three sixes she screamed high murder which summand two other Sisters who when they saw the marks saw red, one of them Sister Emma grabbed Benedict and shook him till he woke up still in pain.
"What have you done?!" Sister Emma screamed at the terrified boy she was shaking "How dare you bare the mark of the devil!"
Poor Benedict couldn't get a sound out more than a few whimper which didn't do him any good.
The sister that was left was the chef sister and she was stricter than any of the other sisters.
"Let's take the troublemaker to the kitchen and see if our Lord can get that mark away," she said and turn around and walked to the big kitchen.
The other two sisters walked after her with Benedict between them dragging him along not caring that his leg was hurting him a lot.
Benedict was scare and tears was running down his cheeks he tried a few times telling them what had happened but he just got a glare and told to stop talking about nice boys in that way.
The kitchen was biggest room in the whole orphanages and it was also were most of the punishment was deliver to the children.
The chef sister whose name was Sarah turn and glared at the poor boy who was hanging between Sister Emma and Sister Ottea.
"Sister Ottea could you boiled some holy water," She said "Boy we will get that mark from you with holy water but first take of your shirt boy, sister Emma fetch the holy belt."
Benedict paled even more when he heard that, the holy belt was a thick leather belt with a big buckle on.
Benedict got his shirt pulled off and then he was bent over the table he felt the cold air brush against his skin as Sister Ottea swapped by to grab his hands on the other side of the table to hold him still while sister Sarah took the heavy belt and with a swish she whipped Benedict with it, the buckle bit into his skin and left a red welt it had yet to draw blood but it would not be long before it would.
Sister Emma and Ottea both screamed the exorcism pray while the belt whipped him till the blood was running down his back and he felt like it was on fire he had screamed himself hoarse, he had begged them to stop and when they did and his hands was let go Benedict just sank to the floor crying softly hoping that it was all over.
"Good the holy water is hot Sister Emma hold him tight and put his leg in the metal bucket," Sister Sarah said "Sister Ottea please see to it that the fire under the bucket don't go out we will need a lot of hot holy water to bring the devil from this child."
What they didn't know was that Billy one of the oldest children of the home had been watching it all and was not happy, he was going to leave the home soon but he had taken a special liking of Benedict the little quiet child that read so much he saw him as a younger brother and to see how the sisters was beating him for something that was not his fault made Billy sick so when they had stopped the whipping and let the young boy fall down Billy rushed off to call Dr Turner for help, he feared that Benedict would if he didn't get help not survive the night.
Benedict managed to fight against the sisters for a few seconds but in the end he lost the battle and his leg with the branding was placed in the metal bucket and then scolding hot water was poured.
The scream that come from poor little Benedict's mouth was pure agony which he was in too, he tried to pull his leg out of the bucket.
"Keep him still and more holy water," Sister Sarah said and gave Benedict a slap that made his already red cheek glow even redder.
Benedict was just about to pass out when he heard a voice he had not heard before and then a voice he know so well it was his friend Billy.
"Stop this instant," the first voice not Billy's said in a strict tone. "Let the child go!"
The sisters ignored Dr Turner and tried to pour even more water onto Benedict's leg but before they could five police men come running in and managed to force the three sisters to let the poor boy go and as soon as he could Billy rushed over and grabbed Benedict and got his leg out of the scolding hot bucket of water Billy gasped when he saw the young boy's leg it was swollen and red the skin had started to fall off the leg and blood from the still fresh branding was running down it too, Benedict had fainted and for once not in pain or he was but he was unconscious and couldn't really feel it.
He picked the small boy up and ran over to where Dr Turner stood.
"Please Doctor Help him," Billy said with tears in his voice.
"Come down William," Dr Turner said calmly "I have sent for an ambulance and it will be here soon. Let me have a look at him and see if I can help him with the pain, put him on the table there."
The police men took the three sisters out and to the jail, every one of them felt sick when they saw how the young child's leg and back looked like.
Billy put the still form of Benedict on the kitchen table and Dr Turner walk over and started to examined the boy, his back was full of long bleeding whip marks from a belt, that would heal with time he did put some disinfected on it and the he move down to the leg and even he had to gasp when he saw the state of it.
"We will have to amputate that leg am afraid," he said "it is too damaged it is cooked to the bone poor child, thank you William for telling us this."
Billy just nodded he was pale and shaken over what had happened, sure the sister was strict and those three that the police had taken was a bit over the top but to nearly kill a child over something like this it made him sick.
They didn't have to wait for the ambulance to come and soon was Benedict on his way to the hospital where he would hopefully get better and survive.
Dr Turner was ride with him so that if the poor child were to wake up he could help him.
The End of first Chapter
A/N
So what do you think?
