Devrie Spaulding's Blog, page 8

THEY CAME Part 4

 

I struggled to release my rescuer’s grip. They were so strong, nothing I did helped. I was drug backward and kept low. When it was clear I wouldn’t scream out or fight back, they released me. I couldn’t see how tall anyone was because we were on the ground, but the man who had saved me from myself placed one finger to his lips, then gestured for me to follow.

 

We went around to the back of an abandoned cowboy store. From the front door, I could see rows of boots and trench coats. No one dared to loot any of the store. They were all closely monitored. The aliens knew we would need supplies and made sure they were the ones to give it, even if it was meager. That group of humans must have tried their luck and failed. My thoughts kept returning to that little girl. I wanted to go back but couldn’t.

 

The man stood up now to his full, almost six-foot height. Dirty brown hair pulled back into a pony tail still hung in his mud streaked face. All of the four people with us dressed in a menagerie of different clothes, pants, and overshirts hanging from soiled shirts. I didn’t look like the resistance was doing too well.

 

He still didn’t speak to me, just kept a finger to his mouth. Gun fire erupted from where we had been. Screams and high-pitched screeches could barely be heard over it.  I tried to run around to the front, but he grabbed me and held me tight again. I looked up into his face. He slowly shook his head, no.  The other held their guns at the ready surrounding us.

 

No sooner had the fire fight started. It ended. A single shot rang out, and then all was quiet. The man let me go for the most part but held my wrist. He led me back around to the front. What I saw was a shock, to say the least.

 

All the aliens were dead. A group of about twenty humans had attacked and killed them somehow. Three were currently working on releasing the humans. The little girl who plagued my mind stood stock still looking down at her dead father while one of them fiddled with the lock on her chains. She no longer cried or blinked for that matter.

 

A blonde older woman walked over to her and took her in her arms. The girl let her but still kept her gaze on her father. She did so until a group of men surrounded him in order to block her view. Her tears began again.

 

A yank on my arm drew my attention away. Someone was talking to me. “Huh? Wha-?”

 

“Are you ok, ma’am? Are you hurt?” His mild voice could have come from anyone. It was so normal.

 

I blinked rapidly. “No, I’m not hurt. I’m ok. What just happened?”

 

“We took out one of their recon groups. We heard there was a small group of people and that they were headed this way. We got here as soon as we could, but not soon enough.” His eyes briefly wandered over to the man on the ground. “We knew there was a gifted among them but had no idea it was a child.”

 

“Would you have helped them even if there wasn’t a… gifted with them?” My anger grew. What if they would have let them all be taken or killed? What kind of resistance is that?

 

He smiled. His teeth were strangely white. “Of course, we would have saved them. No human deserves to be their slave.” He reached out his hand after adjusting his rifle. “Hi, I’m Doug.”

 

I rubbed my hand on my pants before extending it to him. “Hi, I’m Debby.” It wasn’t my name, but I didn’t know these people. When he gave me my hand back, I walked over to one of the deceased aliens. I had to see how they killed it. Something like this shouldn’t even be possible, not with their suits. They all lay on their faces, and from what I could see, there wasn’t a single hole in them. Some of the metal has been dinged, but no bullets made it through.

 

Doug used his foot to roll one over for me. That’s when I saw how they did it. These aliens couldn’t function without a face, and that was the only thing not truly covered in armor. Their face shields didn’t have any metal, and now his alien didn’t have a face.

 

THEY CAME Part 3

A week later, I was hiding under a small bush in the rain. The things I saw along the way would haunt me forever. Mass graves filled with the old and useless littered the landscape. Dead bodies with burn marks to scalps lay crumpled everywhere. Yet, in all this morbid death, I still hadn’t found any signs of the resistance.

To be this close to any alien hub was suicide but I was desperate. My supplies were running low, and I was in dire need of a weapon. From my hiding place, I could see rows of booted feet marching by in the mud. One set stopped just to the side of where I hid, causing my breath to catch. Sounds of gears creaking reached my ears. The muscularly lean alien tightened his grip on a laser rifle clenched in human like hands.

I risked a glance up through dripping leaves to get a better look at the creature before me. His body tensed and flexed beneath a Kevlar type body suit. Gears and rods ran the length of his body, giving added strength to his already powerful form. An oxygen mask clung to a humanoid face obscuring his nose and mouth but leaving those angry black eyes free to scan the area. One gloved hand rose to rub his bald scaly head. Pointed brown jaws clenched and unclenched. He took one more step closer to my position, and I knew I’d been found.

Just as he reached down to separate the leaves, a loud commotion erupted from a few yards away. The alien took off at a run to join up with six more of his kind and two of ours. They lead a small party of captives into the area. Each one was chained wrist to feet and looked as if they had been severely beaten. Men, women, and children alike shuffled with heads lowered.

With baited breath, I watched one of the prisoners fall to the ground. One alien, clearly not a soldier but a scientist in his light grey bio-suite, towered over the fallen man while the others shoved the crowd of humans back. To my astonishment, the scientist didn’t yank him back up to his feet. He simply stared down at the weakened human like a lion would stare at his newly fallen meal.

Just as I repositioned myself for a clearer view, the man’s body went into uncontrollable spasms. The convulsions were so intense that he couldn’t even scream. However, a young girl no older than five years old yelled out from the other prisoners. She tried desperately to break free and reach the man she was calling DaDa.

The scientist turned his gaze from the thrashing father to the screaming girl. His eyes scrunched up in concentration as the girl’s widened, but nothing else happened. Tears streamed down her tiny face, but she never hit the ground. Confusion quickly replaced the alien’s expression.

Uneasiness squirmed through my stomach. How could a five-year-old block the mental attacks of our captors? It’s been proven throughout the takeover that their psychic assaults don’t always work, but for a mere child to resist was astounding.

The child’s screams brought my attention back to the captives. One of the human guards held a gun to her father’s head, and I watched in horror as the trigger was pulled. I knew there was nothing I could do, but my muscles tightened in preparation anyway. If I got caught, my sister and her husband would never see freedom, but how could I lay here and do nothing? The war raged inside me until finally, when I was just about to spring from my hiding space, a pair of strong hands covered my mouth while also pulling me backward.

I fought to release myself from whoever held me. The fear of being discovered and killed nearly had me free when I glimpsed a handmade drawing on a completely human chest depicting a little green alien face crossed out in red.

The resistance had found me.

 

 

SIREN’S MISTAKE PART 4

It had been a very long day. Three cars came in with major engine issues, so it was night by the time Andy walked into the lobby of her apartment complex. Several women chatted next to the wall of mail boxes. They were friends of hers. They usually went for drinks every Friday night. Too bad it was only Monday.

 

“Hey ladies. How’s it goin’?”

 

“Oh, hey Andy! Looks like you had a rough day.” That was Rosie. She was the rowdy one of our group.

 

“Yeah it was. I am gonna go soak in my tub with a very large glass of whiskey.” Andy started to hit the button on the elevator but paused. “Hey, Rosie, Michelle. What do you think of that new guy? The one who moved in on my floor.”

 

“What new guy?” Michelle quirked up one well manicured eye brow.

 

“I think his name is Zagan. He’s cute and has an accent.” Crap, she just called him cute. They are gonna never let her live that down. Andy never expressed what she thought of a guy’s looks.

 

Rosie caught the slip up. “Cute, huh? You think he is cute? Now I gotta see this guy. What apartment number?” 

 

“I don’t remember. I’ll have to look when I pass it by in a bit.” Now she pressed the button. When the doors whooshed open, Andy waved goodbye and went in.

 

On her floor, she stepped out, turning to her apartment. Making sure she didn’t forget, Andy counted the door numbers. “310… 311… 312… 313…” When she got to his, there wasn’t a number on his door. “Hmmm. Must be a maintenance thing.” She kept going to the next door. “314? Wait… what?” Andy back peddled to his door and the one before it. “The hell?” How could there be a door between 313 and 314? That just wasn’t possible.

 

Andy heard the unmistakable sound of locks clicking open from the other side of his door. Her heart beat in her chest, and panic fogged her brain. She would look like a stalker if he caught her right here by his door.

 

As quietly as she could, Andy ran the rest of the way to her door. Fumbling for the keys, like a noob on a movie, her door was finally open. She closed it quickly but accidentally slammed it shut. The locks slid in place easily. Her breath couldn’t seem to fill her lungs. The thumping of each heartbeat felt like its last.

 

When she finally had her composure back, Andy dropped her backpack and headed to the living room. A loud knock on the door caused her to jump a foot off the ground and squeal like a school girl. That only made the knocking become louder.

 

From the other side, his voice boomed. “Andy? Are you ok? Andy? Open the door. I heard you scream.”

 

Well, hell. Now she had to open the damn door. With a groan, Andy walked back to it and unlocked each bolt. The door swished open. His panic filled face met hers. “Andy! Are you unharmed? I thought I heard you pass by my apartment and was going talk to you, but then your door slammed. I was worried so I came to see if you were fine. Then you screamed. What is wrong?” His words came out in a rush of almost unidentifiable accent.

 

“It was more of a squeak than a scream, really.” Andy tried humor to calm him down. It seemed to work a little. His eyes roamed over her body, causing her to blush. “Hey, eyes up here.”

 

Zagan seemed to understand the situation and blushed as well. “I am sorry. I did not mean to offend you. I was simply worried about your well-being.”  

 

How could she be angry with that. This man. He was gonna be the death of her. “It’s ok. I just had a rough day.”

 

“Would you care to discuss this day with me?” His dark eyes lit up under locks of black hair.

 

“Why the hell not.” Andy stepped back to give him room to enter. “Come on in.” She sure hoped she didn’t have any under things laying around.

 

DON’T GO

 

She was gone. Well, everyone was gone, but she was truly gone. My oldest was dead. My angel.

 

When everyone else left me after she passed, they left a huge mess. There were piles in each room. I tried to go through them, but each time, I came across something of hers. Tears always followed and me passing out on the floor from exhaustion.

 

Even when I slept, I didn’t rest. My dreams were filled with her and the longing to have her back. Passing out with tears, waking up in tears, that was my life now.

 

The only one to come to me was one of my oldest friends. That was, of course, after I had been nearly beaten to death by a family member. I am not sure why that happened, but it did, and only days after my child’s death. My arm was swollen in two places. I couldn’t see out of my right eye. Several ribs were cracked, and I was covered in bruises.

 

She came over to try and help me get to a hospital. Her job was a hard one. I didn’t want to leave the house. All of my daughter’s things were here. What if they disappeared when I was gone? What if she really wasn’t dead and she came back but I wasn’t here?

 

My friend was dragging me to the front door. I fought her with all I had. She left me right at the entrance so she could unlock the door and take me to her car. I looked down at my arms. The red swelling was getting worse.

 

Suddenly, someone else was embracing me. Her long blonde hair fell down her back. I gripped her as tight as I could. There was no way I would let go this time. Her tears blended with mine.

 

“I love you mom.”

 

“I love you, too. Don’t leave me again.”

 

“I have to. You have to let me go.”

 

“I can’t. I won’t. Don’t go.”

 

She began to pull away but I held her tighter. I cried harder than I ever had. “No! You can’t leave me. Don’t leave me.” Her form started to dissipate in my arms. “No…No…”

 

“I love you mom. I will be waiting for you.”

 

And she was gone….

 

I awoke in the same tears I had been crying in my dreams, yelling ‘NO’ as loud as I could….

 

THEY CAME Part 2

 I knew terrible things. When they came and took my sister, everything got worse. Sure, the aliens taking over Earth was bad enough, but at least they put my family together. Now it was not. She and my brother-in-law were somewhere in the night sky aboard a flying machine forced to work alongside the creatures that conquered us.

The things I knew were not pleasant. I knew they would dispose of them after their use was all dried up. I knew I had to get them back. I also knew that I would have to kill in order to do that. The rest of my family couldn’t be involved, though. They had been through too much. A resistance had to be out there somewhere, and I was determined to find them and join, but only if it got my sister and brother back. Otherwise, I would do it alone.

I adjusted my backpack after one last look at the prison my family called home, the house that was forced upon us in order to best utilize our skills for those bastards’ purpose. Below me ran a wide river where forced labor took place during the day. That, apparently, was my skill, but not anymore. My new skill would be to take them down and return the two people that meant more to me than my own life.

With a heavy sigh, I took the next step away from everything I knew and one more towards the unknown.

SIREN’S MISTAKE

Andy got out of bed the next day. It all seemed like a dream. The day before and meeting that guy.  What even was his name? She never got one from him. She groaned loudly. “I made such an ass of myself.”

 

She walked to her kitchen for some much-needed coffee. Andy’s mind kept going to the new tenant. She shook her head to try and clear it. “Get a grip, Andy.” Sipping her coffee as she made some breakfast at the stove, she nearly burnt the eggs. They were definitely well done now. “Ugggg. Gotta eat them anyway. What the hell is wrong with me?”

 

Continuing with her morning routine, she got dressed and made her lunch for the day, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Her mind still kept showing her flashes of him. Even shaking her head wasn’t working anymore.  Wearing the usual jeans and a button-up shirt with hiking boots, Andy walked out her door and locked it. She unconsciously looked down the hall to his door. It stood happily closed.

 

The elevators were just on the other side of his door, however. So, nearly tip toeing passed his door, Andy made it to the elevators. Just as she pushed the down button, the air shifted behind her. She let out a small sigh. Making it out was too good to be true.

 

“Hello there, Sha.” His deep accented voice sent chills down her arms. Was that a good thing or bad?

 

Andy turned to face him. “Hey. How are you doing this morning? Get all settled in?” Andy made sure not to make eye contact. One dose was way too many as it was.

 

“I did. Thank you. I would like to pay back your kindness.” He reached out a hand and tried to place it on Andy’s shoulder. She flinched back reflexively. The man didn’t seem to take offense. “So, I never got your name.”

 

The ding of the elevator caused Andy to jump. This was very much unlike her normally self-assured manner. As she turned to enter, he held out a hand to keep the doors open. She sent him a small smile. “I’m Andy. What’s yours?”

 

They both made it on, and Andy pressed the button for floor one. The doors closed then in together. He stood uncomfortably close. “My name is Zagan.” His accent made the name seem so regal and eccentric.

 

Another ding later had them leaving the elevator. He held the doors again, and they both headed to the front door. He was such a gentleman. Warning bells rang in her head. Someone this nice had to be hiding something dark. They always seemed nice at first. Then, after some time, it all went to hell.

 

The noise of car horns brought her back to the present. He still held the front door for her, his smile broad. Those dark eyes seemed to draw her in. Eyes! Crap! She had done it again, but there was no reaction in him, only her. What the heck was going on?

 

“Maybe I will see you later?” He waited for her reply.

 

“Umm yeah… sure. I mean, we do live in the same building and the same floor.” She hoped some humor would dissipate the tension.

 

He took a step forward after releasing the door. “Sha, you know that isn’t what I meant.”

 

Her warning bells were blaring. She finally had enough. “Whoa whoa, Casanova. We just met yesterday. Let’s take things down a notch.”

 

His smile broadened. Taking a step back, he did some kind of bow. “As you wish, Sha.”

 

“Ok, what is with the ‘Sha’ stuff? What does it even mean?”

 

“It is a term of endearment. Nothing to be worried about, I assure you.”

 

“Riiiight. Well, I need to get to the shop. Cars don’t fix themselves.”

 

“Strange how you fix these automobiles but do not own one.” He quirked up an eyebrow.

 

“Yeah, I don’t trust other drivers. With the repairs I have had to do, I know how crazy they drive.”

 

He held out his hand to her and waited. “That does make sense. It is a pleasure to meet you, Andy. I hope to continue our discussions.”

 

She took his hand, gasping when it almost felt like a light shock hit her palm. “Yeah, it was nice to meet you too. See you around.” Yanking her hand back, she turned and walked away. How the hell was she going to handle this?

 

They Came – Reposted

About five years ago is when they came. Large ships from the sky took out all our defenses while the ones who have been here for years rose out of the sea. I guess those sci-fi people were right about them always being here. My sister was right, too. Looking back, I wish she wouldn’t have been.

They knew exactly when to strike. The world’s governments were on the brink of yet another world war. Poverty was at a high. Everyone was obsessed with zombie outbreaks, so the search for aliens had dropped to the side lines. No one saw it coming.

Some tried to fight back, but when the world officials sold us all out, morale fled with our freedom. They had been promised more power and control as long as they did what they were told.

Then, there was that whole being allowed to live part sealing the deal.

It took a couple of years for them to round us all up by family and then place us in appropriate camps. Most cities had been demolished. San Antonio was practically a waste land. Now they go from camp to camp testing each and every person for what strengths and intelligence they have.

I got tested right away and placed doing physical labor along the river by our camp. My mother, aunt, and grandmother were set to housework in the main building. My sister and her husband hadn’t been tested yet.

The conditions for river labor were horrible. We slept on the ground and received daily beatings from our “foreign” masters. Weeks would go by between seeing my sister or other family members. It was during one of these long stays that I heard the news. My sister had been tested.

I ran as fast as I could and pleaded for rides on barges just so I could get back to the compound. By the time I climbed the steep muddy hill and reached the front door to our family prison, no one would meet my eyes. I broke through the door, barreling down the hallway to my sister’s room.

She sat on the pastel green sheets covering her mattress on the floor. Her head hung down, and tears fell to the floor. I threw myself down before her wrapping my arms tight around her waist. We all knew she would never have to be subjected to grunt work or hard labor. She was always too smart for that. She and her husband were guaranteed to test high in intelligence.

I looked up at her with the question written on my face. She simply nodded her head and buried her face in my shoulder. My sister, my best friend of all time, will be pulled from my life forever. They will come and take her away to their main ship, and she will never return.

Her husband walked in and joined our embrace. He’s going, too.

There was a commotion from the rest of our family. We slowly stood up, wiping our eyes and headed outside. Several small pod ships hovered down to the ground with American flags painted on the sides in mock allegiance to the country. As if enslaving all human kind wasn’t bad enough, they felt rubbing salt into the wounds would be a nice touch.

I hugged my sister’s side tightly, hoping if I clung to her, she would not have to leave. Her fist was full of my tattered shirt as well, clearly feeling the same way. The pounding of our hearts beat as one causing sharp pains. My lungs couldn’t seem to take in enough air either.

Troops poured out of the pods. Traitorous humans mixed with gray skinned aliens marched toward us. We tensed as they now stood mere feet before the crowded doorway. I clutched my sister and her husband in both hands, but one of the aliens came forward and yanked them from my grip.

We started screaming, and I ran forward only to be knocked down by a rifle butt. My aunt tried to help me up and hold me back, but I broke free.Both were fighting against the hands, dragging them towards the nearest pod but were overpowered. Just as they were drug inside, the door lifted up and shut. I made it to the pods mere seconds after they were out of reach. Screaming and crying uncontrollably, I threw myself to the ground and watched helplessly as my sister and brother-in-law were taken away to whatever fate “They” have planned for them.

A Mystery Deep Below Part 11

 

“Are you sure he will be coming tonight, Lar?” We had been hiding behind some rather large containers of fish for a long time now.

 

“Do not question me, girl. Torchal guides me.”

 

“I do not mean to doubt you or our great Torchal, but he did not know about this creature.” I braced for some kind of physical reprimand.  None came.

 

“I understand your doubt now. Torchal searched his long memory. There was a brief encounter with a similar type of creature in the far past, even before my Grand-Lar. Trust in him.”

 

“Yes, Lar-Naneth. As you wish.”

 

“Now, silence. I hear something. Torchal warns.”

 

We both stayed as quiet as the waters. A shuffling and scraping sound came from the warehouse’s front flap. Spike-like talons curved around it from the outside. Water dripped from them onto Torchal’s back. What emerged next was from all nightmares.

 

I am guessing it was some kind of head. Barnacles and spikes covered most of it, making it difficult to tell. If it wasn’t for the red, sulfurous eyes glowing above a gaping mouth full of needle teeth, I would not have known at all.

 

A sinuous body came next. Lithe and lean but also covered in the same barnacle and spikes and its head. He oozed green thick fluid. As it landed, it sizzled and disappeared, causing a soft groan within my mind from Torchal. The creature stood nearly eight feet tall. This was nothing like the vapor form we saw before.

 

I did not dare ask Lar what this thing was. It wasn’t the same as the other. It was much worse. I really hoped all her gadgets worked on this one, just like she believed they would have worked on the other one. Just as I thought that, another form followed inside right behind this one. It was the first creature. Same as the larger one but smaller, and it didn’t ooze. So now there were two. How in all the spines would this work out?

 

Lar looked over at me. She didn’t seem phased in the least that there were now two monsters. TWO! She placed her finger on her lips to tell me to be quiet. I tried to slow my breathing but couldn’t. This was impossible. Sure, she was a Lar, but I was only a student.

 

The creatures approached where the soul had been stashed. They rummaged through the fish. Light chittering came from the smaller one, while a harsher form was spoken by the larger. Someone was in trouble.

 

Lar handed me one of the devices. She held one similar to it. With no sound, she showed me that all I had to do was point and click the green button. Then, hold the button down until they stopped moving. Panic rose in my chest as Lar began to stand up.

 

I followed her lead. We both aimed our devices at the unknowing creatures. There were still locked in some kind of chittering argument. I pointed at the smaller one while Lar’s device aimed at the larger creature. Just as we were about to hit the buttons, the smaller one looked our way. He grabbed his superior and yanked him down out of the way of our green beams of light.

 

“Come on, girl. Don’t waste time.” Lar jumped over our container in one bound. I tried to do just as she had done but face planted inside with the fish. After a short struggle, I clawed my way out only to see Lar in a fist fight with the larger of the two monsters. It seemed both me and the smaller one were in shock of what we saw.

 

As I glanced at the little one, he took notice of me as well. Instead of fighting me, he took off out of the room. “Go get him girl, I’ve got this one.”

“Are you sure? He is so big!”

 

“GO!”

 

I did. I ran and followed the screams of people waking up to see what the commotion was about. It ran toward the edge of town. I had to catch it. It knocked over newly erected stalls for produce and fish that were being set up by early riser at market. I tried desperately to jump over any clutter he created.

 

Finally gaining ground, I grabbed a hanging line of fish and flung it at him. It wrapped around his feet, causing him to fall over. Of course, it didn’t take long for the monster to get free, but by that time, I was on him. Thinking of how Lar was handling the big one, I started punching this creature. I took the fish and line and wrapped it around his legs.

 

He fell to the ground, hitting his head on a hard table. I held my breath to see if he got up, but he did not. So, I looked for another fishing line. All the other Firen finally stopped screaming. Hal-mant seemed to see what I was after and brought a large net. He helped me wrap the beast up in it and drag it to where Lar-Naneth sat on a still body of the larger creature, a rather huge spine clutched in her hands.

 

“How did you subdue that one, Lar?”

 

“When gadgets fail, a blunt object usually does the trick. You?”

 

“Blunt object as well.”

 

“Let’s get them to the cage and then summon our town for the sentencing.” Lar grabbed her prize by one disgusting foot and began dragging it behind her as if it didn’t weigh a thing.

 

With quite a bit of pushing and shoving, we finally got both the creatures into the cage. Lar attached her device, and the humming began. Hal-mant was still with us and helped get them inside the cage. Lar looked to him now. “Go gather the town in our arena for their judgment.

 

An hour later, I stood with Lar in front of our congregation. The arena was near Lar’s hut but closer forward to Torchal’s head. It would make it easier to deliberate with him.

 

“We gather to pass judgment upon these creatures who dare steal a youngling’s soul. The child was reunited with her soul, but these two would easily return and steal it or another again. What say you all?” Lar looked out into the crowd.

 

In unison, the entire town held up red cards for guilty. Not a single green card could be seen. Lar nodded. “I shall pass on your verdict to Torchal, who will decide their fate.”

 

Lar went silent. She closed her eyes and nodded several times. It seemed to go on forever. No one dared move and disrespect Torchal or Lar-Naneth. They all waited on baited breath.

After what felt like an eternity, Lar opened her eyes. She looked at me. I knew what would be said because Torchal had spoken to me as well. She strode a little forward. “Torchal has spoken. These two evil creatures shall be sentenced to death by sea serpent.”

 

Gasps erupted through the crowd. No one had ever seen a sea serpent, much less been sentenced to death by one. They were longer but thinner than Torchal if the myths were to be true. They could freeze the very waters.

 

We all felt Torchal shift his direction. Many staggered. Lar stood strong. It wouldn’t take long for us to reach wherever Torchal wanted us to go. The air around us began to grow very cold. The creatures awoke and began angry chitters. They thrashed at the bars but quickly learned that touching them hurt. One of their talons broke through and scratched me down my arm. My blood pooled on each cut but quickly froze. We all shivered violently.

 

Through chattering teeth, Lar spoke, “It is time. Hal-mant, please assist us in raising this cage.”

 

He stepped forward with several other young Firen men. They lifted the cage by spines placed under it until it rose above our atmosphere. Something large swam past at a vicious pace. We covered our ears when the sound of a roar nearly made us all deaf.

 

“Do not fear. It is not here for us. Torchal will protect us.” Lar declared.

 

Still, everyone crouched down. Above us, streaks of light flashed. An enormous form could be seen coiling just beyond Torchal’s spines. Teeth larger than the longest spine filled a gaping maw. The cage continued to rise on its own after breaching our air. It floated in the water. The creatures didn’t move. They stared at their fate without fear.

 

Suddenly, a crunch could be heard as those teeth encompassed the cage and creatures, smashing them to nothing. It disappeared beyond that maw. Within no time at all, the serpent was gone, and our air became warm again.

 

The deed was done. Our people were safe. Until the next mystery or danger arrived, we could live as we wished, and I could finally become a Lar when it was my time. To be like her was all I wanted now.

 

A Pawn of the Devil Part 12

It was cold outside the movie theater. Mary gave Sarah a thick, long coat, but it couldn’t get the chill out of her bones. Tonight, was the night everything would end one way or the other. Tonight, either he would die, or she would. That is, if he even showed.

 

Michael came over with the tickets. He was ghost white. Sarah guessed planning was one thing. Actually, doing said plan was another. His nerves showed in the shake of his hands as he passed out each ticket. “Here you go. Should we get popcorn?”

 

“Absolutely! What is a movie without popcorn?” Mary beamed at her husband.

 

“Don’t worry, we will watch the movie. I just have to keep it together long enough to not start early.” Sarah eyed Mary’s large tote bag. “Did you get enough of what I asked for?”

 

She patted the bag. “Yes, I sure did. Working in my field made it easier than I thought.” Mary wrapped one arm around me and one around her husband. “Let’s go see a show!”

 

Sarah couldn’t help but smile. Mary was good. Placing each of them like she did, hid the bag so it didn’t get searched. The press of bodies everywhere made Sarah irritated. Her anger started to rise until Mary patted the shoulder her arm hugged. Her presence seemed to calm the demon inside Sarah. The thought made her want to laugh. She was here to kill a demon, not become one.

 

Mary kept her arm around her as Michael went through the lines to get their drinks and food. They went all out. He bought a large popcorn, three large drinks, nachos with extra cheese, and even bite-sized candy bars. All of them were things Sarah had mentioned she liked. It took all three of them to carry it inside the actual theater room and find their seats.

 

Several times, people tried to sit right next to Sarah. Her anxiety shot through the roof each time until Mary or Michael told them they were saving it for someone else. Sarah wondered what they would think when the seat never got filled. Would a confrontation start? If it did, oh well. The party would start early, then. She would just have to apologize to them for missing the movie.

 

All the talking from the crowd felt like shooting daggers in her head. A child somewhere screamed continuously, and the parents wouldn’t take it outside. A slight thump of her seat had her seeing red when the people behind her tried to switch seats. Again, Mary’s comforting hand grasped Sarah’s and it all eased away.

 

The lights dimmed. It seemed to help calm Sarah even more. When the previews began, it distracted her for a while, but not long. All their plans ran through her head, over and over. It had to work. He had to be lured out by what she had planned. How could he want to miss something this grand? It was his work that brought all of it to the point they were at after all.

 

Sarah hadn’t realized the movie was over until Mary squeezed her hand and released it. She leaned in to where only Sarah would hear. “It’s time, dear. I’m going to go lock the doors.” Mary stood and excused herself until she was at the end of the aisle. In the darkness, it didn’t take long for her to disappear. Michael stood and came closer to Sarah. It was the first time he ever got that close, but it was required.

 

Mary had left her bag behind on purpose. As the credits rolled, people began to try to leave. They quickly realized they couldn’t. Loud voices rose through the music still playing on as more unread credits zoomed over the screen. Finally, someone in the projector room, or whatever you called it, realized something was wrong and turned up the lights.

 

By this time, I had made it to the front of this theater room. Michael was on the floor covered in blood. Now, the loud voices were replaced by screams. Bodies pressed against the exit doors. Some smart people even tried to rush past me and to the emergency exits. They found those locked as well. As they passed, I sprayed them with blood from the bags in Mary’s tote. I placed one foot on Michael’s chest to keep anyone from noticing the small rise of his chest, and he tried to slow his breathing and appear dead.

 

Mary went through the crowd with her own bags, spraying as she went. In all the chaos, it took a while for anyone to notice they had blood on them. When they did, screams became even more shrill and mostly from the men. Mary fell to the floor and lay limp before them all.

 

“SHE’S DEAD!” Someone screamed.

 

Fingers pointed in my direction. “SHE DID THIS! LOOK! SHE KILLED HIM TOO!”

 

I raised my claw. “And you all will die along with them.” I began to laugh, letting my rage take over. All the blood, chaos, and screaming were just too much. I had to release it. Before I did, I saw him. He sat in the least row to the left. His feet were propped up on the chair in front of him, and a discarded bucket of popcorn was held in his hands. The gleam in his eyes racked Sarah’s body, causing the rage to build even more. Now was the time!

 

Sarah slowly passed through the screaming crowd. It was easy since none of them wanted to be the next to die. She would swish her claw for effect but never even cut anyone. Her eyes were solely trained on Xaphan. With each swipe of her claw, his grin widened. He took so much pleasure in other’s torment.

 

When she was a row away, Sarah went in and sat on the seat in reverse directly in front of him. He leaned forward. The smell of rot and sulfur blew in her face. His smile faltered as screams died down a little. “What are you playing at my little project?”

 

“Oh, you are gonna love it. It will be the death of all deaths.” Sarah quickly reached out with her claw and snapped it closed on his arm. He howled in rage.

 

“NOW!” Sarah yelled out to her partners.

 

Both Michael and Mary jumped up in a flash. They ran to all the doors and unlocked them. They had placed chains around them so no one could come in from the outside. With the doors released, the crowd rushed out along with Mary and Michael. Sarah could hear them yelling at the workers to lock the doors again from the outside this time.

 

Their jobs were done. It was her turn now. Sarah kept a tight grip on Xaphan’s arm. Her thinking was that as long as she held him, he couldn’t somehow disappear. This was going to be fun.

 

Sarah’s rage built and built. Her body hummed from the pent-up energy waiting to be released. “You picked the wrong girl for your project.” She pulled out a knife and stabbed him through the heart. Knowing that wouldn’t kill such a creature as him, Sarah grabbed his other arm with her good hand and snapped off the one her claw pinched.

 

Another howl rose from his mouth. He jerked himself free of her. Sarah desperately tried to hold on but couldn’t. His eyes glowed brightly. “How dare you! I made you! Do you really want to do this?”

 

Sarah’s smile matched his now. The rage fully taking over. “Oh, yeah! I wanna do this!”

 

He shook out his arms as he walked to the aisle. The cut-off one grew back as Sarah watched in horror. “Fine. Let’s do this.” 

 

Xaphan let Sarah enter the aisle as well, but that was all. As soon as she was there, he leaped. When he met with her body, they tumbled down the carpet floor, leaving a trail of blood. Each hit and punches along the way. Sarah tried to use her claw again, but he was way too agile now that he knew it could damage him.

His movements resembled a large cat. He leaped from the back of one chair to the next, making it damn hard for Sarah to keep up. The rage kept her going, though. It seemed to clear her mind and be able to predict his next move.

 

His next bound across a row found him tumbling again with Sarah cutting up his body. Somehow, he produced a blame of his own and stabbed Sarah several times. She cried out in pain, but it only fueled her now.  She was a killing machine just like he wanted her to be. She straddled over him, but it didn’t slow his abilities.

 

They each cut and sliced the other. Sarah with her claw and Xaphan with his magically created blade. She even started punching him in the face with the hard surface of her new appendage. That seemed to get his attention, but only for a moment. He quickly went back to stabbing her sides. She was even more determined to end him with each sharp pain.

 

An opening finally presented itself to Sarah. He had gone wide with his knife hand, and the other was busy trying to fend her off. She kept her claw close so she didn’t make the same mistake he did. Just when he was about to thrust into her side again, she forced her pincers wide enough to fit around his neck. She held it there, and he stiffened all his body. There were no more stab wounds to her side anymore.

 

“You do not wish to do this, my project. You do not understand the consequences.” His body started to shiver with strain. It was taking all his will to stay still.

 

“Why wouldn’t I want to do it? After all you did to me? This is more than you deserve. A quick death and being sent back to Hell. I wish I could torture you for days on end, but I don’t trust that I can hold you. This will have to do.” Without another word, she snapped her claw shut and cut off his head. Just to make sure, Sarah knocked it far away from the body, but where she could still see it.

 

Rolling off of Xaphan, Sarah groaned as she sat up. Tears of relief rolled down her cheeks. She nearly expected his head to grow back like his arm did, but nothing happened. The body didn’t move, and his head stayed where it had rolled to. All of a sudden, purple and blue mist rose off his corpse. Within seconds, he was gone.  

 

Mary and Michael rushed in through the doors. When they saw the state Sarah was in, they each fell to the floor next to her. “Oh, dear lord. He stabbed you. A lot. We need to get you to the hospital.” Mary was beside her with a towel she has pulled from her tote.

 

“I told you two to stay outside no matter what. Why did you come in?”

 

This time, it was Michael, who answered. He had a towel as well and tried to put pressure on some of the wounds. “We were listening, and when it all went quiet, we thought it would be safe enough to come in. We were so frightened that he had killed you.”

 

“Nah. He wasn’t strong enough to kill me. His arrogance in that made him weak. Oh, and no hospital. I can’t have them seeing this.” She lifted her clawed hand that was now somehow clean of his blood. It must have evaporated with his body.

 

Mary and Michael stood and lifted Sarah into Michael’s arms. Mary fussed over Sarah’s wounds as they walked. “You are lucky I am a nurse. I can patch you right up at home. But we need to hurry before the police show up.” They all headed out the emergency exit and started walking the short distance to their home.

 

Sarah luckily didn’t weigh near anything at this point. Michael had no problem carrying her, but Sarah’s breathing became ragged. Her heart beat fluttered in and out of existence. Michael could feel it through their contact. “Mary! Mary! Her heart is giving out. What do we do?”

 

“Just a little further, dear. Hold on, please. Don’t leave us.” Mary tugged on her husbands arm to make him walk faster, but he shook loose.

 

“No, Mary. Whatever we have to do, we need to do it now. We are losing her.” He gently laid Sarah down on some nearby steps. After taking off his jacket, he placed it behind her head as a pillow.

 

They both knelt down beside her. Mary began instructing Michael on how to do chest compression as she did her best to dress the wound with their towels. Sarah’s placed a cold hand on Michael’s to stop him. “Please, don’t. Let me go. I did what I needed to do. He’s gone. I am free.”

 

Mary sobbed, taking Sarah’s head into her arms. “No! We just found you. We can’t lose you now.”

 

“It’s ok, Mary.  I never hurt any innocents. I will be fine. Just let me go.” Sarah’s head became heavy in Mary’s arms, and her hand slipped from Michael’s. She was gone.

 

Seconds later, bright yellow light emanated from Sarah’s body. It glowed so brightly that both Mary and Michael had to look away.  When the light dimmed and they looked back, Sarah’s body was gone.

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 A week later, at the bus station on the other side of town, a teenage girl loaded up onto the bus headed south. Her dirty blond pony tail bounced back and forth. A tattered plaid shirt had one arm rolled up and the other dangling down beyond her hand. She took a seat by the widow and stared outside. A smile spread across her face. Not one of malice or evil, but one of freedom and happiness.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Siren’s Mistake Part 2

 

“What was that?” His slightly deep yet heavily accented voice shook her out of her trance.

 

“Oh, ummm. I meant that as in the boxes. One looks torn.” I was sure my face had turned bright red. I couldn’t breathe. The moment happened again. I was too careless. What was it about this guy who drew me to look into his eyes? I didn’t dare look up from the boxes, but I couldn’t help myself. When I did, he had a sideways smile. Did he know?

 

“Sure, sha. Whatever you say.” He chuckled again. “Would you mind helping me move my things up to my apartment?”

 

Before I could think better of it, my damn mouth betrayed me. “Of course. I can help.”  Damn it.

 

I picked up what I could and took the rest. We climbed the stairs one at a time to make sure we didn’t drop the boxes again. Wait… why were we taking the stairs? I was too out of breath to ask and didn’t want him to know. He looked like he worked out, and I didn’t. Five floors later, he headed down a hallway.  Oh, no. Five floors?  Crap on a cracker.

 

Alarms went off in my head to abort mission, but how could I? Leaving his boxes here would be a dick move for sure. I didn’t want to be that person.

 

We finally made it to his door. Luckily, it was on the opposite end as mine. I set the boxes down just beside his apartment entrance. “Here you go. I need to get home. I have a lot to do.”

 

His hand reached out to mine and gently grasped it. “Come on, Sha. You carried my boxes all this way. Let me at least get you something to drink.”

 

That word and that accent sent more chills over my skin and not in a bad way. “It’s ok. Just doing the neighborly thing. I really do have to run.” What a cop out. Before he could respond, I was walking away. His voice was still singing in my head. Was that a Cajun accent? It sure sounded like it. And what the hell does Sha mean anyway? This was bad. This was really bad. He lived in my apartment complex. How do you avoid someone who lives down the hall from you?

 

I made it to my door and unlocked it before looking back. He was leaning against his door frame. His arms crossed over that broad chest, and the same crooked smile plastered on his face. Great! Now he knows which apartment is mine. Why didn’t I go downstairs or something? I am such an idiot.

 

As if to prove my point, I bumped into my door without opening it. I didn’t dare look back to see if he was laughing. This was way too embarrassing. I always kept my cool. Turning the nob, I entered my home and quickly shut the door behind me. In seconds, I had all the bolts locked. I sunk to the floor, wondering what I was going to do about this mess.