A Pawn of the Devil Part 8
A week had gone by since Sarah acquired the motel room. Every time she left in search of food, there was an encounter which almost caused her to lose control. She hadn’t realized it before, but people seemed to have a tendency to bump into each other and then blame the person they bumped into. Most of the time, she could just keep walking and ignore it even though her rage screamed for death. Voices in her head yelled at her to turn back and end their pathetic lives. Who were they to accuse her of being the one at fault? They hadn’t endured what she had. They hadn’t lived through the pain and torture. They were no one. Ending them would not even affect the world.
But then her rational side of her mind would calm her down. They were important to someone. Someone loved them. Sure, they hadn’t been tortured or flayed open repeatedly, but taking that on herself meant they didn’t have to. So, she would keep walking until the next occurrence.
The money finally ran out. Panic rose above the rage now. What would she do? Where would she go? When was this test going to end so she could just die in peace? There were shelters, but those were packed with people. That wouldn’t do.
Sarah grabbed her belongings and walked the streets yet again. She was hungry and cold now. The weather changed drastically. When Sarah had entered the gave, it was late autumn. Seemed winter was in a hurry to arrive. She walked past yet another grungy ally. This one was empty of any people but was lined with overflowing garbage bins. Instead of going deep into the alley, she stayed near the street but far enough in, to not be noticed by everyone. Here, she could watch the people pass by and test her will.
Two days later, Sarah still sat in the same place. Pain shot through her stomach, causing her to double over. Tears streamed down her face. How could this be a test? Whatever this was, it was real. She was really out of the cave and living on the street, hungry and freezing.
There was nothing in her pack that could help her now. This is where she would die. The thought brought her comfort. She looked, yet again, at the claw now attached to her arm. She would never be accepted back into the world looking like this. Even finding a way back home wouldn’t work. No one would want to help her with how she was now.
Sarah fell asleep even with the hunger pain still sparking in her stomach. Nightmares of Xaphan cutting her open filled her mind as she slept. One viciously thrust knife to her shoulder had her waking up screaming. Sarah frantically looked around for him. He wasn’t there, though. The alley, with all its dampness and smells, surrounded her. She noticed something affixed to the shoulder Xaphan had stabbed in her dream. A soft sound came from the direction. Sarah was so afraid to look because it could still be him. With the rage surfacing, she braved the chance. Swiveling her head in that direction, she saw a delicate hand on her shoulder. Sarah’s eyes followed the hand, up to its attached arm and further to see a woman’s face full of concern.
“Dear, are you ok? You were screaming.” The woman removed her hand but knelt down beside Sarah.
Sarah didn’t dare speak. She hadn’t in a while and didn’t trust her voice. All she could do was shake her head. When she did, the woman’s face saddened. Her frown only showed more concern. Sarah finally noticed a man standing tall behind this woman. His face also reflected that of the woman, but Sarah didn’t trust it. Xaphan would show false concern as well, only to turn around and cut her open or poison her food. This man could be just like him. Hell, it could be him. Sarah scooted away. The thought of this man before her possibly being Xaphan in disguise brought the rage full force. Her entire being wanted to rip him apart. The feeling was freeing. Any fear she had for Xaphan was now gone. Only the desire to hear him scream.
The woman made a shhh-ing sound. “It’s ok, my dear. This is my husband, Michael. He wouldn’t hurt a fly. You have nothing to fear from us. Will you let us help you?”
Sarah glanced back at the woman. She pointed her finger at her, scrunching her face. She hoped the woman understood.
Clearly, she did. “Oh, my name is Maddy. Well, it’s Madeline but you can call me Maddy. Would you be willing to come with us? We can get you some food and warmth.”
Scooting back again, Sarah looked from Maddy to Michael. Her rage slowly fled. Something about this woman calmed her. She felt safe. Sarah slowly nodded at Maddy, cautiously looking at Michael. She tried to stand but only fell again. Not eating for so many days had made her too weak.
“Oh my! Here, let me help you.” Maddy put a tentative arm around Sarah to help her up. Her hard claw arm limply banged against the woman but she showed no signs of fear.
The man, Michael, came to Sarah’s other side. “Would you allow me to help you as well?” He didn’t touch her until Sarah nodded. Between the both of them, they carried her near non-existent weight away from the ally. Sarah didn’t know where she was going, but it had to be better. Even if these two turned against her, she would have to find a way to handle it. Thoughts of Xaphan filled her head. A plan began to form. She would find a way to lure him out. When she did, she would finally get to watch him die by the same claw he had given her.
