A Pawn of the Devil Part 10
Sarah woke screaming. Maddy was already there trying to help, but Sarah swung her claw back and forth. The inside was razor sharp, but luckily, the outside was not. It was also lucky that there wasn’t anything near Sarah that could break. When she finally settled down, Maddy was instantly by her side, trying to hold her close.
“Ssshhh sssshhhh. It was just a dream. A really bad dream. You’re safe here.” Maddy tightened her grip to reassure Sarah of her safety.
Muffled in tears and Maddy’s hair, Sarah croaked out with a sore throat. “That’s just it. It is real. It was real.” Sarah jerked away. She was fully crying and could barely breathe. “I… I don’t know what’s real anymore.” She gazed into Maddy’s blue eyes. “Are you truly real?”
Maddy tilted her head, letting out a slow sigh. “Yes, dear. I am real. You are truly here and absolutely safe.”
Sarah looked away. “I will never be safe. Not while he still lives.”
“Who, dear? Who did this to you?”
“I won’t speak his name. I’m not sure what that could do. It could summon him here.” Sarah’s eyes shot wide open. She turned back to Maddy. “He could come here and hurt you both! I need to leave. You’re in danger!”
Sarah tried to stand but fell back to the soft couch. Maddy reached out and took her hand. “You talk as if he is a demon or something. But whatever he is, we can handle it. You need to get stronger and heal.”
“He is a demon…. or something like it. I don’t know. He did things that couldn’t be human.” She looked down at her claw. Maddy did as well.
Maddy used her other hand to run it along the outside of the claw. “Like this? Who would do such a thing?” She looked deep into Sarah’s eyes. “Yes, we knew you had it when we offered help. It doesn’t frighten us.”
Just then, Michael came down the stairs. “Is it ok for me to come down?”
Maddy raised an eyebrow at Sarah, who nodded. “Yes, darling. You can come down.”
He descended the last few steps left and entered the living room. “I don’t care what this person is who hurt you, I’ll stand between you and him no matter what.” Michael crossed his arms over his broad chest.
Sarah wanted to feel relieved and safe, but she knew she couldn’t. Whatever Xaphan was, he wasn’t human. No one could help her.” She tried to smile at Michael but faltered.
He took that opportunity to change the subject. “Who wants waffles and eggs?”
“Great idea, darling. Go on to the kitchen. I’ll be there in a moment.” Maddy never took her gaze off of Sarah. “What’s your name, hun?”
“I’m Sarah. Thank you for all you are doing.” Sarah fidgeted with the tassels on the throw blanket.
“Here, let me help you to the kitchen. It will do you good to start using your legs again.” Maddy helped Sarah to her feet. She already felt stronger after a good night’s sleep and a meal. “Oh, you heal fast. That’s excellent!” She guided her to the kitchen and let her use the walls for support, never leaving her side. The constant mother hen.
At the kitchen table, they ate and drank coffee, chatting about nothing really important. There was a new movie coming out to the theater that the couple wanted to see. As per their personalities, they invited Sarah to come as well. It caused Sarah to have a panic attack, so they changed the subject, yet again.
Finally, Sarah became quiet, and nothing they said could bring her out of it. After a time, she looked up from her coffee cup. Thoughts of what she could do to keep these two safe swam in her head. She had to do something and that something needed to be permanent.
“I may need your help.” It was the hardest thing she had ever said. All her life, she did things by herself with no help. Sarah was fiercely independent and stubborn. “I know you have brought me into your house, and with that, you are now in danger. I need to fix that.”
Maddy and Michael looked to each other, then back to Sarah. Maddy spoke for them both. “What do you need?”
Sarah took a moment to think. She swirled her finger in the now cold coffee before speaking. “I’m going to kill him.”
