PART ONE
Sarah had been hiking in the mountains for over two days now. It was her element. She loved the outdoors and being alone. This area was new to her, however. She followed tails the wildlife left behind but other than that, there was no real direction. It didn’t matter. Sarah new how to live off the land.
Up ahead, a small dark space formed just beyond a growth of tall shrubs. If it wasn’t for the sun hitting the area just as she glanced that way, it would have been entirely missed. A foul smell blew in the breeze causing her to gag. Sarah nearly turned the other way but something called to her from within the opening. It wasn’t a sound or a voice, it was a feeling. She just had to go inside.
All around, the forest was dead quiet. Not a single animal or bird made a noise. Sarah’s skin prickled with fear. Everything yelled at her to turn away but she was never one to run. Since she could remember, she climbed the tallest trees and faced off to the meanest bullies in school. As an adult, she spent her free time helping orphans learn to be brave and happy. As a forest ranger, there was no end to the things Sarah had to face.
A sensation of urgency filled her core. Heart racing, she took several more steps in the direction of the cave. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. With a shrug of her shoulder, and a cough, Sarah moved forward. Once she got to the shrubs, she brought out her hatched and cut a way through.
With that done, Sarah squatted down and rummaged through her pack. She always came prepared and this time was no different. She removed her head lamp and a long roll of rope that she proceeded to tie around her waist. The other end was tied to a nearby, sturdy tree. There was nothing to be done about the smell.
The opening was barely large enough to fit her slim figure. She had to stoop so the ceiling wouldn’t knock off her head lamp. Water trickled down both sides from some unknown openings causing the floor to be pure mud. Once she passed the threshold, it was as if the sun wasn’t allowed inside. Pure darkness engulfed Sarah. Only her lamp beam could show her the way. A very strange, deep feeling of terror shook her bones but she had made it inside and wasn’t about to turn back.
Sarah sloshed through the mud, letting her rope line out as she went. She wasn’t sure how long she had been walking but the tunnel grew smaller forcing her to her knees. This was definitely outside of her comfort zone. Determined to see this through, she crawled forward.
After what seemed like an eternity, Sarah found herself standing upright again and inside an enormous cavern. She moved her head around to try and find the walls but couldn’t. The ceiling was beyond her lamp’s range as well. A small pond of stagnant water filled the center. Some kind of green algae floated on its surface.
Trembling, Sarah walked around a little. She didn’t want to expend her rope unnecessarily in case there was somewhere further she could go. A shuffling sound stopped her in her tracks. With how big the area was, every noise echoed and couldn’t be pinned down to a certain location. When the movement happened again, Sarah decided enough was enough. She grabbed her rope to follow back to where she had entered. It pulled tight but that had to be from where it was tied to the tree. Finally reaching the wall, she soon realized she was wrong.
The rope stopped at the wall but was stuck by a huge boulder blocking Sarah’s path back. Panic rose in her chest. She couldn’t get a deep enough breath. Her hands shook violently as she tried to move the obstacle. It wouldn’t budge. Leaning on it and using her legs didn’t help. Tears started running down her face. She was trapped and there was something in here with her.
PART TWO
Sarah tried to think of how to escape. Would there even be another opening to go through? The sound of whatever was with her inside the cavern came again. It was farther way this time so she took a moment to breath. The smell had her taking shallow breaths. Too much and it muddied her mind.
She untied the rope from around her waist. It wasn’t going to do her any good now. She needed a way out and being anchored to a closed tunnel wasn’t going to help. Her life line to the outside world fell to the ground with a loud thump. All hope seemed to fall with it. Shaking the thought off, she followed her current wall away from her cohabitant’s direction.
Mere feet away from where she started, Sarah could no longer see the rope or boulder. There was more light in here somehow but not much more. She didn’t have the will to figure it out. Escape was her only objective now. The wall continued on and on. The pond continued to watch her from the middle yet she still hadn’t found another way out. Several times, Sarah had to move around a large outcropping of stones. One area looked like some kind of platform. She pushed the thought from her mind.
Movement from behind had her spinning around. Whatever shared space with her was following at a distance. Maybe it was just some helpless animal too scared to confront her. So far it hadn’t done her any harm. Several steps later she felt something that made her cry out. It was the boulder still holding her rope.
Sarah collapsed to the floor. Her tears drenched her shirt. With shaky hands, she tried to wipe them away but only smeared mud across her face. Her mind raced with options on how to get out but nothing seemed possible. The boulder wouldn’t move. The smell was worse inside the cavern. There was no way to describe it other than rotten eggs. It made thinking very difficult. Sarah’s thoughts became jumbled and foggy. Her limbs felt like lead. The last thing she heard before passing out was that same shuffling but much closer.
PART THREE
Sharp pain woke Sarah up. It seemed to be coming from every part of her body. She tried to move her arms and find where it was coming from but she was tightly bound with her own rope. Wiggling her feet let her know that her legs were also tied. Movement to her left caught Sarah’s attention and she tried to see what was making the sound. Everything was still blurry but a humanoid shape hovered over her midsection.
Pain flared again. A stabbing sensation just above her navel spread upward. Warm liquid that could only be blood pooled up and ran down both sides of her waist. She screamed as loud as her vocal chords would let her. Deep in her numbing mind she knew no one could hear her or, much less, save her. Whatever, whoever, was doing this to her would get away with it. How she could think of this while the object tore deeply into her skin, raking across each rib bone was beyond her.
Sarah screened until her throat was raw and no sound would continue to come out. Yet, she still tried. Each slice went deeper and deeper. The one doing all the torture never went above Sarah’s shoulders. They did touch everywhere else. It must have been a man because he started humming some unknown tune in a clearly male voice as if he was not skinning her alive.
Hours, minutes or days flew by as the cutting continued. Eventually, she felt herself slipping away. Did she really want to die? Yes, she did. Whatever came after this had to be better. There was no hope. There was no other end. Sarah welcomed the blissful darkness as it enveloped her. As she lost consciousness, she smiled.
Ice cold water splashed across her body jarring her awake. With a loud groan, she realized she was still alive. “Well, crap.” Her voice came out as a croak. Her sight was clear now and Sarah realized she lay on the same platform she had passed searching for an exit. Chains shackled her to the stone wall behind her. Thick cuffs cut into her ankles, blood dripping down her feet, even after being splashed with water. Other than the restraints, she was completely naked.
Holding a bucket in front of Sarah stood a man. His nearly seven-foot-tall frame barely contained any fat or muscle. His back hunched over slightly. A maniacal smile nearly cut is face in half, but these things weren’t what startled Sarah. It was the fiery glow in his eyes, the needle-sharp teeth showing through cracked lips and a darker than black aura encircling him.
All that had happened before waking up drenched in icy water came flooding back. Sarah gasped quickly searching her body. Her hands ran over smooth skin, clearly untouched by any kind of weapon. The only blood still dripped around her ankles. This wasn’t possible. She vividly remembered the pain and screaming. Her mind tried to snap. It must have been the smell causing her to hallucinate or maybe a terrible nightmare. “Who are you? What is happening here?”
The man laughed sending chills over her skin not caused from the cold. “You are now my student. I am now your god. I am called Xaphan.”
“Student? I don’t want to be your damn student. Let me go! Now!” Sarah pulled at her chains. They wouldn’t give but she still tried. It only made him laugh harder. Seeing that there was no point, she finally gave up. “Why are you doing this?”
Xaphan seemed to float instead of walk closer. He dropped his bucket causing it to roll back towards the lake. “It must be done. Culling the herd must happen and you, my dear, must be my weapon.”
“No. I don’t want to be your weapon. Please, let me go.”
“Want? What you want is not important. This shall happen. I must mold you.” One boney hand reached towards Sarah. The smell of rotten eggs wafting in the air. She recoiled instinctively. Long talon like nails caught her long sandy blonde hair. With all the tangles and knots, his nails caught in them keeping her in place.
“Tsk tsk tsk. You must be hungry, my dear.” Letting go of her hair, he walked around the platform and out of sight. When he returned, he handed her a stone plate. On it was a single chunk of bread. Her stomach betrayed her by growling loudly. “See? Hungry. Eat. Then we shall begin.”
“Did earlier happen for real?” Sarah indicated towards her body.
“Why yes, yes it did. You take pain very well. I must say, I expected more screaming.” Xaphan chuckled, clearly impressed with himself.
“I don’t understand. My body isn’t cut. I don’t have any wounds at all, no blood.” She felt her mind trying to snap again but shook her head. She was stronger than this.
“Magic, my sweet. Magic. You died and I brought you back whole. That had to happen for this process to work. I do so enjoy my craft.” With that, he strolled off into the darkness, humming the same toon as before.
Sarah sat on the cold hard rock. Her ankles finally stopped bleeding. She didn’t understand what this man had meant by magic making her wounds from before heal so perfectly. If it truly happened, there should have been cuts or stitches. Her mind just couldn’t wrap itself around it. And there was no way she could have died and came back. That was just pure fiction.
Foot steps sounded from across the cave. Sarah stiffened at the sound. What could possibly be next? Scooting as far back as she could against the rock wall, she braced herself.
“How are you doing, my dear?” Xaphan seemed to materialize out of the darkness. He wore clothes this time. A fancy looking suit in grey tones and stood straight with no indication of the previous curving of his back. How he came by this outfit was anyone’s guess. Last time she saw him, he was completely naked.
“Stop calling me that. It means nothing to you.” Sarah spat out the words. Her rage was overtaking her fear.
“On the contrary, I do. I care deeply about your role to play. The process must be done precisely.” He strode forward with the usual food offering. This time he also had a cup of water made from the same stone. “Here, eat. You will need your strength.”
She took the items reluctantly. He was right about one thing, she would need her strength. If an opportunity ever presented itself to her, she would try to escape. Not that she could see how it could happen, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t try. Everything he planned to do to her, she would fight it the whole way.
Within minutes of eating the bread and drinking the water, sharp pains emanated from her stomach. Sarah doubled over in pain. When she could raise her head, Xaphan smiled broadly. “What have you done to me?”
Xaphan scrunched his face. “Me? Why, I have done nothing. You chose to eat the food and drink the water. You have done this to yourself.”
Sarah threw the plate at him. To her horror, it passed right through him. “What the hell are you?” She couldn’t straighten her body out. The pain continued to increase with each passing second.
“Hell…” He tilted his head sideways. “That is what you mortals have named where I am from, I believe. Then, yes, I am from there. I descended with the first.” Now his face changed to pure rage. “His precious little projects! So perfect to Him. We become nothing in His eyes. I will show Him how fragile you all are. How imperfect.”
“That’s not possible. You can’t be….” Tears ran down Sarah’s face again. This time from the impossibility of what he said. It couldn’t be true. He couldn’t be a demon or devil or whatever. Those things are not real.
“Oh, it is more real than you can imagine. We are always there even when you cannot see us.”
Sarah began to vomit now. Her body contorted as her stomach expelled the poisoned food. She couldn’t seem to stop either. It just kept coming, even more than the measly amount of bread. If there was any kind of object near her, she would have probably killed herself right there and then. There wasn’t, though. So, she had to endure the poison running through her system and causing her body to try and remove it. When she felt she couldn’t take anymore, it finally stopped. Sarah collapsed on to her side.
Xaphan approached even closer. “Now, we progress.” He pulled her by one leg towards the edge of the platform. She tried to fight but was far too weak. With a wave of his hand, short brackets rose from the stone. He quickly tied her to each one.
He produced a thin, long blade from behind his back. The metal was gold colored and etched with symbols Sarah did not recognize. It cured like a fish carving knife would. The handle glowed bright white. He held it just above her stomach but did not stab downward. Instead, Xaphan slowly lowered it to barely touching her skin. It wouldn’t cut but she could feel it. It glided along her skin from her stomach to her legs and then her arms. She kept waiting for the plunge but it didn’t come. The whole time, he hummed that same tune. He traced her face next, this time cutting in just enough to make her scream.
Sarah wanted so badly to pass out again but for some reason it wouldn’t happen. Each cut brought her closer but the demon, entity, would pause long enough for her to recover. This time she could feel her wounds closing almost as soon as he made them. This had to be a bad dream. She needed to wake up. None of this could be real. Deep down she knew it was…
Time meant nothing to Sarah now. She passed out when the pain became too much and woke up when Xaphan would splash water on her to do it all again. She never knew if her food was poisoned or not. Some times it was fine, others, she would vomit until collapsing again. Most of the attention he gave her was torture and pain. However, there were times of tenderness where he would give her things like clothes and a blanket. Sarah’s mind couldn’t take the back and forth or the not knowing what to expect. Eventually, it snapped and anything he did to her only made her laugh uncontrollably. All Sarah really wanted was to die. That was the one thing, he would never give her. So, her attention went to an all-consuming need for his death.
After an exceedingly long torture session where he flayed her skin open yet again. This time he cut her right arm off just below the elbow, replacing it with some kind of metal claw type weapon. This was too much for her and she passed out again. It was a tentative sleep. Sarah waited and waited for the cold splash of water but it never came. Out of pure exhaustion, she fell into a deep sleep filled with nightmares of more screaming and pain. She woke up screaming and placing her hands over her face to shield it from Xaphan’s blade. The metal appendage hitting hard against her cheek. The nightmare faded as she sat there breathing heavily. Some kind of hard particles covered her one hand and were now on her face. Come to think of it, the feel of her platform was different.
Sarah slowly lowered her arms and opened her eyes. This had to still be her dream. This couldn’t be real. The forest outside her prison cave surrounded her. Grass and dirt covered her clothes and hand. No, this wasn’t real. It was another of his tortures. Soon, the cave would come back into focus. She didn’t dare hope that the wind blowing across her damp skin was legit. Birds sang in the trees now. A squirrel scampered from one tree to another, pausing briefly to glare at Sarah. Could Xaphan create such a realistic illusion? She didn’t know the extent of his abilities but it could be.
A backpack sat beside her. It looked so familiar. Glancing down, she saw different clothes as well. Were these the same clothes she wore when entering the cave? “No no no no no….. not real. NOT REAL!” Sarah shook her head violently. Her mind was still broken. At least that part he couldn’t take away. Her sandy blonde hair was also still knotted. The tight pony tail from before long gone. Unfortunately, the claw was there as well.
“Well, he won’t end this falsehood until I run the course. So, may as well get to it.” Sarah wasn’t normally one to talk to herself but now, she didn’t even feel like Sarah. She stood up, brushing away the grass and dirt, then swinging her backpack onto one shoulder. She wobbled a bit so braced herself on a nearby tree. “Feels so real.”
Pushing herself from tree to tree, Sarah made her way back in the direction she had come, long ago. “You could have at least made me stronger, you asshole!… And what’s up with the damn claw?” She looked around hoping to see him somewhere and prove this was another sick and twisted game of his. She didn’t find him. “Whatever!”
Rage rose inside of her. The desire to hurt and kill was her only desire. As she walked, she tried to think straight. Her thoughts were jumbled and out of order. The only thing she could think of was stabbing him and seeing his blood, whatever the color, running down onto the cave floor. The rage filled her even more so she used the clawed hand to hit a tree. It splintered were she connected with it and the tree fell. Sarah stood stunned. “Now I know this isn’t real.”
Not able to even care, Sarah continued walking. This time she was able to do it without the help of any trees. Eventually, sounds of cars on a road floated back to her ears. “How long is this going to go on for?” She looked down at the claw realizing if the imaginary people saw it, that might cause her to fail whatever test this was. She removed her pack and opened it. Inside was a flannel long sleeved shirt several sizes too large. It would do fine to hide the atrocious design.
Finally, covered and ready to appear from within the trees, she stepped out and onto the road’s shoulder. Which way did she need to go? She couldn’t remember. Turning right, Sarah continued on. Almost half an hour later, a white truck pulled up alongside her. An older man with stained teeth and dark eyes rolled down his window. “Need a ride, sweet cheeks?”
Sarah now knew why they say a bull sees red. Her vision nearly turned red. The rage became unbearable. She could almost see the blood flowing through this man’s veins and it screamed to be released. Shaking her head to clear it, Sarah looked up but could only nod.
“Which is it, honey? Yes or no? I don’t have all day.”
Sarah formed a smile and got in the truck.
PART FOUR
Sarah sat as close as she could to the door while tucking her hand under one leg. The malformed one was still hidden under the long sleeve flannel. She closed her eyes trying to get her mind right. Visions of killing this man swam through her head. Each time, she tightened her eyes trying to push them away. He was rude but so far, he hadn’t done anything wrong. Sarah used to cherish all forms of life. It was not up to her to decide who lived or died.
“Where ya headed sweet heart?” He took one hand off the steering wheel and sat it on the bench seat. It wasn’t close to Sarah but it still made her uncomfortable.
“Nearest town in this direction, I guess.” She kept her eyes closed but positioned her head to make it look like she was staring out the window.
“Hey. Are you ok? Why are your eyes closed? Got a headache?”
Crap, he noticed. “Yeah. Yeah, I have a bad headache.”
The man reached out his hand and placed it on her shoulder. Sarah stiffened under the contact but he didn’t remove it. This was getting way to difficult. She hadn’t wanted to walk but controlling her urge was almost beyond her ability.
“Please, don’t touch me.” She tried to make her voice as kind as possible but it was not working. She opened her eyes and looked over at him.
He smiled but it wasn’t a nice one. “You know what they say is good for a headache, right? I could help with that.” He chuckled and went to move his hand to her leg.
This time Sarah didn’t even try to sound nice. Instead, her voice came out almost demonic. “I said, don’t touch me.”
“Oh, come on, honey. I’m giving you a ride after all.” His hand now rested on her upper thigh.
That was all it took. Sarah’s mind didn’t seem to be her own now. She slammed her left elbow into the man’s nose then exposed her right claw, using it to grab his throat. He tried to scream but she squeezed tighter. The truck veered left and right, crossing both lanes many times. The tires screeched as he slammed on the breaks. Sarah shifted the truck into park as soon as they came to a full stop.
The man’s breathing came out in wheezes. He didn’t dare move his head. The claw has razor sharp edges and it already cause blood to flow down onto his wife beater shirt. His eyes bulged as they swiveled to look over at her.
Her face contorted with the rage flowing in her veins. It would be so easy to snip off his head or cut off other parts now knowing how sharp the claw was. She could just give in and do it. Xaphan’s maniacal face appeared in her thoughts. Instead of encouraging her on, it caused her to stop. She closed her eyes again and took deep breaths. When she opened them again, she was better in control.
“You are a pig. I should end you now but I won’t be a pawn. Get out of the truck. I’m taking it and you won’t be calling it in for at least a day. If I find out you did or that you told the police about me, I will find you and finish what I should have done.” She inched her face closer to his. Something in her eyes terrified him. He lost control of his bladder, beer tainted pee quickly soaking his jeans. “Do you understand?”
The man ever so slightly nodded his head. He wasn’t about to try and move it anymore than that. He even had the good graces to keep eye contact.
“Good. Now get out!” Sarah let go of his neck and moved a little bit away to give him room.
He fumbled with the door handle but finally got it open. As soon as he did, he fell out and crawled to the grass. The man brought his knees up to his chest. Sarah could hear him crying from inside the truck.
She looked at the seat he just vacated. It was still damp from his urine. The thought of sitting there made her gag. A quick look through the cabin produced some wet wipes. Sarah sighed in relief. She pulled out a handful and quickly wiped down the area including the steering wheel and then her claw. There was no point leaving his blood on her anywhere.
After adjusting the seat and mirrors, Sarah put the truck into drive and pressed on the accelerator. She was still confused as to if this was real or not but for now, she would treat it like it was. No point being sloppy or getting arrested. Was her home in this direction? Was it the other way? She didn’t know but it didn’t matter. She couldn’t go back to her life if this was reality. She didn’t know what she was going to do. There was no telling when this would end if it was another one of Xaphan’s tests. Driving on was her only option.
The city loomed before Sarah as she drove. It took the rest of the day to get close enough to see the lights of tall buildings and signs. Her chest began to tighten. Breathing became difficult. She pulled onto the shoulder of the road and slammed on her brakes.
Thoughts swirled in her head. Just interacting with one person nearly caused her to kill him. What would happen with an entire city? Not all of them were like the man she nearly ended but enough were. Would he want to kill innocent people too? Sarah began hyperventilating. That damn Xaphan did this to her. He tortured her and made her want to kill. She had heard of abuse before but was this normal? Did the victim turn out like she had?
She closed her eyes and focused on her breathing. Just because he did what he did, doesn’t mean he can have control of what she does now. Finally, Sarah began to breathe normal. Her heart stopped trying to break free. Test or no test, she would show Xaphan that he couldn’t control her.
Putting the truck back into drive, she pulled onto the road again. Another hour had her entering the city limits. Cars zoomed everywhere. Lights blinked, people strolled along sidewalks, horns honked, and music played from some store briefly as she drove by. It was almost too much for her senses. Looking at all the people walking and chatting with each other didn’t seem to raise any red flags yet. Sarah wasn’t seeing red when a car dashed around her for going too slow, either. Maybe, that man was just a one-time thing.
Sarah found a mostly empty parking lot just outside of a bar. She pulled in and parked in a spot farthest away from any other cars. Parking here was probably not a good idea. Drunk people were usually very annoying and that was before Xaphan flayed open her skin repeatedly, but if she didn’t want to get caught for stealing the truck, this was a good place to leave it. The man seemed like he would visit bars a lot. She took a few moments to rummage through the glove compartment and under the bench seats. Just as suspected, he had both a gun and a knife. He also had a rather large wad of cash in the glove box. It was strange but who was she to question.
Taking the knife and money, Sarah exited the truck. There was no way she would even touch the gun. It was too easy to shoot someone if she saw red again. With a knife, she might be able to stop herself before killing. The cash was an added benefit since there was nowhere she could stay and no one she knew in this city. Maybe coming here was a mistake. Going back home would have given her a support group of friends and doctors, but Sarah couldn’t risk hurting loved ones. This had to be the better choice.
She walked a while down the semi-crowded street. Bits and pieces of conversations drifted in her ears. They all seemed pretty happy. Lucky people. None of these pedestrians had to endure what Sarah did. None of them had to now live with being so dramatically changed. They could laugh and joke. They could interact with each other without worrying about hurting each other. Sarah used to be like them. She used to be normal. Even if this was some hallucination test, she would never be normal again.
A drunk man bumped into Sarah and splashed his beer down her arm. He grabbed her shirt, “Watch where you are going bitch! You made me spill my beer!”
Sarah tightened her grip on the small knife. It wouldn’t do much damage with one stab but repeated ones could. For such a big man, she was shocked at how small the blade was. This man, however, was about to test how many stabs it took to get to the center of an idiot. Her vision began to grow darker, filled the edges with red. Sarah stepped into his face but didn’t speak.
“Whoa, whoa! Let’s not fight you two.” A petite brunette pulled him back away from Sarah. When he was far enough away, the woman pleadingly looked at Sarah. “He’s an idiot. I’m so sorry.” She pulled out some wet wipes from her small black purse. “Here, let me help get that cleaned up.”
Sarah jerked away just before the woman could touch her. “No. It’s ok. I… I have to go.” Sarah took off running as hard as she could. She wove in and out of the crowds trying to not touch a single person. As she ran, she looked for somewhere she could lay low for a while. None of the higher end hotels would take cash so she stopped at sketchy looking motel. The rooms lined a parking lot behind the check in building creating a horse shoe pattern.
After checking in, she went all the way down to the back row. Several rooms had their occupants sitting outside on lawn furniture smoking cigars or marijuana. Other people stood drinking beer. This would be a true test of her self-control for sure. Eyes followed Sarah the whole way until she finally opened her door and bolted it from inside. This could definitely be a major mistake.
Her stomach growled loudly. Sharp pains shot through her body. As hungry as she was, there was no way she would attempt going back outside right now. When the other tenants where asleep in the daytime, she would go get food. Until then, sleep seemed the best idea. What would happen when she did, though? Would she wake up back in the cave? The thought of that happening chased away any tiredness.
Sarah crawled up on the bed, bringing her knees to her chest. She rocked forward and back as tears streamed down her face. What would she do now? What was she supposed to do? She didn’t have a job or any friends here. That was a double-edged sword. On one side, she wouldn’t hurt anyone, but on the other side, she would soon run out of money and starve or have to live on the streets with no walls to separate her from others. She would eventually end up in jail or an institution. Maybe that would be for the best.
Sometime during the night, her exhaustion, both emotionally and physically, caused her to fall asleep. Only when streams of sunshine hit her face did she wake up screaming. It took quite a bit to realize where she was. There was sun and a soft bed. It wasn’t the cave after all. She relaxed fully letting her body finally enjoy the safety of her small motel room.
PART SIX
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 belonging 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 passed yet another grungy ally. This one was empty of any people but was lined with overflowing garbage bins. Instead of going deep into the ally, 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 ally with all its dampness and smells surrounded her. She noticed something affixed to the shoulder Xaphan has 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 showing 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.
PART SEVEN
They mercifully stopped after a short distance. It looked like a house you would see on TV. Each one slapped right next to the other, short cement stairs leading to a wooden door inlaid with etched glass. She didn’t remember driving to New York but it sure looked like it.
Michael let go of Sarah and went up the stairs. He unlocked the door and then came back down to help bring Sarah up. It was a very painful experience. They ended up having to lift her the whole way. Once inside, they were met with yet another stair way leading up but to their left was a short hallway breaking off to a living room on the left and a kitchen straight back.
“We have a spare bedroom up the stairs but until you are stronger, we should probably keep you downstairs if that is ok with you?” Maddy patted her had on the shoulder she was supporting Sarah with.
The living room was cozy. It had a London style sofa with rolled arms in a floral pattern. A marble coffee table sat perfectly in the center of a round blue rug. There was a large, flat screen tv directly across from the sofa hanging on the wall. In a corner was a plush recliner chair and a lamp. This was going to be her room for now.
They took her to the sofa. Maddy helped her take off her shoes and get relaxed while Michael went upstairs for a pillow and blanket. “Here, dear. Get comfortable. I’ll go make you something to eat.” She hugged Sarah lightly so as to not hurt her. By the time Maddy came back, Michael already had her set up with two pillows, a blanket and a throw blanket. He also had a tablet for her and was showing her how to use the remote for the tv.
Maddy at a white tray of food down on the coffee table. A bowl steamed with roast and vegetables while a tall glass of iced tea dripped condensation. Sarah’s stomach growled loudly. She was so confused. Did she trust them to not poison her like he did? What was their reason for helping her? Was this a trap of some kind? She looked back and forth between the two who stood there waiting for her to start eating.
It was very awkward so Sarah inched out to the edge of the couch and brought the food closer to her. The tray was close enough that she could just take the fork and start in. She hesitated, though. With the fork of meat halfway to her mouth, she looked back up at the couple. They smiled warmly back at her but Maddy quickly caught on. She shooed her husband away and they went upstairs. Once they were out of sight, Sarah dug in. She was so hungry that she almost forgot to chew. Several times, the meat got caught in her throat and she coughed heavily. When that would happen, she quieted herself to see if either one of her hosts would come back down but they didn’t.
When her meal was done, Sarah crawled back onto to the couch. She snuggled under the blankets. Her head sunk deeply into the pillows. Just as her eyes began to close, Maddy came down the stairs.
“Don’t mind me. I’m just going to grab these dishes. Oh, and there is a bathroom down the hall just before the kitchen. Sleep well. You are safe here.” Maddy gently grabbed the tray and walked back to the kitchen. That was all Sarah remembered. She was soon completely asleep with a full belly for the first time in who knew how long. Any sense of rage or violence slept with her quietly.
PART EIGHT
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 breath. “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, 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.”
PART NINE
“I know it is a lot to ask. You don’t know me but I am going to need help if I am going to escape him.” It took Sarah quite a large amount of courage to ask for help. Reality was, she needed it. There was no way she could accomplish what she needed alone. Hell, there was still a good chance she would die anyway but who would really want to live with what she had been through?
“Dear, we may not know you but our hearts break for what you have been through. We don’t know the whole story but seeing you as you are, that is enough to know you have to do what is best.” Mary looked over at her husband. A simple nod from him was all she needed. “We will help you however we can. You deserve vengeance.”
Mary stood and walked over to Sarah. She reached out her arms and waited. It took a little bit but Sarah finally stood and embraced the kind woman. How could she ever hurt such wonderful people? A tear ran down Sarah’s face. She took one hand off of Mary and touched it, confused. This clearly wasn’t part of Xaphan’s plan, to be able to cry and feel compassion. All she felt up until now was rage and violence. All she wanted to do was kill. A smile crept across her face. She would kill alright. Sarah would kill him. There had to be a way.
“Thank you so much. It means a lot to me that you are willing to help. I’m not sure how I can kill him but it will be either him or me.” Sarah removed herself the hug. They all sat down again, ready to make a plan.
“One second.” Mary went to the other room. When she came back, a laptop was tucked under her arm. “Here. Let’s look some stuff up. You said his name was Xaphan?”
“That’s what he said.” Sarah took the offered computer and opened it. Mary helped her log in and get on the internet. It was surprising how much Sarah had forgotten about day to day life during her torture. So, Mary sat next to her and Michael took notes on what they found. They searched under his name and came up with a ton of information. Nothing in there told her how he could die, however.
“Can he even die?” Sarah leaned back in her chair with a huff. She unrolled her sleeve to show the claw. Typing was a very difficult task with one hand. More tears streamed down her face. This time it wasn’t for good reasons. Where the claw attached to her real arm ached badly. She rubbed the area with her good hand.
Mary saw this and went to the bathroom. She showed back up with ointments and gauze. “Let me see it.” She sat back down next to Sarah. Gently, Mary pulled her claw over and sat it on the table before them. Mary applied the ointment with even more care and snuggly wrapped it with the gauze. It instantly felt better. “It has a fever, dear. We need to keep an eye on it.”
“Who knows, maybe after this goes down, I will be dead. Then I won’t have to worry about it.” Sarah was only half joking. It got her a light slap to the back of the head.
“Don’t talk like that. Please. We would be happy to have you in our lives forever. I know that might be overwhelming to you or even hard to believe considering we just met, but we are good at reading people. Call it a gift. Call it a curse. We feel in our bones that you are a good and wonderful person even if the rest of the world doesn’t want to believe it. Even if you refuse to believe it.” Mary patted Sarah’s leg. “Now let’s plan this, shall we?”
Sarah finally smiled a true smile. “Yes. Let’s do this. First, we are going to be at that movie.”
PART TEN
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 isle. 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 Sulphur 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 isle. The cut off one grew back as Sarah watched in horror. “Fine. Let’s do this.”
Xaphan let Sarah enter the isle as well but that was all. As soon as she was there, he leapt. 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 to agile now that he knew it could damage him.
His movements resembled a large cat. He leapt 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 wound 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 is 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 weight 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.
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.
