by Alex Apostol
“You know, it’s always all about the poor victims, but what about me?” she asked, trying to look defeated. “I was a mother once too.”
She lowered her face as she let what she said settle in with me, as if I would put aside what she did to my son and relate to her. I wasn’t buying it, though. Her sympathy for the devil act was not going to work for me. I felt nothing but hatred for the young girl in front of me. It was hard to picture such indescribable beauty could be the same hag I had seen in Danny’s room, but no doubt she was the same monster. She may have power over most people, but she had nothing on me.
“My children were murdered too and since I couldn’t kill the one responsible I killed others in a blind rage for revenge, just like you. You and I aren’t so different,” she said, sniffling back her tears.
“We are nothing alike,” I responded through clenched teeth, furious she could even see any resemblance between us. “You kill the innocent…I don’t.”
“How can you be sure everything you’ve ever killed was dangerous? What if they were just misunderstood? You couldn’t find me to kill me so you took it out on everything different or weird you came across.”
I shook my head, not wanting to hear another word.
“When your children died, you had a choice; use your experience to do good and help others so they don’t have to feel the same pain you felt or do evil and cause despair,” I said, narrowing my eyes.
I stared down at Mia, letting her think about what I’d said. Her eyes shifted in all different directions as she pretended to give a damn about the people she’d killed.
“You made the wrong choice,” I said, baring my teeth in anger. “And now you’re going to pay for it.”
Her laughter echoed once more throughout the auditorium, coming back at me from all angles. I took a step back, slightly fearful of her next move. She stared directly into my eyes as she cackled with insanity.
“I don’t think so, mommy,” she stopped laughing abruptly and furrowed her brows once more.
Moving quicker than I could keep up with, she stood up and whipped the back of her hand across my face, sending me flying backwards. I slid across the floor from the force of her blow, smacking the back of my head on one of the wooden sets. The pain was worse than anything I’d ever felt. My vision blurred as I tried to stand up, but it was too much. My knees buckled and my face hit the hardwood floor. I could hear the sound of heels clicking in the distance, coming closer to me.
“Ouch, sorry about that, but you were getting ridiculous to listen to,” Mia said as she knelt just inches from my face.
I coughed hard, causing more pain in my throbbing head as her putrid breath filled my nostrils and lungs. When I had smelled it last in Danny’s room, I had been an entire’s room length away, but forced down my throat as it was then made me never want to breathe again. It was as if someone had nearly strangled me to death and I was left to fight for air as my body tried to shut itself down in defense. I could taste the decaying rotting eggs her breath mimicked as it consumed every sense I had left working.
To my relief Mia stood up, clicking her tongue as if it were a shame to see me give up so easily. She drove the sharp black heel of her shoe into my stomach, shooting the pain straight up into my head. Another fit of coughing and it was all too much for me. I curled up into a ball, sure this was the end of me. There was no way I could stand up and fight. All I could do was lay there and try to stay conscious, even as the darkness started to creep up around me. I forced my eyes open and turned my head upward to look at Mia.
“You just won’t give up will you?” she said, putting her hands on her hips.
I was just as surprised as she was that I had held on this long. I rolled over onto my stomach and planted the palms of my hands on the floor. I pushed myself up slowly with all the strength I had left to rest on my knees. My head spun in all directions. I closed my eyes as I tried to steady myself. Danny was counting on me to set him free and that was exactly what I was going to do. I opened my eyes again, focusing on the angry goddess’ face. I attempted to rise as Mia laughed. She took her shoes off and placed them on the ground next to her. As she took a few steps closer to me, her body swayed as if she were dancing to some unheard music.
One more smell of her foul breath would surely knock me back on my ass. Little did I know, rancid smells were the least of my worries. With greater force than the back of her hand, she kicked me in the head with all she had in her. As I was mid-air, my body decided it had taken all it could handle. I never got the chance to see if I landed back onto the ground. For all I knew, I was still floating there.
Nothing could be seen in the blackness surrounding me. All I heard were voices in the distance. I heard Danny, panicking, wanting his mother to get up. I heard Sari, confessing his love and pledging the rest of his life to me. And I heard Mia, roaring with laughter at her victory over another no named worthless no one. My eyelids were heavy, unable to open with the normal force I usually applied to the simple task. I put all my concentration into it when I felt the weight lift, letting my eyes flutter open.
I tried to move my arms, but they were tied together around something. My feet were bound as well, unable to move at all. I turned my head with ease, still feeling the powerful throbbing of my brain as I did so. The wooden and cardboard sets the two girls had been working on were behind me, holding me in place. I struggled harder, sure that the college-made carpentry couldn’t hold against my strong will to live and desire to kill the evil before me.
“Well, look who’s up,” Mia said casually as she strolled over to me, her heels clicking on the hard floor once more. “I was beginning to think I’d accidentally finished you off.”
She smiled, revealing a glistening row of rotted pointed teeth. She ran her tongue over the brown and yellow stained fangs as she continued to smile maliciously.
“You like?” she asked with a giggle. “It’s how I’m able to rip apart these worthless meat sacks to get to their juicy souls.”
The image filled my head of her using the jagged teeth bared in front of me to find her way to my core. There was no way I was going to let that happen. I had to get out of this somehow. I had to defeat her for Danny and all the other kids who were trapped under her power. Fear filled every muscle I had as she slowly opened her mouth, moving her head closer to my helpless body. It was too late.
“Hey!” I heard a familiar, deep voice growl and echo through the large auditorium.
Mia backed away and whipped herself around to come face to face with my beautiful guardian. Sari towered over the goddess’s small frame, his eyes burning with rage. For a second I actually thought I saw fire roaring in his irises, but decided it was due to the sharp blow to my head.
“You think you have any power over me?” she asked.
Mia took a few sauntering steps towards Sari as her crooked, deranged smile overtook her beautiful face. Sari didn’t budge. Instead, he stared down at the now haggard woman with his own smile of insanity. The sight of me in such peril seemed to have actually driven him crazy, which I appreciated.
“There’s nothing you can do to me…” she told Sari as she licked her lips.
Before she could finish her threat, Sari extended his arm into her sternum so quickly and with such great force that she flew all the way across the stage and into the brick wall in the back. The wall crumbled where she hit and pieces fell out, landing on her as she lay on the floor. As she struggled to get herself back on her feet, Sari ran over to me.
“Bu-bye,” Mia said, just as Sari got his hands on the ropes confining me.
Right before my eyes, Sari vanished into thin air, unable to free me. To my horror, the badly bruised goddess snapped her dislocated shoulder back into place with a grin. Her broken foot dragged behind her as she made her way over to me once more.
“What did you do with him?” I yelled in a whirlwind of fury.
My chest felt heavy as I tried to breathe. The tears were welling up in my ey
es as I thrashed back and forth, trying to break free.
“Don’t worry, precious hunter, he’ll find his way back…sadly, it will be too late to save you, though.”
She pulled something small out from underneath her shirt. She opened the tiny matchbook and pulled one out, ready to ignite.
“Shame I have the power to make your darling savior disappear, huh?” Mia laughed, scraping the small stick against its packaging, causing it to light with a hiss.
I closed my eyes and felt the warmth of the match at my feet as it landed on a piece of strategically placed cardboard and roared to life. I concentrated on what she had said to me last, drowning out everything else around me. My head became blank and all the pain I was feeling was gone. My muscles relaxed and my body felt as light as a feather before returning to its natural state. I stared at the back of my enemy’s head as she stared in shock at the burning, empty space in front of her. I could feel the anger in me boiling, ready to pour out of me. Mia turned around to find herself inches from my face.
“How…” she stammered, taking a few steps backwards before tripping over the toolbox she had left in the middle of the stage.
She immediately regained her footing, crouched on the floor and ready to attack at the first move I made. I walked towards her, never looking away from her fierce, dark eyes. Time seemed to slow down as we stared at each other, waiting for the other to strike. The tension in the air was electric as our eyes locked onto each other’s.
“What are you?” she growled, demanding an answer from me.
“I’m nothing like anything you’ve ever met,” I said just before shoving my foot out with greater force than I ever thought I had, contacting with the rotting hag’s face.
Her head whipped back as she fell to the ground, a few of her decrepit teeth lying around her in pieces from the impact. She pushed herself up onto all fours, blood flowing in a small stream from her mouth. She turned her head to look at me, narrowing her eyes before spitting out the last pool of red. There was nothing left to say. Now was the time to finish this.
I screamed from the rush, running at her with full speed. I extended my leg once more for another blow, but she saw it coming and grabbed my ankle, throwing me to the side with one hand. I heard a snap as she let go, sending me through the air before landing on my side with a loud thud. Every bone in my body ached, but the bones in my ankle were the only ones that were completely shattered. Knowing there was no time left to worry about the pain, I jumped to my feet and charged forward again. If I could just get my hands on her, this would all be over.
Our bodies collided and I caught her fist before it pounded into my face. I used her own attack on her and threw my own fist into her jaw. In a fit of rage, she gnashed her teeth together before opening her mouth wider than humanly possible. Her broken, jagged teeth came down on my shoulder. She stuck to me for a few moments of agonizing pain before ripping away, taking a chunk of my shoulder with her. I screamed with all I had in me, not being able to contain myself. The wound was expelling blood quickly, soaking through my clothes. Forcing my head into hers, I knocked Mia to the ground once again, only to have her bring me down with her.
We both scrambled away from each other, working to get back onto our feet. As she kicked and fought her way away from me, the demon goddess drove the heel of her foot into my face, catching my fragile cheekbone and eye. No snap this time. I crawled over to where she was pulling herself to and turned her onto her back. I climbed onto her stomach, restraining her hands as she struggled to break away from me.
“It’s over.”
Electrical charges ran through my hands to my fingertips. Sparks flew all around as I placed my hands on her face. The light from within her burst out through every opening. She gave a piercing scream as she burned from the inside out before the light faded. A warm liquid ran from my ear down my neck. The rush inside me was gone. I was drained. My body had finally recognized all it had just been through. I crumpled, falling off the motionless body right into Sari’s arms.
“Kam!” he exclaimed as he wrapped his arms around me, resting my head against his chest.
Everywhere felt bruised, broken, and battered. The smoke from the stage fire made it hard to breathe properly.
“We have to get out of here,” Sari said in a panic as he stood up with me cradled in his arms.
“The girl,” I whispered in his ear. “Save her.”
“There’s no time. I have to get you out of here!” he cried in hysteria.
“Please…”
Reluctantly he set me down on the floor again and appeared next to the girl who was engulfed now by smoke. He touched a finger to her forehead, sending her out of sight and to safety. I coughed, consumed by black smoke as I lay on the floor struggling to get to my feet. Before I could stand completely upright, Sari had me in his arms once more. The dark, smoke filled room faded away and I was able to breathe once more. I was on the cool cement with Sari huddled over me, tears flowing down his rosy cheeks.
“Please be alright, please,” he pleaded.
I felt dizzy as my eyes fluttered, ready to drift away to unconsciousness. The ground beneath me was stained red from the wound on my shoulder. I looked up at Sari, his flawless face going in and out of focus as I tried to open my mouth to speak.
“I…I love you,” I pushed out with as much force as I had left.
A tear streamed off of his cheek and onto mine. With a deep breath, he closed his eyes and placed his hands gently on my bleeding shoulder. I writhed and moaned from the pain. As he concentrated on the gash, the agony began to wash away until there was nothing left. He moved his hand down my leg until he reached my broken ankle and did the same thing, healing the bones completely. Even though I knew I still had bruises and gashes throughout my body, he had gotten rid of the two main sources of torment I was feeling. Compared to them, the other infractions felt like nothing. I sat up, wrapping my arms around his neck. Over his shoulder I saw the young blonde girl from the auditorium lying in the grass.
“Can you help her?” I asked, afraid it was too late to save her.
“I can try. If the person is too far gone then there’s nothing I can do,” he responded, turning to look at her.
Sari walked over to the still body and found the cause of her unconsciousness. He placed his hand on the back of her head where she’d been hurt, shrinking it in size till in vanished entirely.
“She still lost a lot of blood,” he said with grief. “She needs to go to a hospital and so do you.”
I pulled out my cell phone from my pocket, surprised it was even still intact. I dialed 911 and reported the auditorium fire.
“Please hurry. I think she breathed in a lot of smoke. She’s not waking up,” I said as calmly as I could so they’d understand me.
After I told them where we were located, Sari helped me to my feet. Already, we heard the sirens of the campus police. The familiar inward debate started in my head. Should I stay and answer questions or should I flee? I looked at the girl on the ground and knew I had to stay. Sari and I would be able to come up with something plausible where we were not the ones to blame.
We looked at each other as the cops drove up and stopped next to the curb. The building behind us was emitting clouds of smoke as the flames grew in size. The fire department and ambulance pulled up behind the squad car within the minute and they went straight to work.
“Is she going to be okay?” I asked the paramedics as they put her into the back of their truck on a stretcher.
“She’s still alive but critical. We need to go now,” one of the men in blue responded before slamming the door.
The ambulance sped off with its siren blaring. Sari put his arm around me as we watched them turn the corner, the loud whining of the sirens fading away. Two police officers stepped away from their cars and approached us to get the story of what happened.
“We come to visit the campus sometimes to see our friends,” I began with a steady voice. “We wandered
away from our group to talk when we saw smoke rising from the auditorium. We could hear faint screaming from inside. That’s when…Gary…ran inside and pulled the girl out. Once we got her to the grass she passed out.”
It was simple, but most importantly believable. Just one detail was overlooked in my rushed thinking.
“Ma’am, if you were out here the whole time, how’d you get so bruised and banged up?” the officer asked, using his pen to point at my face which must have been obviously damaged.
“Um…well, some girl wouldn’t stop hitting on my boyfriend at a party and we kind of got into it, but it’s really no big deal. I don’t even know who she is.”
“Well, I think you should go to hospital and get checked out anyway, just to be safe,” he suggested with a concerned face.
I squeezed my eyes together as if I were in a lot of pain, groaning a little to really sell it. Right away, the police turned to Sari and told him how to get me to the nearest hospital. We thanked him and Sari put his arm around my waist for support as we walked off into the parking lot. Once out of sight, we disappeared all together and landed on a sidewalk in front of a small motel.
“I can’t believe it’s really over,” I said with so much joy that my mouth pained from my large smile.
Sari picked me up in his arms and spun me around. He held my face in his hands as he kissed me in a frenzy. He ran his fingers through my hair and down my back, relaxing my entire body.
“I was so scared I was going to lose you,” he said in between passionate kissing.
I smiled up at him and stared into his big warm eyes.
“This is a new beginning for us, isn’t it?”
He kissed me again more gently this time, letting the flavor of his sweet breath linger on my lips.
“It sure is.”
18
“If Heaven and Hell decide that they both are satisfied and illuminate the no’s on their vacancy signs…if there’s no one to guide you when your soul embarks, then I’ll follow you into the dark.”
