The Wrath of Lilly

by J Middleton

  She lifted her eyes to see a form step out of the darkness. Her heart racing. Swallowing a lump of fear so thick that nearly choked her. A harsh wind started to blow as she stood there in front of him. Dark clouds pattern the sky. They’re calm, almost still.

  His hand touched hers with a sudden burst of strength as he gripped her hand. Her head snapped up, seeing his deep eyes that were those of a gentleman. They were beautiful.

  His lips curled into a smile as his iron tight grip bit down on her hand like the jaws of a lion. The intensity of his gaze caused her skin to color slightly.

  Darkness surrounded her. There was nothing above or below her. Her skin felt strangely cold. Not chilled but not warm. Darkness reached out into the vastness of eternity. Not even a flicker of light. Floating in a vast ocean of emptiness. Levitating a foot above the ground she moved slowly in the air. His eyes held her like a powerful magnet pulling her hard. Feeling an electric surge of energy charging through her body leaving her breathless. It felt like nothing else existed. Time suspended all movement as she floating into the abyss.

  Opening her mouth to speech but words wouldn’t come out. Her shoulders slumped to keep as far away from him as possible. He grabbed her waist and pulled her forward. His breath smelled of sour milk.

  Without warning she stops at the sound of door clanked loudly as it opened on its own. Her heart began to race. She blinked several times to focus, hoping they would adjust to the lack of light, but they didn’t.

  A light started to beam through a red stained glass window which made a deep blood color. Gliding up the stairway candles lit the ceiling to show it was shrouded in black velvet tapestries that hung all over the ceiling and down the walls. Entering another room there was no light of any kind emanating from a lamp are candle. Taking another movement forward, encasing herself in the gloom. A heavy tripod, bearing a brazier of fire that protected its rays through the tinted glass and so glaringly illumined the room. It produced a multitude of gaudy and different appearances. The fire light streamed upon the dark room through the blood tinted panes, was ghastly in the extreme, and produced a wild look upon the those who entered. For a moment, all was still, and everything was silent only the echoes of a chime was heard. Yet, her eyes never left his face. Feeling his hot breath breathing down her neck.

  He let her go in front of him, slowly she entered the room that was laden with thick shadows. She stood there in thin air like a statue, immobilized, startled and unsure of herself. Blinking several times to focus of the small candles that flicked around the darkness, this time no tripod. Feeling his hands around her waist he turned her around to face him. Yet never said a word. His eyes piercing though her soul. His pupils expanded, the whites reddened and his face with no expression.

  Victoria trembling.

  Finally, he stepped in closer, imposing on her personal space. Victoria didn’t have it in her to stop him. Taking heavy breaths, nearly hyperventilating. He stood there observing her as if he wanted her. She could neither breathe nor move as he held her imprisoned with just a stare. She stayed locked in his gaze without speaking. His gorgeous eyes were now trying to claim her body. Studying his features, his broad shoulders.

  Never flinching when his hand touched her waist. It was not supposed to be, but the two had an undeniable connection they could not refute. He finally stepped back allowing her to breath. Her mouth dropped wide open, and she sucked in a long, moaning gasp. Her heart contacted. Fear fused adrenaline spread through her body. Her heart leaped up in her chest as beads of perspiration form and roll down her forehead. Her throat dry, as desert sand. Her eyes suddenly blurred with emotions, moisture welling in confusion. Tears spilled from her eyes as she stared into his deep eyes. Frozen in place, she felt the blood drain away from her head with her heart pumping harder. Staring into his deep eyes she seen a deep force of darkness, violent flashes.

  Penetrating her mind, burning his way down into her shocked heart.

  Her eyes lids became heavy as she closed them for a moment. She opened her eyes but nothing was there just brightness that surrounded her. She was no longer in the room. Darker and darker grew the skies. Her eyes searched for less than thirty minutes, she felt an electric energy buzzing throughout her body. It felt as if something, are someone was hovering over her. She peered through the corner of her eyes but couldn’t see anything. In the deepest part of her soul she knew there was something there. Searching for a moment but found nothing.

  The wind grew stronger and blew with increasing force. Then the heavens were torn asunder with vivid lightning, and in the flashes, she could see ahead of her was a great mass of buildings. Hearing the rush of the wind high overhead.

  Victoria gasping for air, covered in moisture. Her heart racing as she looked across the room.

  “It’s only a dream.” She told herself.

  Drawn to the curtains she walked to the window. It seems that she was glutton for punishment, for she couldn’t stop herself. Fear spiraled throughout her body and she started to breathe in fast but shallow breaths. The memory of his face haunted her mind. His piercing eyes, his strong hold. Instantly her heart filled with compassion. His eyes were huge, and shone like a chip off a blue sapphire.

  She then became instantly afraid that he would hear her breathing. Her heart was pounding like a drum, and she knew that she needed to return down stairs.

  Something was wrong.

  “Did Lilly send him? Who is he?” A thousand questions going through her head.

  “Pull yourself together.” She mumbled.

  The last thing she wanted was Vince to sense her fear. She placed one foot in front of the other as if she was in a dream, and slowly went down stairs.

  The smell of fresh coffee helped snap her back to reality. Grabbing a cup from the cabinet she didn’t notice Vince and Glenda sitting at the table.

  “How about some breakfast?”

  Turning quickly to face them.

  “Coffee is fine.” She replied.

  Bringing the hot steaming black liquid to her mouth, she took a small sip. The memory of her dream staying fresh in her mind.

  “What are you doing Vince?” Glenda snapped. Victoria turned around at the sound of her voice seeing him looking down in the crystal ball.

  “I just want to see if grandmother comes down the street.”

  Victoria rushes over and puts the cloth back over the ball.

  “You have to understand she is here!” Vince looked up at her.

  “Oh is she, is the new building her place.” Victoria asks.

  “No that isn’t hers.”

  “Are you sure.” Glenda looked puzzled.

  “Yes I am sure. She didn’t build that she would have told me.”

  “She’s not going to tell you everything.” Victoria snapped.

  “Yes she does!”

  “Vince if that as the case she would have told you the truth about herself. She isn’t telling you everything. I know she did that to me when I was a child. She would come to me in a dream and make it sound different then what it is. Trust me Vince she isn’t who she said she is.”

  “No one is who they say they are.”

  “Vince!” Glenda snapped at him.

  “I’m sorry. It’s just everyone hide things from me, and now I don’t know who to believe.”

  “You can believe us Vince. I know we keep thinks for you but that was for your own good. We didn’t want you to go through what we went through, but it looks like you should judge for yourself. Just keep in mind we wouldn’t lie to you.”

  Victoria cup slipped out of her hand and scattered on the ground in front of her.

  Reaching down with her trembling hands she picked up the pieces of glass.

  “Let me help you with that.” Glenda asks.

  Victoria looked up as Vince was standing a few feet from her.

  “Vince how often does she visit you?” Victoria asks.

  “I don’t want to talk about it anymore.” He said as he lef
t the room.

  “We have to find out what is going own. Did you talk to anyone? This has got to stop? She haunts him like she haunted me. Glenda, we have to stop her.”

  “Yes they are on standby they don’t want to gather here if Lilly is using Vince to find out what we are doing. They are preparing for what’s to come. We are going to call in reinforcement. Victoria, I know this is hard but you have to be patient.”

  “Patient, she is building her army and besides that she is using Vince just like she used me.”

  “I know, let me go check on him.”

  Victoria sat down at the table and mumbled a spell of protection, hoping it would be enough to hold until Zac came back.

  “I have to find out myself what is going on.” She thought as she got up and walked out the back door.

  Chapter 6

  The clouds turn even darker and the stillness is interrupted by a sudden gust of wind. There were no leaves on the trees. Their branches are tangled and intertwine between each other like crooked sculptures. There’s an unsettled feeling inside of her and she can’t put her finger on why.

  Victoria noticed there was drip in temperature, warning her of the lurking danger. Above the treetops dark clouds seem to form. Tree limbs began to snap, branches started to cover the sidewalks. Rumble shook the ground as she walked quickly down the walkway. The streets giving the feeling of a ghost town.

  Her thoughts were interrupted by another rumble. Her body shook as the earth shuddered from within. At that point she didn’t know whether to run back are keep on going. Then in the next instant, a lightning bolt flashed followed by a loud thumping sound. Her pulse racing, as her body tremble in fear.

  Stopping at the large door, she reached to knock. Before she could even touch the door, it eased open.

  At that moment, everything got silent, no wind, no thunder, no lightening, just silence.

  “Hello” her voice was low.

  Adjusting to the darkness that filled the room. Standing there waiting for light to filter in through the door, but it never happened. Victoria’s heart rate quickens. Her breathing became labored.

  “Hello” she said again.

  She jumps as a deep voice replies.

  “What brings you here Victoria?”

  Words seem to be frozen in her throat. Never had she been nervous and afraid.

  Looking straight ahead, something caught her attention. A glowing light appeared in the far corner of the room. Taking one more step inside, the door slammed shut behind her. Her heart jumped out of her chest, beating faster and harder. Lightening flashed, for just a split second she could see a shadow standing by a stairway.

  Victoria got the sense of déjà vu. Something didn’t feel right. She had never been here before why did it feel like she had, was it the dreams?

  “I have to get out of here.” She thought.

  “You never answered. What can I do for you?” The voice was unnatural as he got closer.

  “Who are you?” she replied.

  The darkness began to give way to a dull orange glow, the flicker of light subtle at first then slowly growing intensity. She could see the figure of a man. Taking a deep breath, she stepped backwards.

  A small giggle was heard echoing throughout the room.

  “I think I have already introduced myself Victoria. Don’t you remember?”

  “No”

  “Think hard.”

  A thump sound was heard behind her as it snapped her back to the present. She froze as she remembered the encounter on the street.

  “I don’t recall your name.”

  “That’s because I didn’t give it.” he laughed. He was grinning, the whites of his teeth barely visible in the darkness.

  A faint rumble made her turn towards the door.

  Knowing she had to get out of there, if this was one of Lilly’s servants she wouldn’t be able to defeat herself. Before she could make another step, he was standing a few inches for her. He stood there stared down at her. His face was set in hard angles, and a frown was fixed over his eyes.

  “Leaving so soon, Victoria.” She kept her eyes fixed on the ground between them. Not wanting to look upon him.

  At that moment, she looked up and he disappeared, she grabbed the door handle and hurried out the door. Glancing back, his figure appeared in the doorway. Cold terror washed through her. She wanted to run, but her body felt like lead.

  Images and his voice flashed through her mind. Her breathing was thin and quick. Heart pounding, pulse racing. Wind was whistling louder and higher. The skies were darkening, sound of branches snapping. Faster she walked the slowly she became.

  Finally, she reached Glenda’s, as she slowly opened the door.

  Hearing the bones and joints of her house cracking and popping, almost as if the nails was pulling up. Sheets of rain pummeled down on the roof. It sounded like a massive straw broom was being raked violently across the roof, over and over.

  Victoria kept her footsteps light as she moved through the foyer to the living room and into the library. There were three candles burning on the table casting a flickering shadow in the room. Her eyes darted to the sides as the howling outside intensified during an especially powerful gust.

  “Where did you go?”

  Victoria jumped at the sound of Glenda’s voice.

  “I had to check something out. What did you find out?” Glenda looked agitated.

  Victoria knew this was the being of her nightmare. This time it would worst then the other. Air hissed and whistled through the seams of the window. Sounding like a freight train. Before Glenda could say another word, Victoria moved to the window and pressed a flashlight up against it and shined it outside. The pathetic dribble of the light did little to wash away the darkness. She could only see several of the trees, bent from the wind. The little ones that lined the walkway was snapped in half.

  “Victoria get away from that window.”

  It was hard for her to move. Rain came in sideways and in blinding sheets, like a powerful sprinkler dousing the house. She was transfixed by the incredible forces powering through the streets.

  Glenda grabbed her arm and lead her back to the living room. Goose bumps ran down her arm, she knew something was going on. She hadn’t seen weather like this in years.

  “Lilly is here. I can feel her.” Pausing for a moment. “Did you call for help? Have you found out anything!”

  “Calm down Victoria everything is being checked out.”

  She jumps as a loud thump was heard upstairs. They run upstairs to find Jessica picking up something on the floor.

  “What happened?” Glenda asked.

  “I’m sorry I knocked over a glass.”

  “Here let me help you.” Victoria reached down and gathered the pieces and put them in her hand. At that point she seen a reflection on a dark figure behind her. Fear ran through her body.

  Turning quickly to look there was nothing there. Beads of sweat rolled down the side of her forehead. Glenda stood mindlessly staring at her face.

  Lightning struck again, as the walls rattled. Victoria leapt forward, with her heart racing with anxiety.

  “Victoria let me have this.” Glenda grabbed the glass from her hand.

  She could feel her body trembling.

  “I am going to check on Vince.” She answered as she quickly turned and went to his room.

  “Something is going on with Victoria.” Jessica thought as she followed Glenda down to the kitchen.

  Jessica dumped the glass in the garbage watching Glenda in the corner of her eye. She was looking in the crystal ball.

  “What do you see?”

  “Nothing but darkness.”

  Jessica through the crystal, she was right. Darkness consumed everything. Her worried eyes looked back at her with her mind racing with ideas.

  Jessica’s thoughts were interrupted by another rumble. At that point, Glenda knew that the rumbling didn’t come from the lightning and thunder. It came from something el
se.

  Light beamed into the room and a nearby light pole landed in front of the front door. Smashing hard against the ground. The dangling fixture flickered and the wiring sparked in a flash of light.

  “She is gaining her strength.”

  “Who?” Jessica asks.

  “Lilly.”

  Glenda glanced up to see flickering flames on the ceiling. She yells as Jessica.

  The mumble something as the fire disappears. Jessica quickly put a protective shield around the house.

  “This should hold? She has gained a lot of powers. How are we going to defect her?” Her eyes wrinkled with memories of the last time.

  “We will defect her again, this time we must kill her.”

  Suddenly everything got quiet. They looked back into the glass ball.

  “Look! Who is that?” Glenda pointed at the figure standing in front of the new building.”

  “I don’t know one of Lilly’s calling cards.”

  The feeling was strange, she could feel a frightening, electrical sensation. The feeling sent shivers down her spine.

  “He has strong powers.” Jessica remarked.

  “How do you know that?”

  “I can feel it. Something isn’t right with him. He isn’t just a dark shadow. We have to find out what he is and stay away from there.”

  “I agree, and Victoria needs to keep away from there to.”

  “Victoria as been there!” Glenda was stunned.

  “I saw her go in there.”

  Glenda was speechless wondering why she would do such a thing.

  They stood there for a few minutes watching the figure go back into the building. Fog rolled over the ground around it. Glenda covered the ball with a cloth as she stood there in silence.

  “Let’s get some rest. I will sleep down here and watch the door.”

  “I will join you.” Jessica said as they pulled out a few blankets and crawled up on the sofa.

  Chapter 7

  Under the darkness of the night, Vince woke and climbed out of the bed. Silence filled the air, broken only by his footsteps across the floor. Opening his door to peek down the hallway all was quiet. Slowly he moved down the staircase, listening for any noise. Finally, he reached the front door, easing it open and slipped out side.