“Enough.”
I turn my head around and see Professor Blackthorne glaring at Priest Brown. The priest’s upper lip is in a harsh snarl as he holds his head pathetically. I look at my professor as he holds a knife up in a threat. He must’ve knocked us both down when we were fighting over the mask.
I see Milly appear behind Priest Brown, but she places her finger over her lips in a hush motion. I turn to them, but hide my discolored arm from their sight as they focus on the priest before them. I clench my fists, desperate to remove Milly from his proximity as a new wave of adrenaline courses through my veins.
“Enough, Warren. It’s done,” Bones grits through his teeth. But the man bleeding laughs instead. He smiles, he actually fucking smiles. The laughs become louder and louder, more manic by the moment.
“You think that you can endme?You think that you can end the power of a demon?” His voice starts to contort into a deeper, grittierrasp. I find myself subconsciously taking a step backwards. “Do you know how much blood has been spilled in this very room? This very space? The blood of your predecessorsfuelsme.”
He snarls as he leans forward toward Professor Blackthorne. His eyes shift minutely, changing from round human pupils to sharp feline slits.
“What the fuck,” I whisper to myself, and his head flings in my direction.
“You insignificant little bitch,” he spits out, sputtering blood out of his mouth. But the blood isn’t red.
Professor Blackthorne takes a step back, too, but still holds the knife out at the demon. The blood is a deep black, bubbling from the corners of his mouth and steaming as it hits his robe and the concrete floor with a hissing splat.
“I could not care less whose blood is spilled this evening, as long as someone fuels me.” He starts to crawl onto the ground, heading directly toward Bones.
The congregation begins screaming. Some run out of the room, and I see others frozen in fear. I don’t see my father. I glance back at my professor. He stiffens and raises the knife to throw it when the demon inside Priest Brown starts laughing again.
“You think that a knife can stop me? You think that can killme?” He gurgles the words out, the foul smell of the blood permeating the air. I start to gag and look back at the mirror that has held its abysmal darkness. It moves slightly, as if it has its own consciousness, waiting for its next meal.
I take a deep breath, desperate for a final moment of courage, when I glance back at Milly behind the priest. She’s frantically flipping through her grimoire. Her brow is pinched together as a tiny bead of sweat forms along her forehead. Her bottom lip is in a small pout in concentration. I find myself smiling softly at her beauty, grateful for the opportunity to have loved her in another lifetime.
My heart pinches at the realization that this is it. I found someone I want to spend eternity with, and I’ve only gotten a glimpse of the future we were never really allowed to have.
“I love you,” I say with confidence.
The room quiets in response. Milly flings her head up and stares at me in confusion, before her jaw drops at my words. But the moment passes too fast as Priest Brown is on his feet, charging me within a moment.
He snarls a demonic screech as he rushes me. His eyes are completely feline now, split into diamonds down the middle. He grits his teeth, and I can see that they’ve sharpened into dagger-like points, eager to chomp into me as I rush backwards to the mirror.
I watch the shadows in the mirror vibrate with anticipation, glimmering in blatant hunger as I turn my back to them. I feel them caress my skin, but I know it’s not me they want. No, I’m not the end goal.
There's a silent understanding between the two of us as I exhale a soft breath. I start the chant once again as I feel the demon slam into my body. His elongated teeth latch onto my collarbone, crushing it within seconds as I feel my blood begin to pool out. I scream out at the same time Milly screeches, rushing toward me in a blur of blue.
I fight the anguish of his bite as the shadows pull me backwards. I try to keep my eyes open, desperate to let the last thing I see be Milly. The soft caress of the shadows latches around my waist, and I fall backwards into the void, Priest Brown screaming in my ear as he removes himself from my body. But it’s too late.
I smile as I wrap my hand around his wrist and whisper, “Return to night.”
Milly continues to rush to me, tears streaming down the corners of her eyes. I mouth, “I love you,” one last time to my reason for existence. She shouts my name, but everything fades into a comfortable silence, and I cease to exist.
Chapter 36
Mildred
October 6th
Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again.
I sob into the ground.
Chapter 37
Shadows
The human free floats around us, pale and limp, lost in our comfortable nothingness. She wasn’t the targeted soul, but she was a pleasant addition. They hum their approval.
