Whispers of revenge

Chapter twelve.

Chapter twelve.

Minthie point of view.

I see her move around the room until she sits down again in the same place she was before. Cruor snaps her teeth as she peers at her long nails. I lie on the ground for a moment recovering from the violent encounter a few minutes ago. I slowly sit down on the floor and then get up and stand in the middle of the room. My eyes full of contained tears observe her carefully. Cruor lowers her hand and watches me for a few seconds before speaking.

"Before I had that same look of hatred with which you look at me now." Cruor gets up and walks towards a window that he had not seen before and observes the landscape that is shown through it. "I used to look at those who held me in those cells with the same feeling. I used to blame them for everything that had happened to me. For everything they did to me. Until I took revenge on my own hand and stopped them." She slowly turns in my direction and takes a few steps towards me. "And you could do the same."

"I am not the same as you." I answer him. My voice raspy from the previous attack. She chuckles.

"No. You are not. I could face them. You are here because of the person who betrayed you. Not once, but twice. And I looked. You keep waiting for him to come save you. Pathetic."

Her words hurt me and hit bottom in my heart. Because I know he's right and I can't deny it. My head falls in shame and I focus my gaze on the ground.

"I just want my sister back." My voice comes out tearful. Her words begin to affect me.

"She is not coming back to you."

"What are you talking about?"

"She is better here. With people who understand her."

"But I am her sister."

"That doesn't matter. You could never understand."

"You can't say that. You don't know us."

"I know them better than you think. I have spent years inside your sister's head." She says as she gets dangerously close to me. "I know everything about you. I could even say what your favourite colour is. What you liked to eat on your birthday. You can't hide anything from my Minthie. I know everything that's in there." She says the last by touching my head. Just to wipe her fingers on her robe after touching me, with a disgusted face. As if touching me is gross. "Humans are so easy to read. You guys are like open books." I watch her walk to the table again.

"Sit down. They'll bring us food very soon." The mention of food catches my attention. Just thinking I'm going to have something in my stomach makes it roar in anticipation.

I walk towards the table and I feel as far away from it as I can. She looked at the empty plate in front of me, I hear her get up from her seat and walk closer to me. When she pulls the chair from my side and takes a seat I lift my head and look at her.

"I know you must have a lot of questions." She starts talking while sipping wine from a shiny glass. "I can answer them all. I don't lose anything by being honest with you."

Her words ignite a spark in my head. I can ask why all this is happening to us. Why we are so important to this war.

"I would like to know everything." Cruor raises her eyebrows in surprise and lowers the glass she had in her hand on the table.

"It's a long story Minthie. Are you sure?" The back doors open and what I recognize as normal people enter. These have rags for clothes. They are dirty, hurt and they do not lift their heads from the ground for what I imagine is fear since most of them come shaking. That makes the things they carry to sway. The plates of food are placed in front of us. There are huge chunks of roast meats. Steamed vegetables. An apocalyptic gourmet meal.

"To begin I want to tell you something that you may not know. Almost nobody knows. Many years ago, in a town very far from what used to be Scandinavia. There was a hidden tribe that worshiped an entity. And they made a pact with that entity so that all their generations would be endowed with powers that you would call supernatural. Every child that was born in that tribe was part demon. "

"What the hell?" I ask mockingly, unable to contain my laughter.

"Yes. Hell." Cruor answered seriously. "Demons have existed on earth many years longer than human beings, they are fierce, extremely dangerous and show no emotions.”

Can't they feel emotions? The first thing that comes to mind is Bleddyn. I think of everything we've been through together. Was it all a lie? A cruel lie just to bring me to this place. Cruor continues speaking and I listen to her before. Wanting to know everything I can about them.

 “But they are skilled creatures to fight and survive. And those are the gifts that these creatures give in exchange for a life to serve them. But the only problem is that demons are insubstantial. That means they cannot live unless they are attached to something alive.

"Does everyone from that tribe have demons inside?" I ask really curious.

"Yes. They mix with creatures strong enough to keep them inside in order to survive. Maintain their abilities and evolve."

"But doesn't the demonic part try to take control?"

"Of course they have. They have always tried and some have fallen. But if you learn not to succumb to their voices you can use whatever they give you as long as they have you as a guest."

"Before, when everything was normal, it was easy to identify when someone had a demon inside them. An athlete who magically has incredible physical abilities. A singer who becomes famous for the morning. Politicians, Leaders, Kings. All of them. And when they got scared they put us in that hole, trying to control us, using our powers against us and creating creatures made of our flesh.

"Wait. Are you telling me that you're one of those demons?" I ask concerned.

"Yes." It is the only thing that responds. In the following minutes we remain in silence eating what we have in front of us. I see her chewing the leg of an animal with her huge teeth that are gnawing at the bone. I look at the plate in front of me and my stomach growls. There was some kind of roast animal and mashed potatoes. I took the silverware that was next to my plate and began to slice the meat and eat it slowly while listening to Cruor speak.

"I was caught one day when I was leaving my job. It was Thursday, March 14, 1959. I worked in an advertising company. There were rumours among my people that many disappearances were happening. We were all half scared. But we couldn't. Do anything strange that might attract attention. “Cruor paused dramatically before continuing. “I was going down an alley towards my car that was parked on the other street. When they took me from the inside and tied me up and put a strange gas in my nose. The next thing I remember is waking up in an all-white place chained to a stretcher with Millions of machines connected to me. At that time I still didn't quite know how to use my powers so I couldn't defend myself. They had me locked up in that pigsty for decades. I could hear the voices of my other brothers locked up in that horrible place. They tortured us. They did things that would drive you crazy. It happened to most of them, their human bodies weren't strong enough and now my brothers suffer for having such a useless host. "

"So you are part devil?" I ask confused.

"Yes I am." She answers me as if my question is obvious.

"Bleddyn is part of the demon too?"

"No. He and his line do not. They come from years of experiments with our DNA."

That somehow leaves me a little calmer. That Bleddyn is not a demon means that the part of not feeling does not apply to him.

"Although Bleddyn and his bloodline come from a direct line of mine. Where they had us when they saw that the rest of the demons managed to hide and get off their radar. They had the idea of crossing us and seeing what was born. Supernatural beings. So they gave us remedies that raised our libido and fertility. But babies that were born biologically died within days. They found the solution to create them in vitro. The first were just mistakes after mistakes. Until one day they mixed my genes and a lower-ranking demon and the first baby of my kind was born. They had found the formula and could create more of us. "

"But I do not understand." I tell Cruor. "What would be the reason for all this?"

"The doctor who wanted to create all this had what is known as a God complex. He believed that he could create something as perfect and incomparable as God himself. He was a narcissist who died before I could kill him myself.

“You must be wondering why we didn't run away earlier." I nod my head to let her know yes as I continue eating.

"The demons within us have the ability to communicate with each other. Since they are entities that live in many realities, they can see both the past and the future. And they saw some girls playing and one of them had something special. That would help us to win a war that was not yet ready to be liberated. So we waited. We stayed as far as possible within the bodies of our guests. Seeking refuge from the things they did to us. And when the time came we freed ourselves. The moment to be Free had arrived and we had to train our ranks for the final battle. One that your sister will lead us. “He ends by saying with a smile that detonates pride.

"Wait. What? My sister?" I threw the cutlery I had in my hand hard on the table and jumped to my feet.

"My sister would never do something like that!" I scream puzzled.

"Silence!" Cruor's roar brings me to my sitting position again.

"Your sister has been a part of this since before she was born. We all saw it, the girl who was so sick she couldn't get out of bed but miraculously began to heal."

"No."

"The girl who suddenly walked away from you and you found her talking to things that were not there."

"My sister is not the same as you."

"Right. She was still asleep. Hidden somewhere in her mind and now she's free."

I shake my head frantically not wanting to accept her words. This has to be all a lie.

"And now. Either you can help us and give us what we want or we can go the wrong way and get it our way. What do you say?"

At that very moment the doors open and the two people I most wanted to see at this moment enter through it, I noticed my sarcasm. Bleddyn and Nadia enter the living room. Nadia is wearing one of the same dresses that Cruor is wearing. Only this one is deep red. I take a good look at her, she looks more haggard. Her once bright eyes lost their shine and are now a black pool. It is her look that scares me, my sister is no longer there.

She walks up to me and stands on my side. I see her lower her hand to my arm and push on me to make me stand. We stare at each other for a few seconds until a slow, ghoulish smile crosses her face.

"It's good to see you again sister."

"Nadia." My voice is trembling. Seeing her so changed made an impact inside me. This doesn't seem to be my sister.

Her hands leave my body to lift them up and run a lock of my hair behind my ear. Her touch is so delicate that when her hand hits my cheek violently it takes me by surprise. I lean against the table due to the force of the impact, which prevents me from falling to the ground. I look up in her surprised direction. Only to find that the smile is still intact.

"You have to start talking. We don't have much time." I see her body walk away and take a seat near Bleddyn who was watching the whole situation and decided not to do anything. Bleddyn glanced away when his eyes met mine not wanting to see my face. Which at this moment I imagine must be red from the impact. Tears begin to accumulate in my eyes. Now I understand that this was a mistake. It was always a trap that I fell into.

"Well let's get started." Cruor's voice is noticeable. "Minthie where is the chest that your father left you? It is something crucial to continue with our plans dear." The softness in his voice no longer had the same effect on me. Now I know what it is capable of.

"I'm not going to tell you." Cruor’s makes a surprised noise. With a mocking expression on his face. Mocking me.

"It was to be expected, the girl who wants to save everyone but could not save her parents because she was afraid." I hear the voice of the former Nadia.

"That's a lie." I reply.

"A lie? Your sister had to go out to see the dismembered bodies of your parents. And you stayed inside the house not knowing what to do." Her voice becomes thin as a form of mockery.

"That's not true I ..."

"You what? And now you've lost your sister too." A loud laugh comes from her throat. "It was so easy for Bleddyn to make you believe he loved you and here we are."

I glance up at Bleddyn only to meet his cold amber eyes. His look no longer transmits the same to me. What used to be warm is now cold and hard. He lifts his chin and gives me a half smile that makes me feel furious, I was a fool.

"Now tell us where the box is." Cruor's voice breaks our little battle of gazes and I look at her.

"I'm never going to tell you where it is." I don't remember where it is. Years ago she gave me that little box and I don't remember where I keep it. Although if I remembered I would never tell them.

I feel a force that pushes me back, making me fall with the chair to the ground. My head hits the ground hard as I don't have time to stop the fall.

My head spins as I try to recover from the blow. My hair is caught in a fist and I am dragged around the room.

"I want to be polite to you. You ate at my table and you still disrespect me." I feel my body being dragged to the exit of the room where we were, the doors are opened and the voices of the other evolved reaches my ears. I hear their laughter as they watch me get dragged away. I bring my hands to where Cruor's are trying to get her to let go of me.

"Humans are all like that. Ungrateful."

My eyes fill with tears and I feel my body burning from the scratches caused by the rough floor. My body is lifted a few inches off the ground and is thrown into my cell again.

"You are going to stay here a while to think well." I see her turn around and go to the door. When he is about to cross the threshold, she turns her face away, making him only see part of it. The shadows of the place make her face look gloomy. Her eyes shine in a strange way and it seems that the shadows of the place take shape on her body.

I snuggle into one of the corners and she stared at her with fear that she would hurt me more. I can see in her fist a lock of hair that she pulled from me on the way. My clothes are in tatters and I know I'm bleeding in places.

Cruor turns around and faces me again. I see doubt cross her face like she's talking to someone, before she quickly approaches me. I run as much as I can against the wall and protect my head with my hands. Not wanting to take any more blows. Which does not work as I feel Cruor's hand connect with my head. I feel like I'm thrown across the room and fall ungraciously on the floor. I try to get up but a kick to my stomach brings me to the ground again. I lie with my back on the ground and try to catch my breath. I feel the presence of Cruor by my side but I have no more strength to defend myself.

"Shh everything will be fine." I hear her whisper to me. "You have done very well so far. I like that you are able to answer me without fear. But it is enough. I am stronger than you and I hope you know that. It was cruel of him to send you here alone to fight in a battle that never you'd win. It's not your fault. “I feel like her hand gently passes my cheek. The touch strangely comforts me.

"You are going to stay a few more days here until you decide to talk. I hope you understand that I am not a very patient person." I see her leave my cell and close the door. The voices finally stop and leave me silent. And for the first time I appreciate it. I can cry in peace. My body hurts. I feel beaten both physically and emotionally. My sister is no longer the same. It shares a body with the same thing that is inside Cruor. I don't know if I'm going to be able to help her. I don't know if I'm going to be able to help myself. 

I stay on the floor until I fall asleep. I dream that I'm not in here. I am playing in the garden of my house when my father knocks on the door. I follow him to what was his office and see him open a compartment in the wall that I didn't know was there.

"Minthie." I hear it get my attention. "What I'm going to show you is very important." My father takes a small black box from inside the hole and slowly opens it. I can see inside a small vial that contains a black liquid.

"This you are seeing is very important Minthie and I am going to leave it to you. I don't want anyone to know, ok love?" I nod my head looking fascinated as the liquid moves inside the tube. Like wanting to reach something that is outside. "This is yours and I want you to have it. But we'll keep it in this hiding place until it's time to use it ok?"

"Yes daddy." My father kisses me on the head and puts the tube back in the box. I go back to playing in the yard. I miss my sister. She has been very ill lately and now I have to play alone. While I play I watch my parents argue through the kitchen window. They argue a lot lately, I hope everything is fine with my sister.