The Thorns Under Pedals

Chapter 10:

My body feels heavy as I can feel my bed under me. The sheets are cold where my bare skin touches it even with the blanket over me. This would be normal for anyone but something is telling me this wasn’t a normal wake up call. Suddenly the weight that was holding my body down lifted and I was able to open my eyes to see light shining through the window blinds telling me that it was early in the morning. My body still felt tense so I first began to stretch my limbs before I made my way to the dresser that was next to my closet. As I picked out some blue jeans and a purple t-shirt that had Gengar on it my nose twitched.

The smell that was filling my room made my mouth water. I could smell my favorite breakfast being made. Before I could question who was cooking in this empty house that I only lived in I was walking to the door. The last time I had blueberry pancakes was the morning before I went away. My mother had made them for good luck.

The hall was quite like it always was. Yet this time as I walked down it I felt like the portraits of my deceased family members were watching me with every step I took. Paranoia filled my body as I kept looking over my shoulders at each frame seeing if the eyes moved with me. The portraits of my sister did not move. I moved onto the ones of my brother. I felt guilt was over me with pity. I frowned upon the picture of him from senior year at his graduation. The smile seemed to flatter in the photo, making me step back.

I took a couple steps to the photo of my parents. They were all dressed up for a formal charity event holding hands. I could see the love in their eyes and the smiles they shared. The guilt vanished which made me breathe easier. However, pain took its place in my heart. That’s when their eyes stared at mine with pity. I felt sadness replacing their features.

I shook my head with wide eyes. I felt the judgement under the sadness. With all the portraits on my back I ran down the stairs to the first floor of three. I felt the heaviness weighing my feet. I stopped at the foot of the stairs and had to bend over, gasping for air. I felt sick and just wanted to go back to my bed to sleep this nightmare away.

When the nausea left and my breathing was more controlled I looked up. Across from me at the closed door two bloody figures glared holes through my head. I started to back away to the kitchen but the figures did nothing but stand there staring at me. I ran a hand through my hair but felt something sticky on my fingers. I looked down and found my hand covered in blood. Once again I frowned. Quickly I made my way to the bottom floor bathroom which was just before the kitchen and once there I started the water.

When I placed my hands under the water the blood poured into the sink bowl. I watched in horror as my almost cleaned hands were covered with blood again but this time on my wrists as well. Now I was starting to get a little scared. The light in the room flickered black and I shot my eyes up to the glass as the light turned back on.

A scream that broke the mirror left my lips as I saw my features had changed. My eyes were blood red. My hair was curly. The thing that made me scream was the hideous smile that had blood pouring out of my mouth as a woman demon with black raven hair stood behind me sharing the same smile. I turned to the side she would be at and saw nothing. Hesitantly knowing I shouldn’t by all the movies I have seen, I looked at the mirror image.

I jumped slightly as the demon was the only image in the mirror laughing chillingly at me. The demon moved so a part of her was out of the mirror and breathing into my face. The smell was foul like rotten flesh. I shook as her snake long tongue slithered along one cheek to the next.

“Who….a-are you?” My voice wavered, truly scared now.

The sick laugh followed my question. “You know who I am. I’m you.” I recognized the voice as the one who had been there when I killed my last victims. My stomach tightened in nausea.

“Y-your not me. You're a d-d-demonic monster.”

“I am. I’ve been stuck inside your vessel for so long bored.” A toothless grin spread through her mouth. “Just waiting when your demonic energy would start to flow out. Now that it has, I'm free to help you accomplish the evil deeds you hold onto. Those deeds come with a price though.”

“What price?” I whispered.

The demon's tongue flicked my cheek again causing me to shiver in disgust and fear. If it was possible she came closer to my face and surrounded me. I was forced to stare into her red glowing eyes as her tongue held me tightly in place. Her red eyes drew me in and I was taken back to the scene of my family’s death. I watched them suffer each blow before finally the life in their eyes faded away. Tears streamed down my cheeks at the end and I was left seeing them dead. The voice filled the silent room.

“You know you will never be able to see them in death.”

I remained silent knowing that it was a statement not a question.

“Hell is where you will go.” I could hear the smile in her voice. “You’ll have a choice there. One to burn for eternity by seeking this revenge or paying the price of selling your soul to the Devil by helping others seek their wishes.”

“So either die over and over by burning or become the demon inside someone else.” I didn’t know where the strength came from to sound sarcastic to this entity. The demon did not find this offensive but laughed, making me cringe again.

“Yes.” She said, “What will you choose?”

I looked at the faces of my loved ones and knew without having to think for long. With a sigh I gave into the answer knowing that it was what I would do since there was no other option. I had already given into my darkness before and after this I had to take the consequences for it.

“If the devil’s demons can help me avenge this pain then so be it. My soul is his after this.” I said with conviction.

I screamed in pain as burning consumed me. My physical body fell out of the chair I had fallen asleep in and landed with a thud on the ground curled up in a ball. I grabbed my right forearm as smoke was sizzling on it. I whimpered as the pain was carved into my skin as a brand. My forearm now has a devil signature curved on it. I was branded by my choice and I did not regret it.

My vision was blurred as I looked up at the demon ladies figure with the only light being a candle on the desk. She was smiling down at me but the smile did not make me shiver in fear. I saw something behind her that did that. The shadow was much larger than the demoness. The candle blew out the light at the entrance of the shadow and the light was replaced with the glowing light of a circle forming underneath me. I could not move my body. My body would not listen to me.

Your choice has now been carved in thee. Shall you choose to try to escape the contract you will burn alive the minute you take action. Your soul is now in my hands and it has been sealed by a blood oath.

As I listened to a soft yet commanding male voice I felt the demoness slicing my wrist drawing blood. Before I could whisper a protest or change my mind if I had wanted my blood trickled down to soak into the circle lighting it up red.

Now go fulfil this revenge of yours.

“I don’t know where to find the others Drake gave me names to.” My voice was harsh and rough to my own ears.

There was a cold breeze that sent goosebumps along my arms. I looked at the map along the wall I had pinned it to and saw red pitched forked marks hours away from where I was currently. I turned back to ask the shadow of the Devil and Demoness questions but they had disappeared.

Along with them the circle was gone as well. The only thing that remained besides the pitchforks was the physical marks left on me. I sat up on the floor and held my wrist in my other hand. I was in shock. I did not seem to have a reaction to what happened. My mind wanted to put it in a category of impossible but that was difficult when your wrist was slit and a signature was branded on you.

I run one of my hands through my hair trying to untangle it. My eyes swept over the room I had made to hide all my stash of detective plan work. There were papers scattered around the room and books on one side of the desk chair. I sighed as I scrambled to my feet and began collecting the materials that littered the floor. I had to take it in piles to collect them all. Once I had them in one area I studied each detail to determine if I would still need it.

What papers I felt were useless I put to my left and the others I tried to organize in piles to have on the long desk in front of the window. Hours passed as I split them in two areas. My eyes were heavy with sleep by the time I had finished. The sun was starting to light the sky through the window blinds as well. My yawn was covered by a free palm.

I picked up the useless info pile that also had evidence on the murders I had planned out from my last victims in it. The walk was a while up some stairs to the ground floor and in front of a fireplace. I dropped the papers in the firepit and used a lighter to set the flame off before setting the gate over it. I watched as my hard work disintegrated and thought about the work I would have to do with the others.

Drake had seemed so sure I would never get to his buddies and he had been right to be confident. The people on the list he gave me were difficult to pinpoint until now. Though I doubt that Drake thought I would get the help of the Devil himself. I silently wondered why the Devil was making a deal with me. Wouldn’t he want to just burn me for eternity? Isn’t that more fun for him than ordering me to do his bidding.

A yawn passed my lips again. I laid on the couch and curled up with the blanket I kept there. My eyes grew heavy and unknown to me exactly when I drifted off to sleep as I watched the fire. This time my sleep was peacefully uninterrupted.

A woman's spirit rested her hand on the girl's head. “What have you done to yourself?”

“We can’t save her now, my love. She has made her choice.” The woman sighed as she heard her husband’s words. She knew it was true but that did not mean that she liked what her daughter had done. The couple watched their daughter sleep and felt sadness at losing her. They had been fooling themselves thinking they hadn’t already lost her after the first kill she made to avenge them and her siblings. Now the couple were rudely forced to acknowledge it once the Devil had appeared.

The husband held her in his arms trying to comfort her while also at the loss. Never had either of them thought their baby girl would have such a side to her. They should have seen the signs in all the moments that were different but they had just thought it made her who she was. Not into the killer that she would become.

“She was never supposed to be alone.” The mother cried, holding onto him tightly. “She was such a sweet loving girl. How did she think we would want this from her?”

“I don’t know.” He whispered. “I truly don’t know.”

They held one another crying and wishing they could change what had already come to pass. Their daughter was not mentally stable in her decisions since they left. Once she came home to find them dead something dark broke through her and her parents saw a demon clinging onto her body. Yet the demon they knew now had nothing to do with the actual killings. Their daughter was the one that bloodied her hands to the fate she had chosen.