EMELINE
Come, my army, come with me.
They followed me, dragging their feet to match every movement of mine. I had to stop to wash my dirty nails but I didn't stop. I couldn't even if I wanted to. They had a duty just like I did. Only when I found a quiet place that I halted, feeling tormented for once.
"You know what to do." I rasped, scratching my already battered skin. "Scatter around. There's not a city that should be left behind."
Those freshly awakened bodies turned to start their new journey where I was left to wonder if I should continue to follow his order or stop to think clearly. I didn't need protection here, I was quite capable of fighting humanity but Demos insisted.
A necessary evil was what Demos called it.
I called it ironic.
The more I kept walking, the more I was astonished to see that earth was really a good place to stay. There weren't any hellhounds wanting to rip my throat out every time my foot slipped nor any underlings hidden in alleyways. I was...safe. I didn't know what to do with that emotion. It's been too long that I didn't feel safe unless I was with Demos.
Remembering Demos, my mind felt content. I might not feel anything physically but my heart? He was the only one I could truly trust to not break my heart. He was my lifeline, a mentor I still couldn't believe that I was worthy of.
The King of Demon deserved the best.
Then why did he choose you?
My mind was there to chime in like every time. It was so sudden too. One minute we were worried about the hellhound, Sage, and the next minute, he was asking for my hand in marriage. The gate of Hell was finally open. Now it was my chance to be normal like the other demons but there he was, asking me to do the unthinkable.
Find the cure.
Then be his Queen.
No, I couldn't think about that now. I had duties, rules to follow. Even here, I could feel that invisible cord in my stomach. I wasn't truly free of Hell, Demos would never let me go. The thought made me so giddy that I didn't realize bumping into someone until goosebumps raised over my skin. I didn't expect the coldness on my shoulder. I felt something. Oh God... before I could inspect that little emotion, my eyes rolled over, leaving my body to be a slave of my own nightmare.
It started how it normally did.
I was stuck in the dark void.
Voices passed by me but...
Only today the voices made sense, I could see those dark voids clearly for the first time in forever. I didn't know if that was going to be a good idea or bad. My hands itched to touch those swirling figures when I heard a voice near me.
"You look so beautiful, Emie."
Turning around, I couldn't believe my own eyes. It's like I was staring at the pond like I usually did back in Hell. I was seeing myself, only I didn't know the girl in my nightmare.
"Do I?" The girl scowled, her voice mocking for someone dressed up in funeral-like clothing. If I were to have any strength then I'd gasp. The girl even had my voice. How was that possible?
The other woman's smile vanished. "You don't believe me."
"Believe you? I believed you once, Belle, not again." I took a step forward, watching the girl murmur with anger in her voice. Was that really me or was I having a breakdown?
"Stop calling me Belle! I'm your mother." The girl remained stone where I flinched at the tone. Mother? Was she her...
The girl's next sentence broke that assumption. Ok, not her mother then.
The woman continued after the girl. "Look at me, hun. I know you're ready, you can do this. I don't like this either. But do I have a choice? No, none of us do."
I didn't recognize any one of them. Who were those people? Were they demons stuck in Hell? Or were they like me? Was I even alive? I didn't realize I was ignoring their back and forth argument until I caught the end of some words.
"...The prophecy is real, we've all seen the consequences of ignoring it before. This whole year we've suffered because I stopped them from taking you. The nearby clans are breathing down our necks. You know that! Any moment they will attack and without Darkness's help, we will all die."
I felt more baffled as time passed. Sacrifice, prophesy, Darkness...Was that a sign my nightmare always wanted to give me but I missed it until now? I wanted to know more but I came to a stop at the look of loss on the girl's face. For some reason, it made me...sad. As if I could feel what she was feeling right at this moment. Tilting my head curiously, I raised my hand just as the girl spoke.
"So, I'm done."
I was ripped from that nightmare so quickly that I couldn't detect if I really was back in the reality or still stuck with that strange girl. I didn't even notice that I was breathing heavily on the ground until a voice called me over.
"Um...excuse me?"
Human. It was a human.
"Are you alright?" The man asked nicely before helping me stand on my feet. The moment the human touched me, I jumped a few feet away. I must still be in some kind of a dream if I felt the touch.
"Stay away!" I screamed at the same time looking around with wild eyes.
"I'm backing away, see?" The man raised his hands with a small smile. No matter how much the human scared me, I was also curious. If I could feel the human's touch then was that an earth thing? Or did that human had some kind of powers I didn't know about?
"I am going to call 911." The man started to look for something in his pocket. Even then, I couldn't ignore how his gaze kept straying down. Following him, I noticed what got his attention. There were red spots on my dress. I didn't have time to change before I was ordered to leave and on top of it, I had raised bodies from the graves. As Demos would say, a little blood wouldn't harm anyone. This time I couldn't help the rush of satisfaction that went through me. This was the real me. People were scared of me, not the other way around.
Besides, I could feel that familiar urge again.
If not a demon then a human would have to do.
"I've nowhere to go. Can you help me?" I smiled, rubbing his chin softly with the back of my hand. As soon as I was touching him, he went still. His confused eyes were now watching me with a blank look.
"You can come to my place."
My smile widened. "That will be wonderful."
***
Having a bath in a bowl other than a pond was something interesting to think about. That kind man had not only helped me with a place in his house and made me a bath, he was also quite amusing to watch. The only thing that dampened my mood was how things were going to be the next time I saw this man.
No crying over rotten milk.
Demos's words made me keep still, to not think over again. I was doing the right thing. Sacrifices were needed to make if I was going to be normal again. That woman in my nightmare sure thought so.
Standing up from the bowl, I changed into the clothes that the man left for me. The mirror in his bed-chamber made me frown. I couldn't even recognize myself. The clothes looked strange on me, especially the pants made me look like the men in Hell. As I searched for more strangeness, my eyes grew bigger in shock. My hair was black when I was in hell but here it was several shades lighter than black, almost like I had auburn hair. My eyes had been red before but now it was brownish. Touching my chin, I dragged it farther down to my throat and it had fresh marks on it.
Hellhounds bites.
"Um...Amy, would you like to eat something?" He asked, giving me an awkward glance. I was craving something indeed but...what was I craving again?
"My name's not Amy, it's Emie...Emeline." I could have slapped myself for that slip of the tongue but one sniff of the human almost had me lose control. He had a distant scent I didn't notice earlier.
It almost made me want to grab his neck and explore that scent.
But I had things to do.
Orders to follow.
So, gulping down the hunger, I touched his temple instead. "Would you please stand in front of the mirror?"
He obeyed without a question. Our reflection reminded me of the pool of endless void back in Hell. Where I used to watch the game of the predator and the prey.
Whoever gets caught first, gets to die.
It was Demos's rules.
He only believed in his win.
"That's more like it." I smiled, raising my hands toward the ceiling. The words came so easily that they should have scared me. "Ek hea kin Hell, aho re ke King Demos."
As soon as the words were told, the wind started to blow violently and the mirror made a cracking sound. All the while that man stood there without a sound. Suddenly a large black shadow surfaced with the wind only to resurface fully in front of me in a second.
Demos.
"My love, you missed me?â³ I heard the whisper.
Taking a deep breath, I finally answered the truth. "More than anything in the world."
One thing about Demos was he only showed his true emotions when we were alone or we had no ears around us. The only way I could tell he felt the same was a fleeting second of fond look on his face before his eyes hardened. We couldn't ignore the man between us, he was here for a reason.
"It suits me." I heard him breathe out. "That's my girl."
"Thank you, my King."
On a cue, we both seized the man's throat, bringing screams of horror into the city.
***
Well, well, well, Emie is not so sweet anymore. Lol on bathtubs readers, she thought it was a bowl. Now tell me what do you guys' opinions on this chapter? Let me know!
On a side note, please pray for Australia. So many animals and people have lost their homes due to bushfires. If you want to help medically please do so, if you want to help by giving money do so too. Just send help as they need it the most right now. And my Australian readers, my prayers are with you, I do hope you guys can get back on your feet soon.