Page 4 of Heart of a Killer

It slinks, crawls, glides along the floor.

The tendrils mold and sculpt as it continues to advance. It forms into a prominent human-shaped figure as it leans over Cole’s shoulder. Where a face would be is looking down at me. I squeal, trying to tell Cole to turn on the lights. Make it go away. Wetness runs down the side of my face and into my hairline.

“Ah, Brie. I’m not that mean. I’ll make sure you come. I won’t be selfish.”

The hint of sincerity in his eyes quickly vanishes and is replaced with blackness as the shadow forces its way into him. Squeals and whimpers are all I can give. His face transforms into something cruel, and black tendrils pulse from his mouth. A sharp sting lands across my face, whipping my head to the side. Cole is furious, but I’m not sure if it’s him or the darkness that has overtaken him.

“Shut the fuck up!” Cole screams.

I can’t move. He pulls up my dress and rips down my underwear. The elastic bruises as he pushes himself inside me. The pain is sharp. He leans over, and black tendrils lick up my face with trails of searing heat. His thrusts are fast and furious until he finishes in seconds and collapses on top of me. He’s so heavy on my chest that it’s hard to breathe. The shadow never leaves him. It’s like smoke coursing from him in waves.

He rolls off, and after a few moments, he’s passed out and snoring. I lie there, unable to move as the black shadow leaves Cole’s body to crouch on my chest, looking down at me.

All I see is its smile. Its white teeth.

I can’t fight any longer, so I close my eyes and wish it all away.

The following day,I wake up to an empty bed. I couldn’t care less about Cole. That piece of shit can suck dick, but that shadow is still in my mind, perched on my chest. The vision of it keeps replaying in my head. I gather my belongings, pull my dress down, and leave my panties. They’re trash now, and I have no use for them.

When I’m home alone, the days pass slowly. I can’t sleep with the lights off for fear of the shadow coming back for me. The fear of it writhing inside me, struggling for possession, is a feeling I can’t escape.

Every time I start to get tired, I take another caffeine pill and follow it up with a bump from one of my mom’s Adderall stashes. The powder burns my nostrils, leaving behind an acidic taste in the back of my throat. My brain snaps into focus. My heart pounds rapidly in my chest. The need to stay awake overcomes all sense of reason.

* * *

Three days passwith no sleep, and I convince my nanny to call the school, telling them I’m sick. The caffeine pills have stopped working, and I can only steal so much from Mom’s medicine cabinet. I’ve had to resort to pain to stay awake.

Sleep pulls at my mind, and spasms tremble through my aching muscles. My vision has started to blur when I see the dark creature. In the corner, crouched on its haunches. All I see on its face are the whites of its teeth. Sparks fly over my skin like pin pricks, and I grab the lighter from my nightstand. Rolling the lever to spark a flame, I hold it in front of me to ward off the menacing figure.

“Stop, stay away from me,” I plead as tears stream down my face. My pulse is loud and pounding in my ears.

The creature crawls along the floor. The fire isn’t keeping it back. I hold the lighter to my thigh and the flame sears into me. My hairs singe as my skin melts, exposing the angry red tissue underneath. Black fumes sink into my creamy white complexion. The pungent scent of charred flesh fills the air. The edges of the wound are blackened and starting to mirror my insides. The feeling is profound with a sharp sting of pain, but the pain isn’t enough anymore.

I glance back up at the smoky shadow with its toothy grin, but it continues to crawl up to my bed, pulling on the covers. The scream that rips through me isn’t enough to slow its advances. I press my fingers into the burn on my thigh. It stings, but my touch makes it worse.

More pain, I needmore pain.

I’m panicking, clawing into my wound without removing my eyes from the black shadow descending on me. My body grows cold. My hand slips against my blistered thigh, unable to hold it off any longer. The shadow leaps onto me, pushing me down, swallowing me into its depths until I can’t see.

1

Skylar

“Sky, you have to go. Please. Do it for me,” Nicole begs as I lie in the hospital bed.

She holds my hand, squeezing it and pleading with her eyes, voice, and whole being for me to accept help. The news we received was already affecting me mentally, but combined with my depression and anxiety, it was a million times harder to handle. I feel so fucked in the head and don’t know what to do.

Before stabbing myself, I had already been in a dark place. I didn’t sleep, didn’t eat. Every regular activity felt impossible to execute. Even getting up to use the bathroom felt like a weight crushing my chest. Seeing that positive pregnancy test threw me over the edge. Mentally, I’m fucked. It was as if all my life choices had been taken from me.

I was ready to die, end it all, and start over in another life. Maybe this time, I would return as the little butterfly he always called me.

I was so close, too.

I was sinking deepinto that dream-like trance. My body was floating on a cloud, taking me off to dreamland forever. I was sitting on the swing set in our backyard with my mother. One I remember from childhood when we would swing together and feel the breeze through our hair. Everything was green and golden, and the sun’s rays were awash through the leaves. My mother’s love was unlike any other, and it embraced me with warmth. I could have stayed in that moment with her forever. But the sky began to darken, and I glanced over at my mother, who had stopped swinging altogether.

Her forehead wrinkled and deepened in severe concern, and she told me, “You’re not meant to stay with me. It’s not your time yet, baby. You need to go back. There’s still so much more for you.”

My heart broke at her words. Life was horrible without her in it, and I wanted to stay with her.

---