The Damned, A Warning Message

The previous installment of thirteen-year-old Chloe Bradshaw’s tale is here.

“Don’t worry about me.” I say as I walk toward our den, in the direction of the screams. “Marius, have you brought your sword with you?”

“Yes.”

“If I don’t come back within an hour, run, and whatever you do, don’t look back. Take Neo with you.”

“Alright,” he draws his own sword.

I walk towards the den. I turn the corner and notice a figure standing outside the old abandoned building that I and the others have rendered our own. The figure is holding a dagger.

“I wondered how long you would take to show up.” I can’t make out who it is, though I am certain he is a Hunter and knows who and what I am.

“What do you mean?” I tighten the grip in my sword.

“Don’t play dumb with me, Lilith, you who I am.”

“How do you know my name? Show yourself, Hunter!”

He steps out of the darkness and into the light. I instantly recognise him.

“Blade,” I say, spitting every ounce of venom I have into his name. “You have a nerve coming back here. Do you not remember what circumstances were last time you left?”

“Yes, I remember it all very well.”

“Then why have you come back? You ran when I threatened you with your life. You are no Hunter, merely a nuisance and a fearful nuisance at that.”

“I have come back to finish of the job that I left behind.”

“What may that be? Killing me? Ha, you didn’t even get close. You really can’t remember can you? It was my sword against your throat, not the other way round.”

“Though I was the one to knock you to the floor, I could have killed you then and there.”

“Then why didn’t you?”

“I couldn’t bring myself up to killing you, killing anyone for that matter. Not at that point anyway, now it doesn’t bother me.” I look around and notice that the one of my fellow demons lay sprawled out across the stone steps which lead into the house.

“Where are the others?” I ask, knowing what the answer will be.

“Dead. They’re all dead inside, blood spilling out of their bodies. Just like yours will be in a few minuets.”

But I run towards him. Faster then the eye can see. I chop his arm off, the one which is holding his dagger. He gasps in pain and shock as the sword slices through his arm.

“Talk!” I shout, knowing that he wasn’t here just to kill me, knowing that he has news.

“Talk!” I shout again.

“The Hunters are coming for you and the other demons. Your time is up for you, the age of the demons has ended.” He rasps through the pain.

“And why have you singled me out to say that to?”

“I didn’t single you out at all. I was planning to catch you off guard, but you were obviously two steps ahead of me.”

“What did you mean by ‘the age of the demons has ended’?”

“Hunters have been recruiting more then ever. Soon there will be more of them then demons; you don’t have to be a brain surgeon to work the rest out.”

“No and you don’t have to be a brain surgeon to work out what will now happen to you.”

“No, you don’t.”

“Nice seeing you, Blade.”

“Likewise.”

I bring my sword to the base of his neck. I press hard against the sharp edge and slice it through his flesh, avoiding the windpipe.

“Curse you, demon!” He whispers in his last breath. I cut again. I bring the sword up to my mouth and run my tongue across the blunt edge of the blade, taking in his blood. I leave his body on the floor to rot.

Neo and Marius are exactly where I left them.

“Who was it?” Marius asked.

“A Hunter,” I answer. “Everyone has been killed. Nobody is left, and I killed the Hunter. However before I killed him he told me some news.” It is then I notice that the sun is just staring to rise.

“Before I say anything else I suggest that we start moving, so when somebody arrives at the massacre we are far away.”

“So what is the news which the Hunter told you?” Marius asks as we walk away.

“They have been very busy, the Hunters. They have been recruiting more and soon there will be more of them then us.” I sigh, knowing that our future looks bleak.

“What do we do now then?”

“We keep going and when the time comes, we fight.”

“Do we turn more humans?” It seems as though a dark cloud has arisen as he says those words, and a smile spreads across my ashen face.

“Yes. Yes that is exactly what we shall do.”

“Do you think that is a good idea?” Neo cuts in.

“Yes I do, otherwise I wouldn’t have said yes to it.”

“But turning others into…” He points to himself. “Into this.”

“Why do you have a problem with that?”

“I just can’t see the point in condemning others just to try and beat the Hunters. Why don’t you just give up? You’ve had a good run.” I look into his dark eyes and see that he is being serious.

“Will you give your life up that easily?” I ask.

“Life! You call this life! Are you crazy? We go round killing innocent humans, eating their flesh and drinking their blood and you say that is an existence?”

“Yes, but if you want out, just say the word. I will have the pleasure of killing you myself! I have grown tired of your constant complaining.”

“You wouldn’t dare kill me.”

He has called my bluff. Wrong thing to do, Neo. Another grin spreads across my face.

To be continued…