They Came In Hoodies

Chapter 19: Will Stop Me

Stella's POV

"And you think being in Churchwell will stop us? Will stop me?" the Umbra Mortine snarled as it crept closer to me. Its dark eyes glittered, and its arms dragged on the ground as it approached. Slowly it walked straighter, as if ready to attack.

I backed up against the wall as my heart pounded in my chest. I couldn't breathe. Fear gripped me in my place. It walked with such confidence towards me, as if it knew it had the upper hand. That terrified me the most. It was gaining strangeth and I could feel myself fighting a losing battle.

"Stay- stay back," I stuttered as my legs shake under my weight, causing me to clasp to the ground.

The Umbra Mortine cackled as it stepped closer to me. "Oh Stella. Coming here was the only thing I wanted. Churchwell was what I needed, and you gave me exactly that."

In a blink of an eye, the Umbra Mortine had changed into a reflection of myself. However, the eyes and hands were blackened.

"Stop fighting Stella. Give in. If you give in, we can hold so much power. We can have everything we ever wanted," it said to me.

A scream escaped my lips as I pushed my reflection away from me.

My eyes flew open as I gasped for air. I looked around and saw that I was in the middle of the woods. With my breath hitched and my heart pounding, I tried to figure out how I got here.

I looked at my hands, and through the moonlight, I saw blood covered them. I cried out in panic as I wiped them on my pants, staining my sweats. Tears came to my eyes as I tried to remember what happened, but nothing came to me.

"What did I do?" I whispered to myself as I sank to my knees.

I came here for answers and help, but I didn't get that. Instead, the monster within me seemed to grow. Deep down, I knew I killed something tonight. I just wasn't sure what it was.

The longer I knelt on the ground, the brighter the moon lit up. Before long I saw a man laying on the ground, staring straight up into the sky, yards away, covered in blood.

A whimper came to my lips as I stared at him. His lifeless stare caused my blood to run cold. The dream of those bodies came to my mind once again. It was a dream, but it was telling the future. I would kill those people. I already started killing them.

Unable to stop my anger from rising, I stood up and kicked the nearest tree. Tears clouded my vision as I kicked the tree again. This wasn't me. I couldn't be this. The Umbra Mortine was the one pulling the strings. It was killing, and I had to stop it.

"What did you do?" I shouted into the night as if the monster could hear me.

"The question is, what did you do?" the Umbra Mortine replied as it moved out from behind a tree.

In a blink of an eye, the Umbra Mortine transformed into a reflection of me. It cocked its head to the side, waiting for my next move as it stayed in the shadows.

"I didn't do that," I said as I pointed towards the dead man.

The Umbra Mortine shook its head. "Oh Stella, if you would let me take control, I would show you that you're the monster."

"You're lying."

"Am I?" it questioned with a chuckle.

Unwilling to listen to what it had to say, I turned on my heels and ran through the trees as fast as I could. Ahead, I saw the castle come into view. I refused to look back to see if the Umbra Mortine was following me. All that was in my mind was that man who lay dead and my bloodied hands.