Craaven

Chapter 14: Mortemville, Montana 1979 October 31st (10: 37 pm)

I was awoken suddenly to the sound of hushed voices on the other side of the door. I immediately guessed it was Ally's parents and moved to wake her up so we could hide. I shook her shoulder gently and called her name; she didn't answer so I shook her a little harder and called her name just a little louder. There was still nothing. She was out like a light.

Incoherent whispering behind the door as the two adults talked to each other acted as my timer that quickly counted down to ultimate doom. I couldn't make out a single sentence as I was far more focused on trying to wake Ally up. She still remained unresponsive and I grew more and more frantic the more I realised something was definitely wrong.

I cursed under my breath and frantically persisted, hoping by some miracle that the drugs in her system wouldn't be strong enough to keep her out. I assumed she had been drugged; there was no way she was this deep of a sleeper and coincidentally, her parents decided to linger outside the room for whatever reason. They were up to something.

I suspected the dinner that her mum had brought her. It was genuinely a nice meal that Ally thoroughly enjoyed without questioning it but I didn't trust it because of what her mum was saying while she ate. She was saying things like "We'll be a family again" or "it doesn't have to be like this". It was such a turn of events for the woman that it made me suspicious. Yet... Ally believed her. And because Ally believed her, she pushed off my offer of running away because she wanted a family.

It was all a lie... I see it now.

Eventually, I gave up on waking her and decided to just hide her as well as I could and hope her parents didn't find us; however, my timer of whispering ran out and the two monsters wandered in to enact their sadistic plan. As usual, Ally's mother confidently strutted in with a look of annoyance on her features while her pathetic, cowardly husband stumbled behind. I had to leave Ally to hide for my own safety but I swore to myself that I would fight back if absolutely necessary.

"Lucy... please..." the man's words were slurred and that, combined with the sluggishness in his step, I could only assume he was under the influence of something quite potent.

His wife only silenced him and ordered him to pick Ally up. He did so reluctantly and held Ally in his arms bridal style. From my hiding place in the ceiling, I silently urged the man to run away with her. I knew he wasn't completely evil like his wife so I knew he had the power in himself to save his own daughter.

To my dismay, the man never moved and only swayed in his place while holding Ally. He watched his wife pry open the old cremator door and pull the metal slab out. She ordered her husband to set her down and that's when I finally took action and flew out of my hiding place.

I went for the woman first, outstretching my talons and feeling determined to save Ally from whatever doom her mother had planned. She screamed and swatted at me but I remained persistent.

"Daniel! Do something about this stupid bird!" the woman yelled and as usual, her husband hesitated simply out of shock. His wife yelled at him once more with more ferocity and venom in her tone and finally, the man set Ally down and picked up her journal. I continued to attack the dreadful woman, oblivious to what her husband was doing. And in my lack of awareness, I was suddenly caught off guard when I was suddenly smacked to the floor. The man had slapped me with Ally's journal and now I was useless while I struggled to regain air and get back on my feet.

"That takes care of that." I heard Ally's mother mutter snidely as she shoved her husband back over to Ally so he could pick her up again. He gave a pathetic whimper and hesitated to pick her up and his wife was quick to hound on him for his lack of cooperation.

"I don't want to do this..." the man croaked weakly. The woman grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pulled him towards her so she could glare daggers into his soul