Running With Devils

Twenty

And the garden.

My sobs turned to screams of agony.

This felt like my parents were being murdered for a second time. Only, this was like their souls were being burned alive.

And the thought of their memories being destroyed in front of me dug the knife deeper into my chest.

"Come on, peaches." Destiel's voice was soft as he lifted my shaking body from the ground. "Time to go."

I flailed in his arms as he struggled to pull me back.

"No," I screamed. "No! Let me try to save it!"

There had to be a spell or something I could use to fix the shattered pieces of my home.

"There's no saving it, Coralynn," another said grimly. Every inch of skin, excluding his face was tatted— marked with ritualistic insignias. "That right there was made by a holy flame and there's no fixing the damage. Not with magic."

So it was lost then. All those years of love and dedication just reduced to dust in the wind in a matter of seconds.

"We don't have time to sit around," a cruel voice muttered. "I have a debt to settle with this asshole. And the little spitfire is clearly badly hurt."

"Get Mal out of there," the second ordered. "Tell him to stop playing hero."
Then it all went to black.

***

I didn't know how long I had slept. I vaguely remembered hearing hushed voices through my dreams.

But when I opened my eyes I was alone. The room around me was plain. Only a simple cot with a nightstand and a single lamp decorated the space.

It was a far cry from the warmth of home.

I carefully slipped out of the low rising cot covered in tons of fluffy blankets and pillows. My eyes immediately latched onto the thick bandages that wrapped around my arms and legs. My slip was just barely above tatters.

I looked up from myself and stared directly into a full length mirror.

Oh, god. I looked even worse than I felt. My eyes were hollow and my face smeared with ash. The only clean parts were where my tears had cut through the dirt.

This was all I had now. A raggedy piece of clothing and my life— if it could even be called that now. I had barely considered it a life before it had all burnt down.

Slowly, I stood to approach the mirror. Every step still felt like hot coals.

More tears threatened to spill as I looked into the eyes my mother had given me. I had to pull my gaze away before I fell to the floor from the weight of the pain. I had to focus on what surrounded me.

Just how much of a prisoner was I in the company of these monsters?

I wobbled towards the door, reaching towards the handle. My hand wrapped around it and gently turned it.

I couldn't describe the relief that filled my body. It nearly brought me to tears again as I stepped out into a hallway. It was a barely lit walkway with cold concrete down the entire length of it.

It seemed to stretch as I carefully walked down it. There was a warmer light up ahead. I just kept going towards it.
I could hear a soft crack, like someone was playing pool. The faint smell of weed wafted down the hallway and only grew stronger as I approached the lit room.

Upon entering, four scary ass demons stood up straighter.  Nobody spoke. Not for a good long while. They just stared at me as if I was about to shatter before their very eyes.