The Rising {#Wattys2015 #JustWriteIt #Horror}

---Chapter Four---

I could hear their screams from downstairs. I could feel them dying.

This was only the beginning. I reminded myself. How wonderful it will be to hear the screams every night! How fun it will be to watch they're guts be spread across the ground!

How fun will in be to watch them turn into me! Become what I have become! To watch them die slowly and rot away! And the pain! How much pain they will feel!

Oh, torture is simply wonderful.

---

"YOU ARE NOT TAKING AWAY MY DAUGHTERS TOO!" I roared, charging at the monster that was taking away Jackie and doing-something-yes, that's the best word to describe it-to Kora.

The monster looked up at me an let Jackie fall to the ground, blood spurting from the fresh wound.

"I said get away!" I growled, walking toward him with my knife held ready. The monster seemed to laugh, opening up its mouth and showing off yellow teeth stained red with my daughter's blood.

With my daughter's blood.

No.

Something inside me snapped, it was probably my patience. I wouldn't wait for the monster to attack me. I would attack it.

I charged the monster, any fear that had possessed me previously melting away and being replaced with rage.

"Go...for...the eyes..." I heard Jackie moan. I didn't acknowledge her, I just took what she said to mind and dug my knife into the monster's eye.

Black liquid started spewing all over our basement. The monster collapsed and exploded in a cloud of black dust that clogged my nose, throat, and eyes. I dropped to my hands and knees, coughing and hacking.

---

WHAT!? They were not dead! My monster was dead! My creation! I've spent years on my dolls, and they have but one flaw.

Those eyes would be the death of them, but these people couldn't have figured it out already! And certainly my monsters understand that their eyes are their weak spots! So why couldn't they have dodged, why couldn't they have run?

I suppose there are some kinks I have to work out...and I suppose for now, I'll be doing the killing.

---

"We have to move!" I yelled, grabbing Jackie's arm and pulling her to her feet as gently as I could. Jackie gasped but gritted her teeth and steadied herself. "Can you walk?" I asked, carefully holding her arm. Jackie looked at me for a moment before answering. "Of course I can." She said through tightly clenched teeth.

I looked at her suspiciously, knowing she was lying, but also knowing that if I tried to stop her I'd be wasting my breath. Jackie was a stubborn girl, one that always put her family in front of herself...even if it got her killed.

Just like her mother.

Sometimes I wonder if all those years ago, my wife hadn't just been dragged away. What if she had jumped in front of Kora so the monsters couldn't get her?

I didn't know much about these monsters. I only knew that they weren't going to let the boundary between those of us who see and those of us who don't stop them from eating our insides.

I narrowed my eyes. "Well if you insist, you get Kora, and I'll get Jax." I said briskly. Jackie tilted her head at me, one hand behind her back holding her wound. "Where are we going?" She asked.

I looked up and set my jaw. "Out the window, of course."

---

By the time I got downstairs, they had gone. All that was left to show that they had been here was blood and the dust from my precious creations.

I got to my knees and dipped my finger in one of the pools of blood. It was still fresh. I had just missed them.

I longingly stared at the red on my fingers. I wanted to tear them apart, so badly I did. But I would have to wait, just a little longer.

This family would be the only thing that would stop me, so now I would hunt them. I would make things hell for them and easier for me. I would have my monsters head them off immediately.

Smiling to myself, glorying in my evil plan, I got to my feet and looked once more at the blood on my fingers. Maybe I would give myself just a taste while I could...

---

I opened my eyes and took in a gasp of breath. My whole body hurt, like someone had just beat me with a very big stick.

I do not like big sticks.

I got slowly to my feet, listening to my joints cracking. I was only sixteen! My joints aren't supposed to crack yet!

I felt a hand grab my arm and I kicked myself into action, swinging my fist at whoever (or whatever) had grabbed me. I heard a yelp and saw Jax stumble to the ground, his hand over his nose.

"Crap!" I squeaked, running over to Jax and helping him to his feet. Jax took my hand and helped himself up. He cleared some of his dirty blonde hair out of his eyes with the hand that wasn't holding his probably-broken nose.

"Hey, I appreciate the fact that you're alert, and all. But next time, please don't attack my facial area? Thanks." He said, his voice sounding odd because he was pinching his nose to stop the blood flow.

I winced. "Sorry, Jax. I'm just all..." I paused, looking around and realizing that this wasn't our basement. We were in a hotel room.

"What the hell...?" I muttered. I saw Jax grin out of the corner of my eye. "Yeeeah...you've been possessed for a while, my dear." He explained.

I scrunched up my nose and looked at him. "Possessed? What do you mean possessed?"

Jax walked over to one of the beds in the room and sat down. He patted the spot next to him, indicating that I should sit down too.

And I did.

"What do you remember?" He asked me. I thought about it for a moment and then explained everything up until I passed out. He shrugged. "Well, I guess that's more than me. All I know that when I woke up, you were a freakish demon girl, your sister was half-dead, and you dad was trying to keep you under control, Jackie on her feet, and me off the ground. Truth be told, I don't know how he did it.

"Anyway, when I woke up he had me handle you so he could take care of Jackie. We trekked all the way to this hotel, and here we are!"

"Yeah, but what about me?" I asked. Jax looked at me like he was confused, then a lightbulb seemed to go off. "Right! That's what I was forgetting!"

I rolled my eyes as he continued.

"You were freaking out, Kora. We didn't know what was going on. You kept clawing at us and yourself and screaming and spazzing all over the place. You even kneed me in the tenders, once."

I grimaced. "Er...sorry Jax."

Jax smiled a little. "It's alright, Kora." He whispered. "You were still beautiful to me."

I widened my eyes as he leaned toward me.

And then he kissed me.

"You know they're trying to kill you, right Kora?" He asked quietly once he had pulled away.

Not completely sure how I could shake off the kiss he had just given me, I laughed bitterly. "You idiot. They're tying to kill us all."