X

As anyone really would say when their world gets tipped upside down, Alex's day started normally. He woke up, tried not to trip over his hungover roommate, and went to work. His work was only a few minutes walk from the apartment complex he lived in near his college. The morning air was chilly, so he grabbed a jacket and shrugged in on. His brown hair tousled in the wind. The walk was normal, boringly so. Still, he had a smile on his face. He'd get to see her again today. The love of his life: Julie Rose Matthews. 

Alex walked around back, towards the loading docks of J.W. Scar and Son. The guys were already set on unloading the truck that came from New Hampshire this morning. Marty was shouting orders at several workmen that were slowing down. The guys, smiling and laughing, went back to work. Marty wasn't the type of guy that is too strict, but he still has to run a business. 

"Morning, Marty!" Alex shouts over the noise of the morning rush. 

"Alex, my boy!" Marty's beefy face grins at him. "Roommate come home drunk again?"

"Is the question even necessary anymore?" Alex laughs as he takes of his jacket and dones his worker's shirt. 

Marty laughs with him. "Ah well, nothin' you can do about it. Just get to work!"

Alex salutes, knowing it will make Marty feel good. Marty smiles before going back to ordering everyone around. Alex makes his way to his station. His job this morning is to unload every box that came in, after adding everything to inventory. It's not the most fun job, but it gets him money. He's hoping to ask Julie to a date soon. She'll enjoy that. With that thought in mind, he sets to counting all the new stock. 

X~X~X~X

It's nearly noon before everything is done. Alex has finally finished counting the truckload of stock. All 84 boxes are counted, unpacked, and stored. He just has two more boxes left and then he has to leave for classes. He grabs them both in his hands and heads off to the storeroom.

I'll have to say goodbye to Julie before I leave, Alex thinks as he makes his way back to the boxes. I haven't gotten to see her all day.

The last two boxes aren't hard to put away. One is on a higher shelf, but Alex manages in little time. He hops down off the ladder. Going to fold it up, he suddenly stops when a chill passes throughout his body and the stench of something dead wafts over his nose. His senses now on high alert, Alex begins to follow the smell. His adrenalin pumps through his veins with renewed vigor. 

Maybe it's just a mouse in one of those traps. Surely there's got to be mice around here. He thinks hopefully. 

It's not a mouse, he finds. It's his beloved, Julie. 

Her throat is slit. She's sitting on the dusty storeroom floor, the bloody knife clutched in her delicate hand. Her baby blue eyes stare at him like they begged him to help her. Her mouth opened like she was about to call for help. Her soft, golden hair is covered in the blood pouring from her neck, which is now stale and dry. It's caked on her shirt and all over the floor. Alex's stomach wretches at the sight. 

Looking down, he sees in her other hand is a single piece of ragged and torn paper. On it, in scribbles, but still her handwriting, she wrote, "Daemons."

Daemons?

Crouching down to her level, Alex touches her face softly. It's cold. Julie has been dead for a few hours, at the least. Taking her in, a sob catches in his throat, tears plague his eyes, making it difficult to see. He wipes them away. He goes to close her eyes when black veins begin to come out from under her shirt. Like snakes, they make her way up from her arms, legs, anywhere. They flow from everywhere on her body, seemingly taking possession of everything. They crawl their way towards her eyes. Her beautiful eyes....