The Lies Behind That Smile

Epilogue

Hands, rough and calloused, dug into Nikki's flesh as she was passed from creature to creature. Hoisted above the hordes like a trophy, she twisted and flailed, fighting each new greedy grasp but it was pointless. The demons held her too tightly, revelling in her pain. The hoodie and jeans she'd carelessly pulled on that morning lay in ribbons on the ground where they had been ripped from her body, exposing her porcelain skin to the delight of the monsters eager to mark her. Fingernails sank beneath her skin, gleefully drawing blood and teeth grazed her back, slicing her open as she was tossed from one demon to the next, each excited to exact some form of revenge for her betrayal. But she knew the worst was yet to come. This wasn't even the warm up; this was nothing more than a means of getting her from point A to point B.

High above, the three Prophets watched patiently, each of them positioned by the metal contraption, as still as stone. Their eyes, horizontal slits, glowed bright with anticipation.Gritting her teeth, Nikki locked her jaw. She refused to give them the pleasure of her tortured cries no matter how bad the pain. But in her mind she screamed, for Josh, for Zeke and for herself. Breathing hard, she inhaled the rotting stench of decay and tried franticly to control her flame. With each new contusion, the blaze threatened to coat her sweaty skin but she swallowed the urge down. She couldn't risk the Prophets finding out her Power was back and even stronger, they would take it from her if they knew and then there's be no stopping them. There was no escape, she was damned to hell, but she wasn't about to take the rest of the world with her.

Biting down on her tongue, she winced as yet more slashes were inflicted. Hot blood oozed from her abrasions and dripped down, covering the beasts beneath her who hardly even noticed. Instead they carried her forwards. On and on the ritual went and Nikki got the distinct feeling she was being paraded around in some sort of victory celebration.Glancing around she noted there were more than a few human faces mixed in amongst the demons. She sought them out, fixing her gaze on their eyes, trying to decipher if they were shape shifters or human. Either way, it didn't matter, it simply gave her something other than the fear or pain to concentrate on.

Then just as suddenly as it had all started, it stopped. Held aloft, Nikki squirmed to see what was coming next. From the din the demons were making it couldn't be anything pleasant.

"Enough! Take her up." Joanne's voice carried above the ruckus but Nikki couldn't see her. Craning her neck, she scanned what she could see of the cavern. The only thing visible was the sea of snarling faces surrounding her.

"It is time." The glee in the young woman's voice was palpable, she was as energized for this as the demons.

The hands that had been supporting Nikki withdrew and she landed hard, impaling her right shoulder on the serrated rock. Unable to contain it, a yelp escaped her much to the raucous delight of the cavern. A grey demon with the head of a lizard crouched next to her and chuckled before spitting a sticky green substance into her face. The liquid stung like ice and Nikki clawed at her skin to remove it, only it was stuck. She wheezed as it ate through her flesh slowly, dissolving each layer with throbbing blisters. Biting down hard on her tongue in an attempt to remain silent she yanked her shoulder free. Searing pain flashed down her arm as the rock grated against her bone making her eyes water but she couldn't stop until she was able to roll over; she had to remove whatever the creature had spat at her before it melted straight through her face. With a stifled grunt, Nikki freed herself and curled into a ball. Taking a second to recover she breathed slowly, forcing all her efforts into containing the bright glow and keeping it to a minimum. She had successfully removed most of the substance before she was grabbed by her arms and dragged rapidly upwards.

Her heart plummeted and her head spun as she ascended to the Prophets courtesy of a clawed, bird like beast. It circled the cave once before throwing her at the ledge. Unable to prepare herself, she connected with the slimy, cold stone like a rag doll. Her bones juddered and her teeth gnashed together, trapping her tongue and filling her mouth with blood. Bloodied and in immense pain, Nikki struggled to her knees, unable to care about her nakedness. Her balance forfeited with the impact on her skull, she wobbled and swallowed down blood and bile. She wanted to regain an air of authority, to spit at the Prophets feet, to hurl an insult or at least a wise crack, but she was too beaten and sore. Instead of the cocky one liner she had circling in her mind, the only noise she emitted was a loud, strangled wheeze.