Maggie
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"MAGGIE, YOU IDIOT!" I hear Veronica scream from somewhere down the steps.
The letter opener shakes in my hand as the demonic creature slowly turns to look at me.
"Y-You leave him alone!" I stutter, jabbing the dull knife in the air threateningly.
I'm pretty sure it doesn't know what I'm saying. Maybe I am really stupid.
It gives me an irritated hiss. Its thin lips spread out to reveal razor-sharp teeth in its mouth.
And the eyes...they're empty and dark. They make the hairs on my arms stick out straight. My heart goes still. I don't breathe.
Is this what a demon looks like?
"Maggie, RUN!" I hear Vena scream from somewhere below.
I don't move, even when the howler jerks its ugly head in her direction.
Without warning, it hops onto the balcony rail and drops down to the chapel floor in one swift motion.
I snap into action, rushing to the railing to peer down into the sanctuary.
"VENA!" I shout.
She's standing in the doorway to the next room, the one with...the others.
Her eyes are wide, and she's standing stock-still with her hands on the edge of one of the doors.
"VENA, MOVE!" I scream, just as frozen as she is.
But I'm too late.
In a quick blur, Vena is knocked backward into the next room, crashing onto the floor and out of sight, the howler on top of her.
I hear a mix of screams erupt simultaneously, from everyone--Veronica, Nolan, myself. And Vena. Her scream is the worst of everyone's--a long, drawn out cry of terror and pain. I hear her stop short, only to scream out again in quick, terrified bursts.
And then--nothing.
Veronica screams again, somewhere in the other room, watching in agony, unable to save her sister.
I don't hear Vena anymore.
My knuckles glow white as I grip the rail tightly.
I hear something fall and roll somewhere behind me, but I don't turn to look. Then Michal limps out of the closet. He quickly struggles down the steps, and I hear his quick breaths as if they are beacons of hope.
There are dead bodies in the next room. At least Michal isn't one of them.
"Vena," I choke out, and then I scramble after Michal.
My heart pounds against my chest and I can barely breathe as I race past Michal and cautiously scurry into the next room. It's darker in here than it is in the chapel. There are windows in the chapel.
But I can distinctly see the howler's scrawny back as the translucent skin jerks this way and that. The elbows move, and it is poised with its head down low, making sickening hungry sounds as it feeds on freshly shed blood.
I can see Vena's limp hand, as white as snow, resting against the floor, moving only when the howler dives its head back into her shoulder. Her pale blonde hair is stained with the blood that is forming a pool around her body. Her clothes are drenched wet in a mess of blood, shredded skin, and what is starting to look like raw organs.
I can't see her face. Not from behind the howler. But I can see her shoes still twitching slightly.
Veronica let's out a whimper, and I turn to look in her direction. If I ignore the other bodies lying on the floor, I can see that she's cowering in a corner. Nolan is right beside her, and they hold onto each other out of downright terror.
I turn back to the howler and collapse to my knees, unable to do anything but watch in horror as my dead sister is being eaten.
With a jerk of its head, there's a resounding snap! from Vena's body.
Just a minute ago she was alive. Breathing. Terrified out of her mind. But instead of thinking about herself, she was staring at me and screaming for me to run.
That's probably the only time she's ever done something nice to me.
Okay, maybe not, but it sure makes me feel like crap.
Vena didn't deserve to die. She certainly doesn't deserve this.
I heave onto my feet, resting a hand on the wall behind me to steady myself.
"Alright!" I shout through clenched teeth, training my eyes on the howler's back. It goes still at the sound of my voice.
"Maggie, what are you doing?" Veronica hisses in a whisper that is just barely audible.
I raise up my pathetic letter opener. "That's my sister!" I scream at the creature, but I don't have the courage to take a step forward.
It slowly turns around to face me rather curiously, blood dripping from its jaw. I can see Vena's face at last...or what's left of it. Her jaw has been ripped off and the side of her head has been crushed inward.
The letter opener falls from my trembling fingers. I hear it clatter to the floor by my feet, but I can't tear my eyes away from the remains of my little sister.
She was going to graduate high school. Go to college some day. She had dreams. Aspirations.
Now she's just another dead body in the room.
I'm shaking from head to toe. The howler advances toward me with a guttural hiss.
I take a step backward and knock right into Michal right behind me. He pushes me aside, and I stumble to the floor just in time to see him whip out some kind of antique pistol. Michal points his gun straight at the howler's face with lethal accuracy. And straight out of some kind of bad western, the two stare at each other for a brief moment, trying to calculate the opponent's next move.
I shake my head with impatience. "JUST SHOOT IT!" I scream, scrambling to my feet. "It killed Vena! Shoot it or I will--"
The howler bolts toward Michal, and with a deafening gunshot that pops my ears, the demonic creature is shot.
I press my hands against both my ears, clenching my jaw through the unbearable ringing.
To my horror, the creature still stands on all fours. It takes a brief step backward in shock, but no blood is shed. It's untouchable.
Michal freezes and his eyes go wide.
My mouth forms words, but I can't hear myself above the ringing in my ears. I'm not sure Michal can hear me either.
I stagger toward him while still maintaining distance from the howler.
"RUN!" I try to scream. I try to warn him.
He can't kill the howler.
He fires again, and I can see his arm jerk backward with the recoil. I can faintly hear the muffled gunshot, now distant. The creature steps sideways off balance, but it quickly fixes Michal with its cold dead gaze.
"RUN!" I scream again, and with a painful pop, I hear my cracking voice this time.
He can't kill the howler. He can't kill the howler.
It rushes forward, and Michal staggers backward.
"GET OUT OF THE WAY!" someone screams, and I'm pushed off to the side once again.
There's a blur of movement, and then with a soft tck! a wave of fire whooshes through the room and engulfs the howler. I can feel the heat on my face, and I scramble backward until I'm a safe distance away.
The creature let's out a murderous cry, and for a few terrifying seconds, I watch in horror as it writhes around in pain until it finally collapses in a heap of burning skin and bones.
I turn breathlessly toward the source of the voice I had heard, and I see none other than Terrell carrying a perfectly legit flamethrower.
"W-Where do I get one of those?" I stammer.
.......................................
Next chapter: One of Them
"Shoot me," she says rather simply. "Just shoot me and get it over with."