Karen dove to the floor in an effort to dodge another one of Charlie's frantic axe swings. This was getting ridiculous. Karen thought the words as she shoved her foot into his left shin causing his leg to fly out from under him. Charlie's body smacked face first into the hard wood that littered the dining room, more black blood oozing from his nose.
A smile splintered Karen's stern expression, she was finally getting somewhere. Charlie paused long enough to wipe the goo from his lips before charging Karen with the axe again. Karen ducked right as the axe swung for her neck. This was not how she pictured adulthood.
Throwing her fist out, Karen landed a heavy punch to Charlie's gut causing him to double over. Karen could feel the exhaustion trying to pull her under, but she fought against it with every hit she landed on the monster before her. Charlie's fist turned white as his grip on the axe handle intensified. He was not going to let some snot nosed brat take his victory away. Charlie swung the axe once more, only this time he aimed diagonally. He wasn't going to miss this time.
Karen looked up just as the axe was coming down on her. She could feel her heart as it stopped beating, too afraid to go on. This was the end. Karen slammed her eyes shut; she didn't want his wretched face to be the last thing that she saw.
It was in that darkness that Karen waited for death. Her mind tried to draw on a moment from her past, something that would bring her peace right before the end. Karen held her eyes shut so tight that it made her head feel like it was going to rupture, but no matter how long she waited, the pain of being split in two never came for her.
Fear crept over Karen like a slow fog. The temptation to peek was growing strong and melting her determination. She wanted to know what was happening, why he hadn't killed her yet, but perhaps he was waiting for her to look at him before he struck her. If that was the case, then there was no way Karen would ever open her eyes. No matter how much her head ached or how curious she became. She preferred the darkness that left her with a heartbeat.
"It's okay, you can open your eyes." It was a man's voice. He sounded familiar, but at the same time not. Karen knew that it wasn't her father, but who could it be?
The man placed his hand on her shoulder. It was like a large ice cube had taken up residence. The shock of the cold cause Karen's eyes to shoot open. Standing before her was a man wearing a dark grey t-shirt, blue jeans, and a black leather jacket. His chin was covered in stubble and his hair was an ashy brown and in desperate need of a cut. Karen's eyes squinted as she tried to place his face. Perhaps she knew him from a distant past or maybe when he took better care of himself.
"Do I know you?" The question hit her lips at the same time she placed his face. Offering a crooked smile, the patted Karen's shoulder again. "Wait, aren't you the guy who dropped me off here?"
Joe's smile widened. "Yeah, sorry about that." Joe's hand left Karen's shoulder and found its place rubbing the back of his neck, brushing up against the ends of his shaggy hair. If he'd known what he knew now, Joe would have never left her here and he certainly wouldn't have brought Sophie.
"How could you have known?" Karen didn't know why but tears began to brim the bottom of her eyes. Every day she'd spent trapped in this place was a horror show, but now, standing in front of him, she felt relief wash over her. With him she felt safe, even if she was still in the middle of a battlefield. This man who she had no name to call him by was her haven in the darkness that surrounded her.
"Guilt doesn't exist in reason." Joe smiled at Karen as tears streamed down his cheeks. The answer was something his father had told him after his mother passed.
Karen didn't wait another second, in a rush of need she wrapped her arms around him. Joe stood frozen for a moment before returning her embrace. It was during this hug that reality hit Karen in the face. "What happened to Charlie?" Karen asked the question after pulling out of his arms.
Joe looked at the ground and then off into the distance. "Don't worry, my friend is taking care of him."
Charlie's eyes laughed at the girl with frizzy red hair standing in front of him in a white dress and no shoes. "Didn't I kill you already."
Anger flared in Delphine's green eyes. The memory of her death playing fresh in her mind. "Haven't you figured it out yet? Death has no hold in this place." Charlie opened his mouth for a retort, but Delphine pulled a whip out of thin air and smacked him in the face sending black ooze flying from his cheek.
Shoulders stiff and knuckles white, Charlie let out a roar of anger. "You can't kill me! I'm immortal!"
This time it was Delphine's turn to laugh. "You're already dead you moron!" Charlie's face growled as he whipped out his shadow axe and spun it in his hand for effect.
"Let's test your theory, shall we?" With that Charlie charged at Delphine who spun, whip like a performance ribbon. As Charlie neared, Delphine dropped to one knee and sent the cord flying causing it to wrap around his neck. A small gurgle escaped his throat as he tried to speak. Face red, Charlie lifted his axe. Delphine knew his plan, but there was no way she as going to let him execute it.
Delphine didn't wait for him to slice the cord, instead she charged at him, sliding between his legs. Now behind him, Delphine got to her feet, whip still in hand. The awkward angle of the cord combined with Delphine's yanking propelled Charlie into a front flip onto his back.
Charlie pulled at the cord wrapped around his neck. Delphine inched closer, weapon in hand. She didn't know what she was planning to do, but she knew that Charlie couldn't be allowed to survive. With each step her resolve strengthened. Delphine could feel the memory of the shard of glass in her leg. His hands running along her bloody limbs as he carried her over to the table only to shift the glass an inch. It was with that one move that he'd severed the artery in her leg resulting in her somewhat immediate death.
Sophie held onto Wyatt's hand as they raced through the smoke-filled room. Neither of them could see where they were going, they were running on pure instinct. Sophie could tell that Wyatt was going weaker. He was continuously instructing the shadows to move out of their way and to ignore them. All the effort was causing him to stumble over his feet as he ran, his back hunched over, but his grip on Sophie's hand never lessened.
Even without being able to see his eyes, Sophie knew that there was strong determination resonating from within. He wasn't going to let any of them die here. Sophie couldn't help but love him for that. He was the one person she'd been able to connect with for as long as she could remember. Wyatt was someone she felt like she could spend the rest of her life with and never feel lonely or sad again.
Tears blossomed in Sophie's eyes as these thoughts raced through her mind. She couldn't stand it if anything happened to him. She would protect him no matter the cost, no matter the danger. Though they hadn't known each other for long, she loved him and as such she would make sure that he led a long and happy life.
Jason stood outside of the dining room waiting for inspiration to come. He didn't really want to go in there and get himself killed, but the house refused to let him leave. Every time he thought about leaving, it would send things flying at his face. He'd barely been able to dodge the last vase that splintered and scraped his cheek. Jason could feel the small beads of blood as they burst through the tiny holes in his skin. He was going to make this house pay for everything that it had done to him, but for now he would wait patiently.
"What are you doing here?" It was a silly question, but one Karen felt the need to ask. Why would anyone return to this place once they were free of it? True he had never actually stepped through the doorway, but the creepy vibes should have been enough to keep any lookie-loo away.
"It's all kind of stupid I guess." Joe fiddled with the zipper on his jacket as he tried to come up with a decent answer. The small gesture bringing to mind his friend Bobby who broke his zipper doing the exact same thing right before they met John. "I just felt drawn to this place, like I needed to do something about it, and then this kid Paul showed up on my doorstep telling me that I needed to investigate further. That's when he left and got my best friend involved and led us to a man named John who-" Joe stopped there. How was he going to tell her that he'd died on his way to save them?
Karen's breath caught in her throat at the mention of Paul's name. "Who what?" Karen shoved the memory of his death to the deepest darkest part of her mind. As sad as she was about the whole thing, she didn't have time to get lost in it now.
"Who drove like a maniac." Joe liked that ending a whole lot better than the one he was currently living.
"Is Bobby fighting Charlie then?"
"What? Oh, no he's not here." Joe looked down at the floor.
"But you said that a friend was fighting Charlie, is it that John guy?" Karen didn't know why she was so curious all of a sudden, but after everything that had taken place within these walls, she felt the need to ask.
"No, I came here alone. My friend is someone I met here. Her name is Delphine." Karen stumbled back as the sound of her name, eyes searching the smoke-filled air. She felt like she'd just been punched in the face, and perhaps she was. The memory of Delphine's death came flooding through her mind like an uncontrollable storm. All the blood and the way that Charlie carried her. The way he ran his hand down her blood-stained leg. It was in that moment that she realized the truth of that night. Charlie killed Delphine. "Are you all right?" Karen couldn't feel Joe's hands on her shoulders as her mind reeled. How had she not figured it out sooner?
"He killed her." Her words were soft but whispered with conviction. There wasn't a single doubt in her mind about that. He killed her and now she was going to kill him.
AS WE ARE OUT OF PRE-WRITTEN CHAPTER TERRITORY I MUST EXCHANGE POSTING EVERYDAY TO POSTING ONE CHAPTER EVERY SUNDAY. I HOPE THAT WILL BE ENOUGH TIME TO WRITE EACH REMAINING CHAPTER.
SO WITH THAT IN MIND STAY TUNED FOR CHAPTER SIXTY-FIVE: THE HOUR OF DEFEAT WHICH WILL BE COMING AT Y'ALL NEXT SUNDAY (I HOPE...).
IF YOU LIKED THIS CHAPTER PLEASE BE SURE TO CLICK THE VOTE BUTTON WHICH IS CONVENIENTLY LOCATED AT THE TOP AND BOTTOM OF THE SCREEN THAT YOU ARE CURRENTLY ON. I HOPE THAT YOU ENJOYED THIS CHAPTER AND ARE ENJOYING THE REST OF THE STORY.
THANK YOU TO ALL OF MY FOLLOWERS, NEW AND OLD, YOU GUYS KEEP ME GOING ON THIS CRAZY WRITING JOURNEY THAT IS WHAT LIES BENEATH.