It was not the voice, or how they came to him. It was not even how they knew to do something only one has been able to do until days ago. It was the request.
“What… what do you mean?” He asked.
It’s too strong. For me. For us. He’s too strong.
He paced back and forth, not taking his eyes of the figures that stood before him, touching his anchors. The large creature did not need to touch his anchors to tell him to leave, then again, it was just standing there, like a ghost, among all the anchors.
How the fuck do these things know about things I didn’t even know I had?
“I don’t understand,” he finally spoke, “but what I understand is, that motherfucker is too strong. I don’t-” He paused, he sensed amusement when he said the last phrase. “You find that funny? At a time like this?”
Yes. But still, help.
“Like I was saying, that one is strong. And you’re obviously many and stronger than I am. If you can’t stop it, what the hell do you think I can do against it?”
We know what you want. You can have it all.
“Yeah? And how do you plan on doing that, seeing as your kind is being slaughtered back there?”
We know what you want. We will give it. We will make it.
“And?”
You help. Must not allow that one to take form.
He was confused but intrigued. If the creatures really knew what he wanted, how will it give it, let alone make it? The last statement was even more confusing.
“What do you mean take form? It already has a form.”
No not like that. Like we now take form. In the child.
Oh!
“And if it’s still able to? Seeing that it’s too strong…”
The form must end.
“And if it takes all the adults?”
It can only take one at one time.
“Look. If your want me to help, you’re going to have to tell me stuff. I know for a fact the other man there is missing already. Right now, the other visitor, I think is a priest, is not looking too good. That leaves us the father or the mother, or the child.”
NO! NOT THE CHILD. NOT THE CHILDREN!
“You can be angry all you want. If you’re not going to answer my question, you’re not getting my help… Whatever it is you think I can do.”
It must not be allowed to take form.
“And what if it does? What if it does. Answer me!”
You must seed hesitation. Confusion.
“You’re not good at math, are you?”
It must not take form. If it takes form, the form must end.
“Jesus! Can’t you see? There will always be one adult left if the children are not to be touched!”
The children are ours. You seed what we ask. We make what you want. We give what you want.
His apprehension and fear of the creatures waned. They were offering him something in exchange for what he does well. From the heightening of emotions, he could glean from inside the house, if they manage to just even double that, the night would be a success.
“Fine. Just keep that brute away from me. I’ll handle the adults.”
Acceptable.
The creatures dropped their arms from his anchors, turned, and walked back to the house to join the fray. It was getting serious inside, from what he could tell with his Vein Sight. He pondered on how he could do what the agreement entailed while at the same time, siphoning the emotions whose strengths were just beginning to rise.
He decided to put up large columns of anchors as close to the people inside as possible but opposite the hostile creature. He set to work as he approached the house on the side of the kitchen. One thing struck him about the creatures.
Aside from knowing what he wanted, they knew what he was capable of.
~0~
Emmy’s skin was crawling with goosebumps. The more she reflected on it, the more she could not accept. But just because she could not accept it did not mean she did not feel the shame that came with it. She was disgusted with herself. She had resented as the demons called her a slut, a whore. But the more it kept saying the things it said, the more she found it plausible.
“Emmy… Matt…”
She looked a brief second at the injured layman but her thoughts were not with him. It was…
Her legs could not hold her anymore. They buckled and she fell to her knees. She did not even feel the pain as her knees made contact with the floor. She was not even aware that she was already crying out loud until she realized that Jean was stepping back, distancing herself from her.
“Who was it? Who was it?” She kept asking herself, pounding her thighs with her first.
She was repulsed with herself. Somehow, what the demons said made sense to her. She remembered the morning after. Matt was fell asleep in the living room. She raised her gaze towards Matt but couldn’t hold it out of shame. Emmy barely heard her husband. He was muttering to himself. The layman kept calling out to them, but she could not hear him well, her thoughts were too loud. The only thing louder were the words of the demons coming out of her daughter’s mouth.
“Who was it, daddy?”
Emmy covered her face with her hands. Her palms were wet with her tears in no time. She could not believe something like that could happen and yet, she remembered it all. she remembered feeling how she felt. How good it was, how it made her feel all the way until the morning. But Matt… he was there. He was! He remembered too! She turned her gaze towards her husband, the sound of Cains voice drowned out in the background.
“Who did you fuck that night, DADDY?!”
The accusatory tone, and her own realization took her out of it. it was enough to make her stop crying. She stared at her husband with glazed eyes, a question written in her face.
“Do you remember how tight it was? How good it felt? DADDY?”
The demon struggled from the bonds, the chair shook. It wasn’t laughing anymore. Broken shards flew and rained on them. She cowered and hid her face, exclaiming as glass dug on her back. As soon as it seemed to be over, she looked at her husband again.
If he felt the shards, his face did not show it. He was staring blankly at Gina. She looked to where her daughter was tied up and saw the head nodding. Matt’s eyes were stretched too wide. His face seemed to be locked in a perpetual shock and disbelief. He kept murmuring but Emmy did not hear it.
Her mind raced as she began to piece it together, connecting all the dots. Emmy felt all the heat go out of her body. Her sight grew dim.
“How does a tight cunny feel, daddy?” The voice mocked.
It was Gina’s voice.
“PRAY! DO NOT… LISTEN!” Cain managed to scream from the back.
His plea went unheard.