Emmy felt a burst of anger fill her, a fury of such strength it made her forget pain. Her eyes smoldered with hate. Just moments ago, she felt like dirt but that didn’t matter now. She would have ignored what the demons were saying. It might have been true for her, or not. But, the expression on her husband’s face said it all.
“Tell me I’m wrong Matt. TELL ME!” She demanded as she crawled on the debris, hands feeling, looking for something.
Matt did not reply. He did not even look at her. She could see it in his eyes. How he struggled, how he could not hide it, how ashamed he was. It didn’t matter that his cheeks glistened with the torrent of tears streaming down his face. He was guilty. Her hands found something pointy. She got up as he screamed.
“You… YOU FUCKED YOUR DAUGHTER?”
She could tell. The demon’s words were not just insinuations. This was more unforgivable than coupling with an entity she could not even put a face to. Her mind raced, trying to give him the benefit of the doubt, trying to find a way out, a reason for him, something to prove her feelings wrong.
“ANSWER ME! Matt, you fucking bastard I swear to God! ANSWER ME!” She cried.
“No one’s home.” The demons answered.
“SHUT THE FUCK UP! I’m not talking to you!” She retorted.
It was becoming increasingly apparent that Matt was not going to deny it. She watched his eyes dart back and forth madly and then stop, focused on something that wasn’t there. That was all the confirmation she needed. All her fears turned into anger. The nightmare she kept having came back to her.
Emmy snapped.
“I… will… I WILL FUCKING KILL YOU!”
She lunged at Matt just in time to see his eyes glaze over, like he died right there, standing up. The shard of glass bit into her hand making it bleed but she did not feel it. She did not flinch as she continuously stabbed him on the chest and neck.
Matt turned his gaze to her, his face contorted into an evil smile as blood spurted out of his wounds, spraying her in the face. He raised his hand up, in an attempt to grab her but Emmy swatted them away.
“I WILL FUCKING KILL YOU!” She screamed over and over until the shard of glass broke in her hands.
Without a weapon, she used her fist and pommeled him without breaking eye contact, shouting expletives at her creepily smiling husband. She only paused when his eyes turned completely white. The next thing she knew, she was down on the floor, Matt kicking her on the side.
Her rage would not let her stay down. She groaned and bore the pain, repositioning such that his kicks hit her on the shoulder instead. She tackled him and once down, straddled him then pommeled his face and chest with her fists.
Matt was getting weaker. She kept at it shouting and screaming her rage at what he did to her daughter. She no longer cared. She wanted him dead. His hands came up to strangle her but his grip was weak and grew weaker by the moment.
In her wrath, Emmy did not hear a voice speak. It was a woman’s voice. A kind voice.
~0~
“Ah, shit. What now?” He asked aloud.
His ploy worked. He worked the woman up to holy wrath and now, the man was dying. The towering demon seemed unaffected by it, despite having lost the person he was going to possess.
The only other adult was useless. He was good at stirring people’s emotions to inhuman levels, but the man was beyond help, unless he could repair whatever it was that was broken in him.
The children were off limits. He felt the anger of the lanky figures at the mere mention of them. He dared not cross them. The dark figure alone would crush him. He could not risk making enemies of both, enemies he had no idea how to handle.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck! What else?”
He debated going in. In all the years he roamed the continents, he never needed to. He entertained running away. He was able to harvest a decent amount, but most of them he used to bring the woman up to a boiling rage.
He was about to recall all his anchors and turn back when he heard the voice. The kindness in the voice translated to actual, palpable, feelings. It sent shivers down his spine.
~0~
When her mother started shouting, Jean became afraid of her. She had never heard her mother scream like that. She had become scarier than many voices that spoke through her sister’s mouth.She wanted to run to her dad, but he felt different to her. He was just standing there staring at nothing with a weird look in his face. So, Jean ran to kitchen and hid behind the table which was toppled on its side.
She was tempted to take a peek every time her mother screamed but she was too afraid. She shook and cried. She did not know who to ask for help. Her mom was angry, her dad was creepy. She thought about the man who came to help bless their house.
Just when she was about to look for him, her mother went into another screaming fit, so she hid and cried silently. The sight of her parents wounded from the flying things made her feel queasy. She cried for Gina. Asking her to come back. Asking her to help. Her impatient older sister was the only one she could think of at the moment.
Until she heard the voice.
“Come child, it is I.” Said the voice.
She heard it clearly from where she hid and knew instantly who it was.
“P… Princess Jessamine?”
“Yes. Come. Do not be afraid. Remember what you need to protect.”
She wiped her eyes with her arms and dared to look out from where she hid. Gina was looking at her, nodding at her. Smiling at her. She crawled out.
“What’s happening? I don’t-”
“It is not important now. You need to be brave, child. Now.”
She approached where her sister was tied and felt the calming presence of the Princess she knew. She also felt another, familiar presence.
“I can’t… I don’t know what’s happening. I don’t know what to do.”
“Of course you do.” The Princess’ voice said.
“Let me in. I’ll help you.” Said the other.