Yeah, I'm the 'Big Bad Demon Slayer.' Gotta Problem with that?!
Chapter Two
The freezing wind of winter slapped my rigid skin mercilessly. I cursed myself for being too lazy to change out of my P.E. clothes after staying after school to clean the field. Stupid littering bully schoolmates, stupid Coach Ellis’s doctor’s appointment, stupid morals…
The wind howled like a banshee, which was just far too utterly creepy for my taste. I shivered and wrapped my thick, hand-crafted sweater closer around me. Huh, I’d have to thank Amma later. Despite the cuddly sweater, I was still wearing my thin P.E. shirt and shorts, with sweatpants over the shorts. Still a coupla blocks to go, I thought to myself. Snow began to mingle with the wind, and I quickened my pace to avoid the on-coming blizzard.
Something leaped out of the bushes to my right. A scream ripped itself from my lips, scratching my throat on its way out. A buck with wild eyes limped and jerked, clearly startled by something. I backed away from the wild creature before I saw its hide. There was a gaping wound that was bleeding, the hot scarlet liquid dripping down its legs and matting its fur. The sinews of the panicked animal were exposed to the biting cold of the evening. It reeked of rotten flesh. There was something there, also. A thick black liquid mingled in the gaping wound. Oil? Tar? The buck jolted and ran across the empty street before disappearing into the brush on the other side of the road. The memory lingered, and I fell to my knees and dry heaved onto the snow.
I stood shakily and wiped my chin. Flurries of snow blinded me in a sudden gale of wind. I bumped into something right then. Confused, I squinted through the wind to the tall, dark figure in front of me. “Hello, my pretty,” a razor-toothed smile purred. I gasped as I took in the face.
It was a man with dark purple skin and sharp, perilous teeth. His hair was bright orange, and he wore a fancy suit and a bowler hat. His eyes had no pupil or iris; they were all black. I rubbed my eyes to make sure I wasn’t hallucinating. When I looked back up, he was gone.
“Thought you get rid of me so easily?” the voice purred, and I shrieked. I turned quickly and saw him again. “Look into my eyes,” he ordered, and I couldn’t look away. A sudden feeling of terror enveloped me, and I was frozen in place. I was transfixed, like putty in his hands. His clawed hand reached forward and skimmed my arm. A burning feeling echoed where he touched. I tried to scream, but my voice wouldn’t permit me.
“Kiss me,” he whispered, and I snapped out of it. “NOO!” I screamed, and I brought my leg up into his groin as hard as I could. Then I turned on my heel and ran as I could home. My arm was still burning when I reached my front lawn. I dropped down to my knees and buried my burning arm into the newly-formed snow. The cold relieved and numbed my arm, but soon I was soaking and nearing hypothermia, so I hesitantly got up and walked into my house.
“Brynja!” Amma exclaimed, seeing the disheveled state I was in. “What on Earth happened?”
Suddenly feeling extremely exhausted, I wordlessly shook my head and weakly climbed the stairs to my room. Gasping, I collapsed into my bed, my arm stinging. A sizzling sound was the last thing I heard before I blacked out.
The wind howled like a banshee, which was just far too utterly creepy for my taste. I shivered and wrapped my thick, hand-crafted sweater closer around me. Huh, I’d have to thank Amma later. Despite the cuddly sweater, I was still wearing my thin P.E. shirt and shorts, with sweatpants over the shorts. Still a coupla blocks to go, I thought to myself. Snow began to mingle with the wind, and I quickened my pace to avoid the on-coming blizzard.
Something leaped out of the bushes to my right. A scream ripped itself from my lips, scratching my throat on its way out. A buck with wild eyes limped and jerked, clearly startled by something. I backed away from the wild creature before I saw its hide. There was a gaping wound that was bleeding, the hot scarlet liquid dripping down its legs and matting its fur. The sinews of the panicked animal were exposed to the biting cold of the evening. It reeked of rotten flesh. There was something there, also. A thick black liquid mingled in the gaping wound. Oil? Tar? The buck jolted and ran across the empty street before disappearing into the brush on the other side of the road. The memory lingered, and I fell to my knees and dry heaved onto the snow.
I stood shakily and wiped my chin. Flurries of snow blinded me in a sudden gale of wind. I bumped into something right then. Confused, I squinted through the wind to the tall, dark figure in front of me. “Hello, my pretty,” a razor-toothed smile purred. I gasped as I took in the face.
It was a man with dark purple skin and sharp, perilous teeth. His hair was bright orange, and he wore a fancy suit and a bowler hat. His eyes had no pupil or iris; they were all black. I rubbed my eyes to make sure I wasn’t hallucinating. When I looked back up, he was gone.
“Thought you get rid of me so easily?” the voice purred, and I shrieked. I turned quickly and saw him again. “Look into my eyes,” he ordered, and I couldn’t look away. A sudden feeling of terror enveloped me, and I was frozen in place. I was transfixed, like putty in his hands. His clawed hand reached forward and skimmed my arm. A burning feeling echoed where he touched. I tried to scream, but my voice wouldn’t permit me.
“Kiss me,” he whispered, and I snapped out of it. “NOO!” I screamed, and I brought my leg up into his groin as hard as I could. Then I turned on my heel and ran as I could home. My arm was still burning when I reached my front lawn. I dropped down to my knees and buried my burning arm into the newly-formed snow. The cold relieved and numbed my arm, but soon I was soaking and nearing hypothermia, so I hesitantly got up and walked into my house.
“Brynja!” Amma exclaimed, seeing the disheveled state I was in. “What on Earth happened?”
Suddenly feeling extremely exhausted, I wordlessly shook my head and weakly climbed the stairs to my room. Gasping, I collapsed into my bed, my arm stinging. A sizzling sound was the last thing I heard before I blacked out.