Those Who Ask For Demons.

She had covered all things able to produce a reflection, nothing was left un-covered. She hated seeing her reflection, because it was hard to tell if it was her own gaze staring at her, or something else.

She could hear them all whisper to her, every reflection in this room had a voice and they always said the same things, over and over and over again.

‘Give me...what is mine...so hungry...I will eat what is mine...’

‘I-I....no, no...’

She trembled at these voices everyday, there was never an escape for the poor girl. They tortured her and the fear in her mind told her that they wouldn’t stop until she was dead. Her tattered blanket lay lonely in front of her, but the thought of moving any inch scared her. If she moved, they would get her. They would find where she was hiding, amongst the tower of dusty boxes, never touched.

‘Kinsley...’

She cried at the sudden mention of her name, she felt like she recognized the voice, but it was definitely no friend. But how was she to know the difference between friend or foe? She had neither.

Kinsley was alone.

‘Kinsley...’

She cried, covering her ears, the voice echoed through her ear drums, pounding loudly.

‘Stop it.’ she sobbed. ‘When will you sto...stop!’

‘Kinsley...’

‘Stop saying my name! I don’t want that name anymore...’
The pounding grew louder and louder, until it felt as though the whole entire room shook with every hit. Kinsley panicked, upon aching knees and dirty hands; she darted to her blanket and threw it over her. She cried as the seemingly endless pounding grew and her name was called louder.

‘Kinsley...Kinsley...Kinsley...’

‘Kinsley! Kinsley! By god, if I have to get Tobias to come and smash this door down again!’

A different voice, one a little more pleasing to Kinsley’s red ears. She braved a peek from under her blanket, the door coming into her view. Without a doubt, that was Ms Walters and for the slightest moment; a tiny hint of joy fluttered in Kinsley and the pounding ceased.

‘That’s it! Im getting bloody Tobias, wait too- Another bloody thing to add to the list of what you owe me!’

‘Ms Walters! Ms Walters!’ she cried, not wanting the old lady to go. She got to her feet and sprinted to the door, drying any tears that caressed her cheek.

‘For goodness sake! Finally! What were you waiting for? Me to loose my bloody voice!?’ spat Ms Walter, pushing past the door. Her attention latched onto the poor sight of Kinsley. Her light grey eyes rolled in annoyance and she groaned.

‘If you miss another day of school, you will be cut from the Benefit and I will have no choice but to throw you out, you stupid girl! Do you want that? Do you?’

Kinsley stared at the dirty floor boards.

‘N-No Ms Walters. I will have no where to go.’

‘Exactly! So I suggest you buck up your silly ideas and stop lazying around up h-‘

‘B-But they pick on me there, Ms Walters!’ Kinsley gasped, trying her best to hold back tears.

‘I don’t care if they beat you! You deserve it after all the grief I get from the School because of you! Im not your damn mother!’

‘Bu-But Ms Walters...’

‘Just get! Your 17 years old! What 17 year old can’t look after themself!? Hurry up before I just throw you out now!’

Ms Walters pushed through Kinsley pausing at the door, quickly glancing around the room.

‘And for goodness sake’ her nostrils flared. ‘Have a shower, open the windows in here, it smells like something is dead in here!’ and she slammed the door.

One would say that Kinsley was alone in that tiny attic room, but she knew all too well that she wasn’t. And it was only a matter of time before it returned, whispering nightmares and horrors into poor Kinsley's head.

‘Oh Uncle Waiari’ she began, muffling words to the only song she knew.

‘All...I’ve been...doing, A-All...I’ve b-been do-doing...’

Kinsley covers her ears and sings loudly, hoping to drown out anyone or anything in her head. Ever so slowly, she began preparing for dreaded school, moving slower and slower as seconds passed on.
Ms Walters lead Kinsley out of the Orphanage, wanting to make sure that she leaves the grounds.

‘And if I hear you’ve been biting, scratching or threatening to kill that Emmerlyn girl again-‘

‘That wasn’t me Ms Walters! It wasn’t!’

‘Oh for goodness sake!’ shouted Ms Walters, a withered hand smacking the back of Kinsley’s head.

‘Don’t you dare be tellin’ me its that Arlo bullshit again! Arlo isn’t real - you little nutter! He's just some made up freak in your stupid little head because no one wants to be your friend!’ Ms Walters grabbed Kinsley's head and pulled her close to her own, her aging grey eyes locked right into Kinsley’s.

‘I keep you here because what I get for having you here is damn good money, but if I had it my way - I’d be sending you to the looney bin instead of school.’

She threw Kinsley’s face from her own.

‘Now go to school and stay out of trouble! Or I swear-’

Kinsley quickly made off out of the grounds, her hands wrapped tightly around her bag straps. She didn’t dare wait to hear what would happen if she failed today.

- - - - -

Mr Beau Vallen was a young man, within his early thirties; but anyone that saw him today would think he was older. The years of solving crimes almost 24/7 started to show on his newly shaven face.

Today was a new crime scene, but it had the similarities of another that was only a few months ago. Alador Priestly, 35 year old male, looked as though he had been dead for years - but was seen yesterday, having lunch with his girlfriend of a year, Amanda Jenkins - so the Landlord says.

And then the few months ago, Jonald Franks, a very rich, successful and handsome Racer was found dead in his luxury apartment - also looking as though he had been dead for a few years, despite appearing in court 3 days before his death, for drunk driving his vehicle into a primary school.

It was the look of their corpses that Beau just couldn’t wrap his head around, they were like something an archeologist would pull out of a mummy’s tomb from yonks ago. Decayed to the point where nothing was recognizable.

He needed to get out, out of the apartment, be alone for a bit to think things over. So he sat in his car, rubbing the tiredness from his eyes and downing cool water in hopes that it would wake him up.

‘Corpses that look like frikken mummies. Some fantastic shit.’ The sarcasm poured from his lips.

‘I mean, really! Come on, Beau! This has to be a hoax, the stupidest hoax ever!’ He opens the car door for some fresh air and a cigarette. Taking his pack of Winfield out of his pocket, he begins to light one.

‘...and a sick one at that too...for fuck sakes...’

His eyes caught the time. 8:15pm.

‘...been here for almost 3 hours and that’s all we’ve established.’

It was a bothersome start to Beau’s morning, and at this point in time, he just couldn’t be bothered. He wanted to go back to sleep, lay next to his wife who he knew would be furious that he had taken another call. But what could he do? He needed the money and a little bit of him hoped that something exciting would have at least happened.

‘Grab her stupid bag off her and smack her over the head with it, Emmerlyn!’

‘Yeah! Teach that bitch for biting you, oi!’

Over the busy street life, Beau could hear yelling. His light brown eyes slowly search the streets from his spot in the car, then lock upon 3 girls in uniform picking on another. He watched as one girl ripped the others school bag from her hands, only when she started using it to beat the girl did he decide to intervene. He threw his cigarette on the ground and dashed across the road.

‘Oi! What the hell is going on here!? Bugger off!’

He quickly noted the school uniform. Lyndersay High School.

‘OI! I SAID BUGGER OFF! STOP THAT!’ He yelled, finally making it to the group and taking hold of the girls hand, just before it struck another blow.

The girl was fairly attractive, long blonde hair, dark blue eyes that held a tiny amount of fright in them from his sudden intrusion.

‘Bay! Let me go!’ she growled. ‘This idiot deserves to get smacked around. She’s fucken crazy!’

‘Put the bag down, unless you want to be arrested for being a public nuisance!’

The blonde haired girl and her friends scoffed.

‘Let her arm go, or we will call the police! Tell them you’re a pedo!’

‘Ya fucken freak!’

Beau’s grip stayed firmly around the girls wrist, while his other hand reached into his pocket, supplying him with his badge.

‘I am the police, twits. Give the bag back or be arrested right here, right now. I’ve had a very crappy morning and I’ll take any excuse to get me back to the office instead of being here.’

The smallest smirk curved through his lips, watching the three girls faces fall into looks of complete annoyance.

‘Alright, alright! Let go o’ my hand then!’ growled the blonde girl.

Beau did as he was asked and tucked both his hands into his pants pockets.

But once he had the blonde hair girl swung the bag up into her victims face, whipping her dead on. The girl did nothing but stammer back, then fall to her knees.

‘Aw you little shits!’ snapped Beau, watching as the vile group sprinted off laughing.

‘See you at school, freak!’

Beau wanted to chase after them, but his heart of gold persuaded him to stay with the other girl, who was still slumped on her knees, holding her face and mumbling to herself.

‘Hey, you alright, girl?’ he asked, grabbing her bag and tapping her shoulder.

Though receiving no reply, the girl uncovered her face and got to her feet, snatching her bag from his grasp.

Beau frowned.

‘Are you alright?’ he tried again.

‘Peachy.’ A sarcastic reply.

‘Why were they ganging up on you like that?’

‘Because Kinsley is a weak bitch, that's why!’ growled the girl, dusting herself off.

'Kinsley? That the blondie?' asked Beau.

'No, that skank is Emmerlyn..' the girl stared up at Beau with a blank look, her hands
deep within her uniform skirt pockets. Slowly her gaze moved to the apartments that Beau had recently left.

'One of the other girls then?'

'No' was all he managed to get from her, he could no longer be bothered playing this stupid little game.

‘Kids these days...’ he mumbled to himself.

‘Indeed.’ The girl replied to him, ‘kids these days...’

Her eyes still lingered on the apartments, she seemed to be scouring the entire building for something.

'You know someo-'

‘No, not anymore.’ she interrupted.

Out of the front doors the ambulance drivers were finally bringing out the body of Mr Priestly, this was a good sign for Beau because it finally meant that he would get to go to the office.

‘Mr Priestly, huh? Room 14. Now that is interesting...’

‘Wait how did you- I thought you said you didn't know anyone here? Do you know Mr Priestly?’

‘I’ve been in there before. There are 4 floors in that building. 8 rooms each on 3 of them.’

‘But how-‘

‘And some idiot is trying to get your attention from the window of room 14, which is on the 3rd floor.’

Beau gazed up at the window of room 14 and sure enough there his friend and partner, Marcus was, waving out to him and gesturing him to come back up to the room. Beau shook his head in awe and returned his vison back to the girl, who was suddenly masking her face again with her hands.

This time she looked as though she was in pain.

‘H-hey are you alright, kid!?’

Her head shot up and her face displayed a look of terror and utter confusion.

‘Hey, what’s the matter!?’

‘I-I...’ and then she sprinted off without another, word.

Her school bag left in the spot she had just stood.

‘The bloody hell!?’ he cried. ‘The hell is up with the kids in Lyndesay suburb, man?!’