Pretty When She Dies (35 page)

“You're a sick fuck,” Amaliya screamed at the top of her lungs.

She felt like throwing up. All those faces lived in her nightmares.

They were her victims from the frat house. Glancing behind her, she saw the two cadaverous creatures rushing after her. It was a stupid move because something massive grabbed her around the waist in that second she was distracted and hurled her straight toward her pursuers.

She slammed into them. Instead of tumbling to the ground, they frantically grabbed at her. She felt at least five hands grab hold of her arms and legs and she twisted her body as hard as she could, trying to get free. Panic was seizing her as the things began to pull on her and she realized they were trying to tear her limbs off. With a terrified shriek, she kicked and thrashed and to her relief managed to get one leg free. Quickly, she drove her boot heel hard into the thing's mass of heads and felt the skulls breaking. Still they pulled on her. She kicked one of the hands gripping her other leg as hard as she could. There was a spurt of blood and other terrible liquid as the hand tore off from the arm and she was released She fell hard onto her hip, her arms still held by the other thing.

The creature with the severed arm howled and struggled to find its balance. Meanwhile, she rotated her body around as fast as she could and felt her arms slide free of the disgusting hands as its fingers lost traction. Rolling away, she caught sight of its many hands lunging down toward her. The nails made a terrible scraping sound on the cement as it missed her.

Scrambling to her hands and feet, she crawled backward and tried to regain her balance. The creatures pursued her, howling and lunging for her. She could see now that the beasts were sewn together with what looked like thick black cord. The long nails were definitely human ribs and other cracked bones and she felt a wave of revulsion flow over her. Her gullet heaved.

One of the monsters made a mad dive for her and she darted to one side. But one of those terrible talons snagged her arm and she screamed as her skin was shredded and her cold blood oozed out.

Clutching her wounded forearm, she backed away from it, her eyes skimming over the area for a weapon.

Nearby was a heap of scrap metal and she ran for it as the things lumbered after her. She now understood they wanted to destroy her.

For revenge maybe? Who knew, but they wanted to rip her apart and eat her flesh. They were desperate for her.

She reached the pile and just grabbed the first thing that she saw. It was the very rusty and worn remains of a shovel. Swinging it as she turned to face the creatures, it impacted hard with one of the thing's reaching hands. Ripping it away from the terrible grasping fingers, she drove it at the seam of its arm, aiming for the black cord sewn deep into the flesh.

The thing screamed at her and drew back as the second creature reached around it, trying to grab for her. With a hiss, she drove the end of the shovel hard into its many faces and felt it wedge in.

Yanking hard on it, she felt the heads giving way and a few dislodged from the torso and rolled away. Wrenching the shovel free, she swung it just in time to deflect the claw of the other creature.

Kicking a head out of her way, she ran from her attackers, trying to gain some distance. It was clear to her she would have to kill them.

There was no way that they would not stop their pursuit of her. Their milky dead eyes told that story all too clearly.

Her forearm was bleeding steadily and she wasn't sure if she should risk trying to heal herself or just let it bleed.

She readied herself as the two things drew near. One of them had a major seam across its chest and she decided to try to aim for that.

Maybe if she could get the shovel in deep enough, she could pry the sucker in half.

Stepping back, her foot hit something hard and she looked down to see a very old tire wedged into the ground. Just half of it loomed out of the dirt. She looked up to see the things barreling down on her. She deliberately took a few steps back, positioning the tire between her and the creatures. The monsters screeched as they drew near her. One of them shoved the other out of the way as it lunged toward her. The second creature sprawled in a tangle of limbs and cried out in frustration as it crashed to the ground.

She leaped back as the first creature came for her and she tripped backward onto the road just as its massive foot was caught by the tire and fell toward her. Quickly, she jumped to her feet and rushed it.

She could clearly see where the seam cut across its midsection and she drove the shovel hard and deep into it. One of its massive hands gripped her leg and she screamed in pain as its nails dug into her.

Leaning all her weight onto the shovel, she felt the body splitting apart as the thing howled beneath her.

Then, to her horror, the other creature suddenly loomed over her.

Purely on instinct, she thrust out her hand at it and screamed, “Stop.”

Her cold blood from her arm splattered the thing and it staggered back. It's many eyes blinked and it's limbs trembled. She stood in shock over the thrashing creature at her feet as the other cowered and screamed before her.

Then she felt it.

That dark power was unleashed and flowing out of her. She could feel it, like a tentacle, pushing out of her and gripping the monster before her.

“Die,” she said in a cracking voice. “Die.”

The thing screamed at her as it suddenly began to fall apart. Legs, arms, coils of intestine, organs, heads, and other terrible things fell from the thing until it was a pile of body parts before her. And then, the pieces began to sink into the ground.

She was so shocked, she forgot all about the monster she was trying to cut in half until it knocked her off her feet and clambered over her.

The shovel hung out of it like some terrible parody of a limb and she braced herself on the ground and kicked it as hard as she could with one foot. The shovel finally sheared through the thing and it fell into two pieces beside her. Struggling to her feet, she reached out for the shovel. Her blood splattered over the thing at her feet and she felt repulsed by the sight of its many mouths opening to drink her blood.

“Fuck you,” she hissed at the faces from her nightmares now twisted into something far worse. “Die. Die.”

The dark power inside of her twisted and writhed as it lashed out at the thing and she felt it impact with the creature. Those terrible licking mouths began to scream. Just as the other one had, it began to fall apart. Stumbling backward, she watched it disintegrate.

Tears flowing down her face, she clutched the shovel tightly in her hands and said in a low, commanding voice, “Die and don't fucking come back.”

The body parts slowly sank into the soil, disappearing beneath the overgrown grass. She could feel The Summoner nearby. She could feel her own dark power, her inheritance from him, shivering around her.

Slowly, she turned around.

Behind her stood Rob. This time he was part of another creature. But the major part of the monstrous beast was Rob. To make matters worse, his penis wiggled and squirmed below his massive belly.

Sobbing, she backed away from him. “Die, you bastard” she whispered.

But he kept coming toward her on his six legs.

“Fuckin' die!” Her scream was terrified and frantic and it angered her. “Die, you sonofabitch! Die!”

The Rob-Creature's tongue darted out at her and licked its swollen lips. It's teeth glittered at her and its rank penis danced before her.

Lifting up the shovel, Amaliya braced herself. She would not give into her fear. She would not give into her hatred of this thing.

“Banish this one and I may spare your life,” a voice said from the darkness.

“Fuck you, Summoner,” she hissed, and swung the shovel.

It impacted hard with Rob's head and actually dented in the side, but he still came for her. Again she swung. This time the shovel caught in his flesh and terrible black fluid poured from the wound. Yanking hard on the handle, she managed to dislodge the shovel and back up a few more feet. There were black seams where the Rob-Creature was bound together and she decided to aim for those. It was hard to ignore the putrid erection of the thing as it lunged for her again. She managed to drive the blade into the things hipbone, just above two of the legs, but its huge hand made of multiple arms snagged her about the waist and heaved her over its head.

As her feet left the ground, she screamed and felt the shovel handle slip from her grasp. Trying to kick and twist her body, she was held over the thing's head. It's tongue continued to snake out of its mouth as it gazed up at her with Rob's dead eyes. Slowly, it lowered her toward that terrible mouth and she realized it intended to lick her.

Screaming with revulsion, she slammed her fist into its meaty face over and over again. Pain jolted through her wounded forearm as her blood splattered over her and the creature.

“Aw, he adores you,” the Summoner's voice teased.

Kicking at it, she felt the giant gruesome hand tightening around her.

To her horror, she saw one of its hands stroking its penis.

“Oh, God,” she gasped, and tried to drive her fingers into its face.

“Do you think God is listening?” The Summoner asked from the darkness. “Do you think He listens to the damned?”

“Die, you fucker, die!”

She dug her fingers into the Rob-Monster's eyes and felt its dead flesh giving away. Its tongue slurped out toward her. Despair and madness were about to overwhelm her when she felt that dark tentacle of power shove into the Rob-Creature and she almost cried with triumph.

“Die,” she hissed. “Die.”

It dropped her and she hit the ground hard as it staggered back. She could see Rob's ruined face twisting in pain, then his hideous form fell apart far more quickly than the others had. As its grisly remains sunk into the ground, she watched with loathing as her battered body pulsed with power.

The last bit of the corpse vanished from view and she slowly looked up from where she lay on her side on the ground. The Summoner was standing over her, his cold gaze surveying her with great interest. His fair hair was long and flowing on the wind and his face was much younger than when he had pretended to be the professor. He was also leaner and a tad bit more imposing now. Slowly, he leaned down over her and tilted his head.

“Well, that was impressive,” he said with a slight smile.

Her answer was to punch him in the face.

The Summoner's head snapped back with the impact. With a snarl, he reached down and grabbed her about the throat and drew her up against him.

“Do not do foolish things, little girl,” he growled in her face.

Amaliya set her jaw and hissed back at him,“ Fuck you.”

Gripping her injured arm, he squeezed hard.

She screamed in agony.

“Do not aggravate me after you so enthralled me with your performance.”

Gasping with pain, she looked up at him through tearing eyes and whispered, “Do I get an A, Professor Sumner?”

He smirked at her and yanked her closer. Pain clouded her senses as his fingers dug into her wound. She struggled to keep her wits about her. She had felt absolutely high with her power after her battle, but now she was feeling weak again. The dark power that had been hers to use was now drawn tightly inside of her.

The Summoner pressed his lips to her forehead and his long tongue snaked over a wound she had not even known was there. “Delicious.

Powerful. What did I create in you?” Dragging her about, he set off toward the motel. “I knew you were special when I took you. You were so pretty when you died. Exquisite in death. More lovely than you had been in life.”

Stumbling along beside him, Amaliya saw her battered cowboy hat lying in the street. The sight made her want to cry. One more piece of her humanity lost to her.

“Now, we must talk and discuss what we shall do. Never have I had a child such as you,” The Summoner said as they walked over the crumbling walkway.

They entered the old office area that was now fully overgrown with bushes and the young tree. He dragged her along, not bothering to help her evade the obstacles before her. She thought he rather enjoyed dragging her through the brambles.

Stepping through a doorway, he pulled her even closer.

“You smell of death. Of blood. Of sex.” He licked her mouth and she spat on the ground immediately afterwards. “You and Cian having a bit of fun?”

He laughed and dragged her into what appeared to be an old restaurant. Light from the only streetlight in town filtered in through the dirty, broken windows and he shoved her into a chair. It was moldy and had long ago lost all its stuffing. The springs bit into her flesh and she held her wounded arm against her.

Sweeping debris off a bar, he leaned against it and regarded her with interest.

“Speak to me, Amaliya. How did you do it? How did you command my creatures?”

“I dunno,” she answered. She truly wasn't really sure how she had done it. Somehow, it had just worked.

“I don't really believe you. This is what? The third time you've used this power? You absolutely shocked me the first time. When I felt my control slip, I could not fathom what was happening. Then I realized...ah...this is new.”

“I don't know how I did it,” Amaliya answered again. She began to will her arm to heal. Fuck it, she needed to heal even if she lost some of her power.

The Summoner stared down at her thoughtfully. He was dressed in black trousers and a maroon silk shirt under an Armani trench coat that hit him mid-thigh. He flicked a bit of dirt off his shoulder epaulets and pondered her words.

“Of course, you could be telling the truth. You always did just stumble about in the dark, didn't you? You haven't much improved on that since changing.”

“Fuck off,” she sneered, and ran her fingers over her healing wound.

“Where's Cian?”

“Oh, yes. I almost forgot,” he said. His eyes flashed white.

The gunshot made her jump and she leaped to her feet. The Summoner's elbow hit her square in the face and knocked her back.