The Guy Next Door *editing for publication*

Claudette Reawakens

Ashley's eyes rolled back into her head and she lost consciousness, while the black goo shifted and started to take shape before Troy's eyes.  Troy glanced back at Brenda Rae and nodded pleased and amazed that she was able to draw the demon out of Ashley's heart.  Deftly he pulled the silver dagger from its sheath and waited for it to finish taking shape so he could destroy it.

Silent and alert he waited, observing in disgust as the darkness turned into a woman so breathtakingly beautiful that it would hurt a human's eyes.  Troy eyes stared coldly at her and  he could feel a mirthless smile turn the corners of his lips up.

"So you found a witch to break the spell," said the creature before him.  Before his eyes bright red hair grew from her shiny bald scalp and the blackness of her eyes turned green.  The once black ooze turned from a dullish gray to a creamy alabaster color.

Troy stared with thinly veiled disgust as he raised the dagger to plunge it into her black heart. 

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," she mocked.

Troy stared skeptical as he raised an eyebrow and stared coldly, "But I'm not you."

Claudette's shrill laughter spilt the air as she raised a hand Ashley's semi-conscious body appeared. "Shouldn't I at least be able to gain strength before we fight?"  With those words razor sharp teeth tore into Ashley's neck.

Troy pursed his lips as he watched her, "That's my new slave so I'm gonna have to ask that you stop now."

A whimpered rose from Ashley's throat as she felt her body being dropped to the ground.

"Oh!" said Claudette as she wiped Ashley's blood from her lips, "You made a pact with her.  Didn't you?"  A child like giggle escaped Claudette's lush pink lips before she kicked Ashley away from her with a smile, "You were always into your bargains."

Troy shrugged bored as he played with the silver knife, "Are you ready to die now?"

Claudette gave him an angelically before she crouched down and snarled, "Only person dying is you."  Claudette raised her hand and a long silver dagger appeared.  "I'm going to kill you, the bitch on the ground that you seem to want and her witch mother."

Troy chuckled, his eyes watched her as she circled him.  "So you plan to do this without any clothes on?"  He waved toward her body that still had the black tar like substance on it.

"After I kill you and them," Claudette nodded her head toward Ashley who laid on the ground blood gushed from the wound on her neck.  Claudette licked her crimson stained lips and smiled triumphantly.

Brenda Rae stared at the two demons; only one of them has drank the poison flowing through Ashley's veins, she thought as she invoked the next spell.  Better to kill the one that is immediately trying to do us harm.  Brenda Rae raised her hands to the sky she started the words calling for pain and agony to the one that imbibed her daughter’s blood.

Claudette frowned as the blood she'd just drank turned stagnant.  She wiped the once crimson blood from her lips she stared at fingers that were now brown, and the scent was pungent.  She raised her blade and smirked at Troy before she tturned and directed her attack toward Ashley.

Troy watched as she plunged the blade into Ashley's stomach before she twisted it, "If I have to die because of her she gets to die with me."

Brenda Rae stared horrified before wailing and falling to her knees.

Troy raised his bladed toward Claudette without any emotion and purred, "Are you done now?"  He swung the blade with a deadly downward motion as he stared into her green eyes, "I think it's time you die for real this time."  Lower his head he bit into her neck, and twisted the dagger deeper into her black heart.

Claudette laughed gleefully as he ingested her blood, "You'll die with me."

Troy pulled back and stared at her curiously, "That poison isn't strong enough to do anything but give me gas."  Troy smiled as he pulled her still beating heart out of her chest and held it in front of her eyes. "All I have to do is kill you the way you killed your victims and the curse would end."  He watched amused as her mouth dropped open.  "Now," he chuckled, "It's time for the curse to end and for you to die."  Troy bit down into the heart and smirked at her astonished face.  "Goodbye," he mocked.

Troy pushed Claudette's corpse to the ground and threw the black heart onto the dead body.  "Disgusting," he mumbled as he wiped away the blood from his lips.

Brenda Rae ran past him to lift Ashley's head up, "Don't die!"

Ashley stared at her mother as blood poured from her neck.  She tried to speak to ask how she was still alive but nothing came out.

Troy sighed as he looked at his possession, "Would you stop bleeding already." As soon as he said the words the blood stopped and the pain vanished.  Walking toward her Troy moved her mother aside, "A deal is a deal, Ashley."

Ashley stared at him blankly before she turned away, "I don't remember a deal with you."

Troy smirked as he pulled her to her feet, with a shrug he chuckled, "I doubt you'll remember anything but an annoying clingy boyfriend that came to visit you during class break."

Ashley stared from him to her mother not able to comprehend as the world spun and tilted on its axis and she fell against him.  

Troy sighed as he stroked her head and looked toward Brenda Rae, "Now you can either play along until I tire of her or you can die in a horrible house fire or car accident."

Brenda Rae nodded jerkily as she whispered, "I'll play along."

Troy stared coldly at her as he smiled and showed a mouthful of razor sharp teeth, "Don't forget.  With the curse no longer in effect I will become even more powerful.  Those spirits you call cannot stop me today so they definitely won't be able to stop me later."

Brenda Rae nodded as she stared at the demon the held her daughter's body. After several second she pasted on a smile she waved her hand toward the white Tudor home, "Welcome to our home.  I'm so happy Ashley could bring her boyfriend with her."