Prey.

34.

*this is not the end, by the way*

Ryan came into the Neela's new bedroom and slowly shook Neela, she curled her body and opened her eyes. "Princess, I've been thinking since we've all came here. why didn't you tell me about the nightmares in the beginning?"

Neela turned over with sad eyes, "I was afraid," the girl simply stated.

This was when Ryan sat on the bed, slowly leaning in to pet Neela's hair. "Scared? Of what? It's not like I'd be upset if you were to tell me. They're all a figment if your imagination, it's not real."

"You were gonna be mad at me for not wanting to be near you." Neela tried to look anywhere else but at Ryan. This made Ryan sigh outwardly.

"Do you really think I would be angry over something so petty?" Neela shrugged. "I don't know. The dream you gets so angry over nothing. I thought you would've been the same."

Ryan shook his head with his lips pursed. "No," Ryan spoke seriously. "I am nothing like him. I'm not angry that you didn't tell me in the beginning. What I am angry about is that you told anyone else, before me. That's kinda stupid, don't you think?" Ryan's voice changed. It was all of a sudden gravely and deep.

"I'm sor-ry." Neela sat up afraid, "I-I wasn't thinking." She knew, she just knew something terrible was going to happen.

"Yeah, clearly you weren't." Ryan stood to his feet, his posture was more elevated. Which all-in-all made him look to be more superior than the small girl still in bed. "You know you have to be punished now, right?"

"Ryan, please!" Neela begged full of desperation. "I don't like punishments." She stood to her knees and clasped her hands together on her chest, just begged for mercy.

"If you can get away from me, then no punishments, okay baby?" Ryan leaned down to caress her face and give her head a kiss, his eyes and face slowly turned into a monstrous form. "We should think of this as a game, angel. Remember all of the really fucking fun games we used to play?" His eyes. He had the blackest eyes. The devil's eyes. "Five-minute head start for you, princess?"

Neela quickly pushed past Ryan with tears eyes and made her way out of the bedroom. "Sean! Landon! Somebody!" She yelled.

"It's only you and I, princess!" Ryan chuckled monstrously. "They thought we could handle being alone for once! They were wrong! You better fucking run, little girl!"

All it took was five minutes. Neela was hiding in the basement for five minutes. It was quiet and she had a sense of security. She took short, shallow breaths so he couldn't find her quicker. Neela thought that if she had went to the furthest point in the house, it could buy her some time for her to find an escape. She was thinking long and hard before her needy lungs begged for a bigger breath of air. When she did that, her stomach dropped. All that filled her lungs was the smell of smoke. Neela crawled over to the door and her the back of her hand on the wooden door to feel that it is very hot. The flames are coming for her. "Neela, you're so good at this game!" To Ryan, it was a sick and twisted game that he enjoyed. To Neela, this was life or death. And at this point, it was looking to be death.

The smell of smoke became stronger, Neela begin to cough from the amount that was entering her lungs. A gasp and nail scratches were heard from the other side of the door, "Ahh, here's my baby!"

Ryan slowly opened the door. From what Neela could see with her blurry vision, fire was on either side of Ryan. The fire was making a path for him. "H-he-" Neela tried to speak but was cut off from her coughs as more smoke entered her lungs.

"Baby, it's okay." Ryan cooed, "does your lungs hurt?" He knew. Neela knew he knew.

"Please, make it stop," Neela coughed and crawled over to Ryan to hold onto his pant leg.

"This is your punishment. It may stop soon, probably not." His chuckle was dark.

"Please make it stop!" Neela wailed with the little amount of breath she had left. "Just for a little bit," Neela said in a quiet and pathetic voice.

The heat and smoke around Neela diminished in seconds. Neela listed her head to look at the damage around her. Spot and ash covered the walls and floor.  Neela then flicked her eyes to peer up at Ryan's monstrous form. His body was free of ash and soot. His hair wasn't disheveled, like Neela's was. He looked perfectly okay. "Little one, can you move?"

Neela shook her head with her eyes on his shiny boots. "I-i need you to take care of me." Neela spoke meekly as she held her tired arms out to Ryan.

Ryan laughed obnoxiously, "do you really think I'd take care of you?!" He wheezed while he spoke, "your punishment isn't even over with!" He leaned down to Neela's small and spat in her face.

"P-please, I need s-s-something." Neela begged, but Ryan still shook his head as he stalked towards Neela. Neela whimpered and slid on her butt away from him. More marks are making their way onto his face and body.

Neela had tried to open the door, but before her dainty hand could even come into contact with it, Ryan's hand slammed down onto the solid oak door. "Shh," Ryan cooed when Neela begun to bleat. "Don't be scared," Neela tried once again to get away from the monster beside her. This time, she tried to crawl away from him until a demonic laugh stopped her. "You know you can't escape me." He spoke calmly, "so why must you be so fucking dense?!" He then roared viciously.

"I need away, please!" Neela spoke through gritted teeth as her exhausted and achy body was screaming for rest.

"No." Ryan simply spoke and placed his foot on Neela's tibia to keep her in place. "If you even try to move from me, this leg will be in half. We don't want that, now do we?"

"Ryan, I can't do this anymore, please," Neela begged as tears and sobs rocked her body. Ryan got tired of hearing the human cry, so he hoisted her up by her matted hair.

"Stop crying right now," he got in Neela's face with his foot still on her leg. "I fucking resent your tears. Knock it off, weak human."

"I'm sorry," Neela tried to blink away her tears and calm her wavering voice.

He just sat there, still in her face. His breath was fanning her face, which shockingly calmed her down. What if she could get out of this? "Ryan, your heart." Neela shifted her gaze from Ryan's chest, right to his face. She looked him in the eye. "Let me feel?" Reluctantly, Ryan let go of Neela's hair so she could have full access to his breast.

"Angel, what are you doing?" Ignoring his question, Neela gathered up all the courage she could muster to bring her hand to place it directly over his beating heart. Ryan visibly relaxed under Neela's warm touch. He felt the warmth of blood lay curiously over his clothes chest, he threw his head back with a sigh. "My heart is beating like that for you, Angel." He sighed as he brought his hand to put it on top of Neela's own hand. "It's all for you," Ryan growled this time. He was trying to fight off his demon.

When Neela rubbed his chest is when he removed his foot from Neela's leg to sit on his knees with her. "Ryan, please help me," Neela cried into his hair, "Please fight him."

Ryan lifted his head and his eyes were back to their normal brown color. "I'm so sorry, angel." Ryan his his face in Neela's neck and hugged her. Goosebumps rose on Neela's fair skin.

"I don't wanna do this anymore, I can't." Neela cried, "look at what you did to me!"

"No, baby. We can talk about this. I won't ever do it again." Panic quickly grew in Ryan's voice and movements, "look, I'll take care of you now. Is that what you need?"

"No! I wanna get out of here!" Neela screamed and pushed him away.

Ryan turned away. He looked back at Neela seconds later with a smirk. His eyes slowly change back to blue. "It's so good to be back." Ryan snapped his fingers and the room was engulfed in flames once again.

Neela screamed and threaded her body on the floor. Ryan cooed while picking Neela up to set her on his lap on the floor. Neela's eyes played all sorts of tricks on her until all she saw was white.