The In-Between (Book 1 - Death, Demons and Mere Mortals)

Chapter TWENTY-SIX - A Heavy Head with Red Hands

The tablecloth was red and thin, running down the legs of the tables and the chairs. The blood was blinding, and the amount was unbelievable. It seeped out towards Emma's knees. She sat, leaning back on her heels as she took in the massacre. Her brother, father and sister were slumped over the table. Their eyes open and petrified, all aimed towards her. Emma let out a gasp, her trembling hand rising to cover her mouth. They had been slaughtered, their wounds open and exposed, still expelling blood.

Emma felt the life inside her evaporate. She could feel the pieces of her heart breaking into nothing but dust. What was left of her family was dead, staring at her with pain and blame. She couldn't breathe, her heart was gone and her organs had stopped working. She didn't fight it. She felt like she was dying all over again, this time far more horrible than the last.

The massive figure stood behind her brother. It had no face. It was just a cloud of black. Emma's eyes took it in. She could feel it watching her, she could feel the smile that covered its face as it absorbed her misery. She stared at the blade sunk deep into her little brother's skull, his eyes popping in stress at the damage. She swallowed, her throat burning raw as she watched the blade drag out, flesh severing as metal scraped against bone.

Her eyes hovered on the knife that hung out its grip, the fine blades soaked in a thick liquid. The blade which had sunk deep into Euan's skull hovered over the gaping slit. She shook her head, wishing she had the energy to fight it, to kill it as it had killed them, killed her.

'No,' She whispered, pleading as she watched the droplets fall off the tip and splash in the puddle on the ground. As it raised its hand, Emma realised that the blades weren't being held, in fact, they weren't blades at all. They were fingers that had been serrated down to a blindingly sharp point. She swallowed her cries, watching as the hand rose and aimed at her. The point was barely visible as she looked down it. Euan's head slammed against the table, his body crashing against the soaked wood in a lifeless slump. His eyes fixated upon her.

'No,' She whispered again, shaking her head as the tears flew off her face. The figure was nothing but a black smear to her vision. She opened her mouth to speak again but something dropped into her eye, making her blink and flinch in discomfort. She lowered her head, rubbing her eye. Her face sunk, she could feel the colour draining from her body and face. Deep rosy blood clung to her pale, quivering hands. She looked up and stared down the finger that pointed at her head, feeling it dribble down her temple. She lifted her unsteady hands, feeling the liquid trickle down her cheek, tickling the tender skin. She let her hands follow where the smokey figure aimed.

Her fingertips tapped the hard, cold metal on her head, gripping tight to remove it but it was stuck. Her head snapped up as she understood what it was.

The crown. It was dug into her skull and the figure across from her wanted it.

'No!' She shouted, yanking hard at the metal bands that made up the crown. 'I didn't choose this!' She argued, strength rising inside her body. Her voice was scratched, her throat raw. Her tears stopped as she fought. 'I never asked for this!' She screamed, using all her energy to remove the crown but it was nailed far into her skull.

The finger didn't waver. It moved down slowly until it was pointing to her. Emma could feel her heart piece itself back together. Her gaze drifted to her family, their eyes shimmering with betrayal.

She realised what had happened. She knew what had caused their deaths. Rage burned a never-ending fire within her. With a shaky breath, her face tightened. Her teeth dug into each other, her lips forming a grimace as her fists clenched. She stood, feeling taller and stronger than ever. The crown weighed nothing on her head, her blood continued running down her face following the same streams.