Page 65 of Possess Us
The room falls into shadow as he speaks, and dark figures appear on the walls around us, as though the cursed souls from Hell itself are clawing their way towards me.
‘Fear? Is this you?’ I ask, coughing and spluttering as I recatch my breath.
‘KILL HIM!’ Fear bellows back. ‘Before he can tell Hell what we’ve done!’
I take that as a no.
‘He is calling an army from Hell. Summoning lower-level demons to kill you and catch us,’ Lust calls over. ‘You have to kill him!’
All three struggle against the hold Xion has on them. But I realise, he’s not using anything like that on me.
He never has. His magic has never touched me. Not in all the years I have been enslaved to the Brotherhood. Only violence, threats and chains have held me. Never their magic. And the wound I have inflicted is not healing.
When the demons hurt him, he healed. But he’s lost that eye, and it is not coming back.
There’s a reason the demons brought me here, and why they agreed so readily to help me kill him. Why the Brotherhood keep us locked away and so tired, weak, and afraid.
They tied him down formeto kill.
The injuryIinflicted is not healing.
Tyler, Nate and Kai never used their powers on me, and when I brought the demons, they couldn’t fight them off.
Xion said it himself.
No demon can kill him.
'Because only a conduit can.'
I look at them. My struggling demons who tear and pull at the spectres holding them back.
‘Kill him,’ Pain mouths. I think he sees my understanding. ‘Now!’ he adds.
Before I can think, I run straight at Xion, scooping up the broken chair arm as I pass it. And with all my strength, I slam it into the side of his face. Two nails sink into his temple, and his remaining eye turns blood red. When I pull it free, two little holes spurt blood, and he falls to his knees.
‘A demon cannot kill a witch. But I sure as shit can,’ I tell him as I raise it once more.
‘W-w-wait!’ he sputters, holding up his arm weakly. ‘I-I will let you go. I will pay you.’
‘Nah. I’m good as I am.’
I rain down all the hatred and vengeance my tired and broken little body can muster, slamming the wood into any part of him I can. He yells, failing to protect himself. When I split open his scalp, I see his skull. Another hit, and I see his brain. He falls on his side, and I keep hitting, raising it high above my head and crashing down on him over and over again. Blood sprays over my face. It goes in my mouth and eyes.
I barely realise the fire has returned to normal. The shadows have retreated. The house is silent.
All that remains is the crackling of the fire, now calm and orange in the fireplace. The rain lashes the windows, and thunder rumbles as lightning cracks. And my screams, unhinged and manic as I bring down the wood on the mush that was once his skull.
For every hit he and his men delivered. For every humiliation. For every touch I never wanted. For every scar left on my body. For every tear shed. For every moment of despair. For every time I thought I was never going to be free.
My screams are feral as I beat the fucker to an unrecognisable pulp.
Before I can bring it down again, a hand grabs my arm, stopping me.
I look to see Lust. His eyes shine as they meet mine. Panting, I drop the wood, tears stinging my eyes, and all my strength abandoning me.
'Do you know how much easier that would have been if you had just told me I had to kill him!' I pant, spitting blood from my mouth.
'No demon influence allowed,' he says, hungry eyes watching my mouth. 'It had to be your choice. Your actions. We couldn't say anything.'
