War of Prey

Part 2) Flame

"If only she knew the hearts that fell for her."

***

Where she walks, no flowers bloom. Everyone in her path is condemned to eternal gloom. The sun turns away from her face, wishing she'd leave no trace. Some say the Devil fears her. Blanking their minds into a blur. The smile on her face is evil nonetheless, but make no mistake, she is by no means heartless. Life is her, and she is life, sharper than an iron knife

***

Poison: it kills from within, and it isn't a little bottle of Gin. It's an effect that something has on your life. Not the blood dripping from their knife. Some people think it's a substance. It's not scarce but in abundance. It's what you believe it to be. Some think it's love; others think it's being free. Sometimes love is a poison. Caring for another person in a nuclear explosion. It can be hatred. Hating what isn't sacred. I'd think being free isn't poison but a gift. Letting you float along, going adrift. The truth is that we are the poison infecting us. We are the sole cause of all the fuss. The stuff we put in our minds. A link to hell you shall find. The true poison is you and me. Isn't it a blessing to be free? Shouldn't we be locked in jail for leaving all these people here without a trail? As a poison, we are deemed hazardous. We can't raise the dead like Lazarus. To every poison, there is an anti-venom. Unfortunately, it won't get us to Heaven. The anti-venom for the poison that is us? To put down all that is counted as treasonous. Barrel of the gun, the rounds, one, two, three. Metal to your temple treated like a detainee. The explosion is deafening. Death grabs your hand, done is beckoning. So what is poison? Look in the mirror, and you shall see, for death waits, sitting on the horizon

***

It sits on the steps, gazing at—no, through me. it reaches its long-clawed hand at me and I jump back, but I'm too slow. Its claws rip into my skin, and its eyes roll back into its head as it smells the blood. I scream, but no sound comes out, it lashes out at me again, and its long bony finger plunges into my chest. My breath hitches, and it roars in pleasure, a horrifying sound. I grab the knife from my pocket and shove it in its stomach, a black tar-like substance flowing out of the hole. Its eyes snap up to me, and it cries out in pain. Lulu comes to the front door and yells when she sees it, it turns to her yelling and scowls at her before lunging at her throat. Its finger rips across her throat and red drips in lines all down her white dress. She crumples to the ground and it gorges on her corpse, red painting its lips. I rip my knife down its spine and a black blur bubbles up underneath, a mouth and a nose form along with black eyes, its piercing gaze focused on me. It blinks and morphs. I stare at it until I can't, I realize it has morphed into a young woman.

Me.

It stares at me and I reach out to touch it, it reaches for me and smiles, teeth covered in red. I scream just as its hand closes around my throat, its nails digging into my flesh. Its third and fourth arms grab my leg and snap it in half.

"Please! Stop!" I beg. It smiles a toothy grin and twists my leg so the knee bends back not forward. It repeats this with my other leg then moves focus to my neck. The teeth rip into my skin as it drains my blood.

Barely alive, I crumpled to the ground and let it consume me as it did with my daughter. Its tongue sweeps across my throat with greed as it sips my bodily fluids. It slurps greedily and moans as it finishes sinking its teeth into me. Hot tears stain my face. It positions its mouth around my neck and bites—