Chapter Ten

Iron Cages

For the first second Jen considered that maybe Edmund got mad and had smashed something as most teenaged boys do. She remembered a phase Jeremiah went through where he would break whatever he could get his hands on in frustration and a similar phase where Chase took his anger out on old rusty cars in caryards with a cricket bat.

But then there was a scream of pain followed by her name being screamed out in agony. “Jennifer!”

Jen dropped her guitar case to the ground and popped it open, pulling out two guns and an iron bracelet. She wrapped the bracelet around her wrist, kicked off her flat shoes and ran back into the apartment, guns raised and ready. “Jennifer!” he called out her name again but this time it was followed with a ‘clang’ and sobbing.

She knew she couldn’t call back out or whoever had Edmund would hear her. Carefully, she made her way down the hallway and thanked the mighty heavens Edmund was depressed enough to close his bedroom door after her.

She hid behind it for a second and tried to peer through the gap in order to see inside. Whatever trouble Edmund was in was occurring directly behind the door where she couldn’t see and because of his lack of mirrors, she couldn’t tell what was going on either. He screamed and a horrible clawing noise was heard. “Jen!” Edmund screamed. “Help me!”

She couldn’t take it any longer. Jen turned around and kicked down the door, gun raised. “Don’t move!” she ordered and then gasped.

A Shape Shifter demon in the colour of a deep, mahogany red and a male Possessor demon stood on either side of Edmund, pulling him apart. His shirt was clawed open, blood pouring down and for the first time, Jen saw the array of purple and blue bruises blotching his skin. “Put the gun down Emerald, or we’ll hurt him properly.” The Possessor demon said, reaching out and stroking Edmund’s face.

“I can have you both dead before you can grab his neck.” Jen hissed.

“Want to make a bet on it?” The Possessor Demon winked at Jen. “I’ve spent a lot of time in Vegas, I can give you your odds.”

Jen looked at Edmund’s terrified eyes and although she was sure she could outshoot any demon, she wasn’t going to bet on his life. She could kill the demon, but the Shifter demon could still break his neck in the time it took her to shift her gun.

Breathing calmly, Jen put her hands up in the air. She released the guns, the ammo falling to the ground. She then dropped the empty shells of the weapons. “Put the iron bracelet on the ground too, and drop anything you may possess on you that could be used as a weapon.” As the Possessor demon spoke, the Shifter took one of his long claw like nails and dragged it down Edmund’s neck. Edmund shuddered as blood poured from the gaping wound.

“And hurry.” The Shifter Demon hissed. “I’ll only patch him up when all your little torture things are gone. And if I don’t fix this up soon, he’s going to die.”

Reluctantly, Jen pulled her iron bracelet off and dropped it to the ground. She swore inwardly because she no longer had her tattoo on her ankle to protect her from possession and she had to drop her pentagram necklace too. In her deep pocket, she slipped her keys off of the key ring and dropped them as well because she knew there were enough traces of iron to effect the demons. But she kept the ruby and iron key chain and slid it into her coin pocket while she was pretending to rummage through her actual pocket.

Jen looked at Edmund’s empty fingers and she snarled. “You were in the shadows, waiting this entire time.”

“We know he takes his rings off, everyday before he goes to sleep.” The Possessor Demon smiled at Jen. “And the ones around your ankles.”

Jen leant down without taking her eyes off the demons. She smiled at Edmund sadly and tried to sound reassuring. “I’ll get you out of this soon, okay?”

“I don’t think so you will.” the Possessor interrupted her and before she could blink, he was behind her, holding her up and flush against him. All her protection, all of her weapons were on the ground around her feet. “See you went and alerted my Lord to something quite interesting.” The Demon lent closer to him and licked her cheek with his long slimy tongue. He was tasting her, slowly and savouring the flavour. “Hmm… You’re a Wiccan.” he hissed into her ear.

Jen flinched. “Heal him.” she said. “I dropped all my weapons and charms, now hold your end of the bargain.”

The Shifter Demon licked the blood from Edmund’s neck and licked his lips. The gaping wound disappeared in front of Jen’s eyes and Edmund’s knees collapsed. He could no longer hold himself up.

Before the Possessor Demon could pull away, she dug her heel into the ground and wrapped the long iron chain around her ankle clockwise. She spun it out anti-clockwise and it wrapped around the Possessors ankles. He cried out in pain and Jen shoved him off of her.

The Shifter Demon went to kill Edmund but Jen threw her hand out. “Cut!” she yelled and the Shifter Demon’s skin exploded open, hundreds of long cuts erupting on his skin. He let go of Edmund who fell to his knees in front of Jen. Jen wrapped her arms around his torso. “Run!” she screamed.

The Possessor Demon reached down and with a large scream, pulled the iron chain off of him. Edmund was sobbing uncontrollably but Jen helped him up. As she ran passed the Possessor Demon, she grabbed a bunch of his rings off of the desk and hooked her necklace around her ankle. They ran out of the living room and Jen slammed the door closed. She slid Edmund’s pentagram ring onto his finger and then put her necklace around her neck.

There was a screaming from the other side of the door and Edmund looked at it, his eyes glazed over in panic. “Edmund!” Jen grabbed his chin and forced him to look at her. “Forget whatever’s happening in there. Think of the here and now, okay?” They were next to her guitar case, filled with guns. She took out a shot gun and handed it to Edmund. “Can you use that?”

He nodded his head and simply picked up the gun. “Safety, aim…”

“I know.” he murmured, wiping his eyes hastily. “I know, okay?”

Jen nodded quickly. There was no noise coming from the other side of the doorway. Jen looked at the door and saw an iron decoration on the front of the door. “B*****d’s switched bodies.” She hissed. “Don’t trust anyone, okay Edmund. No one until I say so.”

She pulled out more iron chains and more guns. She hid two of them in her jeans and held the other two in her hand. “I’ll be back for you.” she murmured to her guitar case and took her spare mobile from inside of it. “Come on.”

The two of them ran down the staircase of the apartment blocks and out into the parking lot. “Where is he?” Edmund murmured.

“I don’t know.” Jen looked around at the empty parking lot. There was absolutely no way the Demon would give up. She knew that for certain. “Do you have that ring with onyx on it?”

“Yeah.” Edmund looked at his ring collection then back up at Jen. “Why?”

“Watch it. Tell me if it turns blue.” Jen grabbed his hand and then took his shot gun. “Slid that into the back of your shirt, safety on.”

Edmund did as he was told and just watched Jen stash her guns into the pocket of her jacket. The two of them walked out of the apartment blocks, onto the main road as casually as they could. “Who were they?” Edmund asked, his eyes still flickering to his ring.

“Demons.” Jen looked left and right. “Demons who wouldn’t mind killing me for numerous reasons. On the top two of that list, I hunt them and with my blood they can bring their master back to life.”

“And here I was thinking you were just some crazy diamond thief.” he murmured. The two of them took a sharp right and were heading towards the train station down the road from Montague Park.

“Diamond thief?” she said with confusion.

“Emerald Hunter. It’s what the Detective called you when he came to ask me questions about you. I put it together when he said ‘green eyes’.”

“Crane?” Jen frowned. “When did he…? Oh never mind. Anyway, emeralds and diamonds are not the same thing.”

“Same difference.”

“That makes no… Forget it.” They entered the station and Jen held her hand out. “Do you have any money?”

“Where are we going?”

“City.”

Edmund took her hand and led her downstairs, into a tunnel. There was a busker and Jen nodded to him briefly. Edmund jogged up the stairs ahead of Jen, the butt of his gun sticking out from the top of his shirt. There was a lot of iron around which meant there was less of a chance the demon would be around. He walked up to the ticket booth and smiled kindly. He was battered and bruised and Jen had absolutely no idea what he was doing. “Hi my sister and I are missionaries from Jehovah’s Witness, here to talk about the Good Message of the Lord.” Edmund’s eyes darted to Jen’s quickly and he smirked when the guards eyes didn’t flash.

Jen wondered how he knew to say Jehovah. Then she remembered when he approached her in the bedroom back at Tony’s home and thought of how she whispered a Holy name under her breath. He’s catching on quick.

“We’re not interested in the God stuff here right now. We’re a business.” The train guard replied.

Edmund smirked, “Well then you won’t mind giving two missionaries free tickets to the city.” he slid his hand under the glass window and waited. The train guard shrugged and just handed over two tickets without payment. Jen’s eyes widened but she couldn’t say anything because the train was arriving.

Edmund pulled at Jen’s arm and the two jumped onto the iron train, where they were safe. “How’d you do that?”

He sunk back into his seat and looked at her. “You’re a Witch, right?” Jen’s jaw dropped and Edmund sighed, “I’ll take it as a yes.”

“How do you know all of these things?” they sat in their seats and the train took off.

“I sensed you.”

“You what?”

Edmund shook his head in confusion. “You can’t sense me?”

“You can?” Jen shuffled back against the closest wall. “How long have you known I was a Witch?”

“Since the beginning. I thought you could tell I was a Wizard.”

“Wouldn’t I have mentioned a thing like that?” she squealed.

“No. Not necessarily. I don’t, even when other Wiccan’s recognise me. At first I thought you didn’t know. Then I saw what you did to Saint and I just assumed… I saw you using your powers. Can’t you feel mine?”

Jen thought of the odd feeling she had every time Edmund spoke to her. His obvious power over people with his words. She started to understand. “You’re a… Wizard.”

“Yes.” They were in an empty carriage, not many people catching the train now that it was reaching the middle of the day. He withdrew the shot gun and leant back on the chair. His eyes were still red from tears and he looked more than shook up, but his voice was calm.

“I try not to speak too much because when I do people do what I say.” Edmund turned away. “So I don’t like speaking because I don’t know if people are doing things for me because they want to or because they have to.”

Jen frowned, “That’s how you stole all that stuff. You just asked for it, didn’t you?”

Edmund didn’t even look surprised she knew. He just nodded. “My powers manifested when I was ten. I was quite young. Too young to control it or know what to do with it. I just noticed that when I told people to do things, they’d do it. At first it was stupid stuff like asking them to buy me lunch or giving me ten dollars for lunch money. Sometimes I just told the lunch lady not to charge me and she wouldn’t. Then I got greedy. I was just a kid, looking for thrills. I asked people to go to their accounts with me and withdraw money. I asked for a lot of money over the year and sometimes stuff. A TV, a motorbike… I asked for a lot of stuff.”

“The police report only said six-hundred dollars worth of stuff.”

Edmund smirked, “There is a lot more that I have never told anyone about. My car for instance. My license. I still to this day have not done a driving test, nor have I renewed my license without telling the RTA lady to just do it with the eye test. I don’t abuse it as much anymore. I have all the stuff I got from when I was a kid, except for the things the police busted me for.”

Jen looked out the window of the train then back at Edmund. “Now that I know you’re a Wiccan, I guess I know why they’re after you… Did you know Saint was one too?”

Edmund nodded, “But he doesn’t know. He only has basic powers. You’re the strongest I’ve ever met.”

“You’ve met others?”

“Yes. Eddy and Lisa Belwink for instance.”

Jen’s eyes widened. “And they went missing…”

“Yes.”

Jen pulled out her mobile and cursed herself for not doing so earlier. She dialled Chase’s number. He picked up on the second ring. “Where are you?!” he screamed into the phone.

Jen pulled it away from her ear then put it back. “On a train to the City. I was going to go to the Quay for a little, lay low and then to the safe house on Elizabeth Street.”

“Why? Who’s after you?” Circular Quay and train tracks above with iron lampposts almost everywhere. Only game Demons would look for her there and Jen knew he put that together.

“Don’t know but a Possessor. I’m on a train, I’ll be okay until the City but Chase you need to listen to what I just found out.”

“We’re off the case, Jen! Jeremiah’s going mental, searching half of Sydney for you.”

“Listen Chase!” Jen started pacing the train out of agitation. “Edmund’s a Wiccan.”

“Emo-kid?”

“Yes. We were just attacked by a Possessor and a Shifter. I killed the Shifter but the Possessor is probably gathering people to come after us. Graceland was going to sacrifice Saint to the Demons so I’m more than sure they know he exists by now. The two twins who disappeared �"Eddy and Lisa Belwink�" they were Wiccans too. Put it together, please.”

There was nothing but breathing coming through the phone then Chase groaned. “I found out why they’re keeping an eye on Blue Sky.”

Jen grinned because now she knew she had Chase on her side. “Yes?”

“It’s one of the most secure places in the world that has prison security but no iron bars that lies directly over a ley line.”

Jen looked back at Edmund who was looking at the gun in his hand. “What’s the significance of that?”

“Ley lines were discovered by accident by Alfred Watkins who had no idea what they were used for. He followed the certain paths tracked between ancient monuments and other ancient landforms. Eventually, he though he discovered lines and lines of magic.”

“What did he discover?”

“The travelling prison of Demons and Fae of the Seelie Court. When the Fae created a prison for those of the Unseelie Court, Wraiths and other purely evil creatures, they created tunnels deep under the earth’s surface, connected with the Ancient temples, gathering points and Kingdoms of the old Supernatural World.

“Every year, when the prison would reach certain points on the Ley Line, the community would throw in their undesirables and lock them away forever. Centuries ago, legend has it, the Wiccans threw in a pentagonal box, filled with dark magic. I’m thinking it wasn’t so much dark magic as it was our demon.”

“You stayed up researching, didn’t you?” she said quietly.

Chase sighed, “I didn’t stay up long enough to keep you in the house.”

“So when does the prison reach Blue Sky?”

“One weeks time, but remember they have to drain your blood to open the box. Then they have to get in and extract the box from one of the highest security, iron prison ever made.”

Jen turned and looked at Edmund, raising her eyebrow. “I think I know how they wanted to get in. I know someone who can walk in and out of any prison in this planet.”

“Oh yeah. Who?” Chase seemed to doubt her.

“Edmund Williams.” Edmund looked up at her and frowned. Jen kept her eyes focused on him and said into the phone, “Go find Saint. He should be…”

“Brighton-Le-Sands. At Angel’s place.” Edmund murmured.

Jen relayed the information then hung up the phone once Chase said goodbye. She walked over to Edmund and knelt in front of him. “What do you want more than anything in this world?”

Edmund frowned. “I don’t know.”

“You do. The demons went after you this early for a reason.” Jen stared straight into his eyes. “They couldn’t get what they needed from Eddy or Lisa. What were there powers?”

Edmund shrugged his shoulders and leant against the window. “Lisa was like you. She didn’t have to speak Latin to use her powers.”

“And Eddy?”

“Eddy wasn’t special. He was just like Saint. Average Wiccan.”

Jen sighed and sat back down on the seat of the train. “Well, we’ve got until the City to figure it out… Or until Jeremiah finds me and kills me.”

“Jeremiah?”

“Long story.”

******

There was a small Synagogue on Elizabeth Street in the City, nestled between a Karaoke Bar and a Jeweller. It was directly opposite Hyde Park and wrapped around its edge was nothing but iron gates.

Whenever Jen felt unsafe within the confides of Sydney, she escaped to the Synagogue, long ago abandoned and left for the homeless and the thieves. It worked as her Iron Kingdom.

As a holy place, no demon could enter or depart and the iron deterred even the strongest of them.

Edmund and Jen held hands all through the city and assisted each other in climbing over the old iron gates. Jen broke in through the front door and only when inside the Synagogue itself did she feel safe again. She relaxed against the door and Edmund just stood her, still holding her hand. Jen stopped thinking about herself and stared at him. “Are you okay?”

“I’m better than you’d believe. I always knew these things existed, or assumed they did. I simply never believed they come after me.”

Jen’s phone beeped and she checked it quickly.

Chase > 411… Ru? Look 4 [<09. Sv… RED~ Jeremiah

Jen read the message a few times then looked at Edmund who was reading over her shoulder curiously. “Want me to translate?”

“Sure.”

“Chase gave me the 411. How are you? Look for iron. Stay low. We’re in code red.” Jen slid her fingers over the keys of her phone anxiously. “That means we’re in a lot of s**t.”

“What can I do?”

Jen saw not eagerness in his eyes, but a calm resolution that he had to do something. “Nothing, Edmund.”

He’s shoulders slumped and he turned and looked at the wall, concentrating on the aging paint. “How long have you and Chase been going out for?”

Jen shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot and walked to the front of the Synagogue, sitting down on the steps. “All our lives, I guess.” she laughed. “When my family died, Jeremiah and his sister, Mary-Beth took me in when I was five. Chase’s parents weren’t Hunters. They were possessed and they were killed by Jeremiah’s dad when Chase was just two. We grew up together, grew close and when I was twelve, he was my first kiss. I think he just did it because it was my birthday and he didn’t get me a present because he was fifteen. He had girlfriends before me, but he was my first and we officially started dating two years ago.”

“How do you know he’s the one then? If there’s only ever been one.” Edmund asked. Jen heard the agitation in his voice but knew it was there for good reason. She had started to doubt for the first time whether Chase was her destiny. He certainly seemed like it. She loved him but now she was feeling something else.

“Him and I, we’re going to stop hunting together.” Jen’s answered, her eyes glittering as she thought of her dream future. “I don’t want my kids growing up to know how best to skin a Demon. We’ll do a couple of jobs for money, save up and settle down. That’s what I want to do.”

“And you want to do it with Chase?” Edmund sat in one of the pews and wrapped his arm around it, leaning towards Jen.

She smiled and nodded. “To you it might seem stupid, me already planning a home and a family but a Hunters life expectancy doesn’t exceed over thirty. Hell, my brother was my age when he was pulled head first from our car and snapped straight in half by a Demon.” Jen tried to make it sound light hearted, but knew it was hopeless and probably heartless too. Thinking of Eric and that night brought back painful memories that she had never quite dealt with.

“Why can’t you just�"?” he was cut off by his mobile ringing. He looked down at it and then up at Jen. “Hello? He answered his phone with a small frown on his face.

His frown deepened and panic set in. “When? What did he say?” Edmund turned away from Jen and walked across the Synagogue, whispering furiously. Jen caught only bits and pieces of it including, “You’re doing what?!” She stood up and followed him, trying to hear the conversation.

Edmund looked at Jen, frowning. “My dad just went over to Zeke’s house and asked for me.”

Jen raised her eyebrow, “And?”

“My father doesn’t know who Zeke is.”

Jen’s stomach shifted uncomfortably. “Maybe he pays more attention than you think.”

“A lot more… He’s going towards Tony’s, walking. Zeke’s following him on his bike.” Edmund ran a hand through his head. “Jen, my dad was asking questions. In perfect English and responding to Zeke’s questions without any help.”

“Well your father is a grown man.”

“My dad is deaf and he comes from Lebanon and can’t speak English.” Edmund stared at Jen, trying to make her understand. “He was at home in the apartment where we left the demon… On the train you said that Demon could possess people.”

“Edmund…” she whispered quietly.

“They have my father!” Edmund shouted and turned on his heel, walking to the door.

“Edmund!” Jen grabbed his arm and tugged his back roughly. “Listen two me. Yes, your dad is probably possessed. No, you cannot go after him. There are only two ways to exorcise a demon and one would kill your father while the other would slowly kill you and being the responsible hunter I am, I can’t let you go out and do either of them without further information.”

“I’m sick of information. I need to go help my friends.” Edmund pulled away from her again. “If I don’t either the Demon or my father will kill them.”

“Is your dad a Wizard?” she asked quickly, sliding in front of him. “I mean, is it your mum or dad who’s a Wiccan?”

“Mum.” he snapped. “But she doesn’t live with us anymore.”

“You said�"”

“I lied.” He glared at her. “Mum is in a Coven. She’s a full Witch and inducted into the Coven and finds it hard to live away from the Coven. She only comes home if I beg her to.”

“Well at least she’s safe.” Jen said, taking his arms. “Look, your Dad…”

“I don’t care about him. I need to get to Tony.”

Jen squeezed his arm. “I get it, okay. But…” Her mind flickered to Maria and Antonio Acardia and she realised what would happen if the Possessor Demon found out about them. “Give me your phone.” Jen lunged for Edmund’s mobile and tugged it out of his hand. “Give it to me now.”

Edmund let go of his mobile and let Jen take it. She did and got straight through to Tony’s home message bank. “They’re not picking up.” she panicked.

Edmund went for the doors of the Synagogue but Jen pulled him back again. “You won’t get to them in time.” she started dialling Tony’s number.

They both waited through the rings. When the phone was finally answered, Tony’s laughing voice flittered through. “Hello?”

“Tony!” Jen shouted. “Tony, where are you?”

Tony kept laughing then said something to whoever was with him. “Hold on, okay. I’m on the phone. Sorry, what?”

“Where are you?”

“I’m at the park with my brothers… Jen?”

“Yeah.”

“… Are you with Ed?”

“Where are your parents?”

“Mum’s at home, making lunch. Dad’s at work.”

Jen smacked her head. “Call Zeke. Tell him to pick you up, right now. Then go straight to Angel’s place, don’t go home, and hurry.”

“What’s going on?”

“Just trust me, okay?” Jen hung up the phone and looked at Edmund. His eyes were steely cold and he was just glaring at her.

“You know, trust only stretches so far.” He took his phone back off of Jen and started texting Zeke. Jen felt as if a bomb had gone off in her stomach and was threatening to pour out of her mouth. She sat down on the floor of the Synagogue and for the first time, her Iron Kingdom felt like a Cage.

******

Maria was cooking in the kitchen of her family home. It had been hundreds of years since she had a proper family home. Hundreds of years since she had a proper family. The only person she had was John… Antonio.

She giggled to herself as she thought of her husband. Now they were Maria and Antonio Arcadia. Years ago they were Prue and Jackson O’Malley. Before that, they were Hannah-Mae and Julius Braston. They had pretended to be Asian, Russian, African and Hungarian at different points of their lives but she always remembered herself as Matilda Hardwicke nee Forrester, who had the absolute pleasure of marrying John Hardwicke in the year 1325.

People didn’t often marry for love in those times and that hadn’t been the case for Richard and herself ether. In fact, at first both of them had quite literally hated each other. It wasn’t until they bore their first child �" John junior, did she start to enjoy the way the sunlight played in John’s blonde locks while he smiled at his son and played with him happily. Their second child, Harry, was conceived from love as was their only and beautiful daughter, Joan.

John junior had just married himself and Harry was courting some fine lady from a village just outside of London when the plague had hit. Matilda Hardwicke prayed night and day for the plague to stay away and not touch her family.

John junior and Anne moved away, as Anne fell pregnant with John III and did not wish her to fall ill. John and Matilda were going to follow them. With their children all grown up with no need for mothering any more, she would have taken care of her grandchild, but Joan wished to say to wait for her love, Phillip.

“Mother, you and Father go and follow John. I will convince Joan she’s being foolish and take her to Jessica’s house then meet you all.” He kept promising and promising her she would bring Joan back in one piece and Matilda believed him.

She knew Harry meant no harm when he slapped Joan and dragged her away from Phillip and she also knew it had to be done. Phillip had been sickly and was growing bulbous pusses over his body, his fingers turning blue.

Soon, Phillip would die.

When Harry, Jessica and Joan reached the village Matilda had moved to with her husband and eldest son, Matilda should have been overjoyed. She should have been celebrating and kissing the earth for delivering her children safely, but she couldn’t.

Harry rode the horse up front, proud and tall as always but his eyes were sad and depressed. Jessica had tears pouring from her eyes and Joan was lying in the wagon, coughing and spluttering everywhere.

The people in the Village withdrew from the cart and John junior pleaded it not to be true. Matilda simply rushed forward with John, and the two of them lifted their daughter and took her to an empty home out the outskirts of the village. She was crying and coughing, her lips already blue and blood already staining her white dress. Her hair, blonde like her fathers and her eyes, deep dark brown like her mothers, were both weary with stress and tension. “I don’t want to die, not like Phillip.”

Matilda swept her hand through Joan’s hair over and over, “You will not die my dearest daughter. You will not.”

John couldn’t stand staring at Joan for much longer and left Matilda and Joan alone, slamming the door behind him. Joan’s eyes shrivelled up and she turned away from the door. “Daddy’s angry with me.”

“Not with you, Joan. With the demon inside of you.” she wiped the tears from Joan’s face. “I promise, it’s not with you.”

“He left Phillip and came inside me… I knew it was strange but I’d never done it before. Mamma, there’s a demon in me that came out from Phillip’s body.”

Matilda frowned. Joan was only fifteen at the time but she was more than ready to be wed. In fact, she was too old. But Matilda and John had protected her from the harsher side of their world, buying her little trinkets. Her brothers both babied her more than they should have but they all adored their little Joan. “What do you mean?”

“He… he said it wouldn’t hurt but it did. He just said it was showing his love for me and I know he was right… It’s what Patrice and Julia and all the other girls who are now married said their husbands do for them…”

Matilda closed her eyes and prayed to the heavens it wasn’t so, but when Joan started sobbing she knew it was true. “My dear, it is fine. It shall all be fine.” She sat on the edge of the bed and pulled Joan into a tight hug.

“But he put something inside of me and there was blood…”

“It is normal child.” Matilda rubbed Joan’s back. “It is very normal. It will always hurt the first time.”

“Did you do it too?” she hiccuped.

“That is how a child is made, my dearest.” Matilda kissed Joan’s head attentively. “Oh my dear, what have you gotten yourself into?”

“Will I have a child now, Mamma?” she hiccuped fearfully. “Will I grow round and have a child?”

“I �" I do not know.” To be told truthfully, with her blue lips and puss fill underarms, Matilda did not know how much longer her daughter would survive.

Once Joan was fast asleep, Matilda left her room and ran a hand through her thick brown locks. No one in the village would approach her for good reason. She had now been in contact with a plague victim. No one would be safe until herself and Joan were safely dead and burnt.

She did not go home as John junior and Anne were there and she wanted neither to fall ill. Harry was with them, scrubbing and taking a boiling hot bath along with Jessica to remove any parts of the plague as a wise woman in the village told them to do so.

Matilda went to the wise woman’s house on instinct. She prayed that maybe she knew what to do, how to save her daughter and now maybe the child that rested inside of her. The lights to the home were open and when Matilda peered through the window, she gasped to find John already inside, leaning over a desk.

“So I sign this letter and forever, my daughter and sons and their family from here on in shall be healthy and safe.” she heard John say through the window.

The frail old woman nodded her head excitedly. Her wrinkled skin ran deeper than valleys and mountains and her fingers was long and bony. “Yes, yes, yes… however only if you’d be so kindly to put your name to paper, please?”

John did so, scratching his name in illiterate hand. “Forever and ever.” The frail old woman cackled excitedly and before Matilda could run away in confusion, she was gripped by a pain like no other. Before her very eyes, her skin melted from her body and left behind was a pale slippery skin which was nothing like her own.

Matilda screamed in horror at herself and ran deep within the forest, her clothing falling away under her acidic touch and her hair falling apart under her frantic hands. She stumbled across a river, falling into it and started trying to wash away all of the slime that had built up on her skin and horribly, it washed into the water like black blood and made its way down stream. “John!” she screeched and her voice had changed, sounding like a dying bird rather than a proper human. “John!” she shrieked again and started clawing at her own face.

By morning, Matilda was slumped across the shallow waters of the river, bald of all hair, naked of all clothing and mutated into something vile and indescribable.

She caught her own reflection in the stream as she sobbed, adding her tears to the river, but Matilda refused to believe it was her. Suddenly she could hear things at great distances including the sound of her own sons calling out to her and her husband in the village that by now was much too far away. The birds high up on the trees that chirped lightly sounded as if they were cawing in her ear and the river, passing over her body and moving underneath her sounded like a thunderous waterfall, crashing into sharpened boulders.

From a great distance, she heard the footsteps approach her. She smelt something vile, like a burning body come closer but she didn’t care. Nothing mattered anymore to her as there was no way anyone would be sane enough to love her. “Ma-Matilda?”

Shocked that someone would recognise her, Matilda turned around and screamed, scuttling back into the water, finding herself deeper and deeper in the stream. Deformed of all natural features, a hairless man with beige skin and two slits for a nose approached her. He was covered in a thick black oil that dripped down his naked form and his eyes were as black as night. “I didn’t know… I just thought it would be me… Oh Matilda, forgive me.”

She stopped scuttling back and looked at the man in front of him. “J-Jonathan?”

He fell onto his knees and pressed his hand together. “Please, forgive me Matilda.”

And she did. After learning the reasons as to why John did what he did, Matilda forgave her husband and together they learnt what it was like to be Demonic, learning how to Shift into various creatures, whether human or other and learning their weaknesses and strengths.

Always together.

Forever and always.

The doorbell rang, pulling Maria out of her thoughts. Matilda was a long time ago and when she existed, she had the misfortune to watch her children and her grandchildren, age, wither and die. She would have forced herself through watching her great-grandchildren and even her great-great-grandchildren go through the same, had John not dragged her away and helped her become Lottie, a German farm hand who lived with her husband, Henry.

Maria washed her hands in the sink, cleaning off all the flour, and headed to the front door. Antonio was not at home but rather had gone to work. Stuck in old habits, Maria found it difficult to wear jeans let alone accept the fact women in modern times had nine-to-five jobs. She much preferred housewifery.

She opened the door with a smile, thinking it to be some Bible basher who she’d pretend to be blind around or maybe the snooping neighbours asking for another cup of sugar so she could scope out the Arcadia’s furnishings once more.

But as the door opened wide enough to see the person on the other side, her face fell. “No.” she whispered, stumbling backwards. “Germanicus?”

“Matilda?” the man was quite tall, with long limbs and a thin build. His hair was thick, dark brown with green eyes and Maria was quite sure she recognised him as Edmund’s father, a man she’d never met but could liken his features with that of his sons. “Well, well, what a surprise this is.” The Possessor Demon Maria knew to be Germanicus walked into the house, looking around. “Nice little place this is. Nice little place indeed.” He spun around on his heel and smirked at her. “Is Jonathan around?”

Maria stuck her chin up in the air and inhaled deeply. “No. I am alone. Antonio is at work.”

“Antonio.” Germanicus chuckled and walked over to a bookshelf full of photographs. “Charming looking skin. You two.” He winked at her. “Although, I preferred you as Terra, back in Chicago. You looked very nice in Chicago.”

“I’d like you to leave.” Maria opened the door wide and pointed to the door.

“It’s the twenty-first century, Tilly. A single man and a married woman can share space alone now without the neighbours talking.”

“Then you’ve never met my neighbours.” she opened the door wider. “You can come again if you wish, but first you must call ahead so the children aren’t here.”

“Children?” he laughed and looked at the pictures again. “You actually adopted.” He sniffed the air and turned to the kitchen. “Is that… Is that freshly made pasta I smell? You adopted humans?”

“I would like you to leave now.”

“Are you Tony Arcadia’s mother?” he laughed and clutched at his side. “Oh my, this is rich.”

“What my husband and I do with our lives is none of your business Germanicus. We served our five-hundred years, now leave us be.” she snapped.

In a blink of an eye, Germanicus was leaning over Maria and she was forced against the door. She sharply inhaled and slid down, trying to get as far away from him as possible. “I can’t leave you be, because your human is vital to my plan.” He hissed. “Now where’s Tony?”

“I’ll never tell you.” she whispered.

“Tell me or die.”

“I’d rather die.”

Germanicus glared at her from his great height over her and then took her by the arm and threw her into the house. “I can have that arranged.” He closed the door behind him and watched Maria scramble up off the floor.

Maria snarled, “Catch me. If you can.” The moaning noise which accompanied all Demonic travel started. Germanicus lunged out to grab her, but Maria leapt back, disappearing in a loud pop.

“Argh!” Germanicus shouted loudly and grabbed the nearest vase, tossing it against the wall.

Author's Note

Spelling? Grammar? Tenses!