Evil Comes Quickly

Mallory's encouter with her first dekon

 

Evil Comes Quickly

 

 

“Not another word from you tonight! There's nothing here, nothing will bother you! How many times do we have to go over this Mallory? Your imagination gets the best of you and you scare yourself. There's not one thing here in the dark that is not here in the light! Here! See for yourself!”

He flicked on the harsh lights to prove his point. Mallory blinked her eyes at the stark whiteness cast on her room by the sudden intrusion of the lamp. Nothing was there, save for her sparse furnishings, a few toys on the floor and her nightclothes. Havingnothing else to protect herself, she had flung them at the crude figure she saw, or thought she saw.

“What's the matter?” her mother demanded as she all but staggeredinto Mallory's room. This was a normal routine as Mallory tried to hide her nakedness under the cover.At least once or twice a week, something tried totake her from her room. Her screams would summon herfather and the somethingwould leavequickly, or hide well. Her father, never wanting to admit his seven-year-old daughter was in danger in his house, always yelled loudly at her, silencing her screams, followed by the lights, then by her mother.

Her mother's face bore the marks of heavy years. Drawn into a near scowl, she relied heavily on chemical enhancements to allow her a full night of sleep. The years had not been easy on her, haunted by demons only she and Mallory could see.

 “Another nightmare” her father reported. “Now, everything is okay.” Only then would he hold Mallory close to comfort her. She liked the smell of his shirt, the smells of a working man who took pride in his family and his home. Contrasted to her mother who bore the sour smell of the streets at times, although she was not sure of that smell, it seemed to fit.

“Mallory, do you need to take something?” her mother asked. She shook her head and burrowed deeper into her father's embrace.

“The child's too young for your sedatives, Sara. Leave her to me and go back to bed. She'll settle down in a few. She didn't wet the bed this time, so she'll get back to sleep soon.”

“Okay Hank. I’ll trust her to you. I can hardly keep my eyes open as it is anyway,” she said as she left the room.

Her mother went away to her chemically induced slumber. Mallory had to wonder if the thing went to her and did things to her while she was in this dream state. She wanted to kill the thing, if she could ever see it and exploit its weak spot. She knew it had a weak spot because she hurt it one night and anything that could be hurt could be killed.

“Daddy, I'm still afraid,” she said. “And my clothes are sweaty.”

“There, there Mal. Do we need a nice bath?”

The bathroom was one safe room in the house. The thing never came to her there. It never bothered her there, even in the dark. Mallory often wondered why, but the safety of the bathroom was her sanctuary. Her father would run the water for her and sit close by while she washed and played a little in the warm water. She loved the water and the thing hated the water. That was what hurt it. She threw water at it one night, and it screamed as the water struck it. Maybe enough water could kill it?

“A bath? Daddy please?”

Maybe she could trick the thing into coming after her in the bathroom. If a little water from her glass hurt it, maybe a tub of water would kill it.

She heard the water running and gathered her clothes. Her favorite nightgown was too sweaty to wear, so she took clean underwear and a t-shirt to wear after her bath. She wanted to take her slippers too, in case she had to run outside.

“Daddy, I can do this myself. I'm a big girl,” she told her father. If the thing was to come for her, she had to get her father to leave. Down the hallway, Mallory could hear her mother’s heavy snoring from her drug-induced coma. She was already fast asleep.

“Are you sure Mallory? I don't want anything to happen to you in the tub.”

“I'm okay. I can hold my breath too,” she demonstrated by sliding under the water and holding her breath. Her seven-year-old brain was trying to decide what she could do if the thing came. She knew her father had to leave, and she had to trick the thing to come get her.

“I guess you can take care of yourself. Mallory, if you need me, I'll be in the kitchen. I need a cup of coffee. Ring the bell, okay?”

“Like this?” Mallory pulled the string that rang the bell in the kitchen. She giggled at its tinkling sound, so far from the bathroom and felt comforted that she could get her father to come to her aid if she needed him.

“Like that. Good girl,” her father said and left her upstairs to relax in the tub.

As he left the bathroom, Mallory eased herself from the tub, careful not to slip or leave tracks on the floor. She opened the door to entice the thing to come in, reached for the light switch and turned it off, enveloping the small room in darkness. Carefully, she slid back into the water, but not before she took the small cross from the wall. She made the sign of the cross in the water and over the water, and then eased her body back into the warmth of the tub.

Her father was in the kitchen, and being a bit noisy as he brewed a full pot of coffee. She could hear him whistling some old song he loved, but she could not name. She knew the thing could hear him as well. It was at the door, wary of the bathroom, but she was there and she was too tempting. Mallory slightly opened one eye as it glided across the floor, stopping a few inches from her. She could see it clearly through her half-closed eyelids.

She lay very still, acting as if she were asleep. Slowly, it crept forward, easing its way into the darkened room. Small, dark, sinister and intent on doing her harm.

It hesitated at the edge of the tub, as if developing a plan. Scared of the water, but why? Because water cleanses? Mallory did not care why it was afraid of the water, or of the light, but she was ready. She shifted in the tub, as she would if she were asleep. Natural movements. She was ready, it was ready.

Eyeing the tub cautiously, the thing moved closer still. Its rancid breath almost made Mallory cough. The string for the bell just within her reach, should everything go wrong. The water felt so warm and soothing to her, yet so much a prison at this moment.

Time to shift again, as she did when the thing got this close. This time, under the water, as she would do with her covers to get free of its sour breath. The thing watched her and followed her form with its glowing eyes. Another natural movement. It held its ground, now ready to run. Soon, she would scream, it would have to hide again and wait for another time. Hunger burned within its belly, deeply carving a hole larger than it ever felt before. The thing waited until she past the time when she would scream, then reached its hand out to take her.

Mallory's lungs began to cry for air, but she had to wait. One of her legs was just out of the water, and she felt its slimy hand touch her. Her pulse quickened as she withdrew from the touch. Another natural action, so it was not alarmed. Her leg rolled to the far side of the tub, and it pursued this silky soft morsel.

Now was the time. As it leaned over to caress her bare leg, Mallory raised the crucifix high in the air and switched on the small lamp beside the tub. Blinded by the sudden light, the creature fell into the tub as Mallory jumped to her feet.

“No escape for you this time!” Mallory screamed as she pushed the small lamp into the water. She slammed the door, turned on the light as the creature lay thrashing in the now electrified water, water made holy by the crucifix and her innocence. The bell clanged in the kitchen, followed by her father's footsteps as they pounded up the stairs.

“Mallory! Mallory!” he yelled for her as he took the stairs two at a time.

“Daddy! It's here! It's here! I think I killed it!!”

“What's here? What did you do?”

He picked up his soaking wet child from the floor and gasped at the scene in the bathroom. Everything was still, save for her mother's steady snoring from down the hall. In the tub was the evidence of her nightmares, the thing that tormented her. Small, hideous glowing eyes still open wide. The remaining skin now smoking from the water, and the electricity. The fangs were obvious, as was the blood gathered in its teeth.

“That's the thing, Daddy! That thing tried to get me. I killed it!” Mallory was proud of herself. She hugged her father tightly as the thing lay in her tub, dead, no longer a threat and hideous in its intent.

Daylight was approaching, and it seemed her father knew just what to do. He opened the window wide to allow the bright morning sun strike the creature, dooming it to all eternity to non-existence. As its body dissolved in the light, he looked at his little girl. She was in her bathrobe and very calm. Her face possessed an almost angelic quality in the morning light.

“You've gotten your first kill, my little slayer. The first is always the hardest. It sure took you long enough!”

Reviews

[Kara Emily Krantz]

oh goodness! lol this is really really well written!! i'm going to admit, i wasn't expecting that! I don't read many stories period, and i barely ever read something along these lines, but it is really well done. the ending was a little abrupt to me- i feel like maybe you could make the father's awareness of whats going on a little bit more suspenseful, rather than just a sudden change of heart, you know?

but that's something small. the style is realy nice, and the flow was wonderful. the dialogue was actually quite good (which is so hard to do!) and... really, i'm impressed! You have some serious typos (mostly just words bunchedtogetherlikethis) which might need to be fixed - especially int he first few paragraphs.

really impressed, though! i'm seeing that there's more? another chapter? i'll have to look at that.

hugs

[Lost in Wonderland]

Wow! great surprise ending. I also love how u set up the relationship with the father and the daughter. Thank you very much for entering my contest. Great peice!

[Ice Queen of the Vampir..]

This is a wonderful first chapter and a very fascinating story so far. You've really caught my attention. Great work!!!

Heather

[Andromeda]

creeeeeepy! =)

[DarkAngelWriter]

Whoa... ending... can we say twist?