Chiara Marino and the Demons of Darkness

Chapter 25 - Confirmed in Battle

Chiara looked up to find Sydney standing over her. Her eyes were slatted and the demonic aura was swirling around her.

Again? Chiara thought. Seriously?

Sydney threw a sudden punch and Chiara barely dodged it. The attack left cracks in the concrete wall. She scrambled to her feet and ran for the door, her heart pounding in her chest. She fumbled with the knob, but it was locked. She looked behind her just in time to dodge a kick. The door bent inward from the attack.

Chiara edged slowly along the wall and away from Sydney.

"We gave you a warning twice now, you stupid girl," the demon inside Sydney said. "But you just had to get deeper involved. And now you're going to die the way you were destined to live..." in the blink of an eye, Sydney was close enough to whisper in Chiara's ear, "...alone."

The demon punched her in the gut. The pain was more intense than any she had ever felt before.

Chiara backed away and clutching her stomach. "Peter will save me."

The demon laughed. "You think he'll hear his angel over all the flattery from those pretty girls?"

Chiara's heart fell. The demons had planned this whole thing. Even if, by some chance, he wasn't enjoying the extra attention, he would at least be distracted. She couldn't rely on him.

Chiara ran across the roof, trying to put as much distance between them as she could.

"Nowhere to run, stupid, ugly loser," Sydney called after her.

Then Sydney appeared in front of Chiara.

"Stupid," she whispered.

Chiara turned and ran.

Sydney appeared in front of her again. "Ugly."

She started to run in another direction, but Sydney appeared again, whispering, "Loser."

Chiara jumped back, causing herself to cough. She felt something warm and metallic in her mouth. She wiped her lips and saw the blood on her hand. Her body started shaking in shock.

"I may not be as strong as you, but I won't give up," she declared.

The demon circled around her, levitating Sydney's body so her feet just grazed the concrete. "Do you honestly think you can defeat us?" it cackled. "You haven't even met your angel. In fact, your angel has already rejected you."

The demon held out Sydney's hand and Chiara felt a violent force push into her chest. She flew through the air, landing hard on the pavement, ten feet away. Her buttocks and thighs scraped along the ground, stinging with the abrasions from the concrete.

The demon moved slowly towards her, taking the time to punctuate each step.

Please, God, she prayed desperately. Please help me. I can't do this on my own.

The demon stood over her. It thrust a hand at Chiara's neck and forced her down, pinning her against the ground. Chiara's head stung from the hit.

She struggled in vain. Sydney's hand tightened on her throat. Tears ran down her cheeks. She was starting to see stars and knew she only had a few more moments before she would black out.

The demon bent in and whispered right into her ear. "Peter only tolerates you because he's nice. Just like Slick. Aren't you sick of boys leading you on? You hate them, don't you? You hate them both for not loving you back."