Satan's Hunger

13

Kaitlyn's eyes snapped open. Sitting up with a start, she sucked down the air like she was drowning.

After the brightness of hell, it was so dark in the little room, even with its flickering fire. As her eyes adjusted, Kaitlyn reeled back. Madam Sheree was kneeling so close to her Kaitlyn could see the freckles on her nose. She was holding a jar of ointment in her hand. Jacob's head was heavy in Kaitlyn's lap. It seemed he hadn't moved at all.

Kaitlyn wiped at her nose and sneezed. That sickly sweet smell! It was coming from the ointment. The witch had wiped it above Kaitlyn's upper lip. Clearly, it was designed to wake her up. Bending over, Kaitlyn wiped it off with her shirt.

She yanked her arm away with a shout when Madam Sheree suddenly seized it.

'You must help us,' the witch said in a quiet, trembling voice.

Kaitlyn paused. The witch's eyes were wide and they were darting around the room. She was shaking. Kaitlyn looked behind her and saw the four men. Well, the two men and two boys. They were looking around the room too, bunched up together, their weapons out: knives and gun and iron bars. Their faces were white, their lips thin.

Kaitlyn turned back to Madam Sheree. 'I warned you. You didn't listen.'

'What's that?!' hissed one of the men, snapping his head around.

Both Kaitlyn and the witch turned towards the bed as something small and black scuttled across it. It disappeared into a shadowy corner. They all watched closely but it didn't reappear.

'It might be just a rat,' the blonde man whispered desperately.

The witch sat high on her knees as she looked around the room frantically. 'Heed me! We are your allies! Servants to the Dark One and all his forces.'

They all whipped their heads around at the sound of a chuckle. Something moved. Two red spots beamed out from a corner by the small table. The bald man hissed in surprise. A boy cried out. The witch grabbed Kaitlyn's wrist fearfully. The eyes blinked, then vanished.

'You're wasting your breath,' Kaitlyn told the witch. 'I did as you told me—I spoke with Lucifer. And I told him—I told him to hurt you.'

The colour sucked out of Madam Sheree's cheeks. 'And—and what did he say?'

'Your wish is my command.'

One of the men moaned.

Kaitlyn felt a thrill of satisfaction. 'You're not going to survive the night. Let this be a lesson to you: when you anger me, you anger him.'

The blonde man yelped, a boy shouted as something shiny and wet wriggled across the room on what appeared to be flipper-like appendages. With a squeak, it vanished into the darkness.

'Light! We need more light!' the bald man cried.

'There are lanterns in the cupboard,' a boy spoke in a high voice.

Two figures raced towards the door, only to stop before they reached the threshold. From down the hall came screaming—several voices, from both men and women. It could only be coming from Madam Sheree's followers who had left the room earlier. A voice shouted, 'What the fuck!' It sounded muffled, as though coming from behind a door.

A door crashed open with a bang! Kaitlyn's heart raced at the thunder of footsteps. More screaming. There was shouting and crying.

'He's hurt! He's hurt!' came a girl's voice.

'We can't just leave him!' shouted another.

'He's done for! Let's run!'

It sounded like a stampede. Kaitlyn heard them struggling at the front door. Someone was bashing something against it. The crying and screaming continued. There was a thud, a creak.