STILL

Chapter Twenty-three

"Why so blue?" Aquilla asked.

"Who are you?" Tom asked hoping to God he was wrong.

"I'm offended that you don't know." Aquilla laughed, his laughs sent chills up and down Tom's spine.

"You're supposed to be dead," Tom said, he attempted to mask his fear, but how could he? A demon stood before his eyes with the clear intention to kill him.

"Says the man on the verge of death." Aquilla pet his goat. He looked at the black goat before him and took a deep breath. He couldn't take his eyes off these twisted horns

"Come on, Tommy, the least you could do is talk back." He lifted another finger for the goat to look straight into Tom's eyes.
"Where is your little brat?" Tom said, he tightened his grip on the knife in his hand. He was scared but he was ready.

"Connor, you mean?" Aquilla asked, "he's planning something, he already wasted his shots with you," Aquila pointed at Tom's direction, this is when he understood the dreams. The demon wasn't dead, the demon wasn't even buying himself time; he was simply torturing them, he familiarized them with his human features just enough so that their fight or flight response would kick in once he decided to reappear.

The same white hair
The same white t-shirt
The same black jeans
The same red flannel
The same damn smile.

Everything was spot on, down to the tiniest detail. Aquilla stood there with a wide grin like a mischievous strike of deja vu and PTSD joined in one.

"Now..." Aquilla paused. "We have a nice chance to chat, you and I." Aquilla pet the goat once again.

"We have nothing to talk about," Tom said aggressively.

"Don't we?" Aquilla said with a grin. "I can make you live longer, a lot longer than you might think," Aquilla said as he studied Tom's face.

"Like Connor? And be what? your bitch? I think I'll pass on that," Tom held on the knife tighter.

Aquilla scoffed as he heard Tom's aggression. "I admire you people, humans," He paused. "You always think you're so pure until you're under death's grip, then you're not so pure." He lifted another finger.

The goat stomped its feet, yet frozen in place. Tom took a few steps back; he couldn't help but scoff at Aquilla's sick game.
"Really? Holding your goat in place?" He said. "Let me guess, you're 'possessing' the goat and the horns are the weapon?" Tom said.

"Bravo! Ten points for the British boy!" Aquilla  said happily. "You know, the guy before you thought it was breaking the rules, but he's dead now." Aquilla shrugged. "He ruined my favorite white Tshirt with his blood, I changed into this one though, less messy." He lifted one more finger for the goat to growl under his hand.

"It growls?" Tom asked, he scanned the area around him for anything he could use without the goat snatching onto him.

"Had to grab him from hell, cute, isn't she?" Aquilla said, "Now, about my offer," Aquilla paused. "You get to kill Connor, and I will cast a spell on you that will make every life you take yours. You kill Connor? congrats, you have eighty more years to live as a young man!" Aquilla said. "You kill another human? a hundred and sixty," He explained. "Why are you offering me this? Why not the person who outsmarted you and got you off our backs for a month?" Tom questioned Aquilla's motives.

"He has a long life to live, under normal circumstances I mean," Aquilla said. "You on the other hand? You're the only one desperate enough to take this offer." He said. Tom looked at the goat that stood next to Aquilla, he knew that thing could easily kill him.

Tom thought about Aquilla's offer, eternal life! everything around would be so insignificant, the life he's losing would only be one of many he will gain. His mind drifted into the endless possibilities of such a life. Then again, he'd have to end lives to gain his own. Eternal life means nothing if such a burden buries you a hundred feet under. "Mhm, how about you go to hell and leave us all alone?" Tom said smugly.

"Didn't I just tell you I was there to grab Scarlett?" Aquilla said
sarcastically.
"Whatever." He lifted the last finger, the goat looked like it was released off a leash. it shook its head rapidly and as it looked Tom in the eyes. It stomped the ground and ran towards Tom with its horns, Tom jumped away for the goat to hit its head on a tree. He fell to the ground, he felt so stiff yet his body has never moved so smooth, his eyes locked onto the goat's horns. He tightened his grip onto the knife, funny how fear can give you an adrenaline kick.
"Kill it," Aquilla said, "Kill it and join me," He demanded.

"No," Tom refused. "It's right there, frozen at the tree! one good slice at the neck and it's done!" He yelled. Aquilla looked at Tom in pure shame. "You're an idiot!" Aquilla swung his arm in the air, allowing the goat to run with one of its horns to Tom's side. Tom groaned in pain with the knife in his hand. He felt one horn impaling his side while the other kept him paralyzed under the mercy of the drooling goat.

Tom tried to push himself away but he was too weak. He tried to kick it off only to realize that right at his foot was a branching tree root.

Choose your elements
Wood

For the first time, he was glad to hear Connor's voice strike into his mind; he stretched his legs out only for him to feel the horn go deep in him. He felt both his legs touch the root as he groaned in pain. He felt his blood drip along his side, breathing was hard enough let alone staying still on a wooden branch. He felt himself grab onto life in a way he thought he never would... Not after what happened, not after what's actively happening.

"Ten," he mouthed the counts.
"Nine." The goat moved in deeper. "Eight." He felt his blood soak deep into the grass.
"Seven." He groaned
"Six." The goat pulled its head back for another strike. Tom rolled away, he escaped her piercing horns. The goat once again was stuck except this time deep into the damp soil.
Tom looked at the goat and saw exactly where it striked. If he hadn't moved, he would have been dead.

Tom held on tight to the knife and stabbed the goat right in its eye. Tom pushed it down to the floor and slit its throat open. Her blood splattered all over his clothes. His face was painted red and so were his hands. He looked at the dark thick liquid oozing from the goat's head and couldn't help but feel pure disgust. The smell alone was enough to turn his stomach inside out, but none of that mattered now.

Tom crawled backwards as he saw Aquilla admire his now dead goat.  Tom laid his back on the floor paralyzed in pure pain, his blood trickled out of his wound with ease.

"You were a good girl," Aquilla said, he gave Tom a look of disgust. Aquilla climbed on top of Tom, he looked deep into his eyes before he grabbed Tom's phone from his pocket. "I would have left you like this if you could survive. Unfortunately, you can't." Aquilla dialed the most recent call, Emma's phone.

He pressed on her name with the same old grin on his face. He put the phone next to his pale ear.

Ringing...
Ringing...
Ringing...

"Hello?" Emma's voice echoed through his ears.

"Hello, Emma." Aquilla said ominously. He turned on the speaker just so Tom could hear Emma's reaction.

"Tom?" She questioned the voice talking to her.

"Guess again." He said in a gravelly voice.

"Who is this? Where's Tom?" She asked in a worried tone.

"I'm exactly who you think I am, and Tom is just lying on the floor, bleeding." He paused. "Call 911 for him will ya?" 

"Wait wha?" " Aquilla hung up the phone and threw it next Tom face. He gazed into his eyes, The eyes of a killer Aquila thought to himself.
"You would have great potential working with me." He wiped some blood off Tom's face.
"Your life is in their hands now." Aquilla walked away from Tom. He ignored his groans with a smile on his face.

Tom felt the warm rays of light hit his face, he felt his eyelids get heavier with every passing second. He felt his body go numb, his side grow colder and colder. Just like that, everything went dark.