Sallos (A Demon Romance)

Chapter 3

"Lil!" my dad shouted from downstairs.

I turned my head away from the monster as I heard my dad's voice carry up the stairs. I half expected the thing to be gone but as I turned back around, it was still there.

It was simply staring at me with the blur still covering up its face. I took a step backwards, hearing a deep growl. The thing didn't want me to leave.

I went to turn and exit out of my room but the sound of slamming made me whip back around. The thing had dug it's claws into my wall, making five distinct scratches. It's body was leaned forward with his claws digging deeper into the wall. It looked like it was going to pounce on me.

It was the first time that the thing had interacted with my outside world. I was shocked to see my wall actually crumble where it's claws landed.

I reminded myself that it was all in my head before swiftly turning and running out of my room. I hurriedly made my way down the stairs and towards the kitchen.

In the kitchen was my dad standing in front of our white stove as he buttoned up his work shirt. I looked out the window to see the sun setting in the distance.

"You're working the night shift again?" I asked.

"Uh, yeah. I get overtime tonight so it'll be worth it" he finished up his last buttons before turning to face me.

"I'm leaving some money for take out if you get hungry" he gestured towards the crumbled up $20 that sat on the island.

I simply nodded, not knowing what to say. I knew he struggled to pay the bills ever since mom died and the therapy sessions certainly weren't helping.

"Hey...before I go, I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry" he voice was gruff but quiet.

"For what?" I asked, confused.

"I shouldn't snap at you like I did earlier and I know i'm acting frustrated all the time....it's not fair to you" he confessed, his eyes saddening.

"It's been hard on us both" I admitted.

He nodded. He sighed, picking up his car keys and opening up the side door.

"I'll be back around 7am" he said as he closed the door behind him.

The house was eerily silent as he left. I slowly made my way up the stairs and towards my bedroom, the door was still cracked open.

I hesitated before shoving the door open to reveal an empty room. I looked to see that the claw marks remained on my wall. I was surprised to see them still there but I knew it was all in my head.

I took in a deep breath as I felt a huge relief. I didn't know what I would do if I saw the creature without my dad around. I wasn't sure I would be able to resist falling for the illusion.

I went back downstairs, plopping down on our loveseat couch, feeling good. I could maybe get some sleep now. So, when my dad gets home I can stay up and he won't have to come to my screams.

I turned on the TV with the volume pretty high up. I noticed that the nightmares weren't as severe or prominent if the TV was playing in the background as I slept.

I slumped back into my couch watching the news anchors talk about the weather forecast for the week. Their constant monotone voices made my eyes feel heavy. I slowly felt myself succumbing into darkness but this time I didn't feel as scared.

BAM!

A loud banging jolted me awake from a peaceful sleep. I looked to the TV noticing that it was now shut off and the house was silent.