To Kiss A Corpse Goodbye

26 - 𝐋𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐋

The creature had no more mouth to speak with. It could only growl or scream. It was no longer a ghost. It was a demon, wearing the skin of someone who had once been so vibrantly alive. That evil, twisted version of a cherished memory lurched forward, with its putrid lips puckered. Adelaide hesitated, for a moment, debating that she may accept its evil kiss for the sake of sharing a final moment with Jisako before she died.

She pulled back to her senses, and struck at it, refusing to give her soul over. The creature stared her down, its eyes narrowing at her act. Adelaide staggered back from it. It turned its attention to Rainmaker. It brought a hand to his face and growled. A nasty growl. A growl which spoke of hatred and accusation, pulling the sound of beasts which must have alike feasted on parts of it left behind. But it growled with a special hatred at the both of them.

Rainmaker withered away from it. Shame on his face. The creature leaned forward, until he could not wither any further. Adelaide stared and didn't move to defend him, same as he had not moved to defend her when Jisako had been strangling her. Discarded bits of flesh squelched under the creature's feet every time it stepped forward.

Finally, it pulled away from Rainmaker. Adelaide stared at it, her eyes burning. She wanted to remember what it had been for its sweet grace. But there was neither sweetness, nor grace in the creature any longer. It brought a hand onto the boy's shoulder, before breaking it. He screamed, and in his panic, he could not stop screaming Adelaide's name.

Other demons came rushing in. They charged– claws and punches and lunges and teeth tore through. Jisako, the demon, smiled at the both of them.

They were mauled, and when they attempted to escape only pulled back in again. Adelaide lost an eye, somewhere in the fight, and soon went most of her nails, as she lost them trying to claw at things. Pieces of skin flew off. She forced the cross into the face of her former bride, and its screams seemed to catch the attention of all the demons. The both of them scuttled away, like struck mice.

Adelaide gripped Rainmaker's hand, tight as could be, and ran with him. She pulled him along with her bleeding hands and they ran out into the street. But the streets too were filled with demons. And the sun had fallen– so now the moon made itself appear, and it was faint in the dark sky. They were well and truly exposed, whether they liked it or not. And they could not see their enemy, which would however see them if they weren't careful.

They moved slowly. Creeping inch to inch and foot to foot. Until they had gone at least far enough to not be right at the gate of the demon's hotel. The pair of them staggered. Their bodies were broken now and there were no other people here to save the day or even help in the slightest.

The pair of them dragged themselves back to that radiostore. The radiostore was wrecked. Things tossed all around, and not a single thing around in the store was left intact. The last vestige of untainted humanity was still ruined now, both by a demon and itself. She stared at the destruction before giving up on it. She sat down, with a long, heavy sigh, and lost herself to thinking of conflicting things.

Jisako, the sweetest of them all in most ways, had pulled her to safety. Covered her wound. Perhaps in a rather grotesque way, but still, covered it. Why be so kind as to offer grace from the land of the dead, only to deny herself, and become a demon? Adelaide stared, her eyes unable to turn away or blink at the sight of this Jisako, who was nothing like the wife Adelaide had so well known. Adelaide's neck burned again. The new cross and the old chain both burned against her neck– blindingly hot.

The scent of burning meat filled her nostrils. A dulled smell for her. Her nose had been damaged, and nothing smelled right. Her neck had been burned so many times now that it didn't hurt anymore. The nerves fried. She looked at Rainmaker. "Disaster," she mumbled. "What should we do?" she asked. Though it was an empty question. She doubted he had an answer.