The Taking of Eleanor Ainsworth

Chapter 15

It became an addiction, a deadly obsession that controlled every inch of his body and soul. A demon, pulling at his strings and whispering sweet words of temptation into his ear.

He couldn't live without it, the buzz, the temporary high he feels when stainless steel pierces skin and the calmness that overcomes him, when blood stains and reddens his fingers. It was his drug, like heroin only better, he needed it and felt as though he would go insane without it.

The demon would tug at his strings, urging him on

"Another one," it would whisper, "Go on, jussst one more."

And so he would go searching for his next fix, his body fatiguing and aching as the previous high fades, his mouth drying up as his head pounds furiously, thumping along to the beat of his erratic heart. But then all the aches of the day become a distant memory as his eyes lock onto his fix.

They smile at him or briefly glance his way, and its as if the whole world has come to a standstill, and so the cycle starts again,

steel piercing flesh,

blood staining hands

He shows no mercy, as they scream, they say love the addict not the addiction, but how can you not love the addiction when it feels so good. It became his everything, his life, he done almost anything to get it.

But whenever he tried to stop, the demon would pipe in again, whispering "Another one, go on jussst one more." In the background, like a broken record, repeating the same words until he would crack and start the cycle all over again.

Now as he sat at the head of the table, staring down at his girls, he feared the cycle would start again.

"S.shall we p.propose a toast?" He stuttered, pulling at the collar of his shirt, the sweat sticking to the material. He was starting to get hot and had to dab a napkin across his forehead to free it of sweat.

"To the new addition to our little family... Cassidy." He beamed standing up and lifting his glass, the other girls all stood and murmured 'To Cassidy', but Theo was too transfixed on the girl opposite him to notice. He stared at the bound Cassidy through the glass and wandered if her blood looked as pretty and silver as her hair.

-----

Nighttime came and Theo tossed and turned in bed, the pesky demon chanting

"Another one, go one jussst one more." In his left ear, whilst his dad whispered encouragement in the other. He sat up and cocked his head to the side staring out the misty window, the moon was bright in the sky illuminating his room in a white glow. His mouth was dry and no amount of swallowing saliva relieved that, he threw the covers off of himself and swung his legs over the bed, slipping them into his burgundy slippers and getting up.

He opened the door and stepped into the cold hallway, his eyes adjusting to the dark. He had to feel along the wall for support until he eventually reached the kitchen.

The cold liquid soothed his aching throat and relieved his dry mouth, it felt good until the coldness of the water gave him a brain freeze. He slammed the glass down and steadied his breathing, his eyes locked on the stand of knives on the countertop