Death's Daughter

Prologue

March 15

 “STOP!”

The woman’s voice echoed in the empty alleys as a hooded man ran away. He clutched the woman’s purse as he escaped the streetlights and sought refuge in the dark. Panting, the man opened the bag and took out the money within. Grinning from ear to ear, the man threw the purse into a nearby sewer and walked further into the alley. The night was cold and there were no stars visible. Dark clouds covered the moon, giving it a shadowy image. The man shivered as he reached a dead end. The harsh wind blew in the alley. Dark clouds continued to cover the moon until it was barely visible. The man opened his phone, trying to light up the dark. The phone buzzed but the light died out. He swore under his breath and tried to walk away from the dead end. When he turned around, a tiny winged beast landed on a nearby trash can. The man shook his head. How could he be so scared of a little creature? The beast softly shrieked and flew away into the dark. The man tilted his head in confusion. What was that?

When the man resurfaced into the light, his face contorted in horror. The woman who he had stolen from before lay on the lifelessly on the ground. Blood poured out of the massive gash in her torso, her ribcage almost visible in the weak light. Her eyes were rolled back in their sockets. On her palm, words were scrawled in crimson paint. As the man got closer, a sickening realisation hit him. The message wasn’t written in paint but rather the woman’s own blood.

The words read:

You are next…

Inhaling a sharp breath, the man stumbled away from the corpse and retreated into the shadows. Fear clouded his mind as the man found himself continuously running into objects that were hidden in the dark. The same three words repeated over and over again in his mind.

You are next…

Slipping on an oily puddle, the man hit his head on the rough cobblestone of the alley he had staggered into. Heaving himself onto a rusty bench nearby, something caught the man’s eye. Perched onto a nearby pole, the same small bird watched him with beady eyes. Terror seized him as he watched the pole that the creature was perched on flickered. He closed his eyes and held his hands in front of his face, preparing himself for pain.

Nothing happened.

The pole, which was an old streetlight, simply flickered to life, its dim light doing nothing to pierce the darkness. The man, realising this, laughed nervously and tried to stand up. But he couldn’t.

You are next…

The atmosphere suddenly turned frigid as the streetlamp flickered off, the light bulb cracking in the sudden frost. The man’s breathing became ragged as he sat in the dark. Nothing was visible, not even a single speck of light. He began to panic as he felt an eerie presence beside him. He reached for his pocket knife and placed it in front of him in a defensive stance.

“W-Who’s t-there?”

Nobody answered. Gritting his teeth, he began moving his knife towards the presence.

“Fine, then. I-I’ll get you!”

Grrr….

The man froze.

Grr…

The man began to hyperventilate and dropped his knife somewhere in the dark.

Grrr…

Something was here. Very near.

Grrr….

The man pulled his coat tighter around him. The air continued to get colder and colder as the weird presence continued to get closer to him. Goosebumps covered his skin as he felt something graze his arm very softly.

“W-Who’s t-“

The man couldn’t speak any longer as his mouth burned. Something sharp had cut his face, creating long scratch marks that burned as it bled.

You are next…

The man scrunched his eyes closed.

Please, have mercy!

You are next…

Suddenly, the presence faded. The man opened his eyes. Nothing but the same darkness. The streetlamp flickered to life again. He touched his face. Damp blood continued to stain his arms and face.

”Blood, huh?”

“Yes, your blood.”

The man turned to see his pocket knife dig into the soft flesh of his torso. He coughed up blood and became blinded as claws dragged across his eyes. The knife moved, cutting from his intestines to the bottom of his neck. Flesh and blood splattered everywhere. At last, the knife was removed. The man could barely do anything before the knife pierced him once more. In his forehead.

You are next…