Fearing the Dark

Parents?

Through the low lighting I try to glimpse who is coming down the stairs to the cold room. I clutch onto Dean's sleeve as I see the socks of someone on the visible landing of the stairs. The feet make their way down the stairs and soon I am able to make out a feminine figure.

Her height is quite high, but compared to my mother she is a bit on the heavier side. Although, my mom thinks that everyone is on the heavy side compared to her.

"Ohh, children! No need to be scared of me." Her high pitched voice has me scrunching my face up in disgust. I am barley able to make out the women's figure due to this poor lighting. Her hair appears long and along with her eyes is probably a dark color.

She opens her arms wide almost as if asking for us to give her a hug. Despite being unable to make out much of her features I am able to see the brightly lit smile that covers her face. I hide my face in fear in Dean's shoulder. Dean hugs me tighter as he tries to comfort me.

"Come on children. Mommy is here!" she moves closer to us and before either one of us can say anything she wraps us in her arms.

Disgust instantly takes over and I try to push her off us as I let go of Dean. I push on her chest, but she only tightens her grip on both of us.

"You're not my MOM!" I yell next to her ear.

She instantly stiffens and I stay in her hold confused at her stillness.

"DON'T SAY THAT!" she screeches back into my ear and then pushes us both away from her. I stumble back and land near the stool that holds one of the few candles present. My arm hits the legs causing the stool and candle to tumble down towards me. I cover my face with my arms as I feel the nearing heat. However, the heat never hits me, but I can hear a familiar voice cry out in pain.

I open my eyes in shock as I see Dean next to my cradling his hand. The candle flame now extinguished has my eyes struggling to adjust to the darkening room.

"Dean?" worry coats my voice as I try to reach out to him. My outstretched hand is caught by another grip instead and I am yanked off the floor.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" the women yells at me as she drags me to another candle. I instantly try to dig my heels to the ground, but it has no effect on the women's strength.

"You're not my mom. My mom isn't as ugly as YOU!" she gasps at my words and instantly turns to me. With one hand she grabs my hair and brings me close to her face.

"How dare you. Down here you are NOTHING! I decide your worth and right now you are just TRASH!" her angry words have me flinching away from her as her spittle hits me in the face.

"I am not trash! I am a human being and I have my rights. Once I'm found you can just ROT IN JAIL!" I don't let her abusive words affect me because I know who I am and nothing she says will change that.

She drops my hair and turns around continuing her grip on my wrist. Once she is no longer facing me she lets out a blood freezing scream as she continues to bring me closer to the flame.

I still tug on her grip but I try to block her scream with my free hand. Once at the flame she throws me forward and I tumble next to the stool holding the other candle.

"Let's see you keep that spirit after you become a disfigured monster. Then you will see I am everything to you!"

I turn my body to face her, but I instantly regret it as she grabs the candle stick and shoves the flame towards me like a sword. I scream as the flame burns through my clothes and touches my left shoulder. I try to pry the flame away from me but she holds me down and presses the flame harder onto my shoulder.

Tears and screams leave my mouth as my the pain on my shoulder consumes my every thought. "NO! Please stop! I'm sorry!"

"Hahaha! Not so tough are you now."

"Rose, what the hell are you doing?"

The witch drops the candle which no longer holds a flame as it had been snuffed with my skin. The wound burns as the candle had just been used to probe at my burn. Once she had dropped the candle my body had also dropped from its defensive pose. I lay there panting through the pain as tears stream down my face.

My eyes move to the other figure which had joined us. It looks like a man and he stands at the foot of the stairs starring towards us.

"Honey your home!" the hag stands up and moves over to the other figure.

"What were you doing?" his voice sounds shocked at what he is witnessing and for a moment my hope rises that he will let us go.

"I wanted to say hello to the kids, but then this brat started to insult me and, and..."

"I understand honey, but they're kids. You can't overdue it or you'll end up killing our first kids." My hope vanishes just as quickly as it appears as he hugs the women.

I don't hear there whispered words, but I feel a hand touch my face. I flinch away from the touch until I see its Dean. He looks down at me with a sad face as his own tears mingle with mine.

"I'm sorry Aria. I'm so sorry I wasn't able to keep you safe."

Before I can even form a response the hag and devil make their way over to us.

"Be good now kids. We don't want another accident happening again, now do we?" the devil's words send a chill down my spine as his words are colder than the floor I lay on.

"I won't let you go again trash." The hag kicks me in the ribs and then spits on my still form as pain radiates throughout my nerves. The headache from before returns as the hag and devil make their way out of the room.

Dean stays next to me as my vision goes in and out. My ears allow me to hear the sound of the door open once more as something clatters down the stairs. Dean leaves my side and once he comes back he holds a yellowed white box with a faded red cross on it. I am unable to make out his next words as my consciousness slips away.