Disappear: Into Shadow

- CHAPTER SIXTY -

Little Pammy Kensington had woken up cold. Even wrapped in her most comfy, warmest pyjamas and blankets, she was freezing. Her nose was raw. Trying to warm it, she rubbed hard. Sitting up on the bed, shivering, she clutched the blankets to her chin. The half closed curtains of her bedroom billowed from a breeze drifting through the open window. No wonder! She thought.

Her breath misted in the moonlight's glow that spilled into her room. She wanted to close the window, but leaving the relative warmth of her bed was not an easy decision. Eventually, Pammy threw off the covers and swung her legs over the side of her bed. Her feet dangling above the floor, she shivered and looked down at the hardwood. The five year old thought how cold the floor was going to be on her bare feet when she heard a low hissing.

It was coming from under her bed.

A strong, flickering light, like a fireplace, appeared under the box spring. The light shining on her feet was bright, but Pammy found it colder than the breeze coming through her window. She squealed, pulling her legs up onto the bed. Throwing the covers over her head, she bit her hand to stop from screaming. Shaking under the blankets she listened carefully for another hiss.

She heard her heart beating. It was pounding so loud, but there was no more hissing. Summoning all of her courage, Pammy peeked her head out from under the covers. She saw the light was still flickering on the floor. Pammy's eyes were riveted to it. When she heard the cold hiss again she didn't retreat under the blankets. She looked into the window. Seeing a reflection, she froze, unable to move. In the reflection were twin rubies of hot coals, burning above the flickering teeth of a flaming grin. Pam watched the reflection's eyes lock onto hers. Even for a child, there was no mistaking the face of a monster.

The third hiss slipped out between the flames of the monster's mouth and it said, "Does Pammy want to play a game with ussssss?"

She wanted to scream for her parents, but she could only tremble on her bed. She heard another hiss. It came from her closet.

What she couldn't see were the second set of eyes appearing out of the shadowy depths of the closet. Fixed, they watched her sitting in the middle of her bed, clutching blankets tight to her chest. With a silent, easy stride, a tall, thin shadow sidled out of the closet. Standing in the middle of the bedroom, the shadow waited for any sign of movement. It could taste the fear, cold and dank pouring off the child.

The child felt the presence of the dark body standing behind her. She didn't want to turn and look. She could barely scream. Now she needed to cry for help. Summoning every fibre of strength, Pammy fought to raise the alarm. Instead of screaming out, 'MONSTER!' the babe's lips shook. Long thick tears spilled down the sides of little Pammy's beatific face. The voice she managed to force into her throat was hoarse with fear. It was little more than a panicked whisper.

"Mommy?"

The child's thin forced cry for help was answered by another long hiss. It was the dull exhalation of a predator announcing one harsh fact: Daemons had returned to the world.