Tempting Fire

Pulse

"You little bitch. I got into shit because of you." I notice he has a limp when he walks. People knew what he tried to do?

"It's all your fault. I will do it right this time"

He watches me, waiting for a reaction but then starts walking straight for me. He's only inches away from my face and I realise now is the time to do something but my body is frozen in place. He smiles as he takes the lamp from my hand and throws it across the room and it shatters to tiny pieces next to my bed.

I manage to speak but he still isn't happy. "I'm sorry." I really mean it, I should never have stayed outside with him and none of this would have happened. He wipes away my tears with his finger and it makes me feel sick.

"Do you know what I'm going to do with you?" I shake my head again.

"Take a guess, go on." I sob at his words as I know exactly what he wants to do.

"And once I'm done you're going to realise how much you enjoyed it, and then." He makes a motion to his neck. I Can't stop the tears as I realise there is no one here to save me this time and I instantly think of Cain.

My body trembles as he reaches for my arm and yanks me towards him. My mind was screaming to fight but my body wouldn't move. It was like I was paralysed.

I can almost taste his aftershave and I struggle to stop myself from being sick. I can tell from his smile that he's enjoying my reactions.

"Don't fight it, I know your mum is due home at eight or do fight it, I love a challenge and no one is here to save you this time" I can tell he is threatening me and it turns my stomach. Would he do this to my mum?

The scream starts off in my head, radiates through my body and makes its way out as I scream, he steps back away from me alarmed. It hurts but I don't stop, I grab him pushing his head against the wall and everything stops. There's no sound in my room or in my head. Silence.

I'm too afraid to move or look behind me, I don't know if I'm scared in case he's coming for me or If that he's not.

The stillness answers it for me. I look round and he is lying in a heap against my wall. Unmoving. My legs move me closer to him and I stare, looking for him to show signs of life, but there isn't. I nudge his arm with my foot but nothing. I do what I have seen my mum do in the past. I check his pulse on his neck and I can't feel anything. His chest isn't rising and falling.

I can't breathe, like there's no air in my room and I'm suffocating. I run from my room and I manage to run down the stairs without falling and I escape out my back door sucking in the air. Chase stands across from me with his head cocked to the side as I crash to the ground as my bare knees bang against the concrete, I don't feel the pain as I try to fill my lungs with air. Chase approaches and sits next to me. I don't reach out to him like I want, instead I stand up and stare up to my bedroom window.

I just killed someone.

I start to pace up and down my garden wondering what the hell I am going to do.

The police, I need to phone them. I run to the kitchen and grab my phone. I can hear it vibrating and see Cain is calling but I reject and dial the number I need but a knock interrupts the silence. I look down at my phone and up to my door.

Maybe it's the police, someone heard something? They can say they heard me screaming and it was defence.

I swing the door open and see a grinning Cain but it dissipates as he sees me.

I can't imagine what I look like but I look down, I'm trembling and my knees are bloody, my top ripped down the middle and a swollen tearful face. I don't speak but I go to slam the door, afraid.

"Madison, what's happened?" his eyes are wide, waiting.

"I, um. Oh god" I can't say it, instead I point upstairs and cover my mouth to stop the loud sobs that want to take over.

He puts a hand on my shoulder, then leaves in the direction I pointed him. I hear his steps go upstairs and along the corridor. He will be at my bedroom now and I nearly collapse on the ground but a hand grabs me from behind. Covering my mouth, he holds a knife to my neck and I suddenly wish that I really did kill him.

He whispers in my ear. "Two for the price of one." He backs us towards the living room and I can see Cain coming around the corner, I manage to scream his name but Rhys holds the knife harder against my neck.

"Just let her go. It's me you want" Cain says from the door way. What does he mean?

I realise the hand that's covering my mouth is small, feminine.

"Why would I just kill you, when I can have both of you?" it's a feminine voice, I hadn't realised. I could hear the excitement.

"Let her go and I won't kill you" I feel her hold on me slacken and she laughs and it makes me want to gauge her eyes out.

"We knew you would come find her, shame Rhys didn't follow through the first night and not thought with his." She laughed again not finishing what I know she meant. I was too shocked to realise what I did. I had stomped on her foot and swung my head back and connected with hers. She flinched back slightly but she just looked annoyed. She still had a hold of me but I saw Cain reach behind his back and two black knives soared through the air and connected with their target. Her chest. Inches away from mine.

I slipped to the floor, she no longer held me up.

I shuffled backwards as Cain tries to approach me like I am a wild animal. "NO. Stay back" I tried to shout but it hurt. I sounded more like a wounded cat.

"I'm so sorry Madison" he reaches towards me and puts his hand on my forehead. I slouch as everything goes black.