Running From Death

Part 15: Betrayal

There is no difference in his black eyes; purely black with the exception of the light reflection. Lazurus' face is unreadable. His chest is heaving from breathing so hard. He is not blinking, no movement except for his breathing. The cold wind blew from my window and moved Lazurus' hair from his forehead. His mouth started gaping and then his eyes closed. Without warning his head snapped up and then his whole body went stiff. My reaction is monotone to all of this; my fear froze my body. With his eyes closed and head back, his stiff body stands up with the front of his body facing me. One lousy step is taken towards me, and another, and another.

  Oh shit.

I scramble backward and fall off my bed. Without a beat, I jump back up to my feet and start running to my door. When I look at Lazurus he is only a few feet in front of me, his eyes now looking directly at me. My foot moves to take a step but Lazurus jumps toward me. His body knocks me off my feet and we both tumble to the floor. We are sprawled out inches from each other. My hands try to pick myself up but another set of hands beat mine to it. I look at his hands that are tightly wrapped around my forearms. Within a blink, his body moves and puts me in a chokehold and I can't run. I kick around but he stands in his place, not moving an inch. His steady breathing is hot on my neck and it gives me shivers down my spine. Lazurus' head bends down to my ear.

"You are not going to like this. Your family is going to regret everything, starting with you." I can't even recognize his voice, it's not Lazurus' voice. How can I get out of this? Maybe my Mom or Dad is going to check on me. They have to. His arm tightens around my neck and I start to have trouble breathing. I wrap my hands around his arm trying to loosen the grip and it fails.

"Please stop! Lazurus, please!"

Then my vision goes dark.

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Lazurus' POV

"My boy", my mother stroked my cheek, "you've done such a wonderful job."

"You never gave me a choice, I never wanted to do that!" I can feel my veins popping out from my yelling.

"By being a part of this family, you have to do as we say. If you don't do it the first time we ask, we simply do it for you. You know this." My mom's voice is soft like usual as if she's trying to calm me down, but shes nothing but a monster in hiding.

"By possessing me?! That's the cruelest thing you've ever done! I know this wasn't your first time either." My voice is low, I know I not going to get anywhere with her, but I can damn well try. I remember everything that I did to Alex.

 I remember seeing her scared brown eyes and her frozen body. I really wanted to stop. Then the choking; I tried all I could to stop but I couldn't. I remember her straining to take my arm from her throat. Her kicking with all her might. Dragging her body out of the window with me and carrying her over the back fence to my house. My mother's pleased look when I held out an unconscious Alex. I remember seeing my mothers hand bleeding, and with that, I knew that she took over my body. My mother forced me downstairs into our basement and she tied Alex to a wooden chair. I wish I hadn't remembered, but I do.

Without warning my mother grabs my hand tightly and brings it close to her. She whips out a small pocket knife and cuts my forearm. Blood oozes out into a beaker she is holding. I try and rip my arm from her grasp but her nails dig into my skin, not letting me escape. Its only been a few seconds and the beaker is full, my mother then puts on the top. I know what she's going to with my blood. She is going to use it in another ritual to possess me.

"That wasn't so hard, was it now sweetie?" A pinch to my cheek comes and we wiggle my stretched cheek to the point where it hurt. I stay silent knowing my smart-ass answer would only get me beaten. She turns to walk into the kitchen and I turn the opposite way, the way to get to Alex.

"Hold on a second, sweetie." I hear a drawer being pulled out and metal hitting metal. I slowly turn to face my mother. By the time I fully face her she is in front of me holding a large cutting knife. She grabs my hand once again, but instead of putting the blade to my skin, she puts the handle in my palm and closes my hand for me. With her hands covering mine, her eyes smile and her grin is sinister.

"Now," She pauses to make her grin larger "let's go pay our guest a visit." With my hands holding the kitchen knife, she pulls me toward the basement door.

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Alex's POV

I hear yelling coming from somewhere. I'm scared to open my eyes. I remember Lazurus strangling me. I fought so hard. Why would he do that? Where am I? I am so uncomfortable. Shifting the whole chair I'm sitting on moves with my body. Holy hell these ropes are tight. Ropes? Maybe I can untie it? With all of my strength I try and move my hands and fingers, but they don't move the slightest. I hear metal clinging above me, then walking, walking directly above me. Opening my eyes, I see that I'm in a gray bricked basement. A red was underneath the chair and me. Fluorescent lights covered the white ceiling and illuminating the whole basement. A door opens, I can tell by the new shade of light displayed on the wall in front of me. One pair of feet start walking down the stairs, black one-inch heels click their way down to my level. About halfway down I see it's the same female face that looked at me so bitterly before, Lazurus' mother. She stops at the bottom of the steps, looking the happiest I've ever seen her. Her black below-the-knee skirt has no wrinkles and flows even with no movement. Those brown eyes look just like Lazurus'. It's almost as she heard me because she smirked and made a hmph noise then looked up the stairs to the open door.

"Nows not the time to drag your feet, dear." Her voice is soft. There is no movement in the seconds that pass. I can see her face getting angrier.

"NOW!" The sudden outburst of her makes me jump. It falls silent and I see a pair of tennis shoes taking slow steps down. Halfway down I see a slouching Lazurus and he takes his sweet time coming down the steps. When he reaches the bottom his mother wraps her arm around his back. His head hanging so I can't see his face. Her arm falls and grabs his on the way down.

"Now, let's not fool around. show her want we came to do." She pulls his arm and he holds a large silver knife that reflects my wide-eyed reaction.