Eldritch

Chapter 18

Lisa continues to tremble as she sits down on Sophie's bed, who wraps an arm around her. 'It was like she had changed. Like it was a different person living inside her. Like she was evil. I could feel it off her.'

'Feel what?' Martin urges.

'A desire to kill somebody,' she quivers.  'I just got so scared.'

Martin nods and takes a seat at the other side of her. 'I think it was that thing,' she continues. 'I think it's using her as a host, just like Sean saw in his dream.'

Sean swallows, bows his head, and heads to the bathroom. As he pulls up the zipper of his jeans, he raises an eyebrow and takes to the stairs. He makes his way out into the chilly, dark night.

He can see the vague outline of Daniel's trunk, open. His bag and its contents sprawled on the cement. He narrows his eyes, and slowly follows the trail of his articles of clothing, which lead him around the corner of the house, where Ella stands, digging her fingernails to the skin on Daniel's neck, straining his vocal chords with her heavy grip.

'Hello Sean,' she smiles.

'Daniel,' he gasps, reaching out for his friend, his eyes wide with terror.

'Sean, run,' he forces out.

'Ella,' Sean cries. 'Let him go.'

Ella, or what looks like Ella, grits her teeth. 'My name is not Ella. I'm the Gamemaster.'

'Look,' he quivers. 'Please let him go, he can't breathe.'

Her grasp on his neck tightens for a second before she throws him to the cement. She stalks toward Sean, who freezes. Clutching his blotchy neck and spluttering as he rises to his feet, Daniel lunges for her. Before he can reach her, her reflexes sense his body launching at her. She spins on her heel and grabs hold of his arm, wrenches it behind his back and throws him once more to the cold ground.

'Sean, run,' he crokes. 'Now.'

He kicks Ella in the hind of her leg with all the force he can muster. She barely winces; she doesn't even bat an eyelid of a response. She looks between the two boys. 'Alright, Daniel, I've been going easy on you, but if you really want to fight, let me prepare myself and show you what I'm truly capable of.'

There's a devilish glint in her eye as she faces him again. But, it soon vanishes as she begins to splutter, gag, choke. Daniel remains put on the ground as the familiar occurrence of one dream a couple of weeks previous begins to take place in front of him. But, this time, it's more palpable, more believable. It's actually happening. And it's more horrific than he could've possibly conceptualised.

She sinks to her knees, as the tail slams against the concrete. The limbs and the sharp claws begin to force themselves from her mouth. He can hear her gargling, see the monster inside her crawling under the surface of her skin, bulging underneath, slithering along up her neck. The unnatural sounds make him want to spew.

The figure standing tall next to Ella's corpse and towering over him make him want to scream. But his voice is both hoarse and croaky, and is trapped somewhere in his body. He can't find the ability to speak. He crawls backwards as the figure stomps closer and closer to him. Sean runs to aid his friend, who holds his hand up. 'No,' Daniel orders. 'Run.'

The monster reaches down and makes a sudden swipe towards Daniel. Its claws give him four scratches, each beside his other, on his cheek. It continues to slash his skin, giving him a nasty cut on his lip and above his eye. Then the monster turns back to its target: Sean. It stalks toward him, who's bent down, cradling his girlfriend's lifeless body in his arms, weeping. 'Ella,' he cries. 'Ella, please wake up.'