She lay trembling on the cold stone floor of her dark cell. Mold and sewage, thick in the air but, the stench had long ceased to bring her discomfort. Her body was riddled with open sores in tender places, where the pain would be escalated. Chosen specifically to create as much pain as possible, so that the demon can feed.
“How long has it been” she thought, unable to remember.
It has been far longer than she should be alive, of that, she was sure. Somehow, he is keeping her alive, so he can feed on her pain. Over the years, the memories of her past, became nothing more than flashes of images. Now, they have all but completely disappeared. For as long as she can remember, her mind has been filled only with tortures, pain, and him. That is, until today. Something had changed. For somewhere, deep in her thoughts, something else has appeared, that had not been there before. Mixed in with her thoughts were the thoughts of another, his thoughts. Whether they were passed on intentionally or unintentionally she did not know but, they were there. Small glimpses into a demon’s fears.
“A demon with fears” she pondered. “After all this time, he has revealed a weakness; fire.”
But something else had changed as well. These thoughts, came with feelings attached, as if they were her own. What does this mean for her? Can it be used somehow to gain her freedom? Will it matter? Can anything matter after so many years?
“He will return soon” she thought, “he must feed.”
He was feeding more and more these days. It was as if he was fighting to stay alive himself yet, he keeps her alive so easily. Her eyes close but, no rest will come. Sleep is not what it once was. Years ago, she would sleep to recover her strength and rest her mind but, now it has become only a time to listen to the thoughts echoing in her head. Waking dreams; vivid conversations of words never spoken.
“What was that?” she thought.
Opening her eyes, she peered into the darkness. It was the softest of sounds that reached her ears, the sound of tiny paws on the stone floor. Years in the darkness had caused her hearing to adapt; to evolve.
“How long has it been since I have tasted food” she thought.
He has kept her alive without food all these years but, now she yearned for something other than pain. It’s not that she was hungry, because she wasn’t. It was the idea of tasting flesh again that made her breath grow shallow. The tiny paws came closer, pausing every few moments to sniff the air. Closer it came, until she was able to make out the tiny black figure on the stone floor next to her. She hesitated only for a second then, snatched it up off the floor.
“Got it” she thought, as the creature in her hand squealed with fright and drove its teeth into her finger.
It was going to take more than tiny teeth to equal the pain she was used to receiving. She squeezed the little body; thinking to crush it before she ate it. Suddenly, she stopped. She was unsure why she paused. It was meat, that is all. Yet, something stopped her. A whisper, from somewhere deep inside her. A cry for mercy; for freedom. An idea came into her mind but, the idea quickly became a plan.
“Can you hear me?” she thought, and the creature in her hand stopped struggling.
Could it be? Did this little creature understand her thoughts? What has this demon done to her? Is it possible that she is not even human anymore?
“You can hear me” she thought, and the creature let out a small squeal.
Closing her eyes in disbelief, she placed her other hand over the creature. Unsure that this would work, something told her she had to try.
“Listen to me” she thought, “I will set you free and in return, you will take a message to the village.”
She removed her hand from over the little creature and it did not try to escape.
“I will give you images and you will pass those images on to the pets in the village” she thought.
But what images should she give the little creature? Reaching deep into herself; she searched through the years for the worst memories she was able to find. Memories of her greatest pain and horror at the hands of the demon. These were the memories she gave the creature, with instructions to pass the memories on to the village pets by touch. The pets will do the rest by passing the memories on to their owners when they touch them.
“Pass on the message little one” she thought, “there is a demon in the old castle ruins. An evil demon who will one day come for your children. The demon must burn, before it is too late.”
Lowering her hand to the floor, she opened it up, allowing the creature to scurry away.
“Now I wait” she thought, as she pressed her ear against the cold stone wall to listen.
Tiny paws echoed inside the wall; from a small opening that led to freedom and the village. How long would it take the creature to reach the village? How many more times will the demon have to feed before the villagers received her message, and when it does reach them, will they cower in fear, or will they choose to fight? She laughed once more; this time out loud, startling herself. It had been years since she laughed out loud, and it felt strange; wrong somehow. Yet, it left a tingling sensation in her mind.
“What is this feeling?” she thought.
The name evaded her but, she liked it. The metal gate leading to her cold desolate cell creaked in the darkness.
“No, no, no” she whispered but, she knew he was coming; he needed to feed.
The only way he can feed is if she suffers and bleeds. Her anguish and pain were his source of life. She screamed into the darkness as the demon reached her and drove his nails into the tender flesh on top of her feet. No words were spoken; there were never any words, only his desperate need to feed. Unexpectedly, from the farthest corner of her mind came a sound. No, it was a thought, his thought. His thoughts echoed in her head, speaking to himself about his need to feed, his hunger.
“I can hear you” she thought, and the demon stopped his feeding as if startled.
Why did he stop? Is it possible? Another thought entered her mind but, this time, it was her own.
“I chose to share my pain with you” she thought, as she reached out and for the first time ever, laid her hand on him.
Never, had she been brave enough to do it and she was not sure what would happen when she did. Of course, she did not have to wait long to find out. Searing pain shot through her brain. A loud screeching scream echoed in her ears, as the metal gate on her cell slammed shut. Slowly, the world around her disappeared into darkness and silence, real silence. For a moment, even the thoughts ceased but, not for long. Her mind began to fill up with images and memories that were not her own. Many of the memories were of her but, she was not the one doing the remembering. Where did these memories come from? A broken mirror hung on a wall in a corridor, and she looked into it as she passed.
“No” she screamed, as she saw the demon in the mirror looking back.
How could this be? Why is she having this horrible dream? Perhaps touching the demon has finally destroyed anything left of herself. Perhaps, she is now becoming a demon herself. The thought was almost too much to bear. Many memories flashed through her mind, hundreds of years’ worth. Each memory, filled with horrible, unspeakable acts and an unquenchable thirst for more.
“How hard it must be for him” she thought, “every waking moment is a torment filled with a need that cannot be satisfied.”
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