Bobby was kind enough to give me his blue jacket and boots to change into after helping me wash off the blood from my hands. They were so warm, which helped to ease my freezing fingers while warming my body. Though, he instructed me to wrap the jacket around my waist, said that it could help protect me more effectively than wearing them altogether.
“Ready to go back home?” He asked, staring at me as I stared back. Then, his voice took on a softer tone. “It is cold out here. We will freeze our asses off if we do not get going soon.”
He has a point.
But the uncomfortable dread thought of seeing Lilith again in the village was too much for me to bear right now. All of these feelings still linger in my heart. The fact that she is waiting for me, makes me want to run away somewhere else where I cannot see her or think about her anymore. But there are no such places.
I only nodded in silent, not knowing what to say. Seeing my quiet posture, Alice chimed in the conversation, “how about we hold hands and walk together?” She suggested, trying to lighten the mood. In response, I just replied a simple ‘yes’ with an awkward smile on my face. With these friends surrounding me, the idea of being alone again terrifies me.
Alice smiled but her eyes showed worry. Bobby unexpectedly grabbed my hand to offer support as they all did. I was thankful for their gesture and grateful that I have people who genuinely care about me. Even so, I am uncertain whether any of them would truly understand how I feel inside. It is a strange feeling having this overwhelming desire to be near someone without even knowing why.
She grabbed my other hand tightly, forcing herself to make eye contact with me. As usual, she had the cute blue eyes like her brother. A hint of a sad expression remained upon her face, knowing that I suffered from something they desperately wanted to know. Now, it appeared more than ever before, she wanted to comfort me. To show sympathy and compassion.
“Come on, lets go guys,” Bobby spoke with a soft tone, looking ahead at the direction of the village. His voice was low and soothing as he tried to reassure us by saying something along the likes of ‘that everything would turn out okay.’ And indeed, I felt better knowing that his presence was here with me.
I remained on the ground, exhaling deeply and stared up into the sky, the air around me was crisp and dry, snowflakes danced in the air above my head. My breath came out white and puffy, leaving little traces of vapor behind as I inhaled.
I can do this, I have to muster my courage and strength for what lies ahead. This is all part of a plan. If I could not stand up now, then when? No matter how many times I fell, I still stood backup. Even if I tried to move, my shaking legs refused to cooperate.
Why…why doesn’t my body obey me anymore? I know why, it got to be Lilith. No matter how much I want to forget, I cannot stop thinking about mommy! Her smell, the way she moved or held me while comforting me. The softness of her touch. Those are the things that made life bearable during those harsh days. They were there whenever I needed them most.
Now, they are gone. Replaced by a monstrous and demonic woman who I had once considered to be my loving mother. So why God did she do all of those unpleasant things to me? How can anyone be so cruel and heartless to someone that should be cherished and loved like a family member?
“Adam?..”
The siblings noticed my sudden change of expression, grasping my hands tighter from seeing my sobbing. I tried to force myself to calm down but failed miserably as the tears continued to flow down my cheeks. “Mommy…mommy…” Tears streamed down my face as I repeated it over and over again in between sobs.
Hearing her name made Bobby let go of my hand before placing his two hands between my head, causing Alice and me to be surprised at his actions. It was then that I realized he was not mad or annoyed but concerned. His voice sounded upset and shocked when asking me, “She did this to you, your mother?”
My lips quivered in fear, the throaty sound coming out as a whisper. And I nodded my head yes. As soon as I said it, the siblings looked at each other with deep concern on their faces. Then, Bobby sighed before locking our eyes at each other, his face spawned with determined and serious expression. He asked me another question while keeping eye contact.
“I understand, that is why…” he paused slightly, staring down at the ground in contemplation before lifting up his gaze to look into mine again… “…you need to remove yourself from her influence.”
His words pierced right through my heart. It felt like an arrow had just been shot directly in there and stabbed it. But I knew what he meant. He was not trying to be mean or condescending as much as he wanted me to be free from Lilith’s control. In truth, I wanted to agree with him but she will always be part of me because of how many years we have spent together.
She was the person that had given me hope from all the suffering I endured until she destroyed it, making me feel alone and lost once more. The only thing that could make things worse than losing her would be if I did not see her ever again…or even die without seeing her. That is why, although his advice was good and true, he could not possibly know the full extent of my pain.
“Okay, okay. I will,” I lied to ease the tension between us. He smiled warmly at me, then he patted my shoulder gently and nodded in response, placing his hand onto mine once more.
Truthfully, I do not even know if I can break away from her influence completely. After all, she is my mother. No matter what happens after this moment, I cannot escape from that fact. Yet still, I want to try…because maybe, just maybe, one day that I am able to break free of her will, giving me freedom from her clutches for good.
With new-found determination, I force my legs to move forward despite feeling they were made of stone and unable to walk at all. Alice and Bobby walked along with me, holding either of my hands to keep me steady. They were comforting me on my endeavor of freeing myself from the chains that bound me forever in her thrall.
“You do not need to worry about anything, Adam,” said Bobby. “We will help you.” Alice looked up into my eyes, smiling softly at me, “you can do it buddy! I believe in you!”
I felt a little better knowing these two believed in me, but deep down inside, I knew I was going to fail because I am sore lore. But it is worth a try to fight the urge as long as possible before succumbing to the darkness.
Feeling the confidence growing inside of me, I walked faster much to their surprise and glee. Soon enough, we were walking at a normal pace again, enjoying the beautiful scenery around us in silence. It took us a couple of minutes to head back in the village, their comforting presence calming me like nothing else could ever do. The air itself appeared stranger than usual, almost electric and charged, making me feel uncomfortable, if I was standing too close to an open power socket.
When we reached the center of the village, the siblings and I noticed all of the villagers surrounding my house with torches and pikes in hand. This was not supposed to happen, I thought. Did something go wrong? What happened now? In my mind, everything had been perfect until this point.
However, the strangest part is that the angry crowd were mainly females. Most of them are also armed with weapons such as knives, spears or even firewood staves in their hands. Some of them appeared to be crying.
“What is going over there?” Bobby asked curiously while looking towards my home’s door. I did not reply to him due to feeling anxious about what was happening. Alice added, ” Let us check it out guys!” Letting of my hand as she went ahead and sprinted behind the crowd. As I watched her disappear from sight, I felt a sense of dread settle upon me…something bad will happen if I get closer to the scene of action.
Before I could even say anything, Bobby called out his little sister, “Alice, wait!” He let go of my hand and ran after her. Knowing that I had no choice, I decided to catch up with them and see for myself. I am sure that everything will be fine even though my gut feeling says otherwise.
As I managed to reach and stand between the siblings, the angry crowd of women were banging on the door and demanding to see Lilith, throwing insults at the, demanding that she show herself. She remained hidden inside the house, seemingly to refuse to come outside.
“Lilith! We know what you have done to our men and boys!” One woman shouted, having tears streaming down her face. Others followed suit, screaming and wailing in anger of the constant reports of brutal rapes and mutilating killings that had occurred in recent weeks. All these things were happening because of her. Because of the monster that disguised herself as well-adjusted and composed young maiden.
“They want to kill your mother,” Bobby whispered into my ear, his tone sounding cold and uncaring as he was glad that Lilith would either die or be jailed. It was all just a matter of time before this whole thing would come to an end, which made him feel better about himself.
Kill…my mother? As much as I fear her greatly, I never wanted to see her killed. Not like that. No, it can’t happen…
Bobby pulled me aside further from the crowd and we stood by the side of the road, along with Alice. He glanced at his sister then turned to look at me, “What do you think Adam?” Bobby asked. The question surprised me as I was unsure what to say. What does he expect me to answer?
I am going to see mommy being punished for her crimes, yet why do I still want to protect her even if she is guilty of all those heinous acts. My heart aches when she was about to suffer but my mind knows that there are other ways to handle the situation without having to take the life of someone who has been accused of terrible crimes.
The older woman with a shotgun, pushed the crowd of women; her sorrowful and angry expression on the outside as tears rolled down her cheeks. But, what really lies beneath this lady’s eyes is pure hatred and revenge as she aimed her weapon at the door. And when everyone else in the crowd watched with bated breath, a single gunshot rang out through the air.
The door broke open upon impact, revealing a bloody and naked Lilith hunched down in the darkened hallway like some feral beast. Corpses of mutilated men and boys were strewn all over her the place. The most disturbing part of all is her monstrous face with blood dripped from her lips, smeared across her bare breasts. Blood flowed freely down her body as she looked up at the frightened crowd of people.
“My, my, my. Such an impressive collection,” Lilith smiled evilly and licked off her bloodied lips, her eyes gleaming with hunger for their flesh, “isn’t it rude to interrupt a woman while she is taking care of business?”
Bobby shouted something similar to, “Shoot her!” His words filled with unimaginably terror, trying desperately to convince himself that Lilith before them was not real, nor did she have any relation to the dead bodies lying around. Alice too stared at Lilith with sheer shock and fear in her eyes, like the rest of them.
The shotgun-wielding elderly lady pulled the trigger, aiming right at Lilith’s head as her finger tightened on the lever. The blast echoed loudly throughout the village, blowing her head clean off in one hit. A gruesome mess, Lilith fell forward onto her knees, then collapsed into a heap against the wall.
Alice gasped, her hands shaking so badly from seeing the gruesome scene. She tried to stand up but Bobby grabbed her shoulder, pulling her back down. He muttered something about needing her help here. But I didn’t pay attention, because I was unbelievably shocked and horrified of seeing her just fall apart like that. It wasn’t long until Lilith slowly stood up straight, regenerating from the loss of skull as a new regrown head replaced what once used to be destroyed by the gun shot.
Fully generated, she smiled in maddening satisfaction at the sight of her enemies before her. With a snap of her finger, she blown the elderly woman in front of her; the blood and organs splattered amongst the crowd of women who screamed in fear and disgust. Blood flew everywhere as the body fell to the ground, the remaining pieces still twitching. The women with firearms, were too terrified to do anything.
Some of the women screamed in sheer terror as Lilith pounced onto the crowd, tearing and ripping each woman and girl with her bare hands or teeth, brutally killing them nearly instantly. One by one, they became nothing more than dismembered meat on the floor. Some cried out in agony, others shrieked in fear.
Those that managed to enter their own homes were always killed by sudden fire, resulting in the whole village being set ablaze. Those who attempted to escape through the forest were blown up by the snap of a finger.
Just like that, only within minutes; every woman and girl was dead, slaughtered with no mercy. Bobby, me and Alice just stood there, terrified. The three of us stared at the bloody Lilith, casually strolled towards our direction before stopping in front of us.
“Adam, when did I told you about staying away from them?” She mockingly said to me, making me flinch back upon hearing my name from her mouth. “They are all going to be mine now,” Lilith chuckled coldly, glancing around at the carnage as if it were a fun show to watch rather than one of atrocity.
Alice fearfully hid behind my back, whimpering as she watched the gruesome scene unfold before her eyes. But, the worst part was seeing the bodies and remains of the girls and women. Each one had been ripped apart by claws or teeth; some missing limbs while others were torn into pieces and even their breasts cut off. They lay there like carcasses of animals after slaughter. The sight of the gore made Alice vomit and throw up on herself as tears welled up in her eyes.
Bobby stepped forward, shielding us from Lilith’s view. He stared at her with anger and hint of growing fear, “if you want to get them, you have to go through us first.” As his words rang true, Lilith tilted her head and narrowed her glowing red eyes. Her voice was taunting but also mocking as she slowly approached Bobby.
“You know Bobby, your father was such a fool. He desired me more than the whore you call of mother. In fact, your father never actually cared for you since he abandoned your family,” Lilith said with an air of arrogance as she turned to look at Alice again, “but that is alright, I am sure we can make something work out between the two of us, hmm?”
With a yell, Bobby raised his right arm, ready to swing his fist in Lilith’s face. But, before he could do so, she swiped his arm at blinding speed, cutting him off from swinging his punch as he fell on the floor, screaming in pain. She then grabbed Alice by the hair and yanked her backwards as she whimpered in fear, “Alice, Alice, Alice. You were such a good little girl, aren’t you? Always being mommy’s best girl. But now…”
It is as time slowed down around us. Like in slow motion, Lilith ripped her head out of her neck, revealing a mess of blood and flesh; with a wet sound filling the burning atmosphere of the village. As Alice screamed in agony, Lilith tossed her body aside like a rag doll before throwing Alice’s decapitated head towards me.
Grabbing it before it landed onto the ground, I stared at her lifeless eyes with Alice’s expression sorrowful and scared of her own demise.
Bobby and I screamed together, our voices mixing in unison, if we were one voice. We were both saddened, depressed and overwhelming shocked of losing Alice, Bobby’s only sibling and one of my closest friends in life.
“What have you done?!” I yelled, but she just stood there and smirked at me, seductively placing her finger on her lip in childish fashion, “what have I done? I just ripped her apart because his little sister deserved to be killed for what she did.”
As the world slowly came back into focus, reality hit me hard. It was real, not some hallucination or dream. Alice really died, “WHY?! WHY MUST YOU DO ALL OF THIS TERRIBLE THINGS?! PLEASE MOMMY, LET ME UNDERSTAND!”
Still gripping Alice’s head, I sobbingly stared at her while the screams of misery and despair from Bobby echoed throughout the village.
Lilith tilted her head once more, “why? Because I am the demon of this world, born from the depravity, misery and pain in the deepest parts of hell itself. Killing and raping is what makes me whole and live, do you see? Not because I enjoy it, its because I LOVE IT! To ruin innocent men and little children alike, that they may suffer and die without mercy…this gives me pleasure beyond my wildest imagination…”
“NO!” I yelled tearfully, kneeling down in front of the monster that I considered to be my mother, “d-do you even love me as your child?” Even if the words were hard to speak out, even if I felt the throat constricting in fear and disgust, I still had to talk.
“Well…” she said with a shrug of shoulders before looking at me again, “you were more like a pet to me,” Lilith continued. “You are nothing but an experiment for me, just another precious toy of mine that I wished to possess in my collection. Your special because I need you.” She smiled evilly at me, “but, I had fun making you suffer too.”
A pet? All this time, all the fond memories I had with her, I was a pet? That thought made me angry and hurt, but deep down inside of myself, something about it appeared right. I never saw any reason she would want to make me suffer, when in reality, I was just an empty husk for her amusement. A living doll who could be broken apart and used again whenever she pleased, no matter how much damage she does to me, she knows that I will always be able to get back up again…
“I loved your eyes, the way they sparkled at me every time I did terrible things to you,” Lilith continued as if reading my mind, “that is what made me so delightful to see you like this, a broke and beaten child with tears running down his face, begging me to let him go.”
“NO! NO!” I yelled out in frustration, trying to ignore the fact that Lilith was now talking to me, throwing aside her own suffering to focus on me. But I couldn’t help it, not after all those years of abuse, torment, torture and humiliation from her…all the things she has done to me, all the people I have seen die because of her, all the times I have wanted to be loved.
Everything was her fault, and I could do nothing but let everything come crashing down upon me as I sobbed like a lost little boy. I felt pathetic and weak, useless and helpless against her, but at least, I can still cry for once in my life.
“Come to me and let mommy have you…” Her hand stretched towards me, ready to grab hold of me. She looked sadistic yet amused watching me tremble with fear and sadness before letting me fall into darkness.
Nothing came, instead Bobby was holding her leg with his other arm, staring at me with a message that my evil mother is not going anywhere. His body trembling violently as he held onto the leg of her, afraid to make her get closer to me.
Then he spoke directed to me in a shaky voice, “RUN ADAM! RUN AS FAR AWAY FROM HER AND NEVER LOOK BACK!”
Bobby had never been a strong person, but at that moment, he was showing me just how much strength and courage he possessed. He didn’t even hesitate or blink for an instant before making such a decision to protect me from the monster that was going to devour me alive. It was one of the few moments when I truly admired him.
“So interesting,” Lilith mused, grabbing his hair as she wrapped her arms around his chest, “you are not going to leave him here, right Adam honey?” She caressed Bobby’s cheek, looking at me with an evil smile.
The way she called me by name sent shivers down my spine.
She continued, “you know what will happen if you leave him with me?” A tone of curiosity filled her words. Even though it sounded like a question from her, there was no doubt about the answer. I trembled, trying to stand with wobbly legs, my knees were shaking so badly that they threatened to buckle at any second.
“RUN DAMMIT! JUST RUN, PLEASE ADAM! DON’T LET MY SISTER DIE FOR NOTHING!” Bobby’s overwhelming fear, cries and resolve in his voice made me feel guilty for not being able to do anything. Mommy did this because of me… and now he is going to die to save me? I felt sick inside. My insides ached with guilt.
As I spun in motion, she spoke louder and firm with her sadistic tone, “all the time, all the time, your mind would always be stuck thinking of me. Your company, your feelings, your pain, everything will always remain with me until I finally have you.”
No, no, she is wrong! WRONG!
Laughter erupted in her lips, filling my ears with her maniacal laughter, “you will always remember how I smell; it is so sweet. You cannot forget that scent. The way you are feeling now. That is why when you think about me, that memory comes back to haunt you every single day…Adam.”
I ran, run faster than my legs can carry. Her fading laughter and terror of Bobby’s screams were the only thing that could reach my senses as I fled from her into the endless wasteland of this frozen world, still holding Alice’s head in my arms.
It happened again, my distorted vision returned to torment me once more, where everything around me is warped and shifting into a kaleidoscope of colors. Though the blurriness of the scenery had become almost unbearable. It appeared like there was some sort of invisible barrier blocking off my sight.
When my eyes slowly closed, I saw a glimpse of a group walking towards my direction. I turned to see what was happening, but I found myself unable to move or even speak when the darkness showed up once more again, finally ready to take my life and enter into the peaceful place that I had desired for years…
Death.
