And here's how it works. There are 2 spooky YA stories being told in 13 parts. Each part is written by a different author (some currently published, some aspiring) and posted on a different blog. At the end of each story, you will have a chance to enter to win a prize pack (there is one for each story and a separate one that's open internationally). To be eligible to win that story's prize pack, you must comment on each part of the story. There will also be Trick or Treats along the way for more chances to win! For all the rules, the full rundown of all the goodness as well as a list of all the story stops, click HERE.
Darkness: Part 8
by Lani Woodland
Not many things could scare Jeremy, but the thought of the demon he had once defeated rising from the dead to get his revenge, caused him to tremble in terror. His fear crept through him slowly like ivy creeping up thea side of a tomb. It was years ago in this very graveyard, maybe in this very spot that Jeremy had conquered the demon.
Jeremy felt the stolen blood in his veins being funneled out from the wound of the necromancer’s dagger. It dripped from his stomach and was greedily absorbed into the graveyard’s dirt. Where his blood nourished the soil a circular black shape grew, spreading, poisoning the earth as it seeped out further. Despite his usual courage, Jeremy shied away from it, his heightened senses overwhelmed by the rancid taste of evil, more evil than the monster he was. It lanced through his taste buds and the foul smell of demon burned his nostrils. His terror drew out his fangs and he hissed at the necromancer who still glistened in the moonlight without form.
“What have you done?” Jeremy demanded, struggling against his captor.
He had been prepared to spring away but the zombie’s grip had tightened, crushing Jeremy’s old bones. He used the only tool he had available and bit down hard into the zombie rotting flesh, tearing at it with his sharp teeth. He ripped into the decaying arm, gagging on the rancid flavor, until the zombie howled in pain and dropped Jeremy, raging in agony.
Jeremy leapt to his freedom and landed in a crouch. He studied the dark formless mass that the necromancer had shifted into, wondering how he could fight an enemy without form. It was then he felt the slimy, frigid presence, inhaled the stench of true evil and the memories of the demon he thought he had destroyed cluttered his mind.
The same helpless fear he had felt in the long ago battle stole around him like an unwanted scratchy blanket. Snarling with a bravado he didn’t feel, Jeremy swung around, bracing himself for the horror he knew would be waiting for him.
The demon roared, his bright red eyes flickering like candles in the darkness as his inky black arms reached toward Jeremy.
Jeremy tried to leap aside but having lost so much blood, was too slow and the demon’s fingers grabbed the collar of his shirt, then settled across Jeremy’s neck, pulling him close. His fiery breath that smelled of death and endless torment blew in Jeremy’s face.
“It was your blood that sentenced me to that prison and it was your blood that brought me back, but did you know it was your precious Anna’s blood I feasted on all those years I was there?”
The wound in his stomach, the grip of the demon’s fingers across his throat and even his own terror were nothing compared to the horror those words caused. His mind tried to stop the words from escaping, knowing it was part of the demon’s game, but his aching heart rushed them from his mouth.
“You have Anna? But you can’t have her. She’s dead isn’t she?” Jeremy’s fist clenched. “Isn’t she?”
The fire in the demon’s eyes crackled and his smile revealed jagged teeth as a low rumble of laughter burst out from the demon’s mouth, like a sea of broken glass crashing into Jeremy’s heart.
Jeremy felt the stolen blood in his veins being funneled out from the wound of the necromancer’s dagger. It dripped from his stomach and was greedily absorbed into the graveyard’s dirt. Where his blood nourished the soil a circular black shape grew, spreading, poisoning the earth as it seeped out further. Despite his usual courage, Jeremy shied away from it, his heightened senses overwhelmed by the rancid taste of evil, more evil than the monster he was. It lanced through his taste buds and the foul smell of demon burned his nostrils. His terror drew out his fangs and he hissed at the necromancer who still glistened in the moonlight without form.
“What have you done?” Jeremy demanded, struggling against his captor.
He had been prepared to spring away but the zombie’s grip had tightened, crushing Jeremy’s old bones. He used the only tool he had available and bit down hard into the zombie rotting flesh, tearing at it with his sharp teeth. He ripped into the decaying arm, gagging on the rancid flavor, until the zombie howled in pain and dropped Jeremy, raging in agony.
Jeremy leapt to his freedom and landed in a crouch. He studied the dark formless mass that the necromancer had shifted into, wondering how he could fight an enemy without form. It was then he felt the slimy, frigid presence, inhaled the stench of true evil and the memories of the demon he thought he had destroyed cluttered his mind.
The same helpless fear he had felt in the long ago battle stole around him like an unwanted scratchy blanket. Snarling with a bravado he didn’t feel, Jeremy swung around, bracing himself for the horror he knew would be waiting for him.
The demon roared, his bright red eyes flickering like candles in the darkness as his inky black arms reached toward Jeremy.
Jeremy tried to leap aside but having lost so much blood, was too slow and the demon’s fingers grabbed the collar of his shirt, then settled across Jeremy’s neck, pulling him close. His fiery breath that smelled of death and endless torment blew in Jeremy’s face.
“It was your blood that sentenced me to that prison and it was your blood that brought me back, but did you know it was your precious Anna’s blood I feasted on all those years I was there?”
The wound in his stomach, the grip of the demon’s fingers across his throat and even his own terror were nothing compared to the horror those words caused. His mind tried to stop the words from escaping, knowing it was part of the demon’s game, but his aching heart rushed them from his mouth.
“You have Anna? But you can’t have her. She’s dead isn’t she?” Jeremy’s fist clenched. “Isn’t she?”
The fire in the demon’s eyes crackled and his smile revealed jagged teeth as a low rumble of laughter burst out from the demon’s mouth, like a sea of broken glass crashing into Jeremy’s heart.
__________
To read Story 2: A SOUL LAID BARE, go here.
