~~~
“Shhh…”
His hand was clamped over her mouth, haggard face hovering inches from hers. His slippery voice, as scratchy as a thousand insect wings, crawled into her ear.
“Shhh…”
She whimpered, eyes stretched wide like a terrified animal’s; a rabbit, caught in headlights. Gulping, she stared blankly ahead, numb with fear. Shivers rippled through her like tremors before an earthquake.
“Be silent, little succubus,” he murmured, sniffing at her blonde hair.
Swallowing a sob, she shook her head in disbelief, tears slipping from her eyes. She turned her gaze heavenwards, praying for some godly power to intervene and save her from him. But there was only the roof of the closet, shrouded, like the rest of her prison, in darkness.
“The little damsel in distress,” he hissed, lips curling back into a hateful sneer. “Tell me then, where is your hero now? Eh?” He shook her hard, rattling her fear-drenched bones. She shut her eyes tightly, causing more tears to spill down her pallid cheeks.
Suddenly she was running up a hill. Crows were after her. Only … the crows were dead. Clumps of black feathers rained down on her, dropping from maggot-invested flesh. Sharp beaks pecked at her hands as she desperately tried to shield herself. The stench… The stench of the rotting crows made her gag as she ran frantically towards her house on the hill. Almost there, almost there…
“Where is he, princess?”
Then she was inside. The crows thudded into the door as she slammed it shut in their decaying faces. Gasping, she backed slowly away, her eyes never leaving the door as it shook under their screaming attack. She stumbled into the kitchen, still watching the door.
Something grabbed her arm.
With a small scream, she whirled and faced…
He snarled, reaching up with his other hand to grab her jaw and twist her head around so she was staring fearfully at him.
“I’m going to eat you up, deliciousness. You’re mine, not the others’.” He crackled suddenly, yellow eyes dancing with malice. Then he grew serious. “But we can’t let the hero save you first. No, we can’t. So shhh. Shhh. Be silent.”
A monster. With huge, yellow eyes, and scaly, reptilian skin. It towered over her, putrid face hovering so close to hers. Its rancid breath made her eyes water. An oversized claw held onto her arm, and it stared at her, blinking as though it was unsure if she was edible or not.
Without thinking, she lashed out at it, hitting and screaming at it, forcing it back. It shrieked as it hit the lit cooker hob, nearly knocking the bubbling stew over. She lunged forwards, grabbed the stew-pot, and slung it over the monster. The boiling hot liquid sizzled as it hit its target.
An enraged scream erupted. A high, keening sound which sent an eruption of shivers darting down her spine.
His grip slackened, rough hands lowering, as his attention was diverted.
It was then that she acted.
She ran from the wailing monster with no destination in mind, all she knew was that she had to get away from it before it recovered.
“Up here!”
She stopped, and glanced up at her brother, Tom, standing at the top of the stairs. His fluffy, brown hair looked as soft as a fledgling’s down, and stuck out in all directions around his worried face.
He gestured urgently to her. “Be quick!”
The monster cried out again, and another answered its call.
She began to climb the stairs.
With a loud grunt she kicked him and tried to struggle out of his grasp. With a snarl like the roar of a chainsaw, he tried to cover her mouth again, but she gathered her courage and sank her teeth into his flaking hand. He yelped and lost his hold on her.
She pushed out of the closet and landed at the feet of…
“Into the closet, loveliness. We mustn’t let them find us.”
Tom pushed her into her father’s room. Her father’s empty room. Their father had disappeared days ago. And weird things kept happening. Things like…
She got into the closet and Tom followed her, wrapping his arms around her, in need of a comforting hug. He trembled violently. Then he placed a hand over her mouth. She tried to cry out in alarm as his face seemed to melt, become ancient, yellow-eyed.
A man, who grabbed her hand and yanked her upright.
“Your father sent me to save you, princess.”

