The Ultimate Sacrifice

  Daxton started up the car and pulled away from the school. I looked back and watched as the institute disappeared. It was the only home I had known, and now I was forced to leave it. I thought about all the other kids getting up and finding a handful of their classmates gone. I wondered what they would be told and if they would believe it.

  I thought about the demons out there. If they were watching the school, couldn’t they be watching us leave? Was it possible they could have cars? Or do demons not drive? I didn’t even remember what a demon was supposed to look like. I hadn’t paid attention in class. Were they scary looking? Or did they look like us?

  The SUV raced down the windy back road. Having Noe there prevented us from getting pulled over. Although I’m sure if we did, Mira would get us out of it. The vibration of the car was soothing, and I felt my eyelids closing. I nodded off a couple times before Mira put her arm around me and pulled me close to her. “Thanks,” I muttered before succumbing to sleep.

  I didn’t know how long I had been asleep. I opened my eyes. The sun was high in the sky, and the car was parked under some trees. My friends were stretched out on the grass of what seemed to be a rest area; they looked like they were in a heavy discussion.

  I opened the door and stepped out of the car. Everyone looked over. “Hey sleepyhead.” Daxton smiled.

  “What’s up?” I asked.

  “Just trying to figure out where to go,” Zane responded.

  “Doesn’t Noe know where?” I asked, puzzled.

  “Not quite,” she replied. “When we talk about staying close, I can see that’s a bad idea. It’s not until we decide where to go do I see whether or not it’s good or bad.”

  “Oh.” I hadn’t realized that. “Ideas?”

  “I don’t even know what direction to go in.” Daxton sighed.

  “Do any of you remember what the teachers said about demons?” I asked. They all looked at me. I blushed. “I hardly ever listened. I didn’t know I’d need to know this stuff.”

  Mira scoffed. “Typical. What do you want to know?”

  “What do they look like? Where do they live?”

  “Cat-like, if I remember right. Not like cute little kittens, more like a black panther,” she answered.

  “But, not all of them. Some are bigger and more human looking. And there were little ones too, only a couple feet tall. They can cause a lot of damage because they’re fast and their teeth razor sharp,” Zane described.

  “They’re all black? Like shadows?”

  “Yes,” Zane confirmed.

  “Were there any pictures?” I asked.

  Mira rolled her eyes. “Yes, because while fighting demons, people stopped to take a picture for the history books.”

  When she put it like that, I felt stupid for asking. “Oh.”

  Zane shushed her and continued on, “As far as where they lived, it was in the darkest of dark places. Deep woods and caves. They like the dark. But, that doesn’t mean they don’t come out in the light. So don’t let down your guard.”

  “And how are we supposed to fight off these demons if they find us?”

  “Daggers. Eaton put one for each of us in the glove box. They are faerie made and have magical properties. They will kill them.”

  “One at a time,” I said.

  “I would imagine so.”

  “Six of us, millions of them, and we’ve got six daggers…great.”

  They all stared at me, and then Mira started laughing, which made them all loosen up a little and laugh too. “What do you guys think about going south?”

  I shrugged. “Sounds fine with me.”

  “I don’t see an immediate problem,” Noe said.

  Everybody agreed and we headed back to the car. Zane jumped in the driver’s seat and Mira sat in the front with him. He had reached for her hand, but she quickly drew it away. I took Daxton’s hand and pulled him in the back seat with me. We didn’t talk as we drove away. I leaned into him, and he traced my hand with his finger. His finger traveled up to my tattoo where he traced the lines over and over again.

  We hadn’t driven long when we came across the sign “Leaving California” and a few seconds later, another one saying, “Welcome to Nevada”. I sighed, longing to go home again. It seemed we had left it years ago instead of just hours. I couldn’t remember ever being out of California. Now, here I was, running across the country to save my life.

  That night, we found a hotel to stay at. With Mira’s gift, getting a room was a piece of cake. We only needed one room with two beds. Two of us would have to stay awake at all times. It was too dangerous for even just one of us to stand guard. ‘Safety in pairs’ was a motto they preached at the institute.

  “Kassia and I will take the first shift,” Daxton said as he was pulling the thick curtains shut. I glanced over at him. Not that I minded, I was just surprised he was offering for me. “What? You hardly ever sleep at night anyway.”

  A confused look crossed Mira’s face. “You don’t?”

  “He’s right. I don’t sleep well.”

  “Why not?” she asked.

  “Nightmares.”

  “Oh. You never told me.”

  “You always look so peaceful when you’re sleeping.”

  “Are you two sure you can keep your hands off of each other long enough to stand guard?” Zane asked.

  Both of us shot him a look. “Zane!”

  “Just wondering.”

  “Shut up and go to bed!” I yelled, smiling at him.

  Daxton and I sat at a table near the window. He had a deck of cards and some snacks. We played quietly until everybody was asleep. Then we talked a little bit, softly, so we didn’t wake the others.

  Later, we examined the daggers we had been given. When I looked closely at the handles, I saw that they had been made to match our tattoos. I picked up the one with the infinity sign on it. “They match,” I said to Daxton.

  “Oh yeah,” he said, picking up the one covered in stars. “Cool.”

  At the first sign of dawn, I showered while Daxton woke the others up. They took turns getting ready. I figured I better shower now because there might come a time when showers wouldn’t be available. We had some food delivered before we took off in the car. We kept heading south.

  We stopped at a rest area for a bathroom break and to stretch out a little. After I left the bathroom, I saw Mira sitting at a picnic table. I could tell she was crying from the way her body was shaking. I hesitated, not knowing if I should go to her or give her space.

  I looked around for Auralee and found her under a tree. Reading her shirt, I smiled. It said, ‘Friends are chosen family.’ So true in our case. Auralee? She looked over and our eyes met. I motioned to Mira. Does she need space or me?

  She pointed at me.

  I walked over to Mira and sat down and put my arm around her. No words were needed. I held her as she cried on my shoulder.

  Zane noticed what was going on, but I shook my head not wanting him to come over. This was something Mira needed to do on her terms. The way she acted towards his gesture yesterday, I was guessing she didn’t want him touching her right now. Never being violated that way, I couldn’t imagine what she was going through. After a few minutes, she wiped away her tears and murmured, “Sorry.”

  “Sorry? Don’t be sorry. You’ve been so strong, Mira. You went through something none of us have experienced and you haven’t had time to deal with it because of all this. It’s okay to take that time. I’m always going to be here for you.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Wanna talk about it?”

  She looked down. Her eye wasn’t as swollen, but the bruises had turned a deep purple. “I don’t know. I can’t put it into words yet.”

  “I’m here when you need me.”

  “I know.” We sat there until she was ready to get back into the car.

  * * *

  On the fourth day, Noe yelled for us to pull over as we were driving. “What? What is it?”


  Her eyes were searching for an answer. “We mustn’t head too far east. Just south. Okay?”

  “Okay,” Mira said.

  That night, we spread the map out on the bed. “I think we’re about as far south as we should go,” Zane said.

  “I agree.” Daxton examined the map. “If Noe says we shouldn’t go further east, then we should stay here.”

  “For how long?” I asked, twisting my hair around my finger.

  “I don’t know,” Noe said. It was odd to get that answer from her. She shook her head and shrugged. “I’m not seeing anything yet.”

  We stayed inside most of the time with two of us always on guard. Mira took care of anybody’s questions and got us whatever we needed.

  Three days later, we bought a disposable cell phone. We all sat close together and called the number. The phone rang twice, a voice answered, and passwords were exchanged. “How are you all?” Mr. Eaton asked.

  “We’re fine,” Mira responded. “Things there?”

  Mr. Eaton hesitated. “We’re noticing some strange things but nothing big. I think they are sending out scouts, trying to find out what happened, and figure out how to find you. You must stay away. Stay alert.”

  “We will,” Mira promised.

  “Throw the phone away, call back in a week,” Mr. Eaton said. We immediately drove a few miles away, destroyed the phone, and then tossed it in the garbage.

  Two days later, we were walking back to the hotel from the store. Noe stopped dead in her tracks. “What’s wrong?” I asked.

  “They’re here,” she whispered. “Why didn’t I see it earlier? They’re waiting for us. They know we’re coming. There’s no escape,” she was rambling.

  “What do we do?” Mira asked.

  Noe’s forehead was scrunched up and the corners of her mouth were turned down. “I can’t see!”

  “Where’s your dagger?” Mira asked Zane.

  “In the room,” Zane said.

  “Mine too. UGH! Stupid!” Mira yelled.

  I turned away from them, and faced the hotel while they were all discussing what to do. The hair on my arms stood straight up before I could even see any demons. As one stepped into my view, a shudder ran through me. A sulfur like scent filled the air.

  The demon looked up and our eyes met. Looking into his eyes was like seeing into the windows of hell. I swear I could hear screams trying to escape. I was frozen in fear and nauseated. It kept staring at me, sending shivers down my spine and I felt goose bumps all over my body.

  The demon was a cross between a cat and dog. Most of its body looked like a cat, except for its nose, which looked like it belonged to a bloodhound. Its eyes were like slits and red light poured out of them.

  My mouth was dry, my breathing was fast, and my heart was pounding so loud I could hear it. Get a grip, Kassia! I closed my eyes long enough to break free of the hold I felt like it had on me.

  I twisted my hair up out of the way and opened my eyes again. “I guess we have to face this and figure it out ourselves because I can see them.”

  They all stopped talking and looked past me. The field was filled with black, shadow like demons. I turned back towards my friends and yelled, “Go now!” If I was going to do the only thing I could do to protect them, they couldn’t be close by. Mira started to argue, but Noe grabbed her and yanked her backwards. I turned to face the demons that wanted me so badly.

  The closest ones were the crosses between a cat and dog. There were three getting ready to pounce only a few feet from me.

  I focused all of my anger and hatred and let the power rise up in me. I knew from killing those people that the power in me could be strong enough to kill everything here. I just had to feed my power with enough hate.

  Quickly, I could feel it take over my body. I felt the power peak, and I released it, letting it pour out of my mind. I fixated on the cat-hounds — my name for them — and watched them squirm in pain. After a few seconds, they dropped to the ground. I kept at it, taking down a few at a time, but it wasn’t enough. There were so many of them. I tried to branch out and get more demons at once.

  The next batch of demons were deformed and hideous. The sulfur like smell coming from them made the bile rise up in my throat. One of them lunged forward, claws out, and mouth wide open. He was so close I could see his razor sharp teeth. Quickly focusing on him, he dropped to the ground letting off an ear-piercing shriek that made me cover my ears until he was gone.

  Just when I got my power back up, pain shot through my lower left leg, but I couldn’t break my focus again to look down. Keeping the tears at bay, I sent more demons dropping to the ground. The smaller ones stood less than two feet tall and were shaped like people with a head, body, arms, and legs. They, too, were all black with empty, soulless, red eyes.

  One of them was on my back now, ripping into my skin with their razor sharp teeth. I cried out in pain. I reached behind me and grabbed whatever it was attacking my back and threw him. With lightning speed, he came right back at my side before I got a chance to move. If I lived through this, I needed to take up some kind of self-defense course.

  As if I wasn’t mad before, I was really mad now. My head pounded and my body tingled. I was shaking uncontrollably. My hands flew up to my head, and I rested my fingers on my throbbing temples. Releasing the power I had left, I commanded them to die.

  All of the demons fell to the ground except the stupid one that was chomping on my leg. I yanked him off. He was all black, but had slits for eyes and holes where ears should be. His body felt firm, but I didn’t feel any bones. I gave him my death stare, and he went limp in my hands.

  Throwing him to the ground, I looked around at all the demon bodies. I felt sick. The bodies looked like they were melting into the earth, like they were being sucked back down into hell. My own body felt weak and strangely calm. I lost consciousness before I hit the ground.

  Chapter Eight

  I heard the whispers before I could open my eyes. “Is she…alive?” Mira’s voice was shaky.

  “Yeah, but she’s been hurt,” Auralee answered.

  “We need a healer,” Daxton stated.

  “Well, Eaton didn’t tell us where we could find one.”

  “Hospital?”

  “And when they ask how she got hurt?”

  “I have faerie salve. It’ll help,” Noe said.

  “Where did you get that?” Mira asked.

  “Don’t worry about it.”

  I could feel someone taking off my shirt. “Oh God, that looks deep. Wash it off first.”

  I jumped when the water hit my back. “Sorry,” Noe spoke softly.

  I didn’t have the energy to actually speak out loud, and even if I did, I knew I’d lose control. Auralee?

  “Yeah,” she whispered.

  Make sure they do whatever they need to, no matter how much you know I’m hurting.

  “Okay,” she said.

  Are they all gone? Did I get them all?

  “Yes.”

  Good.

  She chuckled.

  “Is she talking to you?” Mira asked.

  “Yeah, she wanted to make sure she got them all.”

  “Of course she’s worried about that and not her injuries.”

  “Kassia, I know you can hear us. We’re going to put faerie salve on your wounds. It’s going to hurt, but it will help. Are you ready?” Noe asked.

  Yeah.

  “She’s ready,” Auralee said.

  “Here it goes.” I could feel her fingers on my back. The pain came quickly causing me to gasp. It grew more intense as the seconds passed and I completely blacked out.

  * * *

  I woke in the car with my head on Mira’s lap. She was stroking my hair. As I became more aware, the pain got worse. I moaned a little.

  “Kassia?”

  “Mmmm?”

  “How are you feeling?”

  “It hurts.” Tears ran down my cheeks.

  She smiled d
own at me and wiped my tears away. “I’m sure it does. It should heal quickly though.”

  “Where are we going?” I tried to sit up, but my stomach churned and bile filled my throat.

  “You shouldn’t do that.” She gently pushed me back down. “Those cuts were deep. It’s only been a few hours. Tomorrow will be better.” I kept gagging. “Better pull over, I think she’s gonna hurl.”

  Zane quickly pulled to the side, and Mira helped me out of the car. Every movement was extremely painful, but once we were clear of the car, I threw up. Mira stayed with me, rubbing my back until I was done. I wiped my mouth with my shirt. She handed me a bottle of water, and I rinsed my mouth out.

  A few minutes later, I carefully climbed back in the car and lay back down on Mira’s lap. Trying to maintain my composure, I silently cried. I thought about the size of the demons, the ones that had actually attacked me. They were small. If the wounds from them could hurt this bad, I couldn’t imagine what the bigger ones would feel like.

  Once we were back on the road, I asked again, “Where are we going?”

  “No idea,” Auralee said. “Figured we’d drive until we felt safe.”

  “Could you hear them?” I asked her.

  “Yes and no.” She ran her hand up the back of her hair and rested it on her head. “I could hear chatter. There weren’t any words, not English ones anyway. It sounded like background noise or static. It got quite loud in my head, but I couldn’t understand any of it.”

  “What about Zane?” I asked. He could talk to different things.

  “I wasn’t exactly trying to have a conversation with any of them.”

  “Oh, right.” Exhausted, I shut my eyes. But every time I fell asleep, I would see the demon’s eyes…red, empty, dead…staring at me, wanting me…and I would jerk awake. Mira just kept talking softly to me as she stroked my hair, and I finally fell back into a deep sleep.

  The next time I woke, we were at a gas station. Zane and Daxton were outside the car filling it up. “I need to go to the bathroom,” I told Mira.

  “Okay, the four of us will go.”

  “I don’t want to move.”

  She smiled sympathetically. “I’ll help you.”

  Pain shot through my body as I made my way out of the car. At one point, I thought I was going to vomit again, but somehow I held it down. We walked to the bathroom and each took turns going. I splashed water on my face and rinsed my mouth out again. I tried to peek in the mirror at my shoulder, but I couldn’t get a good view.