Just a Little Slice

Laura stared at herself in the mirror.

Her tired dark gaze couldn't look away from her busted lip and the black eye she now sported. Fingers reached up and poked underneath the black eye, causing her to wince at the pain that flared up.

He had drank again last night when he had promised he would permanently put down the bottle. She had watched as he guzzled beer after beer as soon as he got home from work and by the time she had served dinner, he was already on his tenth. All she had done was place a plate of meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and buttered corn in front of him when he had lost it.

"What the fuck is this?!" He had slurred angrily.

"Uh...." Laura hesitated as she began to sweat. "Meatloaf, potatoes, and corn?"

"You know I don't like meatloaf, woman!" He bellowed as he jerked out of his chair. "Are you fucking stupid?!"

"I-"

Her words are cut off as her husband picked up the plate of steaming food and threw it past her head. The plate shattered against the wall behind her as she let out a startled yelp, already knowing what was about to happen.

"I-I'm sorry." Laura stammered.

Before she could even think on what to say next, her husband's large fist connected with her right eye, sending her sprawling to the ground. Her eyes immediately started to water as a fiery pain exploded within her skull but what she refused to give him was the satisfaction of her whimpering.

"You worthless little whore!" He growled as he grabbed Laura by the collar of her shirt and yanked her closer to his red face. "I work all damn day, pay the bills, and all I expect for when I get home is a clean house and a dinner that I like. That's all I ask and you can't even do that!"

"What did you want for dinner, dear?" Laura asked him in a monotone voice.

In response, her husband slapped her hard across the mouth. Laura's head jerked to the side as her lips split open and blood filled her mouth, but she still refused to whimper.

"Clean this mess up, you dumb bitch." Her husband snarled as he dropped her to the ground. "I'm going to order a pizza since you can't do anything right."

Laura doesn't say or do anything until her husband storms out of the dinning room and even then, she moves at a slow pace picking up the broken pieces of the plate as her face continued to throb.

By the time she was finished cleaning the dinning room and kitchen, her husband was passed out in his recliner in front of the tv with a half finished beer clenched in his hand. Laura didn't dare wake him and went into their bathroom to take a steaming hot shower before going to bed.

The shower did nothing to ease the pain that is permanently part of her life and she found herself wishing for peace. She didn't care how she would receive it or what form it came in, she is just done with the life she currently had.

Laura slowly pulled on a pair of pajama shorts and a tank top, her body eager for some rest, when the bathroom door slowly opened with a creak. She froze with her fingers in her long dark hair and stared with wide eyes into the darkness that had been revealed.

"Tom?" Laura called out into the darkness and got no response, only a cold silence.

Laura approached the dark opening with apprehension, her mind already telling her that her husband was waiting for her on the other side. But still, she went to the opening and felt alongside the wall on the other side for the light switch. She found it almost instantly but when she flipped it up, no lights came on.

Swearing under her breath and having no light to guide her, Laura cautiously takes a step into the pitch blackness.

"Poor little human."

The voice that spoke within the darkness did not belong to her husband, it was more guttural and sinister, and Laura froze.

"Who's there?" She demanded.

"I go by many names." The voice answered. "But that's not important."

Laura slowly licked her lips. "Why are you here?"

"I am here to grant your wish." The voice said and she heard the sound of claws clicking on the hardwood floor as whatever it was moved. "You have lived a very hard life, Laura Sterling."

"Not by choice." Laura said. "Why can't I see you?"

"Because I do not want you to." The voice said. "I am simply here to take care of your little problem."

"In exchange for what? There's always a price for everything."

A dark chuckle sounded within the bedroom. "Clever girl. What if I told you that I want nothing in return."

"Then I would have to call you a liar."

Another chuckle came from the darkness, this time being closer to where she stood. "Very well. I only want one small thing in return for my services."

"And what would that be?"

"You."

It's response was whispered into her ear with hot breath fanning across her skin. Laura let out a startled yelp and jumped away from whatever it was that is with her as her eyes frantically searched the darkness.

"Me?!" She squeaked. "Why do you want me?"

"I have my reasons." The voice answered. "I will take care of your little problem in exchange for you. Do we have a deal, Laura Sterling?"

"If I agree to this, there will be no more pain?"

"No more pain." The voice said. "You have my word."

Laura thought about it only for a moment, her mind telling her that she had nothing to lose; her life was already complete shit, so how much worse could it possibly get?

"Alright." Laura said slowly. "We have a deal."

"Excellent." The voice purred. "Now rest, my dear. Everything will be taken care of tomorrow night."

And that's exactly what she did.

For the first time in many years, Laura slept through the entire night and woke up feeling completely refreshed. She did not hesitate to leave the bed like she normally does and a small. elated smile graced her lips as she applied makeup to her black eye. She could not wait for this evening and she decided that she was going to make the best dinner she has ever made in her life.

Laura spent her day cleaning the house spotless and going to the grocery store to purchase the ingredients for tonight's feast; she had decided on a nice ribeye steak with fresh green beans and a garlic butter mushrooms with buttered yeast rolls. This night was going to be a night to remember and she wanted it to be perfect; she even decided to make a chocolate cake for dessert.

By the time her husband arrived home from work, Laura was just finishing up the triple chocolate cake with a decadent fudge frosting. The steak was cooked to a perfect medium-rare and the rolls were a beautiful golden brown. She had outdone herself for this evenings meal but, then again, tonight is a special occasion.

They both sat down at the small dinning room table and Laura's husband commented on how delicious everything looked. Laura only smiled, not saying a word, and took a bite of the fluffy roll.

The only sound to be heard was of their knives and forks scrapping against the ceramic plates and for a moment, as she watched her husband devour his meal, she was starting to believe that nothing was going to happen... until the light's started flickering.

Her husband paused with his fork poised before his open mouth, looking around him in slight confusion. Laura's entire body froze as her heart beat excitedly against her ribcage just as the lights flickered out.

"What the-"

Suddenly, the lights flicked back on and standing behind her husband is a creature she has never seen before. It towered over everything with skin as black as tar and eyes as red as blood. Massive black horns curled on top of the creature's head and when it smiled, it flashed bloodstained razor sharp teeth as it lifted up a talon-tipped finger to its lips.

Laura stared at this creature and a part of her wanted to be afraid, wanted to scream out in terror, but after the many years of abuse from the man that claimed he loved her, she was almost completely numb to that emotion.

"What are you staring at?" Her husband asked just as he started to turn his body.

He didn't even get a chance to see the creature standing behind him.

A grunt of pain left her husbands lips as the creatures talon-tipped hand ripped through his spine and chest. His gaze slowly looked down as blood dribbled out of his mouth and gushed out of his chest to look at his still beating heart within the creatures hand.

Laura watched with immense satisfaction as the creature yanked its arm out of her husband's body, still clutching the now motionless heart, and his now lifeless body collapsed face first in his almost finished dinner.

"What a lovely meal you have prepared." The creature purred as it placed her husband's heart onto the table. Its eyes went from hers to the cake that sat in the middle of the table and its smile widened. "You even baked a cake. Would you like a slice, my dear?"

Laura stared at her husband's lifeless corpse for a moment before she lifted up her gaze and gave the creature a smile, full of sadistic happiness.

"Yes, please. Just a little slice."