Hidden Demons

The city lights blurred as I ran down the street. The distance between us narrowed with every step. It was only a matter of time. I would catch him. My heart pounded in my chest, each beat pumping more adrenaline through my body. My mind was focused on one thing: Hunting my prey. Instincts took over, allowing me to move faster, dodging around and over anything in my way while he would trip and stumble. I moved like liquid, flowing through the night. Up ahead he turned left into an alley; hoping I would miss it, he cut behind a group of people to make the turn. But I didn't need to see him anymore to follow him. I had marked him back at the bar. I could now follow him anywhere.

I slowed to a walk, nearing the mouth of the alley. He had stopped running. Probably thinking he could hide in the shadows of a doorway or behind a garbage dumpster. The alley was dark but I could feel him just ahead, behind some wooden pallets by the end of a loading dock. I didn't look his way as I walked by although I could have easily pointed right to him. He was bigger than my five foot four inches. He moved out of hiding to block the mouth of the alley. His fists clenched tightly. I could hear his ragged breathing. I knew he liked to hurt women. I had seen it in his eyes when he grabbed me in the restaurant.

I was having dinner with Sarah, Dressed in jeans and a tank top; with my long, dark red hair pulled back into a ponytail, I wasn't dressed to attract attention. Sarah and I were passed that point. She was at our table enjoying a drink while I made a quick trip to the bathroom. The layout of the restaurant was such that I had to go past the bar to get to the ladies' room. It was a Friday night. The bar was packed. As I expected there was a line for the bathroom. I had pulled out my phone and was reading through some emails when I felt someone credit move up behind me.

“Get sick of waiting for me?” I said, turning around. It wasn’t Sarah. "Sorry. I thought you were my friend."

"I'd like to be your friend,” he responded, plastering on a huge smile. “I’m David.”

Oh God, what a cheesy line, I thought . He was cute though, so he probably got away with it with most women. Tall, with dark hair and eyes. Clean shaven. I could tell he was in shape; his dark blue button down clung tightly to his chest and arms. And his jeans hugged his thighs.

“Hi David, nice to meet you.”

“How bout I keep you company while you wait for the bathroom.”

I spent a few minutes chatting with him. When the line had cleared some I excused myself and went into the ladies’ room. When I finished up I walked back out, through the bar. A hand reached out and grabbed my arm. It was David. “Leaving so soon?”

“Sorry, but I need to get back to my date.”

“I thought we were going to be friends?”

“Look, you seem nice enough, but I’m here with someone and need to get back to her.”

“Her? Oh, I get it. Maybe you just need a real man to show you a good time.”

“And I’m done with you. Goodbye, David. Wish I could say it’s been fun,” I said before turning away.

His hand tightened on my arm.

"Wait a minute, you're just going to walk away from me?!" Suddenly he was shouting at me. “Who do you think you are to talk to ME like that?” His face was twisted with rage. When I turned to him our eyes met. And I saw into his soul.

David was a monster. He liked to hurt women. In bed. He'd seduce them and get them to invite him in. He'd drug them. He'd beat them. And then he'd rape them. Often leaving them tied up and bloody, totally helpless for hours until they managed to work themselves free. He'd use duct tape to bind them so that they would feel a little more pain, even after he was gone, they would feel just a little more pain as they ripped free of the tape.

"I know what you are," I said to him as I stepped in close. "This time you've picked the wrong woman."

My hand shot up and grabbed his wrist while his hand was still on my arm. Pulling down and twisting, I broke his grip on me. He stepped back, a look of confusion with a hint of fear on his face.

"The duct tape is in your bag. And the sleeping pills, they're in your pocket, right?"

With each word he backed away from me. But I didn't relent.

"How did you...?"

"Run."

And he did, pushing his way through the crowd. My date with Sarah forgotten as the fury washed over me.

He came at me from behind like the coward he was. Just before his hands grabbed my shoulders I dropped to one knee and spun around. David staggered a step forward when his hands failed to meet resistance and closed the distance between us. Rising up I delivered a right hook to his body. I could feel his ribs break against my fist. The blow knocked the wind from him and he curled over his side. I followed the hook with an uppercut. His head snapped back and he launched into the air, off his feet and onto his back. I stood over him. Fear poured off of him. I could taste it in the air.

"Please... don't..." He reached out to me,. Pleading.

"Did you stop when they begged?" I grabbed his hand and broke his fingers. His scream was the last thing I remembered.

I woke up the next morning in my bed. At some point I had undressed and showered. My phone was on the bedside table and the blue indicator was flashing to let me know I had messages. Three texts. All from Sarah.

Where are you?

Did you leave?

Are you mad at me?

I got out of bed and went into the bathroom to freshen myself up.

Beep beep. Probably Sarah again. "Tabs what happened 2 U last night? R U OK? Call me."

I wrote her a quick message . Got real sick, had 2 rush out. SRY Call U l8r

Beep beep. Check out the news. Crazy shit nearby last night

I opened my laptop and clicked on Chrome, typed in local news and waited what felt like forever for the page to load. It was only about two seconds. About halfway down the page I saw it.

BODY FOUND IN PIECES.

My heart skipped a beat. I read further into the article.

Police are baffled by what appears to be an animal attack in First Hill. An unidentified man was attacked and killed by what appears to be a large animal. The scene was said to resemble a bear attack…

While I couldn't be sure, I was willing to bet the victim's name was David. And I was his killer. It had happened before. I'd gotten furious and I blacked out. Usually the blackouts only lasted a few minutes. But the angrier I got, the the longer I lost control. Now you're probably thinking, she's a little thing, barely over one hundred pounds, how could she ever do something like that. First off, it's one twelve. Second, it's not about what's on the outside. It's what's inside. And inside of me is a demon. His name is Sonneillon. He's a demon of anger and vengeance. And he came into my life five years ago when I died.

I was seventeen when I died. as you can guess, death didn't really take. It was the Fourth of July. I had just graduated high school and for once my parents were letting me go out with my friends instead of going to the family cookout. The plan was simple.My friend Janelle's older sister bought us beer. We headed out to the beach to meet up with some friends so we could party all day and into the night.

It was just after ten and time for me to head home. I started saying my goodbyes and noticed Janelle wasn't around. She had been hanging around with Mike, a cute guy from our AP English class. A lot of couples had gone off into the dunes to do the things drunk teenagers do, so in my slightly inebriated state I decided not to bother her. Her parents weren’t as strict as mine so she could stay out, while I needed to get home. I walked down the beach, away from the fires and the partiers to a path that cut through the dunes and led to the parking lot. I was about halfway down the path when I saw them up ahead. There were four of them. I didn't remember their names, but recognized them as guys that had graduated when I was still a sophomore. They had all been pretty popular jocks from the basketball team. They were talking loudly. It was pretty obvious they were drunk. As I got closer, they noticed me.

"Hey there, gonna come party with us?"

"Yeah, come on, we'll show you a real good time."

"Sorry, guys," I said, "I'm on my way out, but you should head down the beach to where everyone else is."

"Nah, we were thinkin of havin a more private party. Just us and you."

Even drunk, I didn't like the sound of that. Their eyes roamed up and down my body. I was dressed in a pair of cut off shorts and my bikini top, with a button down shirt unbuttoned over it. I could see them linger over my breasts. They looked like a pack of hungry dogs.

"Maybe another time guys. I gotta get home or my parents will kill me."

They were standing on either side of the path. When I went to step between them, four hands grabbed me.

“Oh, don’t leave.”

"Let me go. Come on guys, you're scaring me." I tried to pull away but they held me tighter.

"Aww, she's scared of us.”

"Please just let me go."

“How bout a kiss first?

I screamed. Knowing how far from the party we were, and with all the music and noise, my chances of someone hearing were next to nonexistent. But fear does things to you. I screamed and twisted and tried to pull my arms free. I kicked out at them. That's why I never saw the punch coming. It hit me in the face and I was dazed. Hands started pulling at my clothes, ripping off my shirt and shorts, trying to get my bikini off. I lashed out any way I could. Clawing and scratching, kicking and biting. They just hit me more. I saw blood, it might have been mine, I hoped it was theirs. I felt the ground rush up and hit me in the back. They pinned me down. I was getting dizzy. I felt like I was moving through water. I passed out.

A light approached me through the darkness. As it moved closer, it resolved into the shape of a man. He was older, looking maybe forty-ish. Just a touch of Grey in his hair and beard. Slender, but not skinny. Like a swimmer. He was dressed in a charcoal suit with a red shirt and darker red tie. The light seemed to come from somewhere behind him. Shadows played across his features, obscuring the details.

"Tabitha,” he called to me as he came nearer.

"Who are you? Where am I? The last thing I remember... they raped me."

"Yes. And they weren't gentle, I'm sorry to say. When they were done, they decided to beat you more. They wanted to teach you a lesson. Their kicks broke some ribs. One punctured your left lung. Right now you lay broken and bleeding. Slowly drowning in your own blood. You're going to die."

"I... what? How do you know all this? Who are you?"

"My name Is Sonneillon. You may call me Sonny if you prefer. I have come to help you. If you choose to let me."

"Yes. Please. I don't want to die."

"So you accept me and request my help? In exchange...”

"I don't care, whatever you want. I agree. Just don't let me die."

"It is done. Do not worry, my little gazelle. You will die. but through me, you will live again."

"What? No!!" I yelled. And everything went black .

Pain. Everywhere. I tried to scream but nothing would come out. "Oh god, I'm really going to die." I struggled to move but my body wouldn't respond. "Please, someone find me." I gasped for air. "Help. I can't die here." My heartbeat thundered in my ears. "I'm so cold." reality began to slip away. "My first time... so helpless... them not me... If only..."

At the last moment, I felt someone take my hand.

My eyes opened and I was in my bedroom. I stood up and ran to my mirror. Staring back at me was the same face I saw every morning. Not a scratch on it. And I could breathe. No pain anywhere. What happened? How was this possible?

"I told you I would save you," teased the new voice inside my head.

"That... that was all real?"

"Oh yes, little gazelle, it was all very real. My power put you back together and brought you back from death. But now you are mine."

Sonneillon had saved my life. And with that I became his earthly vessel. Through me he would be able to walk the earth and experience life. And he gave me a new purpose. Revenge.

It wasn’t long before I noticed myself changing. The first was my endurance. I had decided to never let myself be a victim again, so I convinced my parents to let me enroll in a karate class. They thought it was odd, not knowing what had happened, but I convinced them it was just another way for me to stay in shape. As I learned I pushed myself more and more. When the rest of the class was near to collapsing, I’d barely broken a sweat. And I healed fast. Bruises and cuts would be gone in minutes, and even broken bones would be healed by the next day. I could fight harder and take more punishment, I stopped feeling pain. Then there was the strength and speed. We started learning to break boards as a test of our skills. I had already learned how resilient my body was, so when it came to my turn, I didn’t hesitate. A small girl with little experience, not much was expected of me. My fist shot forward, striking the board. There was no resistance. The pine board shattered. The class was speechless. I learned to hold back after that.

Not all of Sonneillon’s gifts were physical. I’d see things. Visions, memories, whatever they were, they showed me what was deep in the soul of another person. Hidden secrets and desires, hopes, dreams, and regrets. It was all laid bare before me. It let me get to know people on a much deeper level. But it was a double edged sword. It wasn’t long before I began to avoid my friends, not wanting to know what was truly in their hearts.

Sonny would encourage me to use the power he gave me. Then I learned why. If I got too angry, I would black out. Sometimes for mere moments, other times for hours. I would always wake from the longer spells at home, in bed. When I lost control, he would take over. The more of his power I used, the easier it was for him to do it.

"Sonny, what did you make me do last night?"

"Why nothing you did not want my dear."

"I didn't want to kill him, just hurt him so he'd never do it again."

"Tsk, tsk. You cannot lie to me. I felt your rage. I merely did what you still do not have the stomach for."

"But I don't want to kill. I've never wanted to kill."

"You cannot tell me you didn't enjoy killing those boys that hurt you. I didn't have to take control that time."

And he was right. I had killed them all on my own. In the weeks after the attack, I struggled with both my new found power, and the rage that was always just below the surface. I became obsessed with finding the guys who hurt me and taking revenge. I spent all of my free time that summer at the beach, hoping to run into them again. It was Labor Day when it happened. Another drunken party on the beach. I found them on the path again, most likely waiting for another girl to victimize. I was dressed like I had been on the Fourth, cut off shorts, bikini, button down. I didn’t know if they’d even remember me, but I knew I’d never forget them. I let my hair fall in front of my face, hoping to obscure it. I pretended to stagger as I walked. I wanted them to think I was easy prey.

“Hey there girlie. Wanna have some fun?”

I didn’t say anything, just giggled and walked closer.

“We’re gonna have a little party, wanna come?

Just a few more steps.

“What’s your name, hon?”

I stumbled, falling into the nearest guy. He reached out and grabbed me. When his hands touched me, I went into action. Punching, kicking, using my nails as claws, I held nothing back. I reveled in the screams and piteous sounds that escaped them. I gloried in their suffering. I was vengeance come to life. When I was done, blood dripped from my body. They were still alive, but not long for this world. I stood over them, letting them see their murderer. I watched as they took their last breaths. Then I simply walked away.

But it was the last time I had knowingly killed. That was five years ago. I left home after that. When the police started asking questions back then, people remembered that I had been looking for them. Luckily, nothing came of it, but the looks and whispers nearly tore my family apart. Two weeks later I left for college in Boston. Leaving it all behind was easy.

I knew it was only a matter of time before they retraced David's steps and someone at the bar mentioned him arguing with a woman. They would get my description and from the bar my name. I had paid for drinks with a debit card.

"My dear, there is no way they will suspect you are capable of what we did to that man."

"We? You did it."

"Not so. Had you not started the punishment, I would not have been able to finish it for you."

As usual, Sonny was right. It really made him insufferable sometimes.

"Okay mister know-it-all-I've-walked-the-earth-for-thousands-of-years, what do I do?"

"Do? Nothing. Let them come and speak with you, tell them what happened. Just modify the ending slightly. After he laid hands on you, you left, not wanting to be around him anymore."

"And the police will believe that? With witnesses telling them I chased him out?"

"Witnesses confuse facts all the time. The police know this."

The rest of my morning was a blur. Put on coffee. Shower. Get dressed. Drink coffee. Sarah. It was at the gym one morning where I first talked to Sarah. It was 5am, and the gym was nearly deserted. Three other regulars, all men, were working with the free weights and I was about a mile into my warm up run. Standing near the entryway to the locker room, water bottle in hand, she looked like a lost puppy. A very cute lost puppy. With her yoga pants and tank top clinging tightly to her lithe body, her long blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail. Full lips and big blue eyes. And she had the attention of everyone at the gym. I had seen her there a few times before, but never had a chance to start a conversation.The guys had stopped what they were doing. They looked like a pack of hungry wolves. Eyes glued to her body, they were practically salivating. When her eyes met mine, she smiled and walked over. Climbing on the treadmill next to me, she introduced herself with a smile and a rush of words. "Hi, I'm Sarah. I just moved here. Mind If I join you?"

She was one of those people who make other people smile when they smile.

"Sure. Who knows what would happen if I abandoned you to those animals."

She glanced over at the group of guys, "Oh, they don't look so bad."

"Yeah, I thought like that at one point too."

Sarah looked at me with curiosity. She wanted to know more. Points for her, but I was not ready to get into that story with her. I gave her another smile and smoothly changed the topic.

"So...um. What brought you here? Not the gym, I mean, why'd you move here?"

"I graduated college in May and after spending the summer job hunting, I came to the realization that if I wanted to do more than manage a McDonald's, I needed to move to where the work is."

"So you just picked up and came out here? Alone?"

She nodded.

"Impressive. How did the people you left back home feel about the move?"

"I only left my sister behind, and she has a new husband to take care of her. If anything she'll be glad I'm out of their way."

Score. No boyfriend.

"I'm sure she'll miss you. So how's the job search going out here?"

We chatted more while I finished my run. I ended up doing an extra 3 miles to keep the conversation going. I had killed all the time I had for the gym, so I said goodbye and headed to the locker room. After a quick shower, I got dressed and headed out. As I walked out of the locker room, I was surprised by Sarah rushing over.

"Hey, so, um, I don't really know anyone here, and, well, I was hoping we could hang out sometime."

I guess I did better than I thought. "Sure, what's your number? I'll give you a call this weekend and we can grab a drink."

She handed me a slip of paper with her name and number on it. Then she hugged me.

"So I'll see you this weekend," I told her.

"Yup, it's a date."

I gave her one last smile and headed for the door as she went into the locker room.

We had met up that weekend for what became the first of several dates. Although she hadn’t seen them as dates. After the first week of fun but frustrating dinners, drinks, movies and flirting, I decided to take things further. Either she wasn’t interested, was totally oblivious to my intentions, or dating a girl was new to her. She had been open to my flirting, and even flirted back. We had long since broken the touch barrier, often pressing our bodies together on the dance floor. I liked her. She was smart and fun, and we got along great. I only hesitated because I was afraid of ruining things.

We were at a movie when I decided to take the leap. We had seen a new horror movie that had come out, it had been Sarah’s choice. They scared the shit out of her, but she loved them. I knew I was in for a late night as she wouldn’t want to be alone. After the movie she invited me up to her place. Her apartment was sparsely decorated. A big comfy looking couch, TV, and a coffee table. Except for the TV, everything had a thrift store look to it. Used and broken in, but still with some life in it. Curtains, candles and a cactus in a pot completed the decor. We opened a bottle of wine and got comfy on the couch. We had been talking for a while and were pretty drunk when I asked her, “So why do you love horror movies so much?”

“I like the rush from being afraid. Besides, they distract me from the things that really scare me.”

“What are you afraid of?”

“Life. Not being able to make it. Having to go back home a failure.”

“You’re not a failure. You’ll find a job, these things just take time.”

She started to cry. “It’s just, I moved out here for a chance, ya know? A new start. It's been six weeks. I've been on dozens of interviews and nothing.”

The tears were really flowing now. I held her tighter and tried my best to comfort her.

"It's ok. It will all work out for you."

"Yeah, sure. And if it doesn't? I'm all alone out here."

"Not anymore. I'm here for you."

She looked up at me, tears glistening on her cheeks, her eyes all puffy from crying. I wiped away her tears and she hit me with that amazing smile. So I kissed her. When my lips touched hers, she tensed. But after the briefest hesitation, her body relaxed and she returned the kiss. When I pulled away, she started stammering.

"I... um... you know I've never... are you?"

"Sorry," I told her, "it seemed like a good way to distract you."

"Oh. Is that all it was?"

She seemed disappointed. So I kissed her again. She responded. Her soft full lips parting to accept my tongue. Her arms wrapped around my neck, holding me close as we explored each other's mouths. She was eager, but this was all new for her. I tried to take things slowly. My hands slipped down around her back, our bodies pressed together tightly. I could feel her passion building as we kissed. My lips left hers and I gently kissed her face, tasting the salt of her tears. I reached up with a hand and pulled her hair back, exposing her slender neck. I kissed my way down to her shoulder, sucking and nibbling along the way. Her hands were in my hair, clutching tightly and guiding me. Soft moans escaped her lips. My hands slid under her sweatshirt, touching her silky smooth skin.

She guided me across the floor to the couch. When I felt the couch behind me, I fell back onto it, pulling Sarah with me. We separated for a moment, and the pause cleared our heads. She looked at me shyly, almost embarrassed. "I've never kissed a woman before."

"I'm sorry. You are upset and...”

"No. It's ok. I enjoyed it. We may need to do that some more."

With that Sarah nestled in against me on the couch. This time she kissed me first.

That was three weeks ago. So much for our date. Instead of dinner with my hot girlfriend, I spent my night killing someone. Hopefully she'd let me make it up to her. I sent her a text. "Hey Sarah, sorry about last night. Why don't you let me make it up to you today?"

I tried not to stare at my phone while I waited for her reply. What's the saying? A watched pot never boils? She got back to me a couple minutes and another cup of coffee later.

"Sure, come by."

Guess finding out you were sitting around the corner from a gruesome murder will shake a girl up a little.I told her I'd be right over.

I left my apartment and caught the bus down the street. I could run to her place faster, but in the daylight, it would definitely attract attention. And mess up my hair. I didn’t want to be a complete mess when I got to Sarah’s after all.

A quick text as I got off the bus let her know I was nearby. She met me at her door. She lived in an apartment in a 3 story house. Hers was on the second floor. The neighborhood wasn't the greatest, but I was betting the rent was cheap, which was probably the most important thing to someone who moved here with no job. She led me up the stairs which gave me a chance to admire her again. She hadn't gotten dressed up at all. Flannel pajama pants and an oversized sweatshirt, hair still tousled from sleep. It was adorable.

Sarah closed the door behind me. I turned around and for once she wasn’t smiling

“I waited around for almost an hour for you. I went looking for you at the bar and in the bathroom. I couldn’t find you anywhere. I was so pissed. Then the police show up...”

“I’m sorry. Like I said, I got sick and…”

“Why didn’t you come back and get me? We could have left together. What aren’t you telling me?”

The truth. I didn’t have a good excuse. Even if I told her the truth, would she believe me? Would she be afraid of me or hate me?

When my phone rang, I knew I would never get an answer. The caller ID showed an unlisted number. Normally I wouldn't answer, but I was pretty sure this was the call I had been expecting.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Miss Lockwood?

“Speaking.”

“This is Detective O'Hern. I was wondering if you were available to speak with me."

“Could you tell me what this is all about?”

“Well, I’m sure by now you’ve heard about the incident that occurred last night.”

"Um, sure. I'm not at home right now, but I'll be glad to stop by the station when I head out."

"Thank you, Miss Lockwood. If you could come now that would be ideal.

I let him know that I was on my way and hung up the phone. I was nervous. Sonneillon was right. They knew I had been there and they just wanted to see if I saw anything. There was no way they would consider me a suspect. Or at least that's what I kept telling myself.

I told Sarah what I needed to do. She understood. After all, she had been at the police station all night until early this morning. I gathered up my things and Sarah said she'd walk me out. At the front door to the building we stopped, and Sarah kissed me goodbye. I opened the door and stepped out into a war zone.

The police knew. The phone call must have been so they could trace my location. I don't know how many cops were standing there, shielded behind their cars, with their guns drawn and pointed at me, but it was a lot.

"Miss Lockwood. Turn around, get on your knees, and put your hands behind your head!"

"You must not submit, I cannot abide being in a cage," Sonny whispered inside my head. I wasn't too keen on the idea either. Seeing as I was guilty, and the police seemed to know it, I didn't think my chances at a trial were too good.

I could feel my body tensing, adrenaline coursing through me. My fight or flight instinct kicking in. Unfortunately I wasn't wired for flight anymore. I moved slowly, going to one knee, trying not to alarm the police. Just before my knee touched the ground, I heard the door open behind me, and spun around. A gun fired. Sarah stood there, shock written clearly on her face. The bullet hit my shoulder. Sarah screamed. I sprang into the air. I heard gunfire as bullets tore through the air. My feet came down on the roof of a patrol car, my momentum caving it in. I lashed out with hands and feet at the nearest police. I felt bones break as my hits landed. I was trying not to kill, but as the police began to fight back, the urge was building. The cops nearest me, those still standing at least, switched from guns to batons. They rushed me as one, batons swinging, a wall of flesh to trap me. I rushed back. Lowering my shoulder, I tackled an officer, creating a gap in their defense. I rolled free of him and hit another from behind before he could react. One by one, I knocked them down. Some rising again, others not.

And then I saw her. Slumped down in the doorway. Sarah. Blood soaked through her sweatshirt. I moved to her and took her in my arms. I brushed her hair back from her face. Our eyes locked. I could see her innocence. Her love of life. Her love for me. Nothing. Her lifeless eyes stared back at me.

I woke up in a cheap motel room the next morning.

I turned on the TV. The news was on every station. They even had video. The camera inside the police cars had caught it all. I watched the grainy, black and white footage in horror. I laid Sarah's body down. The police were starting to stir. Guns were drawn. Even with the distortion of the video, my intent was clear. The police fired. Bullets tore into my body but I didn't stop or even slow. As I grabbed an officer, the broadcast cut away.

"The remainder of this footage is highly graphic and unsuitable for viewing," the news anchor, a gentle looking older man announced.

"To recap, fourteen officers were slain and 16 more are in critical care after an incident yesterday evening. Police were attempting to apprehend this woman, Tabitha Lockwood, for the murder of David Earnshaw. Video from an anonymous source showed Miss Lockwood following Mr. Earnshaw and beating him to death in the alley where his body was found. If anyone has any information regarding the whereabouts of Miss Lockwood, please contact your local police or the FBI."