It's Time...
By Emily N. Daniel
"What do you mean it's time?" the girl asked, her voice trembling as she stepped back in fear.
"You know what I mean," the demon grinned viciously. "You knew this was coming. Now, it's time to go. Stop fighting."
"No! It was a mistake! I should have never...I was young! I should get a second chance! It's not fair!" the girl was now against the wall.
"Stop this childish behavior! You're coming whether you like it or not!" the demon grabbed her arm and the girl screamed, the room exploding in a burst of spastic color that spun so fast she felt herself becoming ill.
"Please, let me go! I'm going to be sick!" she cried.
Ignoring her, the demon looked into her eyes. The girl gulped as she saw flames burning deeply within his dark pupils. "As stated in the contract you signed in the year 1997, you were to be called upon 10 years later to take part in our mission to take over the earth, am I correct?"
"Yes, but I was just a teenager! I knew no better!" the girl's face was green and she didn't know how much longer she could hold her breakfast in.
"Well, as that matters not, I suggest you stop your insufferable whining and start preparing yourself. This will not be easy." the demon told her.
'You're telling me,' she thought silently to herself before turning her head and vomiting into the swirling vortex surrounding them.
Part 2
"Here we are," the demon chuckled. He watched her observe her surroundings in horror as she wiped her mouth. Rivers of lava flowed under a blood-red sky. Flames licked the land and the screaming of tortured souls could be heard no matter how hard one tried to block them out.
"Yes, but where is here?" the girl asked, her esophagus still burning as though it too was on fire.
"Where do you think?" the demon grinned and motioned her to follow. "You will be meeting with the supreme ruler, where you will be given your assignment. Be warned, he has no time for sniffling brats and he will show you no mercy. It would be a waste of your time and his to try and weasel your way out of it."
"Sounds like a wonderful guy," she muttered sarcastically.
"Well, for what the deal was, did you really expect him to be? He has fulfilled his part of the bargain. It's your turn. After all, for one life ruined..."
"I don't want to be reminded! It was a mistake!"
"My girl, you have no idea...."
Part 3
"Step up, young lady!" the supreme leader bellowed. The ground shook from the deep bass in his voice, rolling like thunder until the girl could feel it vibrating throughout her entire body. She did as told. "Please state your name!"
"Susie Dirkson," she replied.
"Your REAL name!" he pounded his mighty fist upon the arm of his throne.
The girl looked down and muttered, "Lucy Cummings."
"Lucy Cummings, you have agreed to serve our army in our mission to take over the earth! You are to spend the rest of eternity doing so. Good day." The supreme leader motioned her away. Two guards grabbed her by the arms and started to drag her out of the room, but she fought and pleaded.
"Surely there must be some way out of this! I was just a teenager at the time! I didn't know what I was doing! I regret it and spent most of my time wishing to take it back!" she cried.
The supreme leader stood up from his throne and seemed to grow to twice his size in the process. A voice even more terrifying than before boomed out from him. "You signed a contract! It is done! We gave you the life you wanted for a generous ten years, which in turn destroyed the life you took over! We have done our part and now it's time to do yours!"
"Nooooooooooooooooooo!" Lucy screamed as she was taken away to be prepared for her new life as a member of Satan's army.
Part 4
Lucy woke up screaming, her sheets soaked in cold sweat. She was shaking horribly, a weakness like none other penetrating her entire body. She collapsed back against the icy wet pillow and breathed a sigh of relief. "It was a dream," she told herself, "only a silly little dream." At this, a slight smile graced her lips.
Guess again, girl!
"Noooooo!" Lucy was yanked up, having blacked out yet again during another grueling training session. At the moment she was learning to cross the lava river before her legs burned completely to the bone. She had just finished her eighth attempt, but only was able to keep a small percentage of meat. This did not please her sergeant.
"YOU WEAK FOOLISH GIRL! DO IT AGAIN!" the demon that had originally brought her to this horrible and wretched place, cracked a whip sharply into her newly formed leg skin. The pain was absolutely biting against the tender new flesh. Lucy bit her lip, blood flowing down her chin at an ever increasing rate, and readied herself to once again put herself through agony.
Part 5
"Get in there, you little slut!" the demon threw Lucy's battered and bleeding body into the cell she was forced to occupy every night. Once again, she had been raped repeatedly and brutally by not only the demon but the demon's brethren. She scrambled to a corner, cowering and trembling with wretched sobs. Her insides burned with a pain like no other. The thought of it happening again tomorrow night made her sick to her stomach. She vomited, getting it all over the floor and herself. The demon sneered and tossed her an already filthy towel. "Clean yourself up, you disgusting whore, for tomorrow you will have to prove yourself in battle."
Lucy looked up, her beaten face unable to hide her wide, fearful eyes. "Who will I be fighting?"
The demon just grinned. "You'll see. Oh, you'll see...." He glided away, closing the door behind him. As the locks clicked loudly, Lucy continued to cry as she tried to clean herself. Finally, she gave up. She wanted so desperately to die. Unfortunately, she was already dead.
Part 6
The morning dawned in the deep pits of hell. Lucy opened her eyes. The day had passed so quickly, or had it been three weeks? Time had no meaning here.
She got herself up, dried blood coated sticky and thick on her legs. She had barely managed to clean herself up at all. What was the point? Still, she had suffered enough at the hands of the demon to bring on more punishment simply because she was lazy. She took the towel and tended to her wounds.
'Wasn't I suppose to do battle today?' she thought as she put on her usual military-style uniform. As she stepped out of her cell, she ran into none other than her arch nemesis. "No, I don't believe it! It's you!"
Part 7
"Susie Dirkson?!" Lucy cried, "How can it be?"
"Surprised, are you?" Susie snickered, her eyes glowing red, "Who better to do battle with than the very soul whose life you destroyed?"
"Well, can you blame me?" Lucy flared, "You and your horrible friends made my life miserable when all I ever did was admire you! You were the popular one, the one that everybody liked despite the fact you were a conceited snob! I couldn't get the guy I liked to pay any attention to me because he was so busy drooling over you! That's when I knew that I had to take over your life because while you didn't deserve what you had, I did!"
"Says who?" Susie snapped back, "It seems you are more the witch than I ever was! At least I didn't steal your life from you! You damned me to this place when I was just a teenager! I never had a chance to live! It's not fair! At least you got another ten years, even if you were a FAKE the entire time! You didn't even get the guy in the end!"
"Yeah, turned out he was gay," Lucy smirked, "Go figure. He was trying that hard to fit in."
"Obviously not as hard as you!" Susie's entire face was red by now, "I'll see you in the arena. I'll make sure your afterlife is worse than your pathetic existence ever was!"
Part 8
"Take your positions!" the demon cried. Lucy stared nervously into the ever-reddening eyes of her opponent. Susie showed no sign of fear. If anything, she looked like she was out for blood...Lucy's blood. She was ready for her revenge and Lucy knew this. It's not that she didn't deserve it, but Lucy planned to avoid giving her the chance at all costs.
Soon the battle was underway. Susie's sword sliced through the air with such speed that Lucy saw little more than a silver blur. She darted about to avoid the blur, but with the ring enclosed by other fellow militants she had little space to do so. She was more than a little afraid.
"Well, well, you are rather quick on your feet," Susie grinned, "...but not quick enough!" Before Lucy could move, the blade sank deeply into her leg. It cleanly cut the limb off right below the knee. Blood poured onto the ground as Lucy collapsed in shock. Susie grinned victoriously, her white teeth bared like fangs.
'Wait, those ARE fangs,' Lucy thought as she fought the urge to pass out. "You are not Susie Dirkson!" she cried, "You are just another demon!"
Susie gasped as if her whole body was suddenly racked with pain. Letting out a bloodcurdling scream, her skin melted away, exposing a truly horrific monster. Its skin was the deepest shade of vermillion one could imagine. Its fangs were yellowed and the horns on its head were red and razor-sharp, perfect for slicing its unfortunate prey into shreds. Lucy then watched in horror as the monster took her severed leg into its mouth and chewed hungrily, blood and drool dripping disgustingly down its chin. She turned her head in disgust.
Part 9
Back in her cell, Lucy winced as she bent and stretched her newly-grown leg. The door opened and the real Susie Dirkson entered. "Well, I heard it was quite the interesting battle," she smirked.
Lucy glared at her and attempted to stand, but soon fell to the floor again as the new leg was not yet ready to support her. "How dare you switch out like that! I thought we were going to have it out, but instead I ended up fighting a demon and a rather nasty one at that!"
"What can I say? Changed my mind," Susie giggled and made her way over to Lucy, bending down and taking a close look at her leg. "Wow, not bad. I see you've learned to regenerate body parts rather well in the short time you've been here. I'm impressed....means you can take a lot more damage." She got up and turned to leave. "Until next time, dear...." As the door closed behind her, Lucy sighed, wondering just what Susie had in store for her next.
Part 10
Lucy stared down at her arm. Covered in dozens of needle marks, the limb fell limp to her side as the intoxicating agent coursed through her veins. She sighed, her eyes rolling in their sockets. What were those strange dreams again? Would she slip into one now? Would she once again think she had taken Susie Dirkson's body and life as a teenager and that ten years later she was paying her dues by being mutilated and raped by demons? Who was this Susie anyway? She seemed like someone from a distant past, perhaps a past life.
"Wake up, you pathetic fool!" a shrill voice screamed as a dagger was driven through Lucy's skull. Lucy's screams mingled in with the other's as she pulled herself from the water, gasping for breath. Her skin was pale and pruned, pickled in a way. Blood poured down her face as she struggled to wipe hair and blood away so she could peer at the person who did this to her. Not much to her surprise, Susie Dirkson stood before her laughing. "How wonderful the past two months have been! I must say the highlight of the day was laying by this pond, watching your blue, bloated corpse floating around, knowing that you were experiencing the wretched life you would have led had you not stolen mine! It was absolutely splendid!"
"Glad to hear you had such a great time," Lucy spat some blood out of her mouth, seized the dagger, and yanked it out of her bleeding brain tissue. "Maybe next time instead of stabbing me in the head, you could slice me open and gut me organ by organ until I come to!"
"Not a bad idea, Lucy. Not a bad one at all. I'll have to keep it in mind," Susie smirked. "Get cleaned up. Our master wants to see you. Your time in waiting is complete. You are to be sent on your first assignment. You will finally get to serve Satan's army."
Part 11
Lucy stared out the window at what one would have believed to be a terrible nightmare. The ground was covered in broken glass and used heroin syringes. The air was smoggy and one usually breathed in more fumes than oxygen. It was not fit even for the rats that dwelled the area, but still this was where Lucy Cummings rested her head. She was on her first mission as a soldier for Satan's Army. Her task was not only horrendous to carry out, but even Satan himself would not wish such duty upon his own worst enemy's dog. That was why Lucy was here. Besides the dog, she was the only other one available.
Lucy sighed. She didn't want to take a single step out the door. Her right leg was still growing back from when she was forced to lop it off. The limb had turned green and had started to ooze pus from the constantly-erupting sores. It was bad enough that she had to regenerate her feet every night from stepping out during the day, but to grow back an entire leg was taking entirely too long. However, Lucy shuddered at the possibility of what could happen if she did not complete her assignment.
Slowly, Lucy took one excruciating step, a needle instantly plunging into the tender flesh of her newly-grown right heel. She flinched, then sighed and waited for the hallucinations to begin. It took only a moment, but then the familiar yet terrifying show began to play. Before Lucy lay a village burning with flames that would make the devil himself envious. People were screaming, burning, and dying all around. She simply yawned and waited for the scene to end as it always did with all the villagers dying, their houses burnt to ash.
However, this time Lucy noticed something she had not before. Among the charred corpses, a very pregnant woman appeared. She was staggering under the weight of her huge belly while trying to escape a fiery death. Suddenly, she collapsed on the ground, crying out in pain. At first, Lucy could not figure out why, but then realized the poor woman must be in labor.
Part 12
Leaping into action, Lucy ran to the woman and took her hand. "We have to get out of here!" That's when Lucy noticed yet something else. This woman looked horribly like an older version of Lucy herself. "Mother?"
The poor woman looked at Lucy, her eyes shining with tears. "I'm not going to make it. I have to deliver this baby now!" Then she let out a terrible scream that made Lucy's blood curdle.
"Okay, okay. Just relax for a moment..." Lucy said, "I'll try to find a doctor..."
"DAMN IT! There's no one left! Please, help me! You're the only one!" The woman then started to push with all her might, her face turning even redder than it already was from the fire. Lucy sighed and nodded, preparing herself to help bring a new life into this already dead world. Only a few minutes later, the air was pierced with the cries of a wailing newborn and the new mother stared down smiling before fainting dead away....seriously.
"Oh, great," Lucy groaned, taking the bloody baby up into her arms and carrying her away. "What exactly am I suppose to do with this little baby girl now?"
"Absolutely nothing," a voice cackled and the demon appeared before her. "Congratulations, Lucy. You just saved yourself from a fiery death." Suddenly, Lucy felt a weight lift from her.
"Hey, where did you send that baby?!" Lucy cried.
"Oh, she will be found on the doorstep of an orphanage, just as you were many years ago," the demon grinned, "Don't you get it, Lucy? You just saved yourself from dying as a small infant."
"YOU REALIZE THAT WAS COMPLETELY POINTLESS, RIGHT? I WOULD HAVE RATHER DIED THAN STAY ALIVE AND BECOME A SLAVE FOR YOUR ARMY!"
"Yes, it was completely pointless. So, are you ready for your next mission?"
THE END....seriously.
