Chapter 3: Seven Devils

Disclaimer: I don't own or make any money from this

Warnings: Language, self-harm, possible triggers for self-harm.

Song used: Seven Devils by Florence and the Machine

….

Holy water

Cannot help you now,

Thousand armies

Couldn't keep me out...

….

At first, she thought Josh was too lost within his own horror to get up, even as Amanda tugged on his sleeves in urgency. She didn't want to stick around for when whatever did this came back. She called Josh's name a few times to try and make his eyes meet hers, yet his whole body remained sagged in the dirt.

"Josh, come on buddy. You have to get up."

The sun was completely gone at this point, and the forest was an array of terrible noises and darkness. She could barely make out his outline on the ground. All around them was a cold blackness that devoured everything, dancing wickedly and stretching up the lengths of the tall trees like grabbing, spindly hands.

"Josh! Get up!" She reaches down to grab his hand, finding it just inches away from- that- catching it gently in hers and pulling upwards to encourage him to stand, but nearly threw it away when she realized it was slick with blood. A scream catches in the back of her throat.

"Come on." She pulls harder.

Eventually his body stiffly stands with much effort on her part. Once she has him on his feet, Amanda then takes his hand in hers and leads him back in the direction she hopes is their house. His weight is comforting, knowing she wasn't alone, yet it only slows her down and it feels like the harder she pulls the more he resists.

They were obnoxiously loud with their uneven steps and leaves gave away every footfall, but the light in the distance let relief flood her. Whether it was their backyard or not, she just wanted out of these trees.

Fifty yards later they make it to the line between forest and man made soil, and she wants to cry at the sight of their house looming not too far away. She wants to let go of Josh's hand but resists the urge to leave him and sprint to safety, for the weight of him had grown and she knows if she doesn't drag him with her he'll flop back onto the ground again like a dead fish. When they finally reach the glass doors Amanda nearly cries out in happiness as the warm air from inside hits her face along with the smell of home.

What she doesn't expect is the shrill ring of the telephone.

For the first set of rings, both teens simply stare at the phone, and before either of them makes a move to answer it falls silent. They both still stand just in the doorway to the kitchen and when Amanda turns to Josh she then sees the red staining his shirt.

The call forgotten, she pulls Josh further into the house. "We need to get you out of that shirt buddy."

Josh is still looking across the kitchen at the wall phone but she knows he heard her when he begins to tug up his shirt. She can only stare at the blood that soaked through to his chest and now painted his skin.

"Okay, let me take that," She takes his bloody shirt. "and you go take a shower, okay?"

Josh doesn't even nod, but wanders away from her and to the upstairs bathroom. She goes to put his now ruined shirt in the garbage, and once that's done, she sets off to the sink to wash off the blood now all over her hands.

The water is cold when she sticks both hands under the flowing faucet. It feels good, but she soon has to look away when the turned-pink water drains down the sink. Her stomach turns. She has nothing left in her to throw up but she has no doubt that eating anything will be a huge mistake.

Flashes of that mangled, little body flood her mind but she ignores it in favor of taking a scrub brush to her skin. Red still stains her fingernails, dug deep within the tiny crevices outlining the round cuticles. She scrubs harder at each one, trying to get every last bit.

When her vision starts to fade the realization she isn't breathing takes over, and her mouth opens to gasp at the air. Her hands are angry with marks where the brush dug in too hard. Steam is coming out of the sink and the hot water has long since gone past the point of scalding. Her hands hurt.

Another presence makes itself known when a gentle touch leads her away from the sink and turns off the water. Josh, she thinks absently as she sits down at the table, he joins her in the chair opposite of her with a wet towel. When he places it on her hands she sighs at the coolness of it on her skin. The reminder that she needs to keep breathing her only focus. For some reason the thick smell of blood has yet to get out of her nose, and the sting of the forest still burns her arms and legs. She doesn't know if Josh is still with her but she doesn't bother to look away from the phone that lays across the room on the wall innocently.

Suddenly a tapping on her shoulder alerts her of her brother, and she hums in question, though it comes out as more of a croak. She doesn't turn to him and she gets another tap, harder this time, in rebuke. She groans and finally brings her chair around to look at her now standing brother, who is less than three feet in front of her, caging her in to the table with a look of pure-

Hate?

Disgust?

Betrayal?

All three?

Amanda reeled back as her brother came even closer and put his arms on either side of her chair, looking like he was about three seconds away from murder. She'd never seen him so angry before, ever, and tears came up and over before she even understood what was happening.

"I'm sorry!" She wailed.

Josh however, didn't seem to be moved, and huffed in irritation at her childishness. Rough hands clamp onto her shoulders and shake her in silent demand that she gain control of herself again. But her emotions were too far gone and the little girl inside was scared and confused, so resorted to the only thing it knew how to do- crying.

….

I don't want your money,

I don't want your crown,

See, I've come to burn your kingdom down…

….

Josh could have slapped Amanda.

It was like all those years meant nothing and the pain that tore at his very bones was the exact same as when he found Petey- broken and dead. It was almost ironic the bodies looked about the same, mutilated in the same horrid fashion that was meant to bestow agony before the animal breathed its last. The work was the same- everything was the SAME- and he could only blame his traumatized sister because he absolutely refused to believe the other possibility. There was no way. Amanda let the dog out, and the thing got itself killed by a bear, there were plenty in this area and dogs and cats went missing all the time because of the wild animals in the woods. It was normal. Just a coincidence, his mind making it seem like it was more than it really was.

Amanda was still sobbing, her head buried in her hands. He let go of her trembling shoulders and stormed away in a blind rage up the stairs. He didn't want to look at her anymore. He just became more and more furious as she pretended this dog actually meant something to her, like she was sad for the dog's death. What a load of bullshit. She never cared for that dog, she HATED that dog. Not that he blamed her for that, he hated it too when his parents first brought it home. Nothing could replace his Petey, not now not ever, but FU grew on him with how loving she was. Every dog wanted love and attention, they starved for it, and when you gave it to them they formed a bond with you that wouldn't be broken- ever.

And he learned to gradually fall in love with the thing despite his better judgment of it. She was so much like Petey, but somehow sweeter to him. He didn't often give her the time of day, but sometimes in the middle of the night, when everyone was asleep, he'd let her in his room and cuddled into her soft fur. He'd coo and silently tell her how great she was, and as if she could read his mind her tail would jump up and down with agreement, and he kept petting her till they both fell asleep.

Amanda either chose not to notice or ignored this treatment. Maybe she felt better not knowing he let this creature into his life, or maybe she hated the dog all the more for it, he didn't really know.

But none of that even mattered now, none of it. It was pointless to have hindsight, the phrase 'I told you so' floating around his mind- sounding strangely like Amanda- and he knew loving that dog was nothing but a mistake.

It seemed their tragic, little family couldn't have anything without it being ripped away, and he was so sick of losing things he cared about.

….

Holy water cannot help you now,

See, I've come to burn your kingdom down,

And no rivers and no lakes can put the fire out,

I'm gonna raise the stakes, I'm gonna smoke you out…

….

She was aware, and yet she wasn't. Josh had left her cold and alone. She hadn't stopped crying, tears and snot ran freely down her hot face. She couldn't really breathe correctly and her vision was long since blurred to nothing.

She just sat in her own nasty misery.

That dog wasn't what made her cry- she couldn't care less about the stupid dog- it was what it meant. She knew she wasn't fucking crazy. She knew it had to be him! It had to be! That phone call, the pizza, the dog. It was his style, his mind games. It reeked of that undead bastard.

But… who would she tell? What could she even do about it? Josh wouldn't understand. She wanted to tell him, but he would break. She couldn't do that to him.

Fighting… she had none of that left. The years of wasting away in self-pity and fear had ruined her chances of fighting. She was weak. A pathetic, little girl who only survived the first round on sheer luck. Now it was time for round two and she wasn't ready for it.

The house around her was silent, and she stopped her sniffling to wipe her face on her ruined shirt, grabbing a handful of cloth to blow her nose on before taking it off and tossing it into the trash. She sat in her jeans and bra, now freezing but far from caring. Goosebumps rise up, and her hands reach to stroke them back down. Her head hurts, a steady pounding from built up pressure.

She's suddenly so tired.

She stands up, and reaches for the ceiling, listening to how her back cracks as she stretches. She starts to walk towards the stairs…

When the phone rings.

"Nooo!" She whines, and the sudden jerky movements she makes are strangely like a small girl throwing a tantrum.

She doesn't want to answer the phone, she doesn't. But the fear of what will happen to her if she doesn't?

"Hello?" She whispers in the receiver.

"Hello, Amanda."

His voice is just like she remembers, cold and beyond chilling.

And it was him, she was sure of it this time.

"Ray…" His name escapes in a rush, heavy and vile on her tongue. She glances around for Josh, making sure he's not in the room. She can't let him know.

"You guys are pretty bad at answering your phone, you know. Might want to work on that."

Oh god she wasn't ready for this, she was gonna throw up. She wasn't ready for this. Wasn't at all ready. Help.

"Wh… What do you want?" a whisper.

"What do I want?" a dark chuckle, "What a loaded question, Amanda. I want a lot of things."

"Please…"

She wasn't sure what exactly she was pleading for. For him to leave her alone? Her sanity? For a quick death?

"Hmmm… it's been a loooong time since I've heard you beg, hasn't it? Remember the good old days? I certainly made it a point tonight to bring both of you down memory lane. Hope you weren't too attached to the dog, but you do know the rules."

She was crying now. Her shoulders shaking as her hand clutched at the wall trying to keep herself grounded. She was losing it.

"What do you want from me?!"

There was a long pause from the other end of the line.

"... I want revenge, Amanda. I want you to feel the same pain you bestowed upon myself and my people. You heartless bitch.

"I. Want. You. To. Feeeeel iiiit."

….

Seven devils all around you,

Seven devils in your house,

See I was dead when I woke up this morning,

And I'll be dead before the day is done.

….

Author's note: Holy smokes! Why do I do this to myself?! I feel so Bleh after that, so much EMOTION! Yeah, it's a short chapter but next one is the good stuff. Then it's on to even greater things!

Thank you so much to those of you who read, favorited, and reviewed! You guys are awesome! But If I could get a bit more feedback that would probably motivate me to get these chapters up faster. Even a simple "please, more!" would be nice. Or if you have some pointers and such that would also be more than welcome. If you have questions please PM them to me so I have a proper way to get back to you.

Thank you all!

IiR