Author's Note: Well, it's been 6 years since I've touched this story, but for some reason people are suddenly following it again so why not continue it? Please keep in mind that my writing style and literacy has changed since then so it might read differently with future updates. I'll try to keep the tone as similar as possible, but with a lot less typos and cringey dialogue. Without further adieu, I present to you the next chapter of Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things.
"Your sent, it's... intoxicating"
The words danced within Lilith's ears. She flipped her entire body around in one swift motion, unprepared to meet the empty blackness which now surrounded her. The sinister voice taunted at her again, but from further away.
"It's all gone now…" It faded into the distance.
"Hello?" Lilith called out, her voice containing a faint tremble.
Something appeared in the distance. It was small in stature and stark white against the black blanket of a room. Lilith squinted at the mystery being.
"Who's there?" Lilith's sight finally adjusted over the figure's slender frame and recognized two, piercing, greenish eyes staring back at her.
A rather stunning young lady stood before Lilith. The girl was all too familiar and foreign at the same time. She wore a thin white gown that flowed nicely off her curves and draped to the ground. The outfit complimented her smooth, porcelain, pale skin. Her lips were tinted pink in a plump pout and her hair draped down in curly locks of satin chocolate. 'Goddess' would be an understatement to describe such a creature.
"Who are you?" Lilith inquired, only to be met with complete confusion when the girl mimicked the exact movement of Lilith's lips.
Lilith cocked her head to the side, as did the stranger. That's when she noticed the ornate frame around the girl, encompassing her as if she were a portrait. There was a sudden dryness in Lilith's throat as she took a step forward to investigate, the girl copying her movement.
"It...can't be-" A hand slid cautiously over Lilith's throat, ceasing her thought.
She froze in place as the image behind her formed within the mirror. Jerry pulled Lilith's back against his chest, his other hand brushing her silky locks to the side of her shoulder. She reluctantly looked up at him and was immediately trapped by his black, beady gaze. Jerry parted his lips into a triumphant smirk, a sliver of fang peered out from underneath his upper lip. Lilith's breath hitched in her throat. Jerry relished in her reaction as he lowered his lips to her ear.
"You're mine now." He purred, triggering shivers down Lilith's spine.
Jerry nudged his head toward the mirror, signaling for Lilith to do the same. She flashed her eyes back to her alien reflection, unprepared for the further shock of meeting solid black eyes. She gasped and as she did, two fine points popped out from her upper gum. The tips just barely grazed the flesh of her lower lip. Blue veins pulsated from her jugular and traveled down her exposed arm. The goddess-like being had become something of nightmares. The creature shrieked back at Lilith, piercing her ears like sharp needles. The cry grew in pitch and morphed into the sound of an alarm clock.
Dazed and groggy, Lilith rolled onto her side. Her hand fumbled as she reached over to quickly silence the noise. She paused, attempting to recollect the memory of her dream and the events of last night. As if an electric pulse bolted through her, she sprung up in her bed. She first took notice to the streak of daylight peeking in from behind her curtain. Lilith went to move the curtain back a bit, but found herself instantly retracting from the hot, orange light. It felt like she'd just spilled boiling water on her arm and had military-grade lumen lights flashed into her eyes. She groaned and clutched at her arm, the curtain falling back into its place. That's when Lilith noticed her wrist. There were two pin-needle pricks centered over her vein. She swallowed hard. Last night happened.
Moving to the edge of her bed, she sat there in defeated silence, her mind rummaging through a thousand thoughts a minute. What now? Is Kate dead? Will anyone know? Is Jerry coming after her now? And worst of all… Lilith lifted her wrist to reexamine it. Her brows furrowed with an uncertain fear. Was she turning?
Taking things one step at a time, Lilith decided to shower first, let the water calm her and wash away the trauma of last night. She cringed when she saw remnants of blood and mud seep down the drain. When she went to get dressed, she paused and noticed herself in the mirror. She still appeared tired and worn, the usual dark circles making themselves at home under her eyes. But the bruises that had riddled her body from days prior were all nearly faded and gone. She was starting to look healthier...almost as if she was healing at an abnormal rate. Averting her eyes from the image, she finished changing. On the bright side of all this, she could finally dress for southern California weather. The only thing she cared to keep covered were her wrists, which she concealed with black, lace-collared cuffs that complimented her tank top. She patted on some light makeup to hide her tired appearance, grabbed her school bag and hurried down the stairs.
There was a sigh of relief when she entered the kitchen, discovering only her Mother and Bill to be there. Jack had work today, praise the lord. She choked down some cereal and toast before hurdling herself out of the kitchen. Her Mom stopped her by the door.
"Hold on now. It's still early, give me a few minutes and I'll be ready-"
"Uh, no, it's fine." Lilith interrupted her. "I want to walk to school today. It's nice out."
"You know, Marg-" Her mom cleared her throat. "Lilith...It's not safe to be walking alone that far, especially in this city."
'Only when it's dark out.' Lilith thought to herself. "Mom, it's the suburbs. I'll be fine." She wondered if the uncertainty was visible in her tone. "Gotta go." She quickly fled through the door and shut it behind her, silencing anymore of her Mom's feeble attempts at stopping her.
Lilith stood under the awning for a moment. Her eyes squinted up at the unfriendly sun. She dug into her school bag and pulled out a pair of sunglasses and a trench coat. So much for keeping cool on an 80 degree day. She put everything on and took her first step into the glaring light. It felt uncomfortably hot on her cheeks, like she had laid against a stove that was only just recently turned off. It hurt, but it was manageable for the time being.
Lilith's first order of business was to investigate the pool area, which to her surprise wasn't already blocked off with yellow tape and surrounded by police and medics. It was a weekday morning though. No one would really be going to the pool at this time, so the scene could very well have remained undiscovered. She casually strolled over there, not wanting to draw too much attention to herself. Peeking from the corner of her eye as she walked, she noticed nothing out of the ordinary. There was no toppled or broken furniture, or any sign of struggle really. She stopped by the gate's entrance, checking around for any onlookers and once she assessed it was safe to do so, she slipped her wrist in between the bars. With a couple of jiggles, she opened the gate and hurried inside.
The ladies restroom door was closed. Odd. She was certain it had been left open when Jerry attacked Kate last night. Her breath hitched in her throat as she cautiously pushed the door open. With wide eyes she looked on in horror. Not due to the discovery of Kate's mangled and bloody corpse on the floor, but because the lack thereof. It was clean, spotless, not even a single drop of blood on the ground. There wasn't a trace of dirty footprints or a puddle of water. Nada. Lilith's face went paler than usual. 'Where was the body?' She thought. The realization that Jerry had covered his tracks brought on an even more disturbing thought. Where was Jerry?...
