Chương 76: 3.1 Seven Devils - Florence + the Machine (5:03)

Sophia Jensson Sophia leaned her head against the window and watched the world blur past in long streaks of greens and browns. Fields and trees and the occasional fence sped past outside the window. Every now and then a car zipped by, going the other way, as if they were rushing away from where the Jensson family station wagon was headed. She tried to bite back a yawn, but it didn't work. Her mouth stretched wide and she covered it with the back of her hand.

The glass against her temple was cool, and for a second she thought about just closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep.:: You're tired.:: Ew'ah's voice slipped into her thoughts. Sophia huffed quietly. No kidding, she thought. She didn't say it out loud. When she was alone at night and it was the two of them, she'd whisper back without thinking. But she knew that while she was out here, riding in the station wagon with her parents up front and her brothers crammed in around her, she couldn't "talk" with Ew'ah.

It would have drawn attention, and she didn't want the attention of her brothers and parents. She shifted in her seat and kept her eyes on the passing field. It had been a long night, but it was definitely worth it. She'd been hidden inside her closet with the newest book she'd picked up on the last job. It had been tucked away in a drawer in some half-collapsed house. The cover had been worn and the pages were warped from the damp, but it was still readable.

It had been easy to smuggle the book in her first aid kid, and when she'd gotten back home she'd snuck away to her closet with her flashlight and whispered the words of it under her breath while Ew'ah listened. She'd almost got all the way to the end before sleep had tugged at her.:: You never answered me.:: Sophia blinked. Answered you about what?:: About who you think the murderer is,:: said Ew'ah.:: I think it's Jeffry, the brother. I had brothers once and they were stupid and couldn't do anything right.

It's got to be Jeffrey.:: Sophia had to fight the urge to smile. That would have been a mistake. Her brothers would have noticed something like that. Instead, she tipped her head back and stared up at the cracked, sagging fabric the lined the ceiling of the family's station wagon. It's always the butler, she thought.:: The butler?:: Or the maid. Or someone like that, Sophia added. It's always someone who is around but nobody really takes the time to notice.:: Always? Why?

:: Sophia shifted again and let her gaze drift back to the window. Because they blend in. They hear everything and they're always around but nobody thinks about them. It's always the person you least suspect.:: That seems unfair.:: Sophia had to stop the laugh from boiling out of her. Yea. That's kind of the point. The station wagon hit a rough stretch of road and it bounced hard enough to jolt her. She rubbed at her eyes and blinked the sleep out of them as the scenery around her began to change.

There was less green and more… emptiness. The trees started to thin out and buildings started to show up. Most of them looked tired and empty. A few were boarded up while others just sagged unnaturally. Sophia straightened a little as they rolled into town. There was a man waiting outside one of the ramshackle buildings, and Sophia guessed he was the sheriff. The badge was a dead give away, but the man didn't look as imposing as the other sheriffs her father had dealt with before.

He was standing stiff outside the building with his hands on his hips. Then he dropped them to his sides. Then he folded them. Then he unfolded them. It was obvious that he was nervous and didn't know what to do with his hands. The station wagon rolled to a stop and her father got out, shutting the door behind him as he walked over to the sheriff.

"Glad you made it out here," the sheriff said as he shook her father's hands.

"We…uh, we don't usually get folks like you this far out."

"Yea. Haven't been out this way before," her father replied.

"I take it we were referred? What's the job?" The sheriff swallowed. It's…it's bad. Read bad. We got three bodies in the morgue already, and we're not a big town. Our coroner…hell, he's up to his eyeballs in it. Said he's never seen anything like this." Sophia could almost see the dollar signs in her father's eyes. Three dead was a lot. And it meant a lot of money.

"What are we dealing with?" her father asked. The sheriff hesitated. He looked back at the town, like whatever had just killed three people was watching from somewhere.

"We don't know exactly," he admitted.

"But it's fast. And strong. It's got claws…I think. It tore through one of the dead like…well, it didn't even slow down." Sophia felt a faint shift inside her. Ew'ah was listening more closely now. Before the sheriff could continue rambling, her father cut in.

"The pay?" The sheriff straightened a bit.

"Ten thousand." Sophia blinked. That was a ton of money. It was way more than they usually got. Not only that, but the sheriff hadn't even tried negotiating with her father.

"We just…we just need this thing handled," the sheriff added.

"Whatever it is." Sophia studied the man's face. It was obvious that he was afraid, but there was something else there too. There were dark circles under his eyes and he kept glancing over his shoulder. He hadn't been sleeping and he was terrified of whatever it was that was out there in the dark. Her father gave a small nod.

"We'll take the job." The sheriff let out a breath and Sophia saw the tension he carried slowly drip off the man.

"Thank you. Thank you."

"We're going to need a building to set up in," he father continued.

"It needs to be somewhere quiet and out of the way." The sheriff nodded quickly and turned to gesture further into town. Sophia leaned back in her seat and let their voices face into the background. She stared out at the empty streets and the sagging buildings and tried to get herself mentally ready for what was about to happen. She felt a warm and steady push leak into her and Sophia breathed a little bit easier. It was Ew'ah letting her know that she wasn't alone.:: You'll be fine.:: Yea, she thought.

She wasn't sure if she believed it, but she held onto Ew'ah's reassurance anyway.

The building her father had picked had been a storage unit at one time. It had a low ceiling and a concrete floor and a wide metal door hanging crooked off its hinges. The whole place smelled old and dusty and quiet. It was far enough away from the rest of the town that nobody would come poking around. Sophia stayed near the wall, just inside the doorway. That's where she always ended up. She was close enough that she could be called when needed, but far enough away to not draw the attention of her parents.

In short, she was invisible and that was just the way she liked it. Her father moved to the center of the room and crouched down to start scratching out a circle on the concrete. It came together slowly, piece by piece, as her mother knelt nearby and unpacked the tattoo kit and laid it out on the floor. Sophia's stomach turned a little as she watched. She swallowed down the bile that slowly started to come up, and tried not to think about what was going to happen.:: Look at the door.

:: Sophia blinked and her thoughts were forced back into the room. Why?:: Look at how the light comes in. It changes when the clouds move.:: Sophia frowned slightly but she looked at the door anyway. The afternoon sun spilled into the building. Dust drifted through the beams of light and Sophia felt herself calm a little bit.:: You're breathing too fast.:: Sophia hadn't noticed, but she did now. She slowed her breathing. In. Out. In. Out.:: Everything will be fine. I'm here.:: Sophia didn't answer.

She just kept her focus on the light entering the room as her shoulders loosened a little bit. Hours passed. The circle had been completed and all the equipment had been laid out in neat little rows. The building felt gloomier now as the four of them just waited for what would come next. Sound came from outside. It was the sound of boots clomping against the concrete and voices calling out urgently.

Sophia straightened right before something slammed into the door and rattled it so hard that it almost fell off its hinges. Her brothers stumbled into the room and they were dragging something between them. The creature fell to the ground with a heavy thud and Sophia's breath caught in her throat. Her first sight of the creature was almost too much. It looked human at first glance. It was the same general shape and structure. But it was stretched out too much. Its limbs were too long.

Its skin was a sick, pale grey that was pulled tight over bone and muscle. Dark veins snaked just beneath the surface and Sophia could just barely make out the blood moving through them. When she looked up at its face she flinched back. Its mouth filled over half of its head and was filled with thin, needle-like teeth that flexed and shifted as it moved around.

Its eyes were red and sunken deep into its skull, and its hands were tipped with long, jagged claws that slid out from its fingers with a wet clicking sound. Sophia took a step back as the creature thrashed against the restraints. Her gaze flicked to her brothers and what she saw there shocked her. Her oldest brother had a deep cut running across his face, from cheek to jaw. Blood had dried along the edges, dark and cracked. Her other brother was in an even worse state.

His entire shirt was soaked through with blood that leaked from three deep slashes across his chest.

"We hit it with everything we had," said her oldest brother.

"We used up all the tranqs and it barely slowed it."

"It doesn't go down," her other brother added as he kept a grip on the leashes.

"It just keeps going." The creature barked out a sound that sounded like a thin, drawn-out wail. It was barely audible… but it hurt. It slid under Sophia's skin and attacked her bones and vibrated them. It felt like something had grabbed her and started shaking her until she was dizzy and nauseous. She felt herself clenching her teeth and her stomach twisted and she thought she was going to vomit up the meager breakfast that she'd had that day. Across the room, her father flinched.

That was enough to shock Sophia right out of her stupor.

"Get it in the circle," he snapped. Her brothers hauled the creature further into the room. It fought them every inch of the way. Its claws snapped out and its limbs twisted and its body stretched. It took her brothers and father working together to force the creature into the circle. Even that wasn't enough to get it to stop moving.

"Hold it!" her father demanded. He raced away and grabbed the nail gun nearby. Thunk thunk thunk. He drove the nails through the creature's arms and pinned it into the circle. Even that barely mattered. The thing kept thrashing about. It tore at the nails and snapped its teeth at anything that came nearby. It "screamed" again and she could see both her brothers flinch back in agony.

"Sophia!" her father called out. She walked forward, step by step, and could feel her breathing speed up again. The air in the room felt thick. The creature's head snapped towards her and its red eyes locked onto hers. Its mouth stretched wider and it snapped at her before letting out another wail.:: I'm here. It's okay.:: Sophia focused on Ew'ah's voice and took a deep breath before stepping into the circle. Her mother grabbed her arm and stabbed the tattoo needle into her skin.

She felt the sharp, familiar burn as ink and something else sank into her body. The creature thrashed harder and pulled at the nails. Blood smeared across the floor and filled the circle. The awful wail filled Sophia's head and then… something broke. This didn't feel like all the other jobs. This wasn't a slow spill of memories that she and Ew'ah had got used to pushing to the side. It was a violent flood that threatened to drown her. She felt violent and hungry and angry and furious and endless.

It all crashed into her like a wave and she gasped. Her vision blurred and the world tilted and she could barely make out the voice of Ew'ah trying to calm her down. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. Something ancient slammed into her and everything went dark.

Ew'ah She braced herself. The moment new souls entered, she always knew. But this time things were different. All the other souls that she'd dealt with had been loud and chaotic, but this one was a storm. It tore through Sophia's inner world and ripped at everything it touched. The other souls scattered and shrunk back and pressed themselves into whatever corners and cracks they could find. Ew'ah could feel the fear radiating off of them. Stop, she demanded as she raced forward. The thing didn't listen.

Instead, it turned to her and lunged. It was hungry. It was furious. It was ancient. And it wanted out. It wanted freedom. It hated being caged inside this small soul space. Ew'ah met it head on and slammed into it. You will stop NOW! The space shuddered and Ew'ah held her ground. She'd done this plenty of times before. Whenever Sophia went out with her family and they stuffed another soul inside her, Ew'ah had been there. She'd learned to corral them and force them into obedience.

You don't get to hurt her, she said, forcing the words into something solid. You don't get to break what I am protecting. The thing pushed back harder and stronger. It couldn't understand Ew'ah. Or, if it did, it just didn't care. Behind her, Ew'ah could feel the other souls begin to stir. Panic slowly spread through them and she could feel them all start to tense. Ew'ah didn't need to turn to face them. She just sent a force behind her to slam into the other souls. Be still.

She'd broken those things before, and they remembered what happened if they got out of line. They stilled and quieted immediately. Ew'ah turned back to the new presence and it surged at her. She forced it down and contained it but… it wasn't clean. It was still thrashing and fighting, and Ew'ah could feel its anger start to bleed through. Every part of Ew'ah focused on maintaining the fragile control she had on the creature. She could do this. She could tame this one. She could protect Sophia.

She could make sure that none of the souls got out of line. But even as she forced the stillness into the new creature, she understood something that made her feel a little afraid. This one is different. It was stronger and hungrier and angrier than the other souls that she had constrained for her friend. It was much, much harder to control. It was a Sanguivore. That's the name she got from the creature. Ew'ah tightened her hold on the Sanguivore and pushed thoughts its way.

You will learn what it means to stay, she forced the thoughts at it. You will learn to obey. She knew she could hold the thing down. She could do it. She could protect Sophia. But… at the same time, this one was much harder to control. And she wasn't entirely certain she could hold it forever.

Sophia Jensson Sophia woke up to cold concrete. Her head throbbed and there was a dull, pulsing ache behind her eyes. She felt sore and achy, like she'd been running for miles. She blinked slowly and the ceiling came into focus but her breathing was still ragged. She was still in the middle of the circle and she inhaled slowly and pushed herself up onto her elbows, wincing at the effort it took.

The circle all around her was smeared and the lines were darkened where the blood from the creature had flowed and dried into the concrete. She turned her head and the creature was laying beside her, completely still. Sophia watched for a moment longer, waiting for it to move. But when it didn't, she let out a breath and took a look around the rest of the room. Her mother had already packed everything up. All the tattoo equipment was cleanly stored away and the room felt empty again, like nothing had happened.

Across the room, her brothers were slumped up against the wall. The first aid kit was between them and its contents were scattered everywhere. There were pieces of gauze and some bandages and empty vials and wrappers that had been torn open and tossed to the side. Her oldest brother had his face wrapped tight and her other brother was now shirtless, his chest bound up in thick bandages. Neither of them was looking over at her.

Sophia's eyes lingered on the mess for a second and a small thought quietly slipped into her head. Good thing I didn't find a book this time. If she had, her father would've seen it when he ripped through the first aid kit looking for supplies. That would have got her in trouble. Not that it mattered much. Just looking at the remnants of the first aid kid, she knew that she would be getting yelled at.

She shifted slightly and glanced towards the doorway where her father was standing, quietly talking with her mother. Even from her spot on the ground, Sophia could see the anger etched on her father's face. The job had been too hard. They'd used up all their supplies. They'd burned through so much equipment just to put down that thing. They'd need to replace everything, and that would cut into the profit from the gig. Sophia knew exactly where the anger for all that would land.

She lowered her gaze quickly, trying to make herself smaller and less noticeable. Her hands rested in her lap and she flexed her fingers slowly. They felt weird and heavy. Ew'ah? She thought quietly. There was a pause and Sophia's chest tightened at it.:: I'm here.:: Her voice was calm but… strained. There was something tight in her voice that she was trying to hide. Are you okay? There was another pause which got Sophia breathing heavier.:: Yep. Everything is fine here. Everything is okay.

:: Sophia didn't believe that, but she nodded faintly anyway.

"Up." Her father's voice cut across the room and Sophia flinched slightly, almost more than when that creature had cried out, and she pushed herself to her feet. The family packed up the rest of the gear in silence. Her brothers weren't joking or talking. In fact, they avoided looking at her, just like her father. The family dragged themselves into the station wagon and they were off driving to where the sheriff was with their payday. The sheriff paid them. Sophia didn't pay attention to what was happening.

She just let her head rest against the car window. It was taking way too much effort to sit up straight. Her body still hadn't rested from the job. Then her father got back into the station wagon and they drove home. By the time they got back it was fully dark. Sophia set out the dining table and laid out the utensils and did everything else that was required of her. Her body was feeling achy and sore and clammy. Occasionally a shiver ran through her that she couldn't stop and she felt like she was getting sick.

The family sat down to eat and the table fell quiet. Her brothers were seated across from her and they were still wrapped up in their bandages. Her oldest brother winced when the gauze on his face tugged whenever he turned his head. Her other brother struggled to reach anything set in front of him. Neither one of them said anything while they scarfed down the food. Sophia stared down at the table for a moment. Ew'ah? She thought again. This time the answer came a little quicker.:: I'm here.

:: She still sounded strained. You sure you're okay?:: Yep. Just resting.:: Sophia frowned slightly but she didn't push it. Instead, she reached for the bread on the table. It was Ew'ah's favorite… for some reason. She didn't go for sweets or sugar. Bread is what made her happy. Sophia grabbed a piece and spread some butter carefully on it. Want some bread? We can imagine that we're outside that cafe. It's warm and quiet there, and nobody is looking at us or expecting anything of us.

There was a faint shift inside her and something warm spread though Sophia.:: Yea. I'd like that.:: Sophia almost smiled but she caught it and held it back. Then she lifted the bread to bite into it… but her father's hand snapped out and caught her wrist. Sophia froze. His grip tightened and his fingers dug into her skin. She winced, but she didn't try to pull away. She could feel the anger radiating off of him. It came in waves that slammed into her.

Ever since Ew'ah first came to her, she was able to feel glimpses of emotions from people. And right now, she was feeling an overwhelming anger from her father.

"If you were better," he said, his voice low and tight, "if you could actually pull your goddamn weight, your brothers wouldn't look like that." His grip tightened on her wrist and pain flared sharply. She kept her eyes down and didn't move and didn't speak. It was safer that way.

"They wouldn't be bleeding all over the place. We wouldn't have had to burn through half our supplies. Tranquilizers. Bandages. Antibiotics." Each word he released hit her and merged with the anger emanating from him. It all mixed together and started slamming into her.

"Do you have any idea how much that's going to cost us?" he demanded.

"That's money that we now have to spend fixing what you couldn't handle." Sophia's wrist throbbed under his grip and it was all she could do to try and ignore it. She kept her eyes on the table and caught sight of the bread in one hand with the butter slowly melting in it. Just stay quiet. Just stay small. Wait for it all to pass. That was how it worked. That was how it always worked. But there was something else there. Some emotion started to bloom beneath the fear and the pain. It was sharp and it was rising.

It was… Ew'ah? Sophia could feel the anger, sudden and fierce, flare up from Ew'ah. It was a protective anger.:: He's hurting you.:: The words were tight. Her father squeezed harder and something slipped. Sophia felt a shift under her skin. Her tattoos flared. The newest one moved. It shifted down her left arm, the one held tight by her father, and she felt the strength there. She spun her arm and gripped her father's arm in her hand. And then she squeezed.

Bones broke under her grip and, for the first time in a long time, Sophia looked up into the eyes of her father. And she saw surprise there. Surprise and shock. And fear.

Sophia woke to silence. Silence and red. She couldn't tell what she was looking at, but her vision slowly came back in pieces and shapes and colors. None of it made sense when put together. There was so much red. The red was soaked into the table and the floor and the walls. Her brothers were still seated in their chairs. Long, jagged claw marks had torn through flesh and bone like it was nothing. Her oldest brother was slumped sideways and the chair was tipped. Her other brother was just… wrong.

Sophia's gaze dragged slowly to her father. His arm was gone. It was across the room, thrown into the corner like something discarded. Blood splattered across the wall behind it. He was still seated in his chair and his face was locked in pure, frozen, unmistakable fear. Her mother was on the floor and a dark pool spread out beneath her, soaking everything it touched. It was all too much. Sophia started shaking and her teeth clicked together.:: Don't look.

:: Ew'ah's voice cut through everything and brought Sophia back into the room.:: Sophia. Don't look at them.::"I…" she tried to speak but words were jumbled up in her mouth.:: Get up. We need to leave. Get up and go to your room.:: Something in Ew'ah's voice cut through the fog and Sophia moved. She pushed herself up from the table and wobbled slightly as she got her legs under her. Her chair scraped loudly against the floor and Sophia wanted to vomit. Instead, she turned and moved.

She was running up the stairs and to her room. Her hands shook as she grabbed the first aid kit from where it sat on the floor. The thing felt lighter because… well, it was. It was mostly empty. All the bandages were gone. All the supplies that they'd burned through had disappeared. There were a few towels left inside and that was fine with Sophia. That meant that there was space for her clothes. She knew what she needed to do. She had a bag. Ew'ah was telling her she needed to go.

A small voice in her told her she needed supplies if she was going to leave. She needed to pack up everything that she had if she was finally going to escape her family. Sophia tossed the bag on her bed and rushed to her dresser, yanking it open. Then she stopped and stared down at her hands. They were covered in blood that was dark and sticky. Her breath stuttered and she had the weird thought that she didn't want to touch anything with her hands all covered in blood. It was actually two thoughts.

The first was from her murder mystery books and it was all about how cops could dust for fingerprints and if she left bloody handprints all over the place, they'd be on her quick. Another, quieter thought, was telling her not to ruin the few clothes that she had with all the blood on her hands.:: Sophia.:: Ew'ah's voice was coming out steady and focused. Ew'ah would know what to do. She had to listen to Ew'ah. Sophia felt something slid under her skin.

She looked down to see her newest tattoo, the one her mother had marked her with earlier in the day, had started to move. It slowly slid down her arm and curled along her wrist and spread over her hands. Wherever the tattoo passed, the blood vanished. She watched as the dark red color slowly pulled into her skin and disappeared. Then the tattoo slip back up her arms and under her shirt. Sophia looked back to her dresser. No time, she thought to herself.

She grabbed whatever she could reach and stuffed her clothes into the first aid kid bag without thinking. Shirts. Pants. Socks. Underwear. It all was tossed inside.:: Go to their room.:: Sophia ran down the hall and reached her parent's room. She slammed into the door and nearly burst it from its hinges and another small thought started worming its way into her mind. That shouldn't have happened. That door was too strong and sturdy to fall like that.

But the thought was only there for a split second before Ew'ah's voice pushed it aside.:: The dresser. You know where it is.:: She knew where it was. She rushed to her parent's dresser and yanked it hard enough that the drawer splintered and clothes went flying. Her father didn't… hadn't trusted banks. He didn't trust anything that was bigger than him. The cash was bundled in the back and it was wrapped tight in a ziploc bag. Sophia grabbed all of it and stuffed it into her first aid kit bag.

Her breathing was too fast again. It was loud in her ears.:: It's okay. You're doing okay. Let's just keep moving.:: Sophia nodded and then turned and ran back through the hallway. She slid to a stop right in front of her room and then quickly turned and stepped inside.:: Sophia. We have to leave. Let's go.::"Just a second," she said. She rushed to her closet and pulled it open.

The murder mystery book that she'd been reading with Ew'ah last night was placed there on the blankets and sheets that cluttered her closet. She grabbed the book and tossed it in the bag and then turned back to the door to her room.

"We need to find out who the murderer was. It might have been Jeffrey. We don't know." She felt a bit of warmth spread through her at that moment. It was Ew'ah letting her know that everything was going to be just fine. Then Sophia was off again. She raced down the stairs towards the front door. To her left was the dining room. She could see it from the corner of her eye and she slowed for a second. The blood was there. So were the shapes of her family.

Something inside her twisted and pulled at her, desperate to look and see its handiwork.:: No.:: Ew'ah's voice snapped.:: Don't look. There's nothing there for you now.:: Sophia paused, then nodded, then moved. She was out the door and into the night. The air outside hit her like a cold shock and she stumbled once on the step just outside before she caught herself and kept going. She kept strolling forward and didn't look back at the house that she'd always hoped to leave behind her.

She knew that if she had looked back, she wouldn't see anything. All she'd have seen was the house standing quietly there. Quiet and still, like nothing had happened at all. She wondered how long it would take before someone came looking for them. She pushed that thought out of her head and walked into the dark, the first aid kit clutched tightly in her hands and her body starting to shake and her mind going blank.:: Everything's okay. Everything's going to be fine. I'm here. You're here. We're safe.

:: Sophia didn't know if that was true or just a lie that Ew'ah was telling her. Then she decided that it didn't really matter much. She was just happy to be out of the house. She was happy that Ew'ah was with her and helping keep her calm. She kept walking and, a few blocks from the house, she opened her first aid bag and pulled out the worn murder mystery book. Her hands shook as she grabbed her flashlight, clicked it on, and turned to the last page she'd read.

"Okay Ew'ah…do you need a refresher? Or should we just get into it?"