Eliza weaved through the forest with ease as she followed the glowing trails of the fleeing Holly. The tiny redhead wouldn't get far. Every step Holly made, Eliza could make three to match. She was closing ground on the woman entirely too fast in all actuality. She didn't even know what she was going to do exactly when she caught up with her.
What's happening to me?
Her thoughts wrang through her head so loudly she could almost hear them. She was changing physically and wasn't sure how to feel about it. She could feel herself becoming stronger. She could feel herself becoming faster. Her vision was improving at a rapid pace and she was able to sense things that she never thought possible.
Here she was gliding through the night forest as if it was a second nature and knew everything that was around her without having to look or listen.
None of that bothered her though. All of that was positive things and therefore nothing to worry about. No, she celebrated those changes, but the changes that concerned her were the changes to her body.
Her skin was growing redder by the hour. It held a darkened red color more similar to a brick than her old skin color. The strange lumps on her head were growing larger and driving a constant stinging pain through her skin and she felt similar stinging pain on her back in two spots just above her shoulder blades. She happened to catch a glimpse of her face in the reflection of a small pond earlier and noticed that her pupils were all but gone, leaving only whiteness to remain. She ran her tongue over one of her canine teeth as the sharpness of it almost sliced her tongue. And even her tongue seemed to be growing longer.
She was turning into a demon and there was nothing that she could do about it.
The proposal to Kyle was made for two reasons. The first reason was that she wasn't sure how much longer she could have fought his pull on her.
She wasn't sure how much longer she had until she was going to turn into a mindless sex slave like Katey so she did what she thought she could do.
The second was the fact that she was lonely. She sought companionship and Kyle had been the best companion that she had had in a long time. He made her feel safe and that went a long way in a world such as this one.
The thing that worried her the most was the way she found out how to convince him to do what he did. She had no idea how any of the demon stuff worked at the time. There was no way of her knowing to ask for marriage. There was no way of her knowing about them sharing the link with each other.
It was Riggan. The demon queen herself had slipped into her thoughts and told exactly what to say and what to demand if she wished to remain an individual. The demon queen herself had offered her a gift for cooperation. And it was that same demon that whispered little bits of information to her from time to time.
What was Riggan's final goal with her? What could she possibly have for the queen?
"You might as well stop running," Eliza projected her voice toward the frightened woman as she ran as hard as she could. "How long can you possibly run?"
How did she do that? Eliza didn't even know that was possible before then. Another gift? How many gifts would she get? She could throw her voice wherever she desired and suddenly she knew exactly how to do such a thing. It was as if she had the power her entire life. No training, no learning, no practice. She could just do it.
Holly stopped her run and leaned against a tree as she looked around. Eliza watched her glowing aura as confusion took control of the short woman's fear.
Something fell into her eyes, causing her to squint and rub it out with the back of her hands. It ran into her mouth and tasted metallic. It tasted like blood. She pulled her hand away to see blood smeared on the back of her hands. What was happening now? She reached up and felt small horns protruding from both sides of her forehead where the lumps were expanding. Her skin had split open enough to allow the sharp horns through.
Anger swelled within her. There was no turning back from this. She wasn't escaping the changes and she would make sure no one else would be able to escape their own fates within this world either.
"I'm coming for you," Eliza projected her voice in front of Holly, placing it between Holly and the way to the village. Her voice held an echo-like reverb to it similar to Kyle's voice. It was fierce and close enough to Holly to send the woman running back the way she had come. She was running straight into the clearing again.
"You better stop," she shouted, but this time it wasn't a projection. She was right on the woman's heels.
Holly screamed as Eliza closed in on her, weaving around the trees and gaining ground with every step.
Eliza reached back to slash at the woman with her hand as they made it to the clearing. One more step and she would have her!
Holly screamed as she disappeared out of her sight. Eliza's eyes shot wide open in surprise as she found nothing but air under her as she fell into the hole. She had forgotten about the hole in her frantic chase and was paying the price for it now.
Her head smacked into the ground so hard that white spots took over her vision for a brief moment. It was enough of a moment for Holly to be standing over her and holding what looked like a large branch.
"What do you want with me?" Holly shouted as she held the branch at the ready.
Eliza laughed and spit blood from her mouth as she started to stand. Another loud crack and sudden pain in her head sent her to the ground again though. She looked back up to Holly to see her holding the makeshift club at the ready for another whack.
"Answer me," Holly shouted and looked as though she might swing again even if not provoked.
"Soul," Eliza explained as she shook the dizziness from her head. "We want your soul."
"It's not for sale," Holly said harshly before smashing the end of her branch down on Eliza's back, driving her down to her belly.
A new strength began surging through Eliza as she placed the palm of her hands down to the ground and pushed herself up. Another whack from the branch sent her back down again though.
"We can keep this up all night," Holly warned. "You keep trying to get up and I'll keep knocking you back down. I won't stop until you're dead. You better believe me!"
Eliza believed her.
TBC