Jessie 2: The Eldest Brother
1195 Words
JESSIE
It’s late. Really late. With exams coming close, I lost track of the time studying in the library.
Fall is here and the chill in the air is welcomed despite my body shivering a little from the cold. My decision to go through the dark and deserted park isn’t the best but if I wanted to save time to reach my small apartment, it had to be done.
I clutch the books on my arms to my chest and pull my bag closer. There wasn’t much to steal in my bag but I couldn’t risk losing the ID with my meal plan.
Darkness engulfs me as I trudge through the park. Despite that, I felt surprisingly safe. Usually, I would be extremely nervous to pass here but for some reason it felt even more secure than the lit streets.
Smiling to myself, I continue on.
I start to regret all my life decisions about safety when I feel an unearthly chill in the air. As if it couldn’t get any worse, a high pitch shriek erupts from deep inside the park that forces my eyes close.
It felt like something was barreling towards me and when I opened my eyes, I wished I didn’t.
A monster the size of a large bear appears from the trees. It had bright blood red eyes and sharp long teeth dripping with black ooze. With it’s pointy nails as long as my arms, it slowly walks closer to me.
The scream that should have come out is swallowed by panic and I take a step back. It’s like a horrible horrible nightmare. My mind blanks and I’m lost.
Do I chuck my book at it? But my homework is there? What if I survive? What would I give my terror professor tomorrow?
“Rrrrrr... you look tasty.” An animalistic voice comes out of it and I gasp in fright. “As you should... being Pride’s girl.”
My knees start to shake but I refuse to fall. This isn’t how I go out. I always figured that too much coffee would be my demise. It would be delicious and accepted.
Not this. Not a nightmare reincarnate.
The monster takes one long sniff of the air before charging head first towards me.
I will not scream. I chanted to myself repeatedly and prepared to jump away if need be.
All too soon, a burst of air came from behind me. Too fast for my eyes to see what happened, a man was suddenly in front of me with a hand on the monsters head.
“You dare attack my human?” The man’s back is to me and I couldn’t see much. His voice is strong and powerful with a hint of amusement.
I hear an earth shattering crunch of bone. The monster let’s out a pained wail until it roughly falls on the ground creating a mild tremor that almost felt like a mini earthquake.
My eyes trail down and see that the monster’s head is crushed with black substance oozing from it. The smell was horrible and I feel my lunch from hours ago lurch.
My mind spins and I fall to the ground in fright. The events from a mere moments ago rush through me and I feel myself shake.
Too engrossed in my own thoughts, I barely notice my savior crouch in front of me.
It’s too dark to see but he towers over me and his broad built is enough to shield my eyes from the large putrid smelling corpse behind him.
I feel him place a heavy hand on my shoulder. “Are you hurt?”
“N-no. What was that?” I whisper my voice shaking.
My eyes meet grey ones and for some odd reason it provides a little comfort. “A lesser demon. It’s nothing to worry about.”
“A demon?!” I gasp pulling away from him. “We should be worried! Did you see how long his teeth were? It went down to his chin! Oh! And the eyes!”
The man merely watched me panic. He stared at me with a blank expression his eyes searching.
“What if there are others? Let’s get out of here!” I continue not understanding why this man was not as scared as I was and then it dawned upon me. “You killed it with one hand!”
“Of course I did. It’s a mere lesser demon.” He said matter of factly in a low baritone.
The urge to run away from my savior is high but I don’t. If he could easily kill monsters like that it means he can do it again...
or he could easily kill me.
I’m nearly blinded by my own panic until he moves the hand on my shoulder up to the side of my face. The feel of his hand causes me to pause. It’s alarmingly calming and I don’t know how to feel about that. “Jessie Kingsley, I’m here to protect you.”
And I believed him.
“What?” I managed to say when the shock finally subsided.
Grey eyes search mine. Now much closer to him, I could see his face better. He’s surprisingly handsome with sharp cheek bones and a well defined jawline. He has full lips that are rosy in color because of the cold.
His jaw clenches and he breathes out looking frustrated.
My savior uses the hand he had on my face to pull me closer to him until our foreheads touch and my vision blurs.
What on earth?
There’s a welcoming heat where our skin touch. Images flash through my mind. Seven boys are at some sort of cavern. They’re talking amongst themselves and there’s a booming voice.
A mirror.
It was of me from a few days ago in class.
Life force.
Linked...
With a demon?!
A greater demon!
Pride.
Just when I think I’m about to pass out, my savior pulls away leaving only the ghost of his touch. My heart is thumping that I’m afraid it’ll burst out of my chest.
I look down and I let out a strangled sound when I notice that the corpse behind the man is gone. Leaving not even a drop of the black blood on the ground.
“It’s? It’s gone?” I manage to say between breathes.
He turns around leisurely as if he already knew that it was in fact gone. “Dead or alive demons can’t stay in this world long.”
“Not you.”
He pauses and nods. “You know the answer to that.”
I hesitate not knowing how to put my thoughts into words. The images from where we touched still fresh in my mind as if I was the one there. “We’re linked... I..z but why me?”
A mocking laugh comes from him. “You and I have the very same question.”
“I don’t fully understand or I do.” I touch my head in confusion. “I just can’t fully process it.” I softly say looking up at him.
He merely stares back his grey eyes brighter than ever. “I expect as much. How about we take a walk?”
What is happening? What did I get myself into?
My savior stands up and dusts himself off. He looks down at me and emotionlessly offers a hand. I stare at it for a few seconds.
Timidly, I take it and the moment our hands touch a pleasant warmth goes through me. He looked satisfied with himself as he pulls me closer to him.
“What do I even call you?” I ask when he steers us out of the park.
He looks back at me. “They call me Pride.”
- Writer
