Screaming Flames

         The stink of the carnage and the blood, the sight of the impaled bodies on the walls, were too much for me. I've seen death before, but this was done for pleasure. The mangled human bodies were no longer distinguishable as human. With one great gag, my stomach emptied itself, via vomit. I dared not to lift my eyes above the ember lit floor. He had gone too far.

         A renewed stench of burning flesh filled my nostrils. Even through the malicious crackling of the fire and the blood curdling cries and screams, I could hear him. Chaos and Darkness spawning in his foot steps, he was getting closer. My heart beat faster.

         The door slid open on its rusty hinges, squealing as it did so. Black leather boots stepped inside. A great wind filled the room, making the flames dance, and blowing up embers from the burning furniture. I pushed myself back against the wall with my tiny arms, and barricaded myself behind a bookshelf that was charred and only half its original size. I watched the boots circle the room, looking for me. The boots stopped in front of the shelf; my heart stopped. The shelf burst into millions of splinters, revealing me to the owner of the boots. The splinters scattered on the floor.

         "Peek-a-Boo..." He said mockingly. He seized the front of my night gown and threw me across the floor, to the center of the room. "...I see you."

          He walked over to me and kicked my side. "Get up," he commanded. My ribs made an unmistakable crunch, and I could no longer breathe. Even still, I found myself staggering to my feet.

          I only came up to about waist high on my attacker, seeing as I was only six. My stained white nightgown billowed about my person in the great black wind swirling around the room. He looked down at me through his bright green eyes that flickered in the light of the dancing flames. He had ear-length, greasy black hair that whipped about his handsome face. His snake green skin had a black layer of smoke and soot. His body was that of a teenager's, despite his age of a century and a half. He was dressed all in black. He wore a cowled black cloak that came to his knees, over one shoulder; It too, rippled in the strong breeze.

         He lifted one of my arms, gently in one hand. "The human body seems so fragile..." He said, admiring my arm at many angles, "...T'would be a shame if it some how...broke..." He crushed my bicep in his one hand until it snapped and I could no longer feel my fingers. I could only wince at the pain, standing as still as possible.

         "Why do you choose this form?" He asked in annoyance, "You could be strong, like me!" The wind grew stronger, blowing in circles around us. My thick dirty blonde hair obstructing my view of Him.The wind died down. "We are the last of our kind left. Let us destroy the humans...together..."

         "They're dead...My siblings, my friends...you killed them..." I said sadly, glancing at the burning entities on the walls.

         "You have no family. You have no friends. Just me," He said frigidly, "Join me." I looked down at the wooden floor, then up at Him. Tears streaming down my face, I shook my head.

         He frowned in disappointment and disgust. "Then you shall perish with them..." He place his palm on my forehead and tensed his body.

         I felt a fire start to burn within me. I closed my eyes, trying to cope with the pain. But the longer I stood there the fire just seem to build up until I could no longer feel the pain of my cracked ribs or broken arm, just the burning inside me. My mind kept yelling Fire! Fire! but my body wouldn't respond. My insides continued to sear, blaze, and blister until I physically combusted into flame. The pain was too much to bear. The only thing I could do was make one, last, horrible scream.