Breakdown of Reality

               The wind whipped around Stacy and Delilah, flinging leaves and causing the branches of the trees surrounding them to dance wildly. Stacy clutched Delilah to her, terrified looks on both their faces. Stacy’s face held something more though, regret and resignation. She put her hands on her daughter’s shoulders, bringing her close to her.

               In front of them shadows formed and took substance. A murky being, about eight feet high, with sharp yellow eyes, materialized. It looked at them and laughed. Its laugh was a low pulsing, shaking laugh that managed to worm itself in the core of the woman and girl, and shaking their confidence even farther.

               “Ahh… Stacy,” it said, in a low, unearthly voice, “Here you are.”

               It moved forward to approach them. It stopped twenty feet away and its eyes passed over Stacy and onto Delilah.

               “Ah, a child,” it said, rotten delight evident in its voice, “What a delicious new development.”

               Stacy wrapped her arms around Delilah.

               “No,” she screamed at it, “You won’t have her.”

               It looked at her, amusement playing in its voice.

               “Oh, we won’t,” it said, “And why is that?”

               “She’s an innocent,” Stacy answered, her voice not so sure, “She’s beyond your touch.”

               The creature threw its head back and laughed, a booming, piercing, and gut wrenching laugh.

               “Innocent?” it asked, “Could your offspring ever be innocent?”

               Stacy looked down at her daughter, tears forming in her eyes. She sighed a deep sigh and looked at the creature in front of her, her old foot soldier.

               “You know if I return,” she said, resignation in her voice, “I renounce everything from this life.”

               The creature’s eyes narrowed as it stared at her. Slowly it nodded.

               “That is true,” it said, “But that would mean sacrificing everything you worked for.”

               Stacy nodded.

               “It would mean that everything you accomplished was for nothing,” the creature said, desperation in its voice growing, Stacy was ruining his game.

               Stacy looked down at her daughter, flesh of her flesh, blood of her blood, who carried just a little bit of Stacy’s taint while Stacy clung to this life.

               “Not for nothing,” she answered and let go of her child. Delilah’s eyes widened and she moved forward to grab her when Stacy moved away. Stacy shook her head and Delilah stepped back, tears welling in her eyes. Stacy moved to between the creature and her daughter, and then turned to give her daughter a last look.

               Tears flowed freely from her eyes, she reached up to wipe them away, and then let go. She shed her mortality and morality behind her, giving up everything that she knew. The human shell dropped away and something else stepped out.

               It looked at Delilah with disgust and disdain and then turned.

               “Come Afrazel,” Kastacia, one of the mighty queens of the underworld said to her foot soldier, “There is nothing for us here, let us return.”

               Afrazel growled his acknowledgement and left with a final look of longing at Delilah. Kastacia just vanished.