The Undead World (Book 6): The Apocalypse Exile (War of The Undead) (38 page)

Suddenly and mercifully the presence of the demon, beating at the edges of her mind lifted. She was no longer its focus; it had looked away.

Adrina fell to her hands and knees and vomited. She vomited again and then retched repeatedly. The spew drew her eyes to it with ghastly fascination. The half-liquid runny mess drained toward the demon as if it was running downhill. It reached the base of the smoking fiend and started to drip upward into the smoke. Adrina began to gag uncontrollably at the sight, unable to breathe.

Tomas grabbed her up in his arms from behind and lifted her off the floor, turning her away from the demon. He held her briefly, but as she began to breathe easier, he yelled into her ear.

“You’re ok. Can you hear me?”

She looked into her son’s face. His eyes were so terrifically red and blood shot that they seemed almost inhuman.

It was then that the priest screamed, “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean it! Please! Please, I didn’t mean it!” His face wore a look of fearful desperation and his eyes seemed to spin madly in their sockets. “No! No! Please I didn’t mean it! Take her instead!” Swaying like a drunk, he came at Adrina.

Tomas gave him a quick shove away from his mother and the priest fell to the floor still screaming and begging for forgiveness. As they watched in horror, he started tearing at his own eyes and soon blood stained his fingers.

As the priest mutilated himself neither Tomas nor Adrina could turn away. “Mother, what do we do?” Tomas begged.

They had almost no time before there was nothing left of the priest—the demon was doing something horrible to the man. After that, it would be one of them clawing their own eyes out. Adrina knew the demon would go for her again, she still had so much pain left to agonize over.

“I don’t...I...don’t,” she said hesitantly. There was one thing she could do, but the consequence was too great—in her mind she saw again the gun in her hands and Tomas’ blood spraying the wall.

Was that the penalty?

Adrina
knew
things. Passively, images of the future came to her. In brief flashes she just
knew
. However...however, if she wanted to or needed to badly enough she could see the future—purposefully.

Only there was a price to be paid, always.

The price this time: the life of her son; killed by her own hand. 

This was why she hesitated. Save herself or her son. There was no hope for the priest or poor Emily. Adrina could look into the future or...

“Run,” she said to Tomas in a tiny voice. There was no way she could run; she would have trouble even making it to the door in the state she was in. He was the only one with any chance of getting out alive.

“What?” Tomas shouted.

Father Menning no longer clawed at his eyes, they were gone. Now he was turning a fantastic shade of deep red. There was almost no time left.

“Run!” Again, she said it too quietly, barely above a whisper and he bent his head down so that his ear was next to her mouth. “Run please,” the words left her mouth without strength.

She knew what would happen if he left her. The demon would own her soul for all time and the very thought sapped her will.

“You need to speak up!” he shouted.

Adrina knew that if he didn’t start running in the next couple of seconds, he wouldn’t make it—her entire being shook with fear, but somehow she summoned the strength to yell, “Run!”

Tomas began shaking his head—his lips moving—his finger pointing. She tried to shove him away, but it was too late. She
knew
it.

Adrina had taken too long. Her eyes were drawn to the priest and he was now a repulsive purple color. Her son would never make it out of the house alive. She had killed him with her cowardice and there was nothing left to do but to save herself.

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The Sacrificial Daughter

The Apocalypse Crusade War of the Undead: Day One

The Apocalypse Crusade War of the Undead: Day Two

The Horror of the Shade: Trilogy of the Void 1

An Illusion of Hell: Trilogy of the Void 2

Hell Blade: Trilogy of the Void 3

The Punished

Sprite

The Feylands: A Hidden Lands Novel

The Sun King: A Hidden Lands Novel

The Sun Queen: A Hidden Lands Novel

The Apocalypse: The Undead World Novel 1

The Apocalypse Survivors: The Undead World Novel 2

The Apocalypse Outcasts: The Undead World Novel 3

The Apocalypse Fugitives: The Undead World Novel 4

The Apocalypse Renegades: The Undead World Novel 5

The Apocalypse Exile: The Undead World Novel 6

Pen(Novella)

A Sliver of Perfection (Novella)

The Haunting At Red Feathers(Short Story)

The Haunting On Colonel's Row(Short Story)

The Drawer(Short Story)

The Eyes in the Storm(Short Story)