Damon ...
"He's not coming back father , Dante fucking chickened out as usual !" The silence is my only reply as his mouth forms a tiny "o" smoke seeping out
"We don't need him " he taps the bud In the ash tray
"No , we need someone powerful , a being more powerful than her , you didn't see her that day father, I spoke to her .. she was different, more powerful "
"The brother has offered us help "
" yes but he's a manipulator ! "
"He's not as good as the real brother , so how much can he really manipulate"
"They are the very things we strive to kill father! Why work with one of them?"
"BECAUSE WE HAVE NO CHOICE!!" His fists connect with the table , a loud bang resonates through the living room " Vaerith is our only option and the gods forbid hope"
" And after ? What do we do with him then? "
" I don't know yet , but he's not the brother we want, he's the plan B " I scoff in disbelief
" more Like plan D"
" he's stronger than us Damon , we need him , for once listen to me ! "
" yes father "
" and where do you think you are going then ? We haven't finished the preparation for his arrival "
" I'll be back " I leave without a backward glance , My plan was solid , but of course father had to change it , we don't need a nameless demon , we need The soul forger ! But what do I know ? I'm just the guy who had sex with the target right ? ...
Gifted demon hunters , that's what they call us , our kind was killed by demons and since then my family has lived and died to get rid of demons , it's all I know .
To others they mourned and moved on , but to me ? It's more than personal , I watched a demon suck the life out of my mother , The scene is etched into my subconscious .
Flashback.(Damon).
"Happy birthday to you , Happy birthday to you ..." the voice of my mother rung in my head , cake in her hands she sang for us merrily, "blow out the candles " I glance at Dante and on the count of three the candles were out .
" I'm now a man Mum , so Is Dante " my chest puffs out in pride , a fourteen year old boy , in my eyes there was nothing I couldn't achieve , I didn't bother looking for my father , neither of us did.
He barely made it for any of our birthday celebrations, classic responsible father figure , but I knew deep down that Dante wanted to ask , he always did .. he knew if he did , the day would be ruined .
"How about you Dante? You feel like a man? " he shakes his head , we 've always been different, we might look alike but you could never mistake us for one another , unless you are stranger . Where I've always been energetic and reckless , Dante has always been calm and calculated , I've always skipped ahead of time, he on the other hand took it as it came , a step at a time .
" I'm still a boy mum , I'll know when I'm a man " he takes off his birthday hat, cutting the cake into rectangular bits , he wants everything to be perfect , it's in his blood.
" I saw Stacy today " mum informs us as her lips tilts in a cocky smile, she sits on the arm rest of the couch observing our reaction , Stacy was Dante's best friend , but It was obvious he had a crush on her.
" you did ?" He asks , pausing from his cake cutting
" yeah , her mum's gonna bring her over later"
A genuine smile graces his lips as he shoved a piece of cake into his mouth .
" You both are the best thing that could have ever happened to me" she says walking towards us " I love you " she whispers engulfing us in a hug .
" I love you too " Dante hugs her tighter , I don't say it back , I've never said it back.
" okayy! I get sensitive on days like these , I'll be upstairs " she gives our heads one last stroke before she heads upstairs , I watch her retreating figure .
" you think she's okay?" I ask my brother who's sole focus is now on the cake
" Uhuh " he replies, mouth full
" hey hands off ! You are gonna finish it before Stacy even gets here " he huffs slumping into the couch , I go to stay beside him
" I love cakes " don't I know it ?! .
I turn on the tv while Dante goes to get popcorn , I remember the movie getting halfway and then everything becomes blurry as sleep takes over .
"Bang!!,Crash" We jolt up in alarm as the sounds of glass breaking and table screeching is heard .
" You think it's from inside the house ?" Dante whispers his hands entwined in mine , fear – it's an emotion we know all too well, but tonight is different .
" yes " I stand up dragging Dante along with me but his feet doesn't move ," Hey , hey " I pat his cheeks , his gaze finally lands on mine " mum's fine , and we are going to be fine okay ?" My hands don't leave his face
" you promise?" He whispers
" yes " finally he moves with me , we make our way up the stairs, slowly , our hands clenched together so tight , like someone was about to tear us apart .
" The doors open a bit " Dante pushes the door open , but I don't breathe even as I see my mother in the air , as the darkness strangles her , I don't move and neither does Dante , I doubt he's even breathing , Eyes wide in shock " mum " I whisper" her eyes open slightly , the pain evident in her face .
" Go" she whispers, but we can't we are stuck, in a nightmare we desperately want to wake up from, her once radiant skin is no more , eyes white ,all that's left Is Ashen corpse .
I turn slowly, desperately toward Dante, already bracing myself, already certain it was him, willing myself to comfort him , but he isn't moving.
His red-rimmed eyes meet mine, glassy, broken, brimming with tears that haven't fallen yet. He's staring at me , like I need comforting, he's staring at him the way I am , but worse .
And in that frozen second, understanding crashes into me,
It wasn't him.
It was me.
The pain finally finds its voice.
I screamed , I did it .
The darkness slithers back into a corner , as quick as it came it returned, into a being , the darkness so thick , I could only make out a figure , it doesn't go the way it came, through the window ... no , it walks past us , and uses the door , nothing to hide , and most certainly nothing to fear from us . I watched the cloaked face of death, and everything shattered .
And all I can think about is how I broke my promise .