Lucy's heart was racing. She was panicking, but she tried to think positively. Maybe Mags was just teasing her. Maybe Kathy was out for a walk with George. Or perhaps the three of them were rushing to help a neighbor who had just screamed for help, forgetting to close the door on their way out.
But if that was the case, why did they forget to light the fire? Did Mags forget to buy firewood?
Step by step, Lucy entered the hallway. The foul smell made her nauseous. Her trembling hand felt along the wall. She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to adjust to the darkness.
"Kathy!" she called out as she opened her eyes again. Her foot struck something. She bent down to investigate. She could see a pair of legs stretched out on the floor. The legs were clad in three-quarter-length trousers and knee-high socks. However, Lucy was certain these weren't George's legs. He had longer and slimmer legs.
She touched the legs, shaking them. "Hey! Wake up!"
Her efforts were in vain. The legs didn't move. Lucy's hand moved up the leg, then to the thigh, then the waist—then nothing. She couldn't touch the rest of the body. Instead, a sticky fluid coated her palm. As her eyes adjusted, she realized that half of the body was missing. Blood pooled on the floor, spreading to the tips of her shoes.
Lucy's body trembled. She clamped her clean hand over her mouth, suppressing a scream. Her knees gave out, and she sank to the floor.
"Oh, my God…." Tears welled up in her eyes. Who could have done something so terrible in her home? Then Lucy realized something. Without a second thought, she dashed deeper into the house, hoping her sister and mother were safe.
"Mags! Kathy!" She found the other half of the body at the end of the hallway. It was propped up against the wall, blood streaking down in vertical lines. Lucy couldn't hold back her nausea and vomited in the corner. The corpse belonged to George's carriage driver.
After emptying her stomach, Lucy ran further inside. Now she was frantic. "Mags!" she shouted. She entered the living room. The chairs were overturned, tables were flipped, and ornaments lay scattered. On the floor, she saw George crawling, his body covered in blood.
Lucy rushed to his side, trying to help him. "What happened, George? Where's Mags? Where's Katherine?"
Instead of answering, George gurgled. One hand clutched his bleeding neck while the other reached out. His eyes stared straight ahead before he collapsed and died.
"George!" Lucy cried. She had no idea what was happening.
Suddenly, a growl froze her in place.
"Where are you hiding her?" The growl was filled with malice. Lucy had never heard such a terrifying voice in her life. It made her skin crawl.
Slowly, she turned in the direction George had pointed. There, she saw a massive creature. Its eyes glowed red. Its long arms gripped Mags by the throat, lifting her like a worthless doll.
"Mags!"
The creature turned to face her. Even in the dim light, Lucy could see its sharp claws.
"Is she the girl?" The creature growled again.
"N-no!" Mags struggled to speak, her legs kicking the air in vain.
The creature was unconvinced. It took three steps towards Lucy, towering over her.
Lucy's body was paralyzed with fear. She had never seen anything so horrifying. She couldn't even close her mouth, which hung open in shock.
"P-please, let us go." Mags squirmed in the creature's grip.
The creature chuckled. "If you tell me where you're hiding her, I'll leave."
"I-I don't know a-anything!"
"Liar!" The creature roared. It tightened its grip, causing Mags to make a strange noise as her windpipe was crushed.
The elderly woman beat the creature's arm in desperation, gasping for air as her lungs emptied. In her last effort, she told Lucy to run. "R-run, L-Luc!"
The creature roared again, using its free hand to stab its claws into Mags' body, tearing her in half just as it had done to George's driver. Blood splattered across Lucy's face, making her scream.
Suddenly aware of the danger, Lucy crawled backward, bumping into George's body and rolling over. Her hands shook as she tried to crawl away from the creature. Then, her ankle stung as if shocked. The creature had caught her, lifting her into the air.
"Let me go!" she struggled.
The creature's eyes narrowed as if inspecting her. "You're not the girl. You're useless." It raised its claw again, ready to strike Lucy down.
"No!" Suddenly, Katherine's voice rang out, though Lucy couldn't see her sister. "Let her go!"
The creature chuckled. "Where are you, little girl?"
Katherine suddenly appeared beside Lucy, slashing the creature's arm with a sword that had been a wall decoration in their home, releasing a thick, foul-smelling liquid.
The creature roared but released its grip, causing Lucy to fall.
"You wretched girl!" The creature swung its claw, slicing through Katherine, but the girl's body turned into mist.
Lucy, witnessing this, was shocked. "Kat—"
The mist moved to envelop her. Lucy felt her body become light, as light as air. She felt her hand being held but couldn't feel the pressure of the grasp. She even felt her body floating, moving away from the creature that was now confused and searching for her.
"Don't run away, little girl!" The creature swung its claws wildly in the air.
"When you're out, run as fast as you can," Katherine whispered in her ear.
Lucy wanted to ask what was happening, but she couldn't find her voice. She saw the coachman's corpse as she floated down the hallway. When she reached the front door, she fell, landing on top of Katherine.
"Run, quickly!"
Without a second thought, Lucy got up and ran into the yard. After a few steps, she realized Katherine wasn't with her. She turned back and found her sister groaning, clutching her wounded stomach.
"Kathy!" Lucy ran back to her sister.
"Run, you fool!"
Lucy shook her head. How could she leave her sister to be killed by that creature? Even though a few hours ago she had wished her sister would die, she didn't truly mean it.
Suddenly, the door to the house was smashed open. Scratch marks were visible on the wall that had collapsed. The creature emerged from inside. A sneer spread across its face as it saw Katherine lying in front of the door. It raised its claw, ready to strike her down.
"No!" Lucy screamed. She charged at the creature. Her efforts managed to knock it over, but it felt as if her body was burning. The hand she used to push the creature slowly turned black. She cried out in pain.
"You foolish human! No one can touch a demon! You will be cursed." The creature laughed.
Lucy's vision blurred, but she was still conscious. The curse stopped at her wrist. She then turned and, stumbling, pulled Katherine, dragging her away from the demon.
The creature got back up just as Lucy and Katherine reached the front steps of the house. It chased after the two girls. In one long stride, it caught up with them. "Die, both of you!" It raised its hand high, ready to strike them down.
At the last moment, Katherine pushed Lucy aside. She then curled up, bracing herself to receive the creature's attack.
"No!" Lucy screamed.
Suddenly, a magical shield enveloped them, preventing the demon's claws from piercing their bodies. The shield glowed with a faint blue light, inscribed with symbols that neither Lucy nor Katherine had ever seen.
A young man rushed towards them, arms outstretched. The young man was Daniel. "Quick, Ash! My protective spell won't last long."
"That just means you're weak." Lucy could hardly believe her eyes as Ash passed by her. The young man carried a sword and looked like a hero. She was amazed by him.
"Stupid meddler!" The demon roared, ready to engage the young man in battle.
"Wait, wait!" Suddenly, Ash held out his hand, making a pushing motion towards the air. He planted his sword in the ground, then turned and vomited. He emptied all the wine from his stomach. "I drank too much earlier."
Once again, Lucy's expectations of a heroic sword-wielding savior were shattered. She was sure the young man would be knocked out in one hit.