Chapter 19 Unfortunate Soul

A suffocating silence filled the room as everyone stared at Abigail. She sobbed inconsolably behind her dark hair. Flashlights put her on the spotlight like a main character in a play. Only this was far from a play but a never ending nightmare for poor Abigail.

"I am losing my patience with this bitch." Jose wiped his face with his hand in frustration; his jaw clenching and his eyes blood shot. He didn't help the situation at all.

Fernanda took note of it and scowled at him. Jose felt her eyes piercing through his body like rusty nails, and he jerked his head in her direction. They eyeballed each other. None of them backing down.

"Mother, she seems to be ready to speak." Stephanie diverted attention to herself.

Fernanda didn't take her eyes off Jose. Alejandro stepped in and slapped Jose at the back of his head, he grunted at the pounding pain. Jose grumbled to himself and walked out of the room. Fernanda blinked once then turned back to Abigail.

"Abigail, I assure you that no one in here will hurt you. Tell us what happened to you."

Abigail brushed her hair off her face and looked up to Fernanda. She locked eyes with hers. A sigh escaped her lungs. Facing down again, she clutched her dress in discomfort. Everyone else got ready to listen.

"Everything was going on great before they showed up on speed boats in the middle of the night. They killed everyone and took their bodies." she swallowed hard in order to at least stop the stinging tears threatening to fall.

"Who were they?" Fernanda pressed leaned closer.

Abigail pressed her lips together deep in thought. Her eyes reeled around as she thought about what she was going to say. The impatient faces around the room and the death stare from Adrianna forced a hiccup out of her. Abigail clutched her dress tighter and dropped her gaze.

"I don't know who they were. All I know is that they had their faces covered by hoods." Abigail shakily explained.

Fernanda faced the group behind her, "They could have been Asmodues’ worshipers." she remarked.

Abigail gasped and widened her teary eyes at Fernanda. Fernanda jerked her brow up and lowered her head suspiciously at Abigail's shock. Abigail lifted her shaky finger to Fernanda. "Tha-th-that name," she stammered. "Say it again." she swallowed.

"Asmodues?" Fernanda lowered her chin inquisitively and Abigail nodded her head tearfully. "You met Asmodues?" Fernanda asked, somewhat surprised.

Abigail wiped her tears. "I think so. He , uh -" Abigail rose to her feet and wiped her face as the horrific flashback of her hair getting pulled while enduring the weight of a man on top of her came into her mind. She scratched her arm and took short breaths at the memory of everything. "Someone called that horrible man, Lord Asmodues. I remember, yes, that was his name." she blurted out almost as if she was arguing with herself.

"Asmodues was here?" Matt added his voice to the conversation. "That mother fucker." he hissed underneath his breath.

"It makes sense that he was. Think about it, her family was murdered and their bodies were taken away. Asmodues cults are cannibalistic." Fernanda slowly nodded her head and Matt clenched his jaw annoyed.

“What?” Abigail paled, “You mean they are eating my –” she covered her mouth in despair.

“I am so sorry.” Fernanda beckoned.

"He said that he came because of me. Oh my God." Abigail dropped some more tears and bit her finger. "Surely how can being on my periods be the cause of death for my husband and children?" this time, there was anger in her voice.

Fernanda set her hand on Abigail's shoulder sympathetically, but she pushed her away. Fernanda stumbled back to a surprised halt and watched her hug herself as she shivered.

Fernanda took a few more steps back just to give Abigail the space she desperately needed at that point.

"Why I'm I still alive? Why didn't that blow to the head kill me off when he was finished with me?" Abigail whispered to herself but loud enough for everyone to hear her.

Fernanda bit her lower lip and dropped her gaze. It was in deed a sad sight for her. One in which she wasn't going to be able to change. It wasn't easy to turn dark clouds away and replace them with rainbows, unicorns and sunshine—perhaps even having one excited dolphin flip out of water while a leprechaun waves at it on his pot of gold.

This was one thing that required a lot of time and patience to heal from. It was a terrible place Fernanda was far too familiar. It got to a point of her attempting suicide, and whilst in hospital; she came to know Jesus.

Fernanda walked out of the room in thought. Saved as she was, relieving those memories was something even she couldn't bear.

Alejandro was first to follow her out and then Adrianna. Matt took one last look at Abigail and slowly made his way out with his gun pointing down to the floor. Stephanie turned to Abigail. Abigail took two steps back afraid.

"It's okay, I want to help you clean up and perhaps take a look at your wounds. I am a nurse." Stephanie softly said to Abigail and flashed a faint smile at her in order to ease the tension. Abigail reluctantly nodded her head in approval.

****

Due to his head injury and broken arm, Paulo was the only one offered a bed. He rested his throbbing head on one of the two hard pillows. It was a rainy night. The sound of it didn't bother Paulo in the slightest. He listened to its melodic hits on the roof.

A sudden scratch on the floor

Paulo slowly opened his eyes, and caught a blurry sight of his feet in socks. Sensing no danger, he closed his eyes again. He moved his tongue around his mouth to the unpleasant bitter taste of the painkillers he took earlier. Paulo only snoozed for a few minutes when he heard it again but louder.

"What the fuck is that?" Paulo's heart beat hard twice and raced away.

He forced himself up, and felt the headboard for his flashlight and pistol. Paulo hit the switch, but the light didn't go on. The clawing on the floor continued as he frantically hit the flashlight against his leg and tried again. To his relief, a beam was released. Paulo pointed it to where he was sure he heard the skin crawling sounds.

His heart dropped at the burnt black human looking creature with missing legs. It had no eyes and no nose; not even ears. The only thing was a mouth of no lips stretched across its jaw. It stood firm on its hands. With its claws, it carved lines on the floor. Paulo set the light down, picked up his gun and fired.

The creature bounced to the ceiling like a basketball and hit all sides of the room while Paulo screamed with every pull of the trigger. Because he could only use one hand, he was unable to hold both the flashlight and the pistol at the same time. The next thing he knew was the creature lunging at him with its mouth of sharp pointy teeth and a twirling long slippery tongue.

Paulo pulled the trigger but no bullets came out. In seconds, his whole face was inside the mouth of the creature. It savagely forced him down and waved its head side to side rapidly with its teeth locked deep in Paulo's skull. He pushed it back with his hands but it was stuck on him like glue.

Adrianna was the first to burst into the cabin with Matt right behind her. She screamed at the terrifying sight. Matt pushed past her. For a second, he froze confused.

The raging growls put his body onto autopilot. Matt aimed his shotgun but Adrianna grabbed hold of it in the nick of time and the ceiling had a fresh hole through it. The creature didn't stop feeding on Paulo who was still fighting for his life underneath it.

"Don't you dare! You could have killed him!" Adrianna screamed at Matt, practically spraying him.

"Are you fucking kidding me? That thing is killing him!" Matt aimed again but Adrianna took hold of his gun. "Adrianna!" he shouted in anger.

"Step aside!" she shouted back and unsheathed her katana.

Diego, Jose and Fernanda rushed in. Diego screamed and pulled his trigger without thinking. The bullet hit the creature's back. He sent off another two more before it pulled away from Paulo and straightened its back.

Its muscles and shoulder blades slowly positioned themselves in rhythmic waves. Three bullets popped back out in a greasy mess and melted before hitting the floor. The creature turned its head to a complete circle to the shock of the team. Its roar dropped their jaws and sent off goosebumps.

It lunged at Adrianna, and she slashed her sword at it. Its severed hand fell to the floor. To everyone’s horror, it melted as though acid was poured on it. The boiling bubbles on the oily remains of it emanated an odor of rotting meat.

The lost hand only got the creature angrier. It charged at Adrianna again but this time, Matt side kicked it away to a corner. The stench of burnt rubber hit his nose while Jose looked at Matt's melted heel with wide eyes.

Matt unleashed his bullets at the creature and soon enough, other bullets joined in, of which included Alejandro's. After a couple of minutes, they seized fire. Adrianna flashed her light at the corner and the sight of nothing but bullet holes on the wall made her weak to her knees, and forced a groan out of Jose's mouth.

"What the fuck man?" Jose voiced out his anguish while the rest were dumbfounded.

Adrianna rushed to Paulo's bedside, covering her mouth in tears. She faced away and her soft whimpers filled the cabin. Matt and Diego went to Paulo and their hearts dropped. His face was completely melted off. All that was left was a red mushed up version of it.

They were too late.

Diego backed away with his eyes closed. Matt on the other hand, covered the body with a bedsheet. Adrianna cried the whole time he was doing it. She received a comforting pat from Alejandro. She threw him a hug and cried deeply. Alejandro cupped the back of her head.

"You know what, I don't care anymore. We have to cut our losses and get out of here." Jose angrily voiced out.

"I agree," Diego supported with a shudder.

"Not without Ruth." Matt protested.

"Fuck her, I refuse to die for her sake." Jose pointed at Paulo's body. "Look at that. A thing we don't even know did that to him, and we couldn't kill it! What more is there in this fucking forest? I am not staying here to find out."

"We can't go anywhere." Fernanda broke her silence and heads turned. Looking at them, she continued, "Asmodues knows that we are coming for him. He will do everything he can to wipe us out before that happens. Leaving this place won't stop him from coming after us."

Matt crossed his arms, "So, the only way out is to get rid of him." he grimly stated.

"Yes, that is the only way." Fernanda confirmed.

"Then so be it." Adrianna wiped her tears away with a powerful scowl.