The Demon Inside

The Demon Inside

By Alina Secrest

I would like to (actually, I’d love to) dedicate this book

to my WONDERFUL BFF’s

for being so supportive, helpful, and overall

amazing the whole time I’ve known them.

Keep it up guys.

Maple Leaf Writing Project

Brattleboro, Vermont

2015

Prologue (15 years ago)

A baby’s cry pierced the cold air. “Hush, little child, stop your tears.” A woman looked at her baby, a beautiful girl, with sleek hair like ebony. An adorable one year old. Suddenly the air became still, and the window flew open.Then a horrible creature entered the room, a creature too ugly to explain. Its gaze swept around the room, and landed on the child. Suddenly the creature dived toward the baby, and leapt into her mouth. The baby shrieked in terror.

“ Vivian!!!!!!!!!!!!!” screamed the woman in anguish. But it was too late.

Chapter one

“ I think my hand is going to die” moaned Vivian, collapsed in a soft armchair staring at her fingers.

“Oh come on,” said her sister Gwendolyn “It can’t possibly be that bad”.

“It is,” she moaned back. Signing documents for two hours was definitely the worst part of being the older princess in the kingdom of Zarula. Vivian had turned sixteen three weeks ago, and she had done nothing except sign stuff, approve stuff, and sign more stuff. And when she did have free time, she just couldn’t enjoy it. She’d been too worried about... it. Vivian’s mom appeared in the doorway.

“Vivian dear, I need to talk to you about your …..situation.” the queen stated calmly.

“Oh, right. I’ll talk to you later Gwen.”

“And Gwendolyn, you should come too.” she added

“Okay Mom.”

They hurried to the West Tower, the secret, off-limits tower.

⧫⧫⧫⧫⧫⧫

“Good, you’re here.” The king gave a little sad smile to Vivian and Gwendolyn, as they sat down at the one table in the small room next to their mother,

across from their father. “Now, I assume that everyone knows why we are here?” The whole family nodded. “Good. As we all know, tomorrow it comes. We must be prepared. Vivian, remember the exercises we went through. We will lock you in your room as long as we can, although we all know you will eventually break free. We will limit the staff to a select few, and send the others home for the two weeks it is here. Any questions?”

“I have one Dad. It’s more of a request. I demand that none of you come within sight of me.” commanded Vivian.

“But honey-” started the queen.

“I dont want to hurt you. You’ll stay away. Just until the demon is gone.” The king and queen looked at each other, and nodded to Vivian.

“OK. We will stay away from you, but only until the demon is gone.The meeting is over, you may go back to whatever you were doing before. Vivian, if I could speak with you?” Vivian hung back while everyone else left the room.The king came over and sat beside Vivian. “It’s going to be all right sweetie. The demon entered your body when you were a child, but it only takes control for two weeks every eight years. It’s not so bad. And your mother and I have discovered a spell to tag the demon, but there are certain conditions that need to happen, we’re just not sure what. But we’ll keep looking.”

Vivian began to cry.“I know, I’m just scared at what I could do to people when he’s in control.”

“I know you are, and we’re still going to work on how to drive him out. It’ll be fine.”

“Okay.” Vivian got to her feet and headed back to her room.

The king stared at the list of preparations. “The demon comes tomorrow. We must be ready.”

Chapter 2

That night Vivian dreamt she was being chased and swallowed by a demon.

Vivian woke up breathing hard. But her eyes were black, and suddenly, Vivian was gone. The demon was here.

“I’m back,” said Vivian, or rather, said the demon. “I’d better get my beauty rest, after all, tomorrow I’ve got a kingdom to run, and subjects to rule.” And with that she turned over, and went to sleep. In the morning, Vivian got up and walked to the door, where she found, as the king and queen had promised, that the door was locked. “Ha, those silly humans. They really think that a stupid lock can stop me?”

“By the power of Satan

and all things demonic

give me the power to open this door!!!”

Vivian’s hands began to collect a red light and suddenly she pointed her hands at the lock, and blasted the light towards it. When the smoke cleared, Vivian was able to see that she had hit her mark. The lock had become a pile of ash, along with the rest of the door. “If there’s anything I love more than death, it’s destruction,” she laughed as she stepped over the ashes. “Hazach is back, and better than ever.”

You’ll never get away with this.

The demon was startled. “ Ah, yes. I had forgotten. I can hear you think.”

As I said, you’ll never get away with this. My parents will find out what needs to happen to get you tagged.

“Oh princess, I wish I could believe you,” said Hazach. “But frankly, I’m more powerful than anyone in your, or rather, my, kingdom. Now shut up.” And with that, Hazach stepped through the doorway.

Hazach found the royal family in the library going through a pile of books. When he entered the room they looked up.

“What are you doing here Vivian?” demanded King Roland.

“Do not call me that. It is not my name. I am Hazach,” he said calmly. “May I ask what you are doing?” he asked in a voice that suggested that he wouldn’t accept just any explanation.

Queen Maribeth looked worriedly at her husband.

“What we’re doing is none of your concern,” replied King Roland in a threatening tone.

“Ah, but you see, it is. Because I think that you are trying to find out how to defeat me.”

“W-hat?” stuttered Gwen as she plastered an innocent look on her face. “Us? N-no.”

“Do not play games little girl. I know what you are up to. Into the dungeon with all of you!” Hazach snarled.

No! Stop!!! Don’t hurt them!

Hazach ignored Vivian’s silent pleads.

“No!” shouted the king “I won’t be imprisoned in my own castle! Not now, not ever!!!”

“It’s too late old man!” Hazach grabbed the crown off of the King’s head and laughed as the family realized that Hazach had encased them in a magical bubble of red energy. And suddenly the royal family fell to the ground, unconscious, and unaware of the permanent sleeping spell that had surrounded them.

Chapter 3

Hazach sat in the throne room atop a magnificent chair, lined with gold, with a velvet seat, the edge encrusted with precious jewels.

“At last,” Hazach grinned “I sit where I have dreamed of sitting for a hundred and fifty-eight years. Atop a golden throne, with a crown on my head.” he sighed. “Well, time to decide how to ruin the kingdom, and get my revenge.

What do you mean? thought Vivian.

“You mean you don’t know? Hahahaha. Your ancestors years ago tagged my brother, and I will never forgive them. So I vowed to take my revenge on your family. Ruin your kingdom, take over, free the demons from hell.”

Look, I’m sorry that people tagged your brother, but that’s not mine, or anyone else’s fault.

“Maybe you are right princess,” admitted the demon. Vivian sighed in relief,“But as I said, I will not forgive until I have had my revenge.” said Hazach, his voice cold and angry. And with that one sentence, Vivian knew that things were going to get ugly, and fast.

Hazach stood in the planning room, a soundproof room with a door that had a spell on it so that no one could hear what people in the room were saying. He had decided that there would be three parts to his plan. First, he would take control of the kingdom. Then, he would set the other demons free from Hell. And last, when his two weeks were up, he would regain his form, and kill Vivian. Somehow.

“Well, you have to start with the first thing right? Time to start the fun.” he said to himself as he clapped his hands together and began planning how to destroy the kingdom of Zarula.

DONG... DONG...DONG...DONG… the city’s bell rang out over the town, warning everyone that there was danger about. Terrible fire-breathing monsters filled the sky, creatures made of death, anger, and sorrow, the Jhonx. The people ran around, with no particular destination except to get away from the Jhonx, and above all this ruckus Hazach stood on the front balcony of the palace and laughed with satisfaction as he watched the distressed people run frantically as their homes burned to the ground.

“Oh how satisfying. But there is still much to do. I must prepare my next move,” Hazach said as he tuned away and started walking toward the doors to go back inside. “Yet perhaps I should call off these wonderful monsters of death. Yes, I should. Give them a chance to ruin other places,” he decided unhappily, and turned back to face monsters.

Thank goodness, thought Vivian.

“Oh princess, I’m not being nice am I?” Hazach questioned in mock horrification. “Because then I would have to let the Jhonx keep destroying stuff here.”

Oh, NO! You’re not being nice! You are the meanest person I know!!!

Hazach smiled. “I thought so.” and with a quick little spell, he told the demons to go, as they were not needed anymore. The people stopped running when they saw that the Jhonx were gone, and cautiously made their way back to their homes to see what could be salvaged from the wreck. But they all knew that the monsters wouldn’t just leave! So they looked around for the thing, or person, that had scared away the monsters. Finally someone saw Hazach standing on the balcony looking down upon them.

“Princess, you have saved us!” shouted one of the villagers.

“Yes. I am your new ruler. You will all obey me or I will call the Jhonx again, and this time I will tell them to spare no one,” Hazach threatened in a cold voice.

“Y-yes Princess.” replied the villagers hesitantly, and they bowed on one knee to their new tyrant.

Chapter 5

No, don’t do this! What have these people done to you that would give you a reason to harm them?

“Vivian, Vivian, Vivian. You don’t understand do you? It’s all for revenge. I will have vengeance if it kills me. Now let me think in peace.”

Seven days had passed, and now Hazach sat in the library, trying to find out how to open the doors of Hell and set the other demons free. But so far, nothing.

“I think I will go see my subjects and -

They are not your subjects!!!!

“Shut up princess. They are and always will be my subjects. At least until I set the others free into this world, and we play with these humans.” And Hazach went to see the people of his kingdom.

When he got outside, Hazach went to the no longer abandoned mines, where his subjects had been working from noon to night for the last week, watched by the guards of the palace.

“What have they found?” Hazach asked the guards crossly.

“Nothing much your Majesty, I’m afraid to say. But I think that we might be nearing a gold vein, but again, I’m no expert.”

Hazach looked him annoyed.

“Well I -” suddenly a pickax flew through the air and cut Vivian on the forearm. Everything was blurry for a few seconds, and then Vivian saw the villager who had thrown the tool about to be beaten with a whip, and heard herself cry out

“Stop!!!”. The guard holding the whip looked up and stopped. Suddenly Vivian realized that she was herself again. But surely the two weeks weren’t up already! Vivian felt the wound on her arm, and she realized that when she had been hurt, she gained a few minutes of consciousness. At that moment she realized what she had to do. Gripping the pickax that had fallen at her feet, she uttered her last words.

“I’m so sorry. It wasn’t me,” Vivian said to the people before plunging the pickax into her heart.

As she took her last breath, she heard one of the villagers whisper, “I forgive you.”

Epilogue

A cool breeze whispered past Vivian’s eyes, and a warm, fluffy, slightly fruity something spread through her mouth. Vivian’s eyes fluttered open, but everything was blurry. Then slowly the faces around her became clear, and Vivian could make out the words that her mother was saying.

“Vivian! Vivi, sweetie you’re alive!” Tears streaked her mother’s face as she held the awakening princess in her arms.

“Wh- what happened?” Vivian questioned weakly as she turned to see Gwendolyn kneeling beside her, holding a plate of warm apple pancakes.

“Why are you holding pancakes? And why are we in a mine? I thought they closed?” Vera asked, looking around the cave confused.

“Not now sweetie.” hushed her mother. “We’ve got to get you into the castle.” Vivian reluctantly agreed, and her family helped her to her feet. Vivian picked up one foot and fell. Her mother and father supported her arms, while Gwen ran ahead to tell the servants to prepare a hot meal.

Once Vera was settled, she wanted to know what happened. So her parents told her about how when she killed herself, the demon’s reign ended, as he could no longer possess her. Then the magic had disappeared, leaving her family free from their magical bubble. They told her of how they went to the old mines for great shouting had arose. And last, they recounted how they knew what happened when they saw her, and performed the spell they found in the library before they got trapped. And of course, Gwen told of how to awaken her, they needed loved memories. Therefore feeding her apple pancakes, her favorite food.

“Okay,” Vivian nodded “ So Hazach is tagged. But how am I still alive?”

“Well, you see, I guess it was considered part of the demon’s magic, therefore not permanent.” explained her father.

“I suppose we should tell the people of our kingdom what went on down there,” offered Vivian. And so they did.

At first the folk of Zarula didn’t believe it, but in time even the most stubborn of people accepted it. In the next few months they rebuilt the village, and everything was as it should be. Except for Vivian. Though she grew to be more compassionate, and enjoyed every moment in life, after almost losing hers, she still had nightmares, but in time, even those stopped. But Vera never forgot Hazach, and vowed to never let things get that bad again. And to remind her of the terrible ordeal, she forever had a circle shaped scar over her heart, where the pickax had struck her.

The End