Suddenly A Succubus Ch. 35

Although Purgatory was still as lifeless as ever when Amara woke up, it was hard to shake her renewed sense of vigor. Her inner fire was roaring, and she’d slept fantastically, all because she’d finally fed yesterday. Twice, in fact. After so long without sex, suffering in silence as her body slowly withered away, she finally felt like herself again.

Thinking back, however, it was hard to ignore the sharp sense of guilt in her stomach. In her desperation, she’d tried to force herself on Vee, and she still felt sick when she thought back to what had happened.

Vee seemed okay with everything, and the feeding had happened on her terms, but Amara still felt like she’d forced her friend’s hand.

Perhaps most surprising was Vee’s reaction immediately after. Not only had she tried to talk to Amara, but she’d helped her through her panic attack. Vee had cradled her hair, rubbed her back, and reassured her that nothing had gone wrong during the feeding. Had it really only been a few days since they’d started mending their friendship? Amara was shocked at how quickly they’d fallen back on old habits, rediscovered the friends they’d been before Amara’s transformation had ruined everything.

Although, even back then, they’d never cuddled quite like this.

In their sleep, Amara had become the little spoon again, with Vee hugging her tightly around her waist while their legs wrapped around each other. Unlike last time, however, Amara was no longer starved for sex, and she was able to appreciate the friendly affection. Even though it had happened unconsciously, it still felt meaningful.

With her body no longer revolting against her, Amara happily settled in to enjoy the moment while it lasted. Everything in Vee’s bed was incredibly soft and comfortable: the pillows, the blankets, and especially the angel.

She closed her eyes, just for a moment. When they opened, Vee was suddenly standing in front of the closet, pulling on a new shirt.

“Vee? Shoot, how long have you been up? Why didn’t you wake me?” Amara grumbled. She sat up slowly, her body protesting the sudden movement, and a series of pops and cracks traveled down her back.

“Are you kidding? Why would I disrupt the first real sleep you’ve gotten in days?” Now fully dressed, Vee moved to sit on the foot of the bed.

“Well, ‘cuz… alright, I’ll give you that one. Honestly, I feel amazing, I’m so happy I was able to feed on Nick yesterday. I can tell I’m not quite full to bursting, but it’s way better.” Amara slowly stretched out her tail, then quietly spoke up again. “Look, about yesterday, I—”

“You already apologized, Amara. And even if you hadn’t, I think your panic attack made it more than obvious.”

“Okay, yeah, but—”

“Hey,” Vee said, her words soft but commanding. “Don’t forget, we were friends for more than a year before… you know. Yes, a lot has changed, but I still see the person you were back then. Which means I know that you’re going to spend weeks constantly apologizing, even though it’s already water under the bridge. It happened, we worked it out, and now it’s done. I’m happy I was able to help, and no one got hurt. End of story.”

Amara didn’t know what to say. Everything Vee said made perfect sense, even if it was weird to think about. It was strange to remember that Vee knew her so well when they’d spent the last few months growing further and further apart. “I guess I hadn’t thought about it that way. Tessa looks at me and sees a completely different person, even though I feel like I’ve just been slowly revealing the me that’s been there the whole time. It’s weird to think that, after everything we’ve been through, things might actually go back to normal. I think a part of me had given up on that ever happening.”

“How about we make each other a promise,” Vee said, inching closer. “We both stop lingering on past mistakes. It’s us against the future, whatever it throws against us.”

Amara giggled. “I like that. Us against the future.”

Both girls leaned in for a hug, sinking into it perhaps more than was necessary. When they pulled back, Vee took a deep breath, then spoke up again. “Although, for that to happen, there’s something I need to say.”

A knot suddenly grew in Amara’s stomach. Was something wrong? Had feeding on Vee somehow hurt her? “U-um, is everything okay?”

Vee turned to face Amara directly, crossing her legs underneath her as she pivoted. She reached out, grabbed Amara’s hands, and held them tight before looking into her eyes. When she spoke, her words were strangely formal, as if she’d practiced them before. “Ever since we met last year, I’ve considered you my best friend. I didn’t hesitate for a second to run to you after Derek reported me, and I almost told you everything. About being an angel, about there being a demon on campus, all of it.”

Amara squeezed Vee’s hands tight. “I had no idea. What stopped you?”

“I’ve never been fond of my heritage. I was scared to say it before, but here, in Purgatory, with you… I’ve always felt trapped. I’ve never felt like I mattered outside of my divine bloodline. But that wasn’t the case with you, Amara. You didn’t know about my heritage, yet you always made me feel good about myself. I didn’t tell you because I was scared I would lose that. I didn’t want my heritage to eclipse what we had. But then, when it mattered most, I’m the one that threw our friendship away. I’m the one that refused to look past your heritage, I’m the one that refused to listen when you tried to talk me down. I was a hypocrite, Amara, and the thought of what I almost did sickens me.”

“Vee, I… we both messed up that night, and—”

“Bullshit!” Vee said, cutting Amara off. “What did you do other than defend yourself? No matter which way I look at this, I refuse to believe that I’m not the one at fault. Which is why I need to apologize; properly, this time. From the bottom of my heart, Amara, I’m sorry. For everything. I’m sorry for being a shitty friend, and for giving up on you when you needed it most. I understand now how much I hurt you, and I want to make this better. What I want now, more than anything, is for you to stop blaming yourself for what happened. I certainly don’t.”

“Vee, what are you saying?”

“I’m saying that I forgive you, Amara.”

Amara gasped, her eyes welling up instantly. She pulled Vee in for another hug, this time using her wings and her tail to completely envelop her friend. “I forgive you too, Vee. We were both doing our best, and you had every right to think I needed to be stopped.” For a brief moment, Amara felt Vee shake, and wondered if she was also crying.

They held each other close, squeezing tight while they vented all their emotions from the last week. After a few minutes had passed, Amara felt comfortable releasing Vee from her nest of demonic limbs, and the girls smiled at each other.

“Us against the future,” Vee said, sealing the promise.

“Us against the future.” After a brief pause, Amara spoke up again. “There’s no way this ends once we’re home. I mean, best friends? An angel and a demon? There’s no way the universe lets that slide.”

“Ugh, that almost feels too big to think about. How about we focus on getting home today?” Vee slid herself off the bed, stretching her arms out behind her.

Amara followed suit, jumping off the bed before grabbing a snack from the dwindling pile of food in the corner of the room. “Actually, before we do, I’ve got an idea.”

“Should I be worried?”

“It’s just, we know the reapers are gathering in the quad, and we saw a glowing circle there too. You wondered earlier if they might be planning something, so shouldn’t we check while we’re still here? Now that I’m juiced up again, this might be the best chance we’ve got.”

“You know what? You’re absolutely right. We’re the only ones that know about the Gate, and it’s our job to keep the campus safe. Let’s do it!” Vee grabbed a snack as well, smirking as she slipped her shoes on.

Once they were ready, both girls left the apartment and started heading for the quad. The campus was as dull as ever, but it no longer intimidated Amara. With Vee at her side, and her energy back, she felt confident they could hold their own. As they walked, they swapped ideas about what might be happening on the quad, but also brainstormed ideas for fighting the reapers more efficiently. While the two girls had fought side by side a few times, they’d never fully committed to perfectly synergizing their abilities.

Every few minutes, Amara caught herself looking over at Vee, amazed at how far they’d come. Something about Vee seemed different, but it was hard to pin down exactly how. She almost seemed more relaxed, even compared to when they’d been friends before everything fell apart. Was it freeing for her to be open about her angelic heritage? Amara had always regretted hiding her identity from her friends, and she’d only known about it for a few months. Vee had been hiding for almost her entire life, the Church even telling her to do everything in her power to keep others in the dark.

Their conversation was forced to stop as the quad came into view. They did their best to hug corners and stay out of sight, as they still didn’t understand why the reapers had attacked them earlier in the week. Or, for that matter, why they’d seemingly stopped.

Multiple reapers were still hovering nearby, but they didn’t seem to be doing anything. Some idly circled in the sky, others were simply laying down in the grass. While their behavior might be normal for a living animal, Amara had always assumed these weren’t normal creatures, and the thought of them resting seemed odd. Unfortunately, it was hard to pick out any further details through the heavy fog that had recently appeared.

Wait, fog? That doesn’t make any sense, there’s no weather in Purgatory.

“Vee, did you notice—”

“The fog? Yeah, and I don’t like it,” Vee said quietly. “C’mon, let’s try to get closer, maybe we can get a better look at the weird glow.”

Amara nodded, and the two started creeping closer. She folded her wings tightly behind her, then remembered just how big they actually were. Instead, with a flurry of hellfire, she hid them away entirely so they could keep a low profile.

Crossing the outer sidewalk, they stepped onto the grass and quickly hid behind a tree. It didn’t seem like the reapers had noticed them yet, which emboldened Amara to move closer, her footsteps quiet on the otherworldly grass. They eventually stopped behind a large oak roughly thirty feet away from the nearest reaper, who was laying on the ground. The thick foliage of the tree hid them from the sky, and Amara felt safe enough to peek around the corner and look at the strange, glowing circle.

The first thing she noticed was how familiar the circle looked. It wasn’t just a strange phenomenon that happened to be circular, it appeared to be purposeful. Thick lines had been drawn in the ground, and a series of runes added, all to create something that looked eerily similar to the magic circles back on campus.

Unfortunately, Amara knew nothing about magic runes, and didn’t even bother to try memorizing the ones she saw. The most notable thing, in her opinion, was how sloppy they looked. The glow of the circle made the lines easily visible, even amongst the thick fog, and the erratic nature of the lines was obvious against the vibrant green grass of the quad.

Something was wrong here. Amara focused on the grass, then turned to look behind her, and confirmed her theory. The grass, much like everything else in Purgatory, was usually a pallid imitation of what they had on Earth. The grass in the circle, however, was vibrant and healthy.

She was about to turn to Vee, to silently ask her opinion, when something froze her in her tracks: a noise from behind her.

“I see you managed to survive, Pet.”

No.

The voice was harsh and chilling, but it also wasn’t alone. It was a discordant chorus, a collection of ghastly moans and whispers that approximated human speech without fully understanding it. In the center of this chaos, however, one voice stood out more than the rest.

And Amara recognized it.

She spun around, her heart racing as she looked for the source. She desperately wanted to be wrong, to find that she’d misheard something. What she saw, however, only confirmed her fears.

He wasn’t standing on the grass; he was instead floating several feet above it. His skin was just as pale as the bones of the reapers, his clothes in tatters as they hovered around his body. His hair, slightly longer now, was disheveled and hanging in front of his face. Underneath were two, pulsing lights where his eyes should have been. He had no pupils, no irises, only a horrid dull glow that nonetheless seemed to be staring directly at Amara.

He raised his arms, gesturing at the space around him, and an insufferable smirk appeared on his face. Amara, however, was much more focused on his hands. Specifically, the fact that one was missing.

In its place was a ghastly, almost skeletal recreation. A series of bones that cast off a sickly green glow, intertwined with a collection of similarly colored translucent chains. Several different lengths seemed to be wrapped around what had previously been his wrist, and they floated off before fading into nothingness after a foot or so. Despite his extraordinarily horrid countenance, it was obvious who this was.

Brandon.

“Purgatory should have killed you. Both of you,” he snarled.

An overwhelming rage flooded Amara, and she immediately leapt off the ground to try and attack him. Her chitinous gauntlets appeared, their claws eager for blood, as she closed the distance. Before she could land a hit, Brandon raised his ethereal hand and pointed it at Amara.

The chains rooted around his wrist now appeared around Amara, completely stopping her momentum and suspending her in midair.

Brandon shook his head, clicking his tongue in disapproval. “Typical Amara. You never were much of a talker, were you? Not unless you’re filling your lips with poison, lying through your teeth to get what you want.”

“I’M the liar? Excuse me for trying to avoid being enslaved to an insufferable prick like you!”

“SHUT UP!” Brandon screamed. His body seized, and his eyes closed as his head shook momentarily. The myriad other voices that spoke with him screeched and wailed, and ghostly afterimages echoed his erratic movements. “I’m done listening to you!”

Although Amara couldn’t move her head, she heard Vee summon a weapon and step closer. “Let her go, Brandon. You don’t know what you’re doing!”

Vee’s advance was immediately stopped when a reaper leapt in front of her, standing just beside Brandon. Amara looked over at the creature and saw that the same ghostly chains holding her captive also surrounded the beast’s neck. They didn’t seem to be restricting its movement, though. Was Brandon able to control them?

She didn’t have time to dwell on those thoughts, as when she noticed the chain on the reaper’s neck, she felt Brandon’s hold on her give slightly.

“I know exactly what I’m doing, angel,” Brandon hissed. “I’m done with your bullshit, both of you! No more chasing you down, no more games. I’m done pretending you matter, like you’ve ever mattered! You have all this power, and for what? You waste it by holding back those of us with real potential!”

The other reapers moved closer, their chilling footsteps all too obvious behind Amara. She fell to the ground as they approached, and Amara looked back to see that the other creatures were being controlled the same way the first was.

“You’re a hack, Brandon. Even now, you need something else to do your work for you!” Amara cloaked her fists in hellfire and stepped closer.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you, Pet. You see, if I restrain you again, I can’t promise that my minions won’t go berserk and attack your little angel friend.” Brandon floated closer, landing in front of Amara. He traced a finger across her neck, necrotic energy sparking across her skin. “I could make you watch. Hold you still while they rip her to pieces. Is that what you want? Then go ahead, attack me.”

Amara seethed with resentment, but she refused to risk Vee’s life. “Whatever you’re doing here? It won’t work.”

“I don’t care what you think, Pet. Unlike you, I’ve learned from my mistakes. I see that all my failures stemmed from my obsession over you and that witch. I’ve found my true calling; I’ve claimed Purgatory as my own. I’m in control here, and soon I’ll have my revenge on everyone back home that tossed me aside.”

Vee stepped closer to Amara, putting a hand on her shoulder to pull her back. “You pulled us here, didn’t you?”

A horrid cacophony of twisted laughter left Brandon’s mouth. “I see you’re not both idiots. Yes, I pulled you two here so that Purgatory would drain you dry. I don’t know how you’ve managed to survive this long, but it doesn’t matter. You’re stuck here, and there’s nothing left to do but watch.”

Brandon pointed his skeletal hand at one of the reapers, which then turned to walk towards the glowing circle. “You see, I’m finally ready to start.” The other reapers began shifting as well, and Vee pulled Amara out of their way.

Amara let Vee guide her, but her eyes were still locked on Brandon. She was desperately trying to think of a way out, a way to get close and end this once and for all. No matter how she looked at it, though, she couldn’t find the answer. She’d barely held her own against one reaper, but now four stood at Brandon’s side.

“Vee, what do we do?” Amara whispered.

“I-I don’t know, Amara. We can’t fight him like this.”

Brandon’s focus was currently on the reaper in the circle. He raised his arms, and the magic in the runes seemed to react. It sprang to life, glowing brighter as its energy swirled around the creature. The color in the grass that Amara had noticed earlier began to spread, intensifying further with each passing second. With one final burst of magic, a terrifying cascade of energy erupted from the circle, and Amara swore she saw glimpses of sunlight from within.

The blast ultimately forced her to look away, shielding her eyes with her arms. As the sound faded, and the magic receded, she dared to look back at the circle. The intense colors had faded, but worst of all, the reaper was gone.

“No!” Amara gasped.

Vee grabbed Amara’s shoulders, turning to face her directly. “He sent it to Earth, Amara.”

Both girls stared at each other, their faces communicating what they dared not say in front of Brandon. Vee sprinted past Amara, grabbing her hand, and the two began racing to Lysander Hall.

—

The lights were off in Chloé’s room, and the blinds were shut tight in hopes of blocking out the sun. She’d spent the entire day yesterday in bed, hugging her plushies tight as she alternated between dissociative episodes and bouts of crying.

After seeing the state of Amara’s apartment, her faith in her friends had been shattered.

Despite Naomi’s protests, Chloé had sprinted across campus as fast as possible, eager to escape everything she’d seen. What was Amara doing? How could an apartment get so damaged in such a short period of time? Chloé hadn’t been there in several months, as Amara normally visited her dorm, but the last time Chloé had visited Amara her apartment had been spotless.

Chloé’s thoughts drifted back to the last few months, and she was hyper fixating on every little detail she could remember. When had her friends started acting strange?

Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve been to Amara’s place since we all got ready for her first party together. I walked to her apartment on Halloween, but I only waited outside. But… that was also the night of the fire. Is that related to all the scorch marks in Amara’s apartment?

She shut her eyes tight, trying to stop the tears, but her efforts were unsuccessful. She’d known Amara ever since Freshman year, and she’d never been anything other than kind and encouraging.

Memories continued to cycle as Chloé looked for more hints. She had never been the most observant person, and she had no idea what might be relevant. Amara had been dressing a little differently in recent months, did that mean anything? There was obviously all the tension between her and Vee, but Chloé was under the impression that things were slowly getting back to normal.

Of course, there’d also been the cult. Wasn’t that the reason Naomi had first sought Chloé out?

Stupid Naomi. I bet she never even cared about all my charity stuff; she was just buttering me up so I would tell her more about Amara. She had those lock picks out in seconds! Breaking in was totally her plan from the start!

But… what if this is related to the cult? What was it Naomi said?

“Something has seemed off about Amara ever since I started looking into this cult, and my current theory is that she’s somehow involved. Sometimes we don’t know our friends as well as we think we do.”

If Naomi is right, and Amara somehow got mixed up with them, wouldn’t it be better to find out before anything bad happened? Fuck, what if something bad has already happened? Amara’s been missing for like, a week now! And the cultists went missing just a week before that!

Chloé began spiraling again, and lost track of her thoughts as she began picturing worst case scenarios. Amara being hurt and manipulated by an evil cult, Amara joining them and hurting other people, and everything in between.

Several more hours passed before she found the strength to leave her bed. Her stomach was grumbling, and she felt gross after spending a day and a half crying in bed. Chloé was no stranger to this lifestyle, and she knew she would feel better if she forced herself to leave her dorm. As much as her body protested, she managed to suffer through a quick shower. She dug through her closet, picked out something comfortable, then slipped on her shoes and began walking to the cafeteria.

She dragged her feet as she walked, operating purely on instinct as she let her muscle memory guide her through campus.

College was supposed to be a fresh start. A chance to escape all the hatred and bigotry of my hometown, to find a real community full of people that cared. Why did I think I deserved that? I’m nothing, just like I’ve always been.

Chloé rounded another corner and was now walking along the outer edge of the quad. She shivered, pulling her scarf even tighter as she tried to bolster herself against the cold. Although she still couldn’t pull her eyes away from her feet, she saw a strange blanket of fog spilling onto the concrete from the quad.

Without warning, a heavy gust nearly threw her off balance. She heard something crash nearby, and the ground shook violently in response. With a scream, she looked up and saw a huge cloud of dust a few dozen feet in front of her. Something had clearly just fallen from the sky, impacting both the sidewalk and the side of the building. A cascade of bricks fell from the wall, which now had a sizable dent in it, and Chloé saw exactly what had landed.

A massive creature crawled from the wreckage, standing at least a dozen feet high. Something Chloé had never seen or heard of before, a monster that seemed to have crawled directly from the pages of a fictional bestiary. In strict defiance of everything Chloé knew, the beast was nothing more than a collection of bones. An animated skeleton that, even if one could restore its flesh and musculature, would still be a horrifying sight that defied all reason. It had thick, powerful back legs that clawed at the concrete, and the skeletal frame of its arms showed that they doubled as wings. The creature’s neck was incredibly long, and at the end sat its head. The skull wasn’t quite birdlike, appearing closer to something draconic or wyvernic. The bone on the left side of the face was heavily damaged, possibly from the crash, as Chloé saw a collection of cracks that seemed to originate from a single point.

The beast, whatever it was, had just crawled to its feet in front of Chloé. It appeared heavily disoriented and was shaking as it stumbled back and forth. After another few steps, it seemed to find its balance, and it rose its head before looking down. Although it had no eyes, dreadful purpose filled the sockets of its skull, and Chloé knew it was looking directly at her.

It opened its skeletal maw, and a piercing screech erupted from its empty body. The noise it made was impossible, and it sounded like multiple creatures all screaming in unison. Deep, rumbling moans shook her body to its core while horrid, wailing screeches threatened to shatter her eardrums.

Chloé began panicking, her breathing grew erratic, and her entire body froze from fear. This thing made no sense. How was it moving? Why was it here?

The creature took a step forward, the ground shaking again.

Move, Chloé! This thing is going to kill you!

Tears fell down her cheek. She stared at the beast, its very existence overwhelming her, and she couldn’t bring herself to run.

Another massive step. The creature was now only a few feet away from her.

Oh god. I’m going to die.

Chloé shut her eyes, her chest heaving.

This was it.

Her entire body tensed, preparing for the end, when the ground shook again. A second crash, this one directly in front of Chloé, nearly threw her to the sidewalk. Unlike the first one, this one was paired with an extraordinarily hot burst of flame, as if a meteor had just crashed and exploded. The beast screeched again, but this time the noise was no longer directly next to Chloé, and it sounded lower, as if the beast had fallen over.

Before Chloé could summon the strength to open her eyes, something impacted her body. Limbs of some kind wrapped around her hips, lifting her off the ground, and this second creature began running away, carrying her with it.

“I’m so sorry, Chloé, but you’re about to have a lot of questions.”

That voice, is that…?

Chloé opened her eyes. Looking up, the first thing she saw was that they were already on the other side of the quad. The massive skeletal creature was flailing on the ground, attempting to stand up.

She looked down next, wondering if it really was Amara carrying her to safety. The person holding her certainly looked like Amara, at least a little. The skin tone matched, and she was wearing Amara’s pajamas. What didn’t make sense were the large, red wings sitting in the middle of her back, or the massive tail that darted back and forth underneath them.

Wait, that tail. I’ve seen that before.

“Amara?” Chloé asked, finally managing to fight through the fear and speak. “Why are you wearing your Halloween cost—OH MY GOD.”

In a panic, Chloé pushed her hands against Amara’s back. She tried to look around, to see what else was happening, but she was immediately distracted by what she felt. The muscles in Amara’s back were moving in time with her massive wings, and Chloé was so confused she didn’t know what else to say. She watched Amara crouch down, then with a powerful thrust of her wings, she leapt nearly a dozen feet into the air, clearing an entire flight of stairs in a single jump.

Her momentary distraction now gone, Chloé began fighting to try and get off Amara. “Let me go! What’s going on?!”

Amara held tight, her tail even moving to hold Chloé still. They reached the main entrance to the cafeteria, where Amara pulled the door open and ran inside, her tail making sure that Chloé didn’t hit her head. As Chloé continued fighting, she looked up and watched as they sped through the lunch line, then finally stopped in the cafeteria proper. Amara grabbed Chloé and effortlessly lifted her up before placing her down on a table.

For the first time, Chloé looked her friend in the eyes. It was definitely Amara, of that she had no doubt, but the whites of her eyes had completely vanished. Her amber irises were glowing incredibly bright, and there were also two horns jutting out from her forehead.

“Amara, what’s going on? What was that thing? What are you? Why are you like this?” Chloé asked, her breath panicked and labored.

“Chloé, please, I know this is scary, but I don’t have time to explain right now.”

“Is this why things have been so weird recently? Why everyone has been avoiding me?” As Chloé spoke, she saw genuine hurt flash across Amara’s face.

“I never meant to hurt you, Chloé. I promise I’ll tell you everything as soon as I can, but that thing? That monster isn’t alone, and people are going to die if I don’t get back out there and stop this.”

“I-I…”

“You’ll be safe indoors. I need to rescue as many people as I can, and I’m going to send them here. Tessa and Nick are on their way, and Vee’s helping me hold back the reapers. I’ll be back soon, I promise!”

Before Chloé could speak up again, Amara pulled her in for a hug. She squeezed tight, then quickly released her hold and ran for the entrance again. Chloé watched as her friend left, her tail and wings moving effortlessly in tandem with the rest of her body. Her wings were massive, and the tips converged into sharp talons that sat high above her head.

Perhaps, Chloé thought to herself, high enough to gouge holes in an apartment ceiling?

She continued watching the entrance, even long after Amara had left, in stunned silence.

Amara’s a succubus.

Fuck.

—

“Is this why things have been so weird recently? Why everyone has been avoiding me?”

Chloé’s words rattled around in Amara’s head, her own guilt fighting for space against her other heightened emotions. Fury that Brandon was still alive, terror that he’d managed to send reapers to Earth, relief that she’d managed to save Chloé’s life.

She had never meant to ignore Chloé, though as much as she hated to admit it, she hadn’t realized it had been happening. After everything with the cult, and then missing classes due to being stuck in Purgatory, Amara wasn’t necessarily surprised that Chloé had started feeling neglected.

Nick and Tessa had been her only friends on campus, and it was a safe bet that they’d been preoccupied with getting Amara and Vee home.

Amara wiped a tear from her face and shook her head. This wasn’t the time for regret, the campus was in danger. Adrenaline was racing through her veins, and she couldn’t afford to slow down. Precious minutes had been lost carrying Chloé to safety, who had seemingly been paralyzed with fear at the sight of the reaper.

She needed to find it again, and quick.

Racing out of the cafeteria, she turned a corner and leapt down a flight of stairs. Her wings caught the wind, slowing her descent slightly, and she landed softly before she took off again. The temptation to take flight was palpable, especially after her heartfelt conversation with Vee this morning, but she didn’t want to risk plummeting from the skies with so much on the line.

Crossing the quad in record time, she noticed that a thick fog permeated the field, most potent around the area where Brandon’s portal had been. She skirted around it, just to be safe, then found the crater where she’d just fought the reaper. It must have recovered from her strike, unfortunately, as it was nowhere to be seen. Panic set in, and she started looking around for clues. For better or worse, she heard someone scream a second later and took off running again.

Rounding a few more corners, she quickly found a student tripping over herself as she tried to run from the reaper. Amara picked up the pace, connecting with her inner fire as she prepared to launch herself into another attack. She still had her chitinous gauntlets from the last brief fight, and she’d also given herself matching talons on her feet for better traction. She focused on her fire, condensing its power into a single, concentrated point at the end of her fist. Her wings spread wide, and with a heavy thrust, she launched herself at the reaper.

This time, the beast heard her coming. She saw its head turn towards her, and she decided to aim her strike for the reaper’s rib cage; more than anything, she couldn’t afford to waste her energy right now.

The reaper couldn’t react in time, and Amara’s fist made contact. Her concentrated fire exploded on impact, knocking the beast to the ground as it screamed with frustration. She landed quickly, her talons gripping the grass, then pivoted to look at the terrified student. Looking up from the ground was a student with incredibly dark skin and short, black hair with the ends dyed red.

Amara panicked, just for a moment, as she realized her true form was on display, but she quickly remembered that secrecy was the least of her concerns right now.

“Naomi, get to the cafeteria!” Amara said, panting.

“I KNEW you were hiding something!” Naomi jumped to her feet, and even held up her phone to take a quick picture.

On the ground beside them, the reaper was starting to find its footing again, its discordant voices grumbling with rage. Amara ignited her gauntlets again as she prepared to re-engage it. “Now is NOT the time, Naomi! RUN!”

Naomi nodded with determination, then sprinted off. With the area clear, Amara squared off against the reaper. This was, without a doubt, the one she’d damaged in Purgatory, and anger flooded her veins as she silently vowed to finish the job. She desperately hoped she had enough energy for the fight; even after those two brief attacks, she could feel her strength beginning to fade.

Elsewhere on campus, closer to the quad, Amara heard the sound of a second reaper.

C’mon Vee, you can do this.

The reaper in front of Amara jumped at her, its clawed feet gouging the soft grass, and Amara braced herself. She grabbed its front talon, doing her best to use the beast’s size against it. She attempted to spin and throw it to the ground, and while she successfully twisted it onto its back, the reaper’s tail lashed out as it fell. Its sharpened tip pierced her shoulder, and she screamed out in pain.

Thankfully, with the reaper thrown to the ground, Amara was able to land a few solid hits of her own. She tried to focus on its head, which was already cracked, but the chaos of their struggle made that hard at times.

After a few seconds of hectic fighting, the reaper managed to throw her off. Its strength was impressive, and she flew quite a ways before she tried to catch herself. Her own talons skidded across concrete as she landed, and she managed to avoid any serious fall damage. She felt blood dripping down her back, and the injury throbbed as she attempted to get up. The pain consumed her thoughts, just for a moment, and her vision turned red as she looked up again.

The reaper was trying to escape, running further away from the quad now. She dashed after it, growling with anger, and prepared to reengage.

This time she grabbed the reaper's tail, preventing it from jumping over a short wall. She leapt onto its back, gauntlets aflame, and began assaulting its neck while her tail wrapped around its spine to keep her steady. Her fists shook as they connected with the cartilage of the beast’s neck, and she managed to crack a few bones in its ghastly rib cage as well. From a nearby building, she heard a door open, followed by the panicked cursing of two more students. From astride the reaper, she spared a fraction of a second to look up. She saw two young men, one in a letterman’s jacket, both staring at her in terror.

“Cafeteria! NOW!” Amara shouted.

Her attention was forced back to the reaper when one of its wings knocked her off its back. She fell to the ground, and barely had time to scream in pain before the reaper pinned a claw against her chest. Its jagged bones dug into her skin, and she felt more blood start to pool, as it craned its neck to stare her in the face. It opened its maw, roaring in familiar, discordant tones. Before it had a chance to clamp its jaw around her, Amara decided to return the favor.

With a deep breath, she connected with her inner fire and roared back. A torrent of hellfire erupted from her throat, and the creature’s defiant screech turned into a ghastly whimper. The claw holding Amara down left, and she felt the reaper begin to run again.

It’s weak. Stay on it.

Amara forced herself to her feet, risking a moment of rest to catch her breath, when the door nearby opened again. “What the fuck?!”

After spitting blood from her mouth, Amara looked over to see an incredibly attractive redhead staring slack-jawed at her. The very same redhead that Amara had once pretended to be. “Get to the cafeteria, Kylie, it’s not safe here!”

“Photography girl? What the fuck was that… that monster you were fighting?”

Frustration mounted, and Amara knew she couldn’t give the reaper any more time. She stepped closer, lit her horns on fire, and growled with bitter purpose. “Cafeteria!”

Kylie screamed one last time, but thankfully heeded Amara’s threat.

Amara swore she could feel the adrenaline in her veins, fighting against the pain and her dozens of injuries as she forced herself to start running again. Her footsteps were heavy, and every few seconds her vision clouded again, but she knew what needed to be done.

By the time she’d caught up to the reaper, it thankfully seemed in a similar state. The entire time they’d been fighting, a strange, otherworldly glow had surrounded the creature, and that glow was fading. The previous injuries she’d given it were clearly taking their toll, and Amara knew this would be her last chance to finish it off. If she lost this fight, she’d have to retreat to gather her strength. At least, she hoped retreating would be an option.

Although her movements were sluggish, she closed the gap and struck at the creature’s massive back leg. With a sickening crack, and another roar of pain, the reaper fell on its side. Her tail lashed out, wrapping around one of its arms while she stepped on the other. It roiled and thrashed underneath her, its tail managing to land another strike on her hip, but she stayed on task. By ignoring the damage it was doing to her, she gave herself an opening to kneel down and grab the base of the reaper’s skull. She began punching it repeatedly, bits of bones flying as she screamed with rage. The beast was too weak to shake her off, and she moved her tail to the skull as well.

She felt her inner fire swell, and as it did, it stopped existing inside of her. Torrents of hellfire began swirling around her body, dancing across her countless bruises and deep cuts, and the warmth gave her strength. She grabbed the reaper’s skull, pulled with all her might, and felt something snap in the creature underneath her. With one last roar, she pulled the skull from the reaper’s body, and the rest of it fell limp.

Amara yelled in celebration, her fire retreating back inside her as she did. She knew she’d been flirting with death, but the exhilaration of the fight made her feel on top of the world. She hadn’t felt this way since she’d fought the demon possessing Mr. Wellington. The danger, the pain, the joy of finally letting loose and pouring all her incredible strength into a battle, it was intoxicating.

Once she finished reveling in the afterglow of her kill, she wrapped her tail around the reaper’s skull and began walking back towards the cafeteria. Each step was more difficult than the last, the adrenaline leaving her body now that she was safe. Countless bruises ached across her body, and she felt rivulets of blood dripping down her back, her legs, and even her face. She only just now realized that one of her eyes was nearly swollen shut, and her vision was still cloudy.

Thankfully, she made it to the cafeteria without issue. She limped through the lobby, the food line, and eventually saw a collection of panicked students gathered around the tables in the center of the floor. One of them screamed, pointing at Amara, and within moments everyone in the building was staring at her.

She flicked her tail, throwing the reaper’s skull onto the floor in front of her. A deep breath caused searing pain to shoot through her body, nearly causing her to black out. Fighting through the agony, she smirked at the crowd and managed to speak.

“One down. Three to go.”