Demon Child: Rayne Chronicles
James Byron Clark
Copyright 2011 James Byron Clark
Smashwords Edition
Demon Child: An Order of Rayne Short Story
Prologue
The child smiled.
Mike stared at the little girl in front of him. She wore a short white dress; the child looked like a porcelain doll. Frail. Fragile.
“She looks so much like Kelly,” Mike thought. “Her smile; they have the same smile. The smile that captivated me from the first moment I saw her…”
“It seems so long ago…”
The child took a step closer and paused, then took another. Mike was transfixed at the sight of her cherubic smile as she slowly moved towards him. As the child reached him, she held out her small hand.
“She has my eyes!” he thought. “She has Kelly’s smile but she has my eyes!”
He took the offered hand. It was soft; cold. The child looked directly at him with his own eyes, and began a startling transformation. The cherubic smile curved sharply upwards as the blue eyes darkened to black coals, radiating malice and hate that tore into his heart. She started to laugh, a cruel painful screech that scraped deeply into Mike’s soul.
Mike wanted to let go, to flee, but the soft hand now felt like an iron talon; its grip held him firmly in place. The girl slowly raised her other hand holding an onyx dagger nestled glinting in the starlight. With blinding speed, she plunged the dagger into Mike’s chest, twisting the curved blade deep into his heart. Mike screamed as he sank into oblivion…
“Mike?”
Mike opened his eyes and saw Kelly. The sweet smile that, moments ago belonged to that demon child, once again captivated him, but this was Kelly’s; a smile wrought with exhaustion but infused with warmth and concern. Her brown eyes looked inquisitively at him, the pallor of her face doing little to diminish her beauty. He looked down and saw that he was gripping her hand. Hands that for four, no; perhaps five days had been clammy, lifeless.
“Kelly?” Mike exclaimed with a startled expression.
“You were screaming. Are you ok?” Kelly said. She paused, looking around with a puzzled look on her face. “Mike, where am I?”
“Oh my God Kelly, you’re awake! Thank God!” Mike exclaimed. He was crying now, the terror from his dream replaced now with sheer joy. He held up her warm, smooth hand and kissed it.
“I thought you were gone. I thought you left me…” Mike said in a low, trembling voice. “Oh Kelly, I wanted to tell you so much. But the accident happened. Oh God!”
“Accident?” Kelly said? “What accident? Tell me what happened?”
“I love you Kelly.” Mike said firmly. “I always have. I always will. I thought I lost you, but you came back to me! I love you so much...”
Chapter 1 Nerd
Mike scrolled the cursor on the computer screen towards the date and time. It reported January 15, 1992 3:45 PM. He stood up and stretched for a moment, then picked up his mug and made his way across the room towards the water fountain.
The past year changed Mike’s life. Mike had always been an introvert, preferring solitude to the company of people. Although he was an excellent student, his quiet demeanor usually alienated him from classmates, teachers, and eventually, with co-workers. Throughout all the rough shoulder bumps, the jeers, and the verbal abuses, Mike had continually remained silent. He simply waited for his tormentors to eventually move on and ignore him. His life has been one of continued silence, of deep emotions kept in check by some vague yet constant fear.
Kelly was the only person who had ever looked at Mike differently. Kelly and her family moved into his neighborhood on his first year of high school. Mike first saw her as he walked home late from school one evening. A slim girl, her jeans exhibited the first sign of womanly curves. She stood beneath a tree looking helplessly up at a scared cat clinging precariously to a branch.
Without looking at her, Mike put down his pack and climbed the tree. Reaching the terrified cat, he endured the desperate scratches of the creature as he held it in his arm and climbed down. That’s when she first smiled at him; that captivating, warm smile.
They became close, although Mike stayed away from Kelly at school. He had worried that she might get picked on just by being seen with him, the social outcast. She eventually became a cheerleader, socially poised at the apex of high school’s social hierarchy, and yet she always treated Mike like a normal guy; like a human being, like a friend. Often, when Kelly’s cheering practices ran late, she would find Mike at the school’s computer department. Somehow, she was always able to convince Mike to leave his voluminous computer code and data and walk her home.
Mike relished those walks. Computers were his life, his only friends. Computers made no judgments about him; they understood him just as he understood them. Computers were his comfort, never judgmental, never cruel; yet he always looked forward to the knock on the classroom door that would take him away from the company of the computer screens and deliver him to Kelly’s presence. Computers were his life, but being with Kelly made him feel alive.
“And she agreed to share her life with me,” Mike thought.
The thought involuntarily made Mike smile. He never approached Kelly about his love for her before that fateful day. He had assumed that Kelly would always look at him as the platonic friend, the guy whose shoulder she could cry on. Yet, a year after her skiing accident they had grown closer than ever, sharing more and more until finally the girl, no, the woman of his dreams agreed to marry him. It’ll be a small wedding, Kelly made sure of that; she wanted to avoid embarrassing Mike, who had very few friends and came from a small family.
“I hope she doesn’t pick some of her more judgmental friends to com-”
“Hey, Johnson.”
Mike’s thoughts interrupted, he looked up and saw the usual water fountain gang. Todd was a towering hulk of a man and surrounding him were his cohorts, Bill and Ross. He ignored the group as he bent to fill his mug with hot water.
“Three football team washouts,” Mike thought.
“’Heard you were getting married. What, no invitations for your co-workers?” Todd said amidst the chuckles of his minions.
“Just walk away Mike,” he thought. “They’ll give up, just like they always do, and eventually ignore you.”
Mike started to turn away but Todd’s beefy hand grasped the back of his neck.
“Look nerd, my cousin Debbie was on the cheerleading team with the hag you’re marrying. And she’s pretty pissed off because your lady friend didn’t invite her, and she invited all the who’s who. Guess your future wifey didn’t want Debbie telling everybody at the wedding how much of a loser you are. Debbie thinks this Kelly chick is marrying way beneath her status, and I agree. Nobody’s lower than you, shrimpo, so why don’t you be a nice nerd and invite my cuz to your wedding.”
Ross and Bill’s laughter echoed down the hall, giving the impression to distant coworkers that the group, including Mike, was simply having a friendly chat. Mike was shaking.
“Scared nerd?” Todd said as he tightened his grip “You should be. I can make your life a living hell. You may be the ace programmer, but I control HR. You might find your file filled with nasty things if you don’t give me what I want.”
“Scared?” Mike thought. “Yes I am. I’m scared I might kill you. Please just stop. Please just let me go.”
“Why don’t you invite me too,” Todd said. ”Maybe I could give that whore of yours a last taste of a true man.”
Something exploded in Mikes mind. His right hand lashed out, spraying hot water at Ross. With a practiced swiftness, he swung the mug in the opposite direction, backhanding the mug into Bill’s face and smashing it to pieces. His left arm swung back, breaking Todd’s nose with his elbow with a resounding crack. As Todd’s meaty grip loosened in shock and pain, Mike turned. He grabbed the hand that had gripped his neck and broke the fore and ring fingers as he twisted the hand, forcing Todd to his knees.
“Not so tough now, huh?” Mike thought.
Todd was crying with pain as his cohorts fled the scene, blood and water dripping from their clothes. Mike, surprisingly calm, looked down at Todd.
“Kill him. Kill him!” something screamed into Mike’s mind.
“I’m sorry Todd.” Mike said. “I don’t know where you got your information about Kelly, but she’s not a whore. It’s perfectly fine to pick on me; I’ve let you do so before and I have no problem letting you do so in the future but I hope you stay clear of my wife. I get angry when someone maligns her, and being angry and being a black belt is not a good combination. Is that understood Todd?”
Mike twisted Todd’s hand for emphasis. Todd nodded, whimpering his assent.
“Good. And Todd, you may control HR, but I taught Mr. Peters everything. That’s why when he started his company he offered me the lead programmer position. Being a nerd means I may only have nerd friends, but I find that this is actually pretty beneficial since, as you can see, nerds own the world. I do hope you’ll remember that.”
Mike released Todd’s hand and backed away, leaving him sobbing on the floor, clutching his ruined hand.
“That felt good,” Mike thought. “That felt very good.”
Chapter 2 Ode
“The wedding was finally over,” Mile thought.
Mike loosened his bowtie as he gazed at the lovely features of his wife.
“My wife,” he thought.
The thought made him smile. Kelly looked radiant, still clad in her wedding gown that, although simple, seemed to accent every feature, every curve of her body.
The wedding was pleasant enough. Kelly’s friends were there, those she trusted and confided in, as well as her family. Her retinue was large, in contrast to Mike’s crowd, which only included a few programmer friends, and his mother, Minka. It was a simple wedding, but he could see that Kelly was happy. Her beautiful face radiated with a light that came from within; her auburn hair glistening in the sunlight as she finally became Mrs. Johnson. Her friends were kind enough to Mike; some he knew from high school. However, he could not shake the feeling that, deep down, they thought of him as unworthy for their Kelly.
“Still insecure,” Mike scolded himself.
“They do like you, you know,” Kelly said.
Mike was startled. “What?”
Kelly smiled and turned her back to him. “Help me out of this dress, will you?” she said playfully. “You got that look again, the ‘I don’t think they liked me look.’”
“They think I’m not worthy of you,” Mike replied as he struggled to find the zippers, buttons, or whatever it was that came between him and her body. He finally found them and loosened the dress, revealing Kelly’s silky skin as she shrugged her wedding dress off.
“They don’t know you. And I don’t think I really want them to,” Kelly said as she turned and lifted her legs out of the pile that was her wedding dress. She was clad in black satin underwear, leaving little to the imagination but enough to give her an aura of mystery. “If they knew who you really are, they might get jealous and try to get you for themselves.” She reached for his bowtie and removed it. “I wouldn’t want that,” she said with a wry smile.
“I was always a nobody,” Mike said.
She looked at him as she unbuttoned his shirt. “You were always somebody to me, and now, there’s nobody else.” She unbuttoned his slacks, kneeling as she did so, gently lowered them to the floor. “You’re so much more than what you think you are.” She grasped his boxers, pulling them down with a naughty smile. “So much more.” She stood up, kissed him, and pushed him to the bed.
She stood over him, gazing into his eyes. “I love you Michael Johnson, and don’t you ever think otherwise.”
“I love you too Kelly Johnson, always and forever,” Mike replied as he reached up for his new wife.
* * *
Mike looked over at his sleeping wife.
Her auburn hair framed her pretty face. Her lips pursed slightly, purring contently with the beginnings of a snore as she lay quietly in bed. Mike took a lingering glance at her exposed body before covering it with the blanket.
“What a lucky guy,” he thought to himself.
Mike grinned in spite of himself. He was feeling giddy with happiness. Here he was, with his new bride at the start of their married life, the start of a shared future filled with promise and hope.
“It
was many and many a year ago,
In a kingdom by the sea,
That
a maiden there lived whom you may know
By the name of
Annabel Lee;
And this maiden she lived with no other
thought
Than to love and be loved by me.”
Mike smiled at the thought. Poetry had always comforted him during his lonely past and, for some reason, Edgar Allan Poe’s ode seemed fitting to this night.
“I was
a child and she was a child,
In
this kingdom by the sea;
But
we loved with a love that was more than love -
I
and my Annabel Lee;
With
a love that the winged seraphs of heaven
Coveted
her and me.”
“It’s been one night and you’re already calling another woman’s name?” Kelly chided him.
Startled, Mike turned to his wife, surprised that he had been speaking aloud. She laid there, eyes closed, a mischievous smile playing on her lips. She spoke:
”But
our love was stronger by far than the love
Of those who were
older than we
Of many far wiser than we.”
She opened her eyes, brown gazing to his blue, and her smile shining more brightly than the first light seeping into the bedroom. “I always loved poetry. If you had regaled me with that earlier instead of just this past year, we may have been together sooner.”
Mike embraced her, her soft skin pressing into his. “You’re the only woman in my life, Kelly, and I don’t regret waiting for you. It’s just that I really don’t know any poems with your name. Except of course the one I made up for you when we were young.
“Smelly
Kelly
Bulging belly
Sme-”
Mike was interrupted with a pillow to his face. “Smelly Kelly, huh?!” Kelly retorted, laughter in her voice. “Well, I don’t know about that, but maybe you can make the second line come true. Unless of course you find me revoltingly smelly?” She held his hand in hers. “Why don’t you come here and give me a bulging belly,” she said, more of a statement than a request.
Mike grinned “I’ll be more than happy to try,” he said.
“Let’s name him Edgar if it’s a boy” Kelly said, removing the blanket that covered her.
“And if it’s a girl?”
Kelly grinned, “Well, seeing as you’re already fixated on this Annabel Lee…”
“That name sounds so old, have pity on the poor child!”
“Annabelle then, come here and let’s try to make little Annabelle.” Kelly smiled as she pulled him into her.
Chapter 3 New Life
Mike awoke with a start.
“The dreams are getting worse,” he thought.
Kelly was right beside him, sleeping contentedly, her pregnant form evident under the blanket. She was due in one to one and a half months. Mike looked to make sure she was fine, his terror slipping away as he beheld his beautiful wife. Mike smiled as he marveled at her; Kelly really wanted this child. Not that Mike complained, of course. He was sure no husband would consider himself unlucky to have such beautiful woman badgering him night in and night out to try to make a child. He was more than happy to comply.
“We can more than afford it now,” he thought to himself.
Mike had just finished a very difficult software project. The client’s feedback was so overwhelming that Peters gave him a nice raise, coupled with the opportunity to do most of his work at home. This suited Mike just fine since after the incident with Todd, he had to endure people at work ignoring him, staring at him and muttering behind his back. The time spent at home was also very timely, since they had a baby underway.
“Diapers and crying and vomit. Oh my.”
Mike wasn’t really sure if he was ready for fatherhood, but it meant so much to Kelly that he just set aside his fears and endeavored to prepare everything. Kelly had flatly refused to have them determine early what the child’s sex was, saying it would ruin the best surprise in the world. Mike hoped it would be a boy, a son to talk to and play baseball with. Not that he detested the idea of having a daughter.
“I wouldn’t know how to take care of a little girl...” he mused.
Kelly stirred as Mike swung his legs out of bed. She moaned a soft painful sound that stopped Mike’s heart. Kelly opened her eyes wide, her face growing pale as she reached underneath her covers. Mike’s face turned pale as her hand came up.
Blood!
Kelly looked at him, her eyes filled with tears. “Mike…
…She’s coming.”
* * *
Mike paced restlessly in front of the emergency room. She had been there five hours, and still no word as to her status. Mike watched as a nurse opened the door and rushed out. He considered grabbing her, forcing her to tell him what was going on, but refrained.
“This isn’t right dammit! She was supposed to have one more month!” he thought with frustration and a tinge of fear.
The door swung open again, and this time, it was the doctor. He was walking towards Mike. “Mr. Johnson…” he began.
“Is she alright? Is she going to be fine?” Mike stammered impatiently.
“The child is fine, healthy for one that arrived premat-”
“Kelly! I’m talking about my wife dammit! Is she going to be alright?!” Mike said, trembling.
The doctor looked into Mike’s eyes and said “Mr. Johnson, I’m sorry but your wife is in a very critical condition.”