Prolouge

I learned young that to get too attached to anything or anyone will only get you hurt.

I remember the fires out in the streets, the screams of faces I'll never know. The world was a harsh place, no, the world is a harsh place. No one knew how the world would end, now that it ended no one wanted it to. Being alone, however, hurt. The people, no, the things I killed stained my soul. Was I really as pure as I wanted to be? It was like there was a little person on my shoulder telling me what to do. A little devil on my shoulder.

....

I opened my eyes, before jumping out of my bed excitedly. Today was my birthday, the day I turned nine. I put on a random pair of sweatpants and a random T-shirt before bounding out of my room and down the stairs. I stepped toward the living room, my eyes scanning for my parents. I knew they weren't expecting that I had woken up, I never wake up this early.

I stepped into the room, however, my parents paid me no mind. Their eyes were focused on the T.V., a look of shock and horror on their faces. The news was on, showing a news anchor standing in front of a stone fountain, wearing a joyful expression. The woman's lips were a vibrant red and her hair was a fake blonde. She wore a blue and red blouse, with a dark blue pencil skirt. The fountain was a beautiful angel, holding a harp in her delicate hands, with water spilling out of her mouth. It was practically a masterpiece, the angel's hair was so realistic I felt that if I ran my hands through it, it'd be like silk. Then things got strange, the fountain's water seemed to stretch into the sun. That wasn't the only thing wrong with the fountain, the water was red as a fresh cherry.

"At seven A.M this morning, this fountain in Orlando, Florida, started spouting wine," The news anchor's words barely registered in my mind as the camera moved to a birds-eye-view showing the fountain with an old man sitting on it, a smile on his face. His clothes were old and ragged, practically falling off of his small frame. His eyes were open wide, showing off their dull brown colour. His eyes unnerved me, it felt like if I stared long enough I would be dragged in and drowned. Something about his smile seemed off as well but no one else seemed to mind. The news anchor was talking about some sort of funny prank, however, I didn't pay attention, instead, I looked toward my parents, deciding to make myself known.

"Mommy? What's going on?" I asked curiously. She looked up at me and smiled, but it seemed fake, nervous like she didn't trust the guy any more than I did, "Some guy just made a fountain spout wine instead of water, I don't know how he did it but he did." I nodded and looked back at the T.V. Suddenly the camera started shaking and the smile on the news anchor's face fell, turning into a confused expression. The camera panned to the fountain as a hand reached out, red as blood. The old man's smile grew and he laughed, repeating one thing over and over again. "I dId It, It WoRkEd." Fear took my heart in its cold grip and squeezed it relentlessly.

A gasp escaped my mom's mouth, as my dad jumped up, his blue eyes opened wide in shock. My dad ran a hand through his balding hair with his tan hand when a scream sounded from outside. Before my parents could stop me, I ran to the window and looked outside. Fire seemed to be raining from the sky. I scanned the street outside my house to see a child on the ground, her face contorted in terror. Her hair was a beautiful chocolate brown, working well with her pale features. Her pink dress looked muddy and torn, probably from playing outside. Or running. A man started to walk toward her, at least I had thought he was a man until I saw his eyes. They were black, like two black holes pulling you in. His teeth were perfect and straight, while his hair was red and messy. He wore a fancy suit, and dress shoes, like what my dad would wear to go to church. I wanted to look away but I couldn't. I watched as the thing approached the girl, a sinister smile on his face. He knelt before her and held out his hand. The girl reached up to take his hand, but something happened. Suddenly a human heart was in the man's hand, dripping with fresh blood, and the girl was limp on the ground.

I slid to the floor and began to cry, remembering the shock and terror of the girls face during her last moments. I could feel my parents comforting me but it didn't help. I was shaking I could tell, but I didn't care. I had just witnessed someone my age get killed out of cold blood. I still couldn't help but wonder, 'was this how my life was going to be from now on?'

....

Three years. Three. Damn. Years. Since this apocalypse started. Do I have nightmares filled with people screaming in torment? Yup. Do they still affect me, no, no they don't. My dad has already died to demonic hands. Every bad thing that you could think of happened. Demons? Vampires? Werewolves? You name it. This place has become a goddamn hell. To be fair, if parents wanted more mature kids they either got them or they died. Pure and Simple. As if anything was pure in this hell. Guess what? It's my twelfth birthday, the happy anniversary of death itself.

I groaned as I woke up, not really caring if it was night or day. I rolled off the bed and sighed in content as pain swirled in my body. Pain just meant I was still alive, that's all I care about at this time. I stood up and walked into the bathroom to take a shower. The best part about the apocalypse is that demons like luxury too, but without the price. So no more bills to care about. Like an anarchy, that's what it's called right? Whatever. After a warm shower, I put on some black leggings and a black t-shirt. I dried my long blonde hair with a towel then put it into a messy ponytail. I then brushed my teeth and put on deodorant, hey, hygiene was still necessary. After getting ready I walked slowly down the stairs and into the "training room," or what used to be the living room.

I pulled on the belt that held both of my scabbards for both my Rapiers. I have been training since the world changed, with my mother and father as my mentors. Well until my father decided to get me a present for my birthday, a week ago. We had heard a scream outside our house and in a panic, we both rushed outside to see my dad bleeding on the porch with a new dagger and sheath in his hands. I looked up to see a demon give me a smile, causing me to step back in horror. His hair was red and messy, reminding me of the first demon I had seen, however, this demon was wearing a black hoodie, now stained with blood, and blue jeans. His black eyes seemed to burn into me, ripping through my memories and staining my soul. I hadn't looked back outside since I witnessed that girl die, now it was my own dad. Anger and frustration clawed at my insides, and the urge to kill seemed to claw at my insides, but I couldn't do it, I couldn't kill.

A loud screech of grief escaped my lips, causing the demon to take a step back in shock. Tears gathered in my eyes as I stood up, gathering my new dagger from my father's hands in the process, "Leave. Please, you've already killed one of us. Just Leave." The demon smirked, before giving my mother a strange look. " Tears were pouring out of my eyes, blurring my vision. I stepped forward, raising my dagger, "I said leave, you, you MONSTER." The demon's eyes sparked with interest but he shrugged and turned around to leave, but not before saying a few words, "I will go, but I won't make any promises that I won't come back."

I watched as he left before turning around and entering my house. My mother followed me inside, not saying anything. Neither of us spoke all day, nor did we train. I guess it was our way of mourning his death. I did, however, make my mother some breakfast.

I quickly made two eggs and some bacon, for my mom and I. I could hear my mom walking down the stairs as I put the food on two plates. I then added a fork to each before setting them on the table. My mom walked in and sat down, we both ate in silence, our faces grim. My hands ached to wrap around my swords, or my new dagger and to practice, to train, to get my mind off of the mental pain that swirled through every part of my body.

I finished the food rapidly before standing up and walking to the sink. I washed my plate thoroughly with soap and water, my mind wandering as muscle memory took over. I heard the sound of a chair moving, letting me know that my mom had finished. I smoothly put up my plate and reached behind for the other plate. I felt the other plate touch my hand. I grabbed it and still without turning around I washed that one too along with the silverware.

Once finished with the dishes I walked into the training room where my mother was waiting patiently with her long-sword. I drew out my whips and smiled, I was ambidextrous, meaning that I had two dominant hands. So I'm a dangerous bitch to mess with, well I hoped I was. My new dagger was black, but had a cyan edge. The cyan edge looked extremely sharp, while the spine of the knife was serrated. Both of my weapons looked terrifying and both felt like extensions to my arms. My father had given me one of his own butterfly knives that he had gotten as a kid, as well as the two rapiers that were part of his collection of weapons. Sadly he sacrificed himself for a better dagger. I swore I would protect both sets of weapons with my life if I had to.

I grinded my two swords together, while my mother held the sword in front of her face. Halving her face into a samurai-like stance. A smile grew on my face as adrenaline started to flow through my veins. Then the fight began. My body moved as fast and as graceful as an arrow, as I rushed toward my mother. One of my swords came up to block my mother's sword while I brought up a leg to kick my mother onto the ground. I took the other blade and pressed its serrated edge to my mother's throat while pressing my knee to my mother's wrist to keep her from attacking back.

Victory shone in my eyes, but not for long. My mother pushed her legs up, causing me to fly back. Once in contact with the floor, I did a roll, making sure not to cut myself with my swords, but losing them in the process. Once again my mom and I stood face to face, I pulled out my dagger and raised it. My breathing was still even, and my eyes still shone with excitement. We began to circle each other, our eyes locked with a fierce determination shining in both of our eyes. I crouched down, about to run at my mother when a knock sounded at the door. By 'a' knock I mean rapid knocks practically beating down our door.

My fight-flight-or-freeze response kicked in, adrenaline flooded through my veins, fueled by fear and surprise. Immediately I sprinted toward the window next to the front door and carefully looked out of it. Three people my age stood outside the door, the only catch was that one was bleeding, like a lot. Not even thinking about what I was doing I threw the door open and ushered the girls in. Once my mom saw what was going on she was shouting out orders, "LEA, CLOSE THE DOOR AND MAKE SURE NO ONE IS FOLLOWING! YOU! BRING HER OVER HERE, I NEED TO TREAT HER WOUND. LEA GET THE FIRST AID KIT!" After working out for three years I was pretty damn fit, I ran at top speed to close the door, then rushed to the downstairs bathroom to get the first aid kit.

Besides the physical training, my parents have given me emergency training, meaning I knew exactly where the first aid kit was and how to get to it at top speed without tripping, or slamming into a wall, which I have done before. I reminded myself to keep my head clear and to not panic. I entered the bathroom and slammed open the cabinet over the sink. I grabbed the plain white box with only a red cross on it to tell me what it was. I then twirled around on my heels and rushed back toward the training room, without even breaking a sweat.

The sight that greeted me was depressing, a short blond-hair was in one of the chairs, her head in her hands. She wore a ragged and dirty sweater as well as some leggings of the same condition. Her skin had a slight tan, nothing much, but it was stained with dirt, and what looked like blood. The other person, a brunette, with red streaks in their hair, was pacing, anger in their aqua eyes. Their skin was by far tanner than the blonde's but was also stained with dirt and grime. They wore torn and muddy blue jeans and a black t-shirt. All of this information barely had time to register as I handed my mother the first-aid-kit. I looked down at the wounded girl, she wore black glasses and she had natural red hair. She wore a bloody t-shirt with a cat on it, as well as some jeans. Her wound was on her forearm, a deep gash running along it. Blood was seeping down her arm and staining her clothing. I could tell the wound was deep due to the small bit of white bone sticking out. All three of the girls wore sneakers. I turned around in horror, deciding to let my mom handle it.

My feet led me to the blond girl, my heart reaching out to her. I knelt down in front of her before speaking to her, "Hey, what's your friend's name?" The girl jumped a little before looking at me with steady green eyes, "Ember." I nodded, "What about you?" The girl smiled, "I'm Kari, you?" I smiled back, "I'm Lea." Kadi pointed to the third girl, "They're Aarin." Said person started to walk over to us, their eyes curious, "What's going on?" I smiled, "We're just chatting." Aarin rolled their eyes, "No shit Sherlock." Kari gasped, "Language!" Aarin smiled and laughed before spreading their arms out, "Look at the field of fucks I give and see that it is barren! Kari, the world is ending there's no use in manners anymore."

I chuckled lightly, I was already starting to like these people, "Don't worry, I curse too, after all, people are getting murdered in the street, why worry about something as small as cursing." My smile fell slightly, but I lifted it, not wanting to bring the mood down. Aarin smirked and nodded as well, "See! She gets it!" We smiled at each other and gave each other fist-bumps, high-fives were overrated. Kari just rolled her eyes and leaned back in the brown armchair, the tension wasn't gone from either of the females' shoulders, however, I did seem to calm them down, even just a little bit. I was still tense though, I hadn't seen other people my age in what seems like forever, I didn't know how to act.

My mind drifted to the earlier week's events leaving me confused, "How did you know that there was anyone here to help" Kari and Aarin glanced over at me. "Oh, well there was a dead man at your door," Aarin started, causing me to wince, "It looked like he was trying to get inside when he was distracted by something else. Probably a demon. His body was slightly fresh so we hoped he had supplies or a family that could help." I nodded, Aarin's statement was logical and made sense, "Yeah, he was my dad." Kari gave me a sympathetic look and it looked like she was about to say something when we were interrupted.

I heard a clap from behind me, causing us all to look toward the noise. My mother was standing behind us, a gentle smile on her face, "She's going to be ok, she just needs to rest." A chorus of cheers rose in the room, as we all celebrated the life that was saved. "Anyone want any champagne?" I called out, earning a smack on the back of my head from both my mom and Kari. We all laughed as I said that I was joking multiple times, I mean, they hit hard. Maybe today was going to be a great day, new friends, happy memories, what could go wrong?"

I turned back to our two guests, a bright smile on my face, "So, what happened to her anyway?" Kari sighed in annoyance, "She decided that it was perfectly fine to piss off a demon." Aarin shook their head, "Yeah, she has a habit of being super aggressive, nor does she think before she acts." I nodded, "Okay then, what did she do to piss off the demon?" At this Aarin burst into a fit of laughter, her hand clutching her stomach, "She kicked the damn thing in its balls and said, 'Bitch I'm the only one who can spill my own blood."

I turned to look at the unconscious Ember, my face holding an incredulous expression, I didn't think anyone was that brave or that stupid. Aarin shrugged, "Kari and I had to step in before he killed her. Kari sighed, "We were desperate, we... our friend was dying. At that point, we didn't care what happened, as long as we got her safe." I nodded, shocked by the loyalty in the female's words and actions. Even Aarin, whom some might say didn't care, had a look that spoke of their loyalty. A smile rose to my mouth, "Can I be one of your friends?" Kari vigorously nodded, while Aarin just shrugged, letting out only a small, "sure."

A smile lit up my face, human interaction was rare during these times, "Now we just have to make sure Ember likes me too." Aarin burst out laughing, "Yeah we'll make sure she doesn't kill you." Kari nodded, a determined look on her face, "I'll kill her with kindness if she tries." I smiled, Kari was like an angel, too good and pure for this world, especially now, I wish I was like her. Briefly, I wondered what it would be like to have a normal life. To have normal friends, to go to school, to have a normal family. However, there was something magical with having an adventure every day, the constant adrenaline was beautiful, but there was also something magical about being normal. You had choices, you had a bigger chance to survive, and for your family to survive.

I shook my head roughly before looking at my two new friends, "Hey, I'm going to my room, want me to show you your rooms on the way." They both nodded. I turned around and walked up the stairs, trusting my companions to follow me. Once upstairs I opened the closest door, the only free one upstairs, "Ember will take the room downstairs because of her injuries, so you too have to share a room, or one of you could take the couch." Aarin shrugged, "Beats sleeping on the floor any day.

Once they entered their room I walked toward mine, after today's events I really needed to sleep. I walked into my room and closed the door. I shook my head roughly, my hair moving with the action. Unwanted memories of the two deaths I had seen circled in my head. What if I had to watch my two friends die. No, that won't happen, I'll make sure to protect them. How though? I couldn't kill that one demon, and I definitely couldn't rely on my new friends.

I put my hands over my eyes and groaned as I fell back onto my bed. thoughts danced around in my head. Aarin, Kari, and Ember didn't look anything alike, so they weren't related, but then, how did they know each other? Are they old friends? If they are, then I'd be an outsider. What if they just met each other randomly. That brings the question, where are their parents? Did they have to watch them die? I shivered at the thought. Watching my dad die was hard enough, what if I had to watch my mother die?

I rolled over in my bed and grasped the stuffed koala that my parents got me before all this shit happened. I pulled the Koala to my chest and nuzzled my head into its fake fur. Its sparkly blue eyes gazed into my own grey eyes. My dad gave the koala to me when I started to be self conscious about my eyes, he said if I was ever upset about them then I could imagine that I had the eyes of the stuffed animal, The memory eased my mind and I began to calm down. My chest moved up and down as I breathed. I allowed my eyes to close, and slowly I fell into the curtain of sleep.

....

Sunlight filtered through my boarded up windows, waking me up from my slumber. I groaned and sat up. It's been 9 months since we got our visitors so I was used to waking up to the sound of voices. Ember fully healed about 3 months ago, so I got to meet her, she was... interesting. After getting ready for the day I ran down the stairs to be greeted by my friends and my mother. Ember was on her phone, a bored look on her face, Aarin and Kari were talking excitedly at the breakfast table. I chuckled and sat on the other side of Aarin, grateful that I didn't have to sit by Ember. I liked her, she was just... violent. The smell of waffles met my nose, and I smiled, it had been a long time since I had some waffles so I knew that my mom had made a trip to town.

The farms were still running, the only thing that really changed was demons ruled the earth, so no money was needed. Demons lived in our houses, those who didn't have important jobs, or didn't side with the demons, were killed or made into slaves. The reason why we survived so long was because my parents, having worked in law enforcement, were very good at fighting. In the end, the demons just gave up, we were only one family after all, who cares if we live. We still had to deal with the occasional demon though, so we were always on guard. Stores were still available so that the demons had easy access to good food, I mean who knows what they had to eat in hell. Everyone gave up on the angels saving us about two years ago, to be honest, I never believed in them in the first place. Hopeful thoughts were just an illusion, wishes were just fiction, and dreams are a curse. The best part was all the schools were shut down, now they were just abandoned buildings.

It didn't take long for my mother to enter the room and place the plates of mouth-watering waffles. Strawberries decorated the top, and I could smell the strawberry syrup. Whip cream hugged the strawberries, the sight causing my stomach to rumble in pleasure. Even Ember looked up from her phone to admire the sight sitting before us. I raised an eyebrow, "So, what's the special occasion?" My mom smiled, "I just thought that you kids deserve something sweet, I saw some waffles and strawberries at the store, so I got them." Kari squealed in happiness, before jumping up to hug my mom. Aarin, Ember, and I just started eating, letting out occasional praises.

Once finished eating I leaned back into my chair and let out a happy sigh. My eyes closed, my mind letting my imagination run wild. I imagined that I was just having a nice sleepover with my friends, and my mom just wanted to cook some good food for my friends. I imagined that I had two pet cats and a dog, maybe even a bird. The thought of going to school and meeting new people seemed beautiful in my mind, the memories of the other kids in my class when I was younger brought an ache to my heart. I wonder what could have happened to them. A tear slipped past my defenses but I brushed it away quickly, knowing that it would be easy to play it off as happiness with the food or whatever. Luckily no one noticed so I stood and stretched, letting a yawn escape my mouth.

I have been training with the other girls since they got here. Ember rarely participated, Aarin had a head-start since they were in sports before the apocalypse started, and Kari just had normal training like me. Aarin stole a scythe from my room, when I was younger I was fascinated by the weapon, recently, however, it was just used as decoration. I preferred quicker weapons, and two of them. It gave me a strange sense of pride when I used my ambidextrous talent through my blades. Kari preferred the bow and arrow, while Ember just used a gun, if not then her fists. I grimaced at the thought of how hard that girl could hit, she was the exact definition of a ginger.

I left the room and headed to the weapon room, originally the game room. Once in the room, I headed to my weapon rack, otherwise known as the DVD case. We had taken out the shelves, to store our weapons in. I slipped on my belt, loving the feel of the tight leather around my waist. I wrapped a thigh-guard around my thigh, glancing at the dagger that sat snugly in the sheath. I heard footsteps causing me to look toward the doorway. Standing there was Aarin and Kari, as expected Ember wasn't there. I stepped back and rolled my shoulders back to loosen the growing muscles.

I watched as the two girls got their weapons on and faced me. Aarin couldn't really put her scythe up so I gave her one of my father's bowie knives. Kari had to have a butterfly knife, since her weapon was only a long-ranged weapon. Hey, you don't know when you might get caught in close combat. Ember had a dagger too, I mean she wasn't stupid. I smiled at my two friends, happy that I actually had friends, I could count myself lucky. Sadly all good things must come to an end.

...

Two days later, I had been chatting with my three friends when a knock came at the door. I stood up, taking one of my swords out in the process, and opened the door. Standing in the doorway was my father's killer, however, before I could react he snapped his fingers and I flew back, into a wall. Aarin and Kari drew their weapons and stood at the ready to fight the demon. Said demon rolled his eyes, "I have no quarrel with you kids, so run along now." A growl ripped out of my throat as I stood up, meeting his black eyes with my grey ones.

My mom suddenly ran into the room, her long-sword at the ready. The demon turned to her, an evil smile spreading across his face, "Ah, just the pathetic human I was looking for." I could feel fear radiating through my body, but I pushed it away and replaced it with sheer determination. I grabbed the sword that had fallen out of my hand and slowly stood up. I noticed Aarin and Kari standing by the door, anger and worry painting both their faces. Aarin noticed me approaching the demon and shook their head. I ignored her and approached the demon, my eyes trained on his red hair.

The demon ran his eyes over me before dismissing me and turning to my mother. My mother scowled at him, "You have one minute to get out of this house before I kill you." He grinned sadistically and took a step toward my mother. I froze, what was he planning? He took more long slow steps toward her, his grin getting wider with each step. I followed behind him, my hands trembling. My mother pressed her sword against his chest, "Get out." It was an order not a question but he ignored her. The demon grabbed the blade of her sword, ignoring the blood that was welling up in his hand before flinging the sword away, all the while holding that same stupid smile.

The demon was wearing a black trench-coat and some black jeans. He wasn't holding any weapons, but I knew he could kill her anyway. Suddenly he spoke, "I wouldn't take one more step toward me if I were you, Lea Black. I froze, questions circled my mind, a recurring one being, 'How does he know my name?' I opened my mouth to say something when his hand snapped out and wrapped around my mother's throat. A gasp escaped my throat as I raised my hand to use my sword. I was too late. The demon's wrist snapped to the right, and the sickening sound of bones breaking met my ears.

Anger fueled my veins, like a fire. I did not hesitate to plunge my arm forward, allowing the sword to go through his stomach. The demon froze, but I wasn't done, I jerked my arm back, pulling the sword clean out. The demon smirked, "You don't have the heart to kill me." My grey eyes turned stormy, "You're right, I don't have a heart," I quickly slashed my sword through his neck, beheading him, which let a thrill of satisfaction go through me. The demon's eyes widened before the chilling to a dull white, before his body and head fell to the floor. A laugh bubbled in my throat, I had done it. I had killed this monstrosity. Kari looked horrified, and Aarin looked grim.

I flicked the sword sharply to the right, flinging red droplets off of it. I looked at the red blood that pooled around the demon. I was surprised that it wasn't black, but I shrugged it off. I've heard that the first kill is always the hardest, but I felt... cool. Like smooth ice, that couldn't be broken. I walked over to my mother, my eyes blank. I had expected to be crying, but I was numb. I kneeled down and closed her eyes, my hands were still and calm, not even shaking. I sheath my sword and stood up, looking at the doorway that my two friends were standing.

Kari looked sad, and Aarin just nodded to me, sending me their sympathies. Behind the two was a very confused ginger. "What the HELL did I miss?!" She questioned, her mouth open. I ignored her and pushed past the three to my room.

It was only when I finished that the realization hit. It felt like someone punched me in the gut, causing me to double over. I had killed someone, Demon or not, I had killed him. Killing him hadn't changed the fact that my mom was dead. I would never see her smile again, she was the only reason I had gotten over my dad's death. I couldn't see her bright hazel eyes anymore, nor could I see her short brown hair that she always put into a small ponytail. I wouldn't be able to feel her pale arms wrap around me for a hug. Now I had stained my hands for no reason other than revenge. Bile rose in my throat, causing me to lean over and puke on the floor. Tears cascaded down my cheeks as horror gripped my heart. I hadn't felt anything when I killed him, was I turning into a monster? Did my friends think I was a monster? Exhaustion suddenly ripped through me and I fell to the floor, everything going black.