Chapter 2- Dead Woman Walking

Do you believe in monsters?

In the creatures under your bed?

I'd say no, because monsters aren't a thing.

The big, scary, and ugly beasts that we're meant to be afraid of.

But what no one talks about are the real monsters.

Murderers. Abusers. Rapists. Terrible people that deserve no right to roam free on this planet.

The one's who we think are normal, but go around slaughtering other humans.

But they aren't. They aren't humans.

They're monsters.

You've met one or two of them in your life, I promise you.

Just some people never notice they're right next to one until it's too late...

*******

FOUR YEARS AGO,

DECEMBER 13th, 2066.

THE DAY OF THE MEMORIES.

3:24 AM.

(ANONYMOUS'S POV)

I watch the clock.

The thin red hand rocks around in a clockwise circle.

Boring.

I have nothing better to do than stare at the clock or the cemetery in my backyard.

I watch the graveyard, at the multiple gravestones.

I should pay them a visit.

I stand up, walking closer to the back door.

I place my hand on the ice cold handle, turning it slowly before pushing open my creaky door.

I pause and turn my head over my shoulder before walking out the door.

I need to make sure they aren't watching.

I edge closer to the graveyard, shrouded in a thick feeling of dread that gets heavier and heavier the closer I edge towards their graves.

I tune out the winds whistling.

I don't need to hear their begs for help.

"Be quiet! It can hear us!"

I usher out to the graves, the wind dropping and the whole yard going dead silent.

I crouch down at a gravestone.

C. Angelo.

That's...that's me.

I hold my hand over the grave, reaching my hand out.

It goes right through it, and when I look down at my hands they're fading.

I'm fading away.

No...

I reach down, placing my hands in the damp soil of my own grave.

I have to dig myself out.

As soon as I start unpacking the dirt, I feel myself caving in, then a hand clamp onto my wrist.

Pale.

And bony.

When I look down I realize it's coming from the dirt.

I jump back, jerking the thing with me.

I hear a groan, and dig a little further.

I uncover a lock of jet hair, then a pale cheek.

Her eyes are delicately closed.

It's me...

I grab onto her, but my hands go straight through her.

The more I start to panic, the more my hands start to radiate darkness.

Black inklings running up my arms.

Sable ooze dripping from the bottom of my eye sockets.

My hands start twitching and pulsating until they start to glow a dim green, a sickly color.

Unwillingly my hands move down into the dirt, grabbing onto my dead body's hands in my own fading ones.

I feel a spark, and a push as I fall into my dead body, merging with her completely.

Everything goes black for a split second.

Then my eyes jolt open with a gasp, and all color starts slowly spreading back into my body.

What—what happened?!

I brought someone back from the dead...I brought myself back from the dead.

I cough as dirt enters my lungs, pushing it away before sitting up, choking up clumps of dirt before dragging myself out of my own grave.

What the...?

I stare down incredulously at my empty grave, brushing the dirt off myself before running off the property.

As I run down the street, running past people who look at me funny, thoughts run around in a marathon on every side of my brain.

What just happened?!

How was I able to bring myself back from the dead?!

I've been dead for over a decade, and I'm still the same eighteen year old girl.

The same exact person buried in my killer's backyard.

He's watching.

And if he, or one of them find me again, they'll make sure me or my wandering spirit won't be able to make it out alive again.

As I look down at my wrists I still see the marks.

The cut marks and the rope marks.

They bound me to a chair half naked, sliced me, beat me, then threw me and that chair into a lake with a weight on my ankle to keep me down.

I drowned.

I died.

And they got away with it.

I stop at a red light, breathing raggedly.

I stare straight ahead, my face draining to a sickly ashen white.

Oh no...

They're here.

I turn wide eyed to a woman who looks extremely concerned next to me.

"Hey...you see that too?"

"No...?"

My face drops.

"Oh, so you aren't one of them."

Without waiting for the light to turn green, I run across the road.

I hear the people's screams as a car speeds right towards me, but I teleport to the other side.

What the hell?!

I just...oh no...

I turn around in horror, seeing their terrified faces as I realize they just witnessed me teleport to the other side of the street.

How did I do that?!

What is happening to me?!

I shake my head rapidly as some of them start to call the police, and others yell profanities at me.

"Witch!"

"Freak!"

"She's one of them!"

"She's a monster!"

"I-I'm not a—I'm not a—"

I feel handcuffs tighten around my wrists, and feel the presence of a man behind me. A policeman.

My hands start to shake, and black ribbon-like shadows curl around the bonds, disintegrating them.

By now people are running away in the cloudy weather, shielding themselves from the rain as they run aimlessly down the streets.

I back away, holding my hands out in front of me.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, I'm not a monster...please don't come any closer!"

Around six armed policemen point their weapons at me, inching closer as I start to tremble.

"I don't want to hurt anybody! Please!"

As soon as one reaches out to grab me I snap, raising my hands as coal black bubbles at the surface of my hands, making all six men fly back into a shop wall, twitching.

Inky ooze exudes from their now blank eyes, and I let out a small screech, running as I hear more sirens.

No, no, no!

I'm a murderer!

I didn't mean to kill them...I didn't!

I sob as I run, running until my legs collapse underneath me, against a small fence seemingly in the middle of nowhere.

I grip harshly on the necklace around my neck, letting go of the red beads as they start to turn black.

I panic, resting my hands against the cement which also starts to turn jet black around me.

I hold my hands together, silently sobbing when a flier falls down on my head.

I pick it up in two fingers, trying extremely hard to not pay any mind to the blackness seeping up it.

THE MISSING:

Hardin Bryant, Alex Burch, Nora Walker, and Wilder Felix.

IF SEEN, PLEASE REPORT TO THE POLICE STATION.

Went missing: 11/24/2064.

Whoever knows the whereabouts of these children, please let us know at 586-407-1212.

I frown.

Poor children.

I stand up, looking at the fliers.

I can't have them die like I did.

I look at each and every one.

Alexandria Mia Burch:

AGE: 13.

HAIR COLOR: strawberry blonde.

EYE COLOR: honey/gold.

HEIGHT: 5'0.

Hardin William Bryant:

AGE: 13.

HAIR COLOR: brown, almost black.

EYE COLOR: dark brown.

HEIGHT: 5'4.

Elenora Belle Walker:

AGE: 12.

HAIR COLOR: black.

EYE COLOR: hazel.

HEIGHT: 4'11.

Wilder Zachary Felix.

AGE: 13.5.

HAIR COLOR: Light brown.

EYE COLOR: grey.

HEIGHT: 5'5.

Wow. This is terrible.

Those parents must feel awful.

They went missing a whole two years ago.

I frown, before continuing on.

I can't let myself distracted.

There are people after me.

******

After a few hours, I finally leave myself to rest on a bench, as it's late at night and I have nowhere else to go.

I start to drift off, but not before I hear heavy footsteps.

"Hey...are you okay?"

My eyes shoot open and I jolt up, eyes wide with fear.

"Who's there?! Who is it?!"

My eyes catch on his, luminescent and violet.

A bright, haunting violet.

He shifts awkwardly on his feet, hands stuffed in his pockets.

I'm not surprised considering how cold it is outside.

But I don't feel the cold.

Not that much.

"Aren't you cold out here at night?"

I shake my head.

"Not really."

"You don't have a place to stay?"

My eyes flash black for a second before I continue.

He obviously notices but doesn't mention anything.

"Isn't it pretty obvious? No."

"You can come with me if you'd like."

My heart rate picks up.

I shake my head.

"I'll be fine."

His eyes swirl and I feel like I need to go with him all of a sudden, considering a stand up.

"Are you sure?"

"No, actually. I'll be fine going with you."

For a moment he strobes between human and something monstrous, before he goes back to normal, with the same ultraviolet eyes that dig a grave in my soul.

His smile is almost as evocative.

"That's great. You can come with me and my friends. I'm Ace. And you must be?"

I frown.

"I don't really remember...oh wait! No! C. Angelo."

"C. Angelo?"

"Yes. But if you must know my real name is Carson."

*******

PRESENT DAY,

DECEMBER 1ST, 2068.

4:56 PM.

(SPARROW'S POV)

I start manically laughing again, infernos of a deadly kind spreading across the room.

Hot ribbons of light surround everyone, and Raquel struggles to keep up her force field against the blistering heat of the uncontrollable fire I'm starting.

"Sparrow! Stop this now!"

I hear the screeches of the instructors, and I drop back down gracefully onto the floor, wings of fire disintegrating.

My eyes now a blood red, I slink towards Wilder, sliding my arms over his shoulders before smirking down at him, feeling joy from the pain in his eyes.

"Fire can't beat water? Aren't you a silly little boy..."

"Get out of her, Sparrow."

"Out?! I could never! Oh all I want to do is stay!"

He grins, with his hand pressed against the blistering and skin peeling wound on his stomach, and I cock my head as the skin bonds back together in small blue threads, molding back into place.

"Not for long, bitch. Find another woman to possess."

He throws an orb of water at me, watching as it hits my skin, sizzling and bubbling it away.

I hiss inhumanly at him, at everyone, slowly crumpling to the floor in pain.

I hold onto my side, coughing out blood before glaring straight at Wilder.

"Idiot little boy...this isn't the last you'll see of me! The next time I see you, I'm going to melt a hole in your head with my fire! Burn in hell, bastard!"

I fall silent, collapsing against the floor in a heap of dying flames.

******

(SAWYER'S POV)

Everyone looks at me cautiously, then at Wilder.

"You got rid of her. Did you kill her?!"

Nora asks, running over to me.

She shakes me slightly, before looking back at Wilder intently.

"Well?"

"No. I threw a spell at her that's sure to keep that demon away for a bit...unless it gets stronger and she can't control it."

The guides usher everyone back into their categories, leaving me laying on the ground.

"Now, now, everyone. That was just a small mishap. We'll have everything sorted out by tomorrow, for now she'll be spending time in solitary."

Everyone gasps.

"Solitary?! But that's where—"

"Yes. Half demons go. It's obvious she's one of them. This explains her skyrocketing danger level."

The woman places her hand on the man's shoulder, looking at everyone, before her eyes lock on Wilder, Hardin, Alex, and Nora's for a second longer.

"Are you saying—?!"

She nods slightly at Nora with a solicitous expression.

"She's part of the hybrids. She belongs to the Dark Throne."

******

Let me define that for you.

The Hybrids:

A group of four to six beings that are half demon and have extremely dangerous abilities. They are called hybrids because they are a terrifying duo of either a demon and a human, or something much, much more sinister.

The group of hybrids is called Blacklist, and that group contains:

Ace Samara.

Carson Angelo.

Riley Inferno.

And September Brooks.

Their new member is to arrive soon enough...

The Dark Throne:

Basically its name. The throne of darkness. There is a single person who belongs to this throne, who has the ultimate power and ability. Lucifer's old throne. The Devil's Chair. It can go by basically anything.

And when the person who belongs to the Dark Throne is a hybrid, things get much more complicated.

******

(SAWYER'S POV)

I wake up, with an awful feeling in my head.

Maybe it's pounding from all the memories and things I can now remember, or maybe it's the rock hard pillow my poor head is resting against.

I groan, opening my eyes.

This time I'm not shackled to the bed like a prisoner, but have a bond around my ankle with a big ass bowling ball looking weight attached to it.

I can barely move around.

The walls are white and padded, and it feels like I'm in some solitary room.

Wait a damn minute.

Am I in solitary?!

I look around frantically.

Bed.

Desk.

Bucket.

Bed.

Desk.

Bucket.

What?!

Oh hell no.

Maybe I'll just bust my way out of here with my fucking fire powers?!

I try to do something with my hands, just to realize I have some fucking heat safe gloves on my hands.

And they won't come off.

They disabled my powers.

They disabled your fire powers, but not your telepathy and mind control ones...idiot. Do something!

"Shut up, Sparrow! You dumbass Bitch! You got me stuck in here in the first place!"

I freeze when I hear someone, turning my head over my shoulder to see two tiny idiots staring blankly at me through the small window.

"I told you she was crazy, Emmy. She's talking to nobody."

I roll my eyes.

"Can you unlock this so I can get out?!"

The two girls shake their heads.

"Mom and dad told us we couldn't let you out, miss."

"Fuck your mom and dad, child!"

Their eyes widen.

"I'm sorry. I'm just a little hangry. I didn't eat anything today...how about you let me out and I'll make us some s'mores with my powers?"

They both look at each other, seemingly talking to each other with their eyes.

"Okay. Me and Charlie made a decision."

I stare at them expressionlessly.

"What?"

"We'll let you out!"

"But only on one circumstance."

"Which is...?"

Both girls smile.

"You tell Hardin that we like him."

I almost die of laughter.

"Yeah! Of course I will! I'm sure he thinks you two are snacks!"

He's almost eighteen and they look twelve...definitely not happening.

"Really?! You think he'd like us?!"

"Yeah! Charlie, Emmy, you guys are the cutest! Now do me a favor and open the door."

Emmy inserts the key, unlocking it.

They both come in, and Charlie releases my ankle from the weight.

"Do you guys know how to get these off?"

They look at my gloves with a strange expression.

"What are those?"

"Gloves. Heat safe ones."

Emmy and Charlie tug at them until they come off, and I smile at them.

"Thank you. Now I have to go."

"What?!"

"Have fun!"

I shut the door, and both of them start screaming as I walk away.

Annoying little brats.

My, my, my, aren't you turning into a mini me?

"Shut up, Sparrow. I'm going to impale you with a stick if you don't shut up."

You can't impale a ghost now, can you?

"Oh but I can. Aren't you funny?"

Why—?

Right when I'm about to answer her, I hear footsteps.

Then a female voice.

The instructor.

"Emmy?! Charlie?! Where are you girls?! You were supposed to come back to mommy and daddy already!"

I slide in a black room, shutting the door behind me.

I stay there as she walks away, and right when I'm about to leave I hear a noise.

It's coming from behind me.

I flip around, but no one's there.

Hmm...interesting.

When I look up I almost let out a shriek.

There's a person...hanging...from the ceiling.

What the fuck...?

They're sleeping, and obviously feel me starting at them.

Their eyes open and I jump back even further, their eyes are yellow.

Yellow like a black cat's eyes.

A smile spreads across their face.

It's terrifying.

I'm terrified.

All I can see are those bright eyes and their wide smile and it's freaking me the fuck out.

"Uhh...hello?"

"Hello!"

The voice is of a male, and he drops down from the ceiling, clapping twice.

The lights snap on and he waves.

"My name is Colton, and you must be, darling?"

"Sawyer...why are you so...feline?"

"Easy!"

He morphs into a sleek black cat, circling around my leg once before turning back into a human.

"I am a cat!"

"I'm talking to a...to a cat?"

He nods enthusiastically, and I blink a few times.

"You know, Colton, I believe it's my time to go..."

"Don't tell me you're hella creeped out by me. At least I don't turn into a fucking man-eating black panther."

"That was oddly specific."

"Yeah...because I can turn into a man-eating black panther, but we don't talk about that here."

"Why are you in here by yourself?! Did you not see like ten hours earlier?! I basically blew up the place."

"Cool! But I'm in here by myself because my parents would like to keep me a secret."

"Parents...?"

"Edith and Charles Hollow. My younger sisters are Charlie and Emmy."

"You're parents are the owners of this place?!"

"Yep. And speaking of parents..."

I turn my head behind me, my shoulders sagging.

"Well, fuck..."

"Look who decided to escape solitary and trap my daughters in there! Get over here, wench. It's time for testing."

*****

Testing.

More like torturing.

When I walked into that room it was a science lab gone wrong.

People being electrocuted, people being tied down to the floor, people being beat to see how they'd react?!

We aren't wild animals, I mean jeez, they sure act like we are.

I get dragged by Edith to a small glass chamber, and I'm shoved inside.

"Sit on that chair, and stay there. Your tester will be here soon."

She slams the door shut, and I awkwardly sit there.

Another young woman comes forward, sitting at the control table in front of her that has a list on it.

"What the list for?"

She looks up.

"Well, Sawyer, this is the list of things I have to test you on."

"Why the fuck is there so many?!"

"Since you are new, I have to do more tests on you than others subjects. My name is September, and I'll be your tester for today."

"Okay."

I sit stilly on the chair, and September opens the door, walking towards me with a few cords and things in her hands.

When she reaches towards me I shy away.

"Don't be nervous, sweetheart. It won't hurt. I was told to put it on the lowest setting first."

"Lowest setting...? What're you doing?!"

"Electrocution test. If you can withstand more than 60 watts then one of your main abilities is electricity and weather control."

I watch uneasily as she sticks small little squares on multiple parts of my body with wires connected to them, and then she leaves the glass room, sitting back down.

She holds up her fingers.

3,

2,

1.

September cranks up the watts and I jerk, letting out a small cry of pain.

She cranks it up again, and I twitch from agony, pain shooting up my arms and legs where she put it.

She turns it off, jotting things down in her notebook before opening the door back up.

"Ouch! What was that for?!"

"I'm sorry, sweetheart. You didn't pass though. You got a fifty seven on the scale...your power could've been electricity."

She takes all of the small squares off, standing me up.

She takes the chair, and shuts the door again, sealing it.

I watch her intently as she presses a blue button, and water starts filling up at full speed.

Oh hell no.

I let out a yelp when it hits my skin, getting a horrible burning feeling.

My face contorts with pain, as I feel like my flesh is being slowly peeled off it's so bad.

Soon it all fills up, and I'm left floating in the water.

I can't breathe.

I look at her wide eyed, motioning for her to turn it off.

I can't breathe.

I can't feel my body.

She immediately turns it off, the water draining from the room just as fast as it showed up.

September opens the door, running over to my crippled body on the floor.

"Are you okay?!"

"No...it burns..."

September looks at my skin, which is bright red.

"Oh no! What happened?!"

"The water...it burned..."

A look of realization crosses her face.

"Fire."

******

I'm now tied by my wrists and ankles, spread like some test dummy in the room.

I look below me, a bad feeling settling in my gut as September presses a bright red button.

Before I know it, fire shoots up from the bottom of the floor, hitting me in the face.

Burning hot...but it's not bothering me.

I sit there as September watches in awe, jotting something down before turning off the machine.

She hurries inside, unlatching me.

"You're the first person to pass that test."

"You've tested that on other people...?"

"Yeah. We thought they had fire powers. They didn't. Most of them didn't survive."

She then pulls in a random person who looks mortified.

"Now I've heard you do mind control and telepathy. Let's test that. I'm going to have Richelle here think of her favorite Italian dish. Tell us when you're ready, Richelle."

She nods.

"I'm ready."

They both look at me.

"What's Richelle's favorite Italian dish, Sawyer?"

I look into Richelle's eyes, before looking back at September.

"Focaccia bread with tomatoes, basil, and fresh mozzarella on top."

Richelle's eyes widen.

September looks at her.

"Is that want you thought of?"

"Exactly."

"Good. Now, Sawyer, please do your mind control trick."

I nod.

Here we go.

I snap my eyes shut.

Dark blue ribbons.

I'm in her mind.

I open my eyes again, but this time they're glowing.

The veins underneath my eyes flare scarlet, so do my fingertips.

I hold my hand out to face her.

"You will walk over to the corner, and bang your head against the wall three times before spinning in a counterclockwise circle."

Richelle's eyes turn red and she nods stiffly, standing up before robotically walking over to the wall, banging her head loudly three times, doing the counterclockwise circle before walking back, sitting down.

Her eyes dim down to their normal green and she rubs her head.

September looks amazed.

"Wow. You passed the test. I will get Edith now. Richelle, thank you for being our test subject. You may leave now."

Richelle nods uneasily, immediately running from the room.

****

A few minutes later, Edith returns.

"I see you did your tests...and you passed. You may now head out to yard with everyone else. Try not to blow it up this time."

She gives me a tight smile, ushering me out of the room.

I wander down the halls, searching for the yard.

I see a door that leads to the outside, exiting through it.

I see all the other subjects hanging out, and approach them.

"Hey...everyone."

They all turn to look at me.

"Hi, Sawyer!"

I smile at Karina.

"Hi, Karina."

She takes my arm, pulling me to a different area.

"How did your tests go?"

"Bad. But okay at the same time. My tester was pretty nice. September was her name?"

"Yes..."

Karina leans in closer, lowering her voice to a whisper.

"The owners don't know, but she's one of the hybrids."

"The hybrids?"

"Yes...they believe you're one of them and want to keep you away from them. But I know that sometime today they're—"

Karina gets interrupted by a load of screams, then a massive explosion.

I yank Karina back, and we both go flying out of the way from a giant hunk of debris.

Remnants of the wall shower over us, smacking a few people.

I let out a screech, but Karina deflects the huge hunk of wall with her telekinesis, throwing it to the side.

"Holy! What's going on?!"

"What I was trying to say was that the hybrids were going to attack!"

"What?!"

A huge chunk of wall falls between us, spereating me from everyone else.

Fuck.

I turn around, seeing Alex shift into a bird before flying over to me, landing next to me.

"Hey!"

"What the—?! Where are the others?!"

Alex turns slightly to the side, pointing at Nora who's speeding towards us, then Hardin who's flying with Wilder.

"They...they fly?!"

"Yeah! But that's not the point!"

They all land next to us, and Nora pants.

"We have to hide Sawyer! They're here for her!"

"Who?!"

Nora gets knocked out from a flying rock, and I hear laughter, snapping my head around to see a guy with auburn hair.

"Hey, y'all! Wassup?! I'm Riley, and this is—"

He gets smacked by another rock, and I see September, who catches eyes with me.

She smiles, before grabbing Riley's hand and pulling him up.

"Get up, idiot! We have to get the rest of them!"

"What the fuck?!"

She turns invisible, knocking Wilder out along with Nora on the floor.

A guy with bright purple eyes comes down on a broom, swooping by before throwing a fuchsia orb at Hardin, watching as it paralyzes him, and makes him fall splat on the floor.

I back away as the ground rumbles, and a girl drops down from the sky, with dark hair and dark tan skin.

One of her eyes is glowing a sickly green, the other an inky black.

Her arms have veins that glow, and she rises them up, watching as zombie type humans rise from the ground, swarming Alex at once.

They knock her out, before disappearing back in the ground.

Did she just—bring people up from the ground?!

And before I can react, Mr Broomstick grabs me by the collar of my shirt, picking me up and putting me behind him.

I grip tightly on the flying broom.

"What the hell?! Put me down!"

"Hey, princess! The name's Ace...here's a piece of advice. Hold on tight!"

*****

(ANONYMOUS'S POV)

It's not long before the fun really begins...my lovely Sawyer will get her righteous place on the Dark Throne...where she belongs with her favorite non-human...me.

*****

(SAWYER'S POV)

I wake up again, this time in a dark ass room.

I sit up, and let out a small scream.

Standing in front of me are four people.

September, Riley, Ace, and the girl with dark hair.

I don't know her name.

"Hello!"

I blink a few times before moving my eyes to September.

"You better tell me what in the fucking world is going on before I set all of your asses on fire!"

Ace holds his hands out in surrender.

"Calm down, princess. We're known as The Hybrids. Or Blacklist. And yes, we are hybrids. So are you. You are part demon and part human, September is part human and part elf, Riley is part centaur and part human. So he can basically turn into a horse man. I'm part warlock and part cat. And this one...hmm...I'll let her tell you."

The girl with the dark hair smiles at me.

"Hi. I'm part vampire, part witch, and part human. I can bring people back from the dead. I found that out two years ago when I brought myself back from the dead. I was dead for over a decade until I just randomly brought myself back. I'm still eighteen though. I don't age at all anymore."

I nod uneasily.

She sighs.

"My name's Carson, and we need you for some things. The first starting with the fact that Lucifer himself is after you."