The Kindest Souls Will Perish
Kora feels her blood draining from her face as she stands metres away from Daisy. A look of anger piercing hers. Her jaw locked as the silver dagger remains perched against Alice’s throat. She is visibly trembling under Daisy’s grip. Wide green eyes full of fear, lips quivering as Alice silently cries. Tears freely spill from her dark lashes.
“Get away from her!” Matthew snarls in his protective brotherly voice. He steps closer and Daisy’s face twists as she digs the knife into Alice’s flesh.
Alice winces loudly as a trickle of blood trails down her neck towards the top of her blouse. It soaks through the material, staining the cream fabric with ruby liquid.
“Daisy. Stop. This isn’t you!” Kora shouts at her.
Her black eyes move onto Kora’s like an ominous devilish beast stalking its prey. “Shut up. One more step and I won’t hesitate to kill her. Now hand over the blade, Kora.” Daisy hisses out.
Kora’s breath becomes thin as her chest swells with angst. She stares at her friend for a moment. Every ounce of her wants to hate Daisy, but she can’t. Her friend is still in there somewhere. “Just let Alice go, and I’ll give it to you. Just don’t hurt her, please .”
A sly smirk forms on Daisy’s lips as she seethes out, “Drop it first and then you can have the little rat.”
“She’s not a rat!” Matthew snaps at her angrily.
“The blade!” Daisy snarls .
Kora grits her teeth, tossing the blade regretfully onto the floor between them. It clangs loudly against the wooden surface before coming to a rest. “There. Now hand Alice over before you do something you’ll regret, Daisy.”
Daisy’s grin is savage. Wide and teeth baring. Monstrous and sinful. Then her face breaks as she laughs loudly. It’s a feral cackle that vibrates through to Kora’s bones.
“Hand her over!” Matthew growls loudly.
He dares another step closer to his sister as Daisy’s soulless eyes snap on to him. The knife glides along Alice’s skin and deep red blood pours out like a fountain. Alice chokes as Daisy drops the knife, blood dripping from the serrated edge onto the timber at her feet.
“ ALICE !” Matthew screams out.
Daisy moves backwards as Alice’s body falls to the ground like a doll. Matthew races towards his sister’s limp figure at the same time Kora dives for the golden blade. Daisy lunges out, snatching it before Kora has the chance.
She can hear Matthew’s howling as Daisy moves towards her carefully. Kora pulls the blade out of her thigh sheath, defending and pushing Daisy off. “You killed her!” Kora shouts hoarsely, “you killed Alice !”
“I told you not to move. It was his own mistake!” Daisy seethes like a serpent.
Kora feels as though Daisy’s just stabbed her through the chest. Her pulse is quick and thundering, cooling her flesh in waves of despair and betrayal. “I cannot believe you would do that!” Kora rasps out.
Kora lunges for her, but Daisy takes off towards the staircase. Kora manages to grab a hold of her dress collar, yanking Daisy backwards. Daisy’s back slams against the hard timber floor.
“You’re not leaving!”
Daisy’s eyes turn impossibly darker as she stares up at Kora. Their gazes lock for a moment, and Kora thinks she might have knocked some sense back into her friend when the blade pierces her flesh. Kora cries out in agony as pain lances up her side. Golden red blood rushing to the surface as Daisy pulls it out and kicks her to the side like a sack of wheat.
Daisy scrambles to her feet and races down the stairs with Uriel’s blade as Kora bleeds out, the wound beginning to heal itself.
“Matthew.” She croaks out.
His dull eyes find hers from across the room, blurred with tears as he holds Alice’s lifeless body in his arms. “She’s gone.” He grates out hoarsely, water coating his face and stinging his eyes. “She killed her! All that I had left in this world, and now that’s torn away from me as well!” Matthew shouts up at the ceiling angrily before breaking down once more.
“Matthew.” Is all Kora can bring herself to say. Misery wraps itself around her chest and squeezes her heart impossibly tighter.
Scurrying over, Kora holds Matthew as he howls a cry into her neck. Tears threaten her own eyes, and she lets them fall willingly, not holding back as she looks at Alice’s tiny body. Her throat is smeared with blood as her mouth hangs open and her eyes glare upwards. She was too young and innocent to be caught up in all of this.
“You have to stop her.” Matthew grits out through his sobbing.
“Matthew, I can’t,”
“Yes, you can. And you will. For Alice .” And another wave of grief overcomes him. He shakes in her grip as Kora pulls him impossibly closer to her. She doesn’t want to let go of Matthew. Not right now, as he’s stricken with loss and heartache. His little sister’s blood coating his hands like spilt ink.
“Go Kora!” he growls out as wet streaks gloss his cheeks.
“Matthew,” she murmurs, shaking her head at him.
“GO!” he shouts out angrily.
Kora dips her chin, steadily rising to her feet. “For Alice.”
His cries continue to echo through the building as Kora races down the flights of stairs after Daisy .
Coming to the main doors leading out into the front garden, she sees Daisy staring at Clarence from the bottom of the steps. Her brother’s eyes move onto her own as Kora growls like an untamed lion. Clarence notices Alice’s blood covering her and moves towards Kora when she shakes her head at him, silently telling him to stay still.
Clutching a dagger in her hand, Kora tosses it through the air forcefully, piercing Daisy in the shoulder blade. Her friend falls to the ground with a cry of surprise and pain, holding onto the blade embedded in her muscles.
Kora is on her within seconds, pinning her down as Daisy thrashes in her hold. “I am not letting Daisy go,” Kora grits out before throwing her head back and yelling out with white hot rage. “Come out and fight us yourself, you coward!”
Daisy’s eyes flutter closed. Kora thinks for a moment that maybe she’s returned. Maybe Colton’s left her alone. But she doesn’t move. Her eyes remain closed.
“Daisy!” Kora shouts down at her face.
Glancing up at the movement in her peripheral, she yells out for Clarence to move right when Colton’s blurred body forms, and he swings at her brother with a demonic blade.
Clarence dodges with weapon in his hand as he fights off Colton, as dark shadows surround him. A monster living in darkness, feeding off sin and chaos. His eyes are obsidian, and his teeth are on full display. Colton lunges at Clarence.
Jordan grabs his weapons, continuing to hack away at the Infernals surrounding them as Kora rushes to her feet. She pulls Uriel’s blade from Daisy’s grip before stalking towards her brothers.
Her skin prickles all over with fury. Her blood is boiling cold, as if ice is seeping its way through her veins. Rage radiates through her like waves of light. Heat flows over her as Kora’s skin begins to illuminate. A golden glow shimmers over her flesh in gilded wisps as Kora stalks towards Colton, who is still defending against Clarence .
His onyx eyes meet hers as a devious smirk effortlessly glides across his mouth. “Finally finding all of your powers, are we, sister?” almost sounding impressed.
He shoves Clarence off to the side.
Jordan’s blue eyes widen at Kora’s illuminated figure. Golden flames dance around her. Her eyes are now bright aureate. “Kora, you’re…” Jordan gawks before driving his dagger through an Infernal.
Clarence gives her a similar face of shock.
She stalks past them to Colton, who is grinning ferally. “You killed my friends,” she begins, her tone is controlled. “You killed Alice.”
“What!” Clarence shouts angrily as a demonic creature turns onto him, forcing him to his feet and clawing at him wildly.
Colton continues smiling, like he’s enjoying this way too much. “Don’t forget that perky uncle of ours as well.” And his eyes shimmer with malice.
Kora’s mouth juts open at him as bile rises in her throat. “You killed Will?”
“And I quite enjoyed it.” He answers proudly.
Air escapes her throat as Kora spits back at him. “You’re deranged!”
Colton half shrugs. “I prefer the term demonic, actually.”
Kora scoffs breathlessly, “I can’t let you get away with this.”
His head cocks to one side, “Oh sister, I already am winning.” Colton twirls a dark dagger in his shadowy fingers. “Just give me the blade, and nobody else needs to be hurt tonight.”
“Never. You’ll have to kill me to get it,” Kora splutters angrily.
He snickers at her. “You know I can’t do that sister,” She frowns at him before he continues, his smirk growing wildly. “But I can hurt you.”
Kora’s teeth grind as tendrils of darkness reach for her like fingers sliding along the garden ground. As soon as it touches her light, she hears the fizzing sound. His shadows can’t touch her .
“Is that all you have?” she snarls.
He bares his teeth like a wolf. His demonic weapon coming at her, and she throws Uriel’s blade up to defend.
Light against dark.
Brightness against Darkness.
They push all their strength against each other. Despite his wavering shadowy figure, he can still summon enough strength to fight her off. Kora grunts as he pushes her backwards. Her back collides with the dirt. Colton’s on top of her in an instant, pinning her down against the earth. His blade comes down in a sweep and she moves to one side as it embeds into the ground.
He growls as Kora rolls out from underneath him.
Uriel’s energy flows through her as she lunges at him. Colton yanks his weapon from the ground and swipes at her. Kora ducks as the blade passes over her head. Spinning on her heel, she brings Uriel’s blade around.
Colton moves quickly, pushing against her. They’re locked together again, their energies are battling like two opposite forces fighting for victory.
Kora lets out a scream as she pushes him backwards. Colton stumbles momentarily before he regains himself.
Jordan grabs one of his daggers. Arching his arm back to release the weapon, Colton’s shadows flow towards him, wrapping around his throat. Choking, Jordan’s lifted off the ground as his hands claw at his neck, his legs flail around in mid-air.
“Stop!” Kora shouts, racing towards Jordan. Breaking through the shadows, they decimate, ebbing back to Colton’s side.
Jordan falls to the ground, coughing and spluttering loudly.
Kora stands in front of him defensively as Colton just chuckles. “Don’t you dare touch him!”
His face levels. “Then give me the blade.” He seethes out.
“Never! ”
Colton’s nostrils flare as he lashes out, the demonic blade swiping at her. Kora feels the stinging flourish along her side. Agony rips through her insides.
“KORA!” She hears Jordan shout out behind her.
Fiery, blinding pain shoots through her. Poison seeps through her bloodstream. She coughs out blood, falling onto her knees. “You won’t finish this. I won’t let you.” She rasps out.
Colton chuckles at her, yanking his weapon out from her side, and sliding it into his sheath. “I’ll see you again soon, sister, when I return with all of my power, and take what is rightfully mine.”
Kora’s illumination flickers off like a dying candle as the poison spreads through her body like lava burning up her arteries. The wound on her side fails to heal itself, the poison is too potent for her body.
Clarence dives for her, but Colton’s shadows flick him off effortlessly. He lands in a heap in the grass.
“Clarence!” Kora croaks. She grunts angrily, rising unsteadily to her feet to drive Uriel’s blade into Colton’s side. He’s faster than her, knocking the blade out of her hand, but the tip manages to slice through his abdomen.
Colton cries out, swearing colourfully as the blade lands on the ground, and his hand holds the dark liquid dripping from his wound.
Kora crumples back to the earth, her strength dwindling with each passing second.
With a gruff snicker, Colton’s ominous eyes narrow onto hers before striding over to Daisy’s unconscious body.
“No!” Kora gasps out, agony burns and throbs through her body.
Jordan is holding Kora seconds later. “We need to get you inside.”
“No.” She breathes out as golden red blood drips from her lips. “Get Daisy.”
“I’m not letting you die, Kora.”
She glares up at him. “Daisy is going to die with him!” she shouts before wincing in pain .
Colton just chuckles, picking up Daisy’s body in his arms. He groans with discomfort from his wound before picking up Uriel’s blade. The sizzling sound starts, and Colton hisses as the skin of his hands burn and breaks apart. “Finish them, but leave my sister alone.” Colton bites out angrily to the last few remaining Infernals before disappearing with Daisy and Uriel’s blade.
Infernals turn onto them as Kora coughs out blood, her body wanting to shut down, but her healing powers are forcing her to stay alive.
Lewis and Valarie have come to help fight alongside Clarence as Jordan holds onto Kora. Kora allows her head to fall forward as the poison stings at her organs.
“We’re getting you inside.”
“Matthew.” She coughs out.
“He’s safe.” Jordan assures her.
She shakes her head. “Alice.” Kora rasps out.
Her eyes flutter shut as everything becomes too heavy for her. Her bones. Her muscles. Her blood. Even her breathing becomes slow and weighty. The darkness looms over her, clawing at her mind like talons trying to claim her. Her arms shake from the weight of her body, and she falls down into the frosty grass.
She feels someone turning her over and picking her up into their arms.
“Stay with me Kora!” Jordan rasps. His voice is close. His warmth envelopes her like a blanket.
She can’t hold on. The darkness is calling her closer, and she feels herself slipping into it. Its tendrils wrap around her, pulling her under.
“Don’t you dare die on me, Kora!” she hears him yell as a door bangs open.
But she can’t move. She can’t even open her eyes.
There’s rushing. Feet pound on the stairs when the darkness finally takes her, pulling her down into its shadowy, watery depths.