CHAPTER 2

Lord, please help me!

Father Bringham yanks my blouse further, exposing my bra. I struggle and kick but it is no use.

Then suddenly, as if my prayers are answered, Father Bringham freezes. Like Sister Abbie, his eyes roll to the heavens and a tiny wheeze escapes his lips.  Blood drains from his face and his features twist into a convulsion before a tremor runs through his body violently.

But as his body shakes, something strange happens. A surge of power makes its way to fuel my dwindling strength. And just like that, Father Bring—no, he is not fit to be called a Father. This filth of a man lets out a sickening gasp and topples on top of me.

I lay on the cold hard floor listening to the sound of dripping water from the ceiling slabs above. A tear forms in the corner of my eye and I blink it away. He touched me, he touched my body, he violated my sanctuary.

Slowly, my gaze shifts to him. Why is he still lying on top of me?

“Fa…Father Bringham?”

There is no answer. I wriggle slightly and suddenly, the rope that seemingly bounded me with the might of Goliath himself breaks free as if it were a flimsy piece of paper. My hand goes to my torn blouse and I pull it up to cover my bra, I feel so dirty.

I immediately sit up, pushing his body off me. He slumps onto the floor, his eyes and mouth still wide open as if even in death he found no peace. With a quivering hand,  I reach out to feel for his pulse. There is none.

My God, I killed him. I really killed him.

My mind is a vortex of confusion and my whole body trembles with fear. What is wrong with me? First Sister Abbie and now Father Bringham? What have I done!?

I am not given a moment to digest reality for right there and then, the door to the basement bursts open and two nuns run down the flight of stairs. I shuffle away from Father Bringham’s body and pull my knees to my chest. Odd but my back no longer hurts.

“Oh Lord,” the nuns hiss. It doesn’t take long for them to realize that we have a dead body in the basement. Their faces turn ashen white and they refuse to look into my eyes.

“Chain her up,” one of them whispers in a pained voice. “This child does not belong to the light. We must call for the Hunter, he will know what to do.”

When the chains came, I do not put up a fight. I could have, with the uncanny surge of strength I gained from the touch of Father Bringhams’ filthy lips, I could have broken the chain into pieces but instead, I stand unmoving like a statue and allow them to chain me up like a prisoner of war.

*****

I am now in the basement’s prison cell with hands chained above my head. My face is downcast and my tresses fall over my face, cascading past my bare shoulder and my eyes, my cursed eyes well up with tears. Am I truly evil like what all the sisters said?

“Alisa…” a thin frail voice calls out and my head shoots up. From the shadows beyond the prison cell, a figure emerges.

“Sister Abbie!” My eyes widen in disbelief and relief washes over me like a tsunami.

“You’re alright! Oh God, I thought you were dead! I’m so sorry.” My voice breaks and I start to cry again. I am a nervous wreck. “I’m so sorry…”

Sister Abbie’s wrinkled hands wrap around the prison bars. “Shhh…child, it’s alright, don’t you cry. It’s alright.”

I shake my head repeatedly. “No…no, it’s not. I killed Father Bringham.”

At this, Sister Abbie becomes solemnly quiet and a little sigh escapes her lips. Then with great difficulty, she kneels on her arthritic knees and pulls out a golden ring from her pocket. Carefully, she flings the ring into the cell and it lands right at my feet. The cold material touches the soles of my naked feet and my gaze trails down to the ring.

“Alisa,” Sister Abbie whispers, her voice is tensed. “Take this ring with you when you leave…”

Huh?

“Leave?” Sister Abbie is talking in riddles.

“My dear, you do not understand. The sisters, they have called for the Hunter and once he comes, it will be the end for you.”

The Hunter? I freeze, not that I can move much but I literally freeze in my spot. Why would the sisters, the very people I grew up with want me dead? My eyes narrow and I blink, shaking my head in confusion.

“Alisa, you are a succubus.”

Succubus….

The name sends a chill down my spine. The succubus were a dying species but once, they walked the face of the earth, killing at whim and more often than not, they would seduce humans with their aura and beauty, luring the innocent away from their family and once alone, the succubus would drain the life force from men and women alike leaving nothing but dead bodies in their wake. It was a time of nightmares.

But then the Hunters came; humans blessed with the ability to kill supernatural creatures and one by one, the succubus disappeared from the face of the earth. The few that remained went into hiding and were thought to have died off.

But to hear that I am one is downright atrocious. Surely this is some kind of misunderstanding!

“Sister Abbie, this cannot be.“

She continues and her eyes have a faraway look as if she is reliving her tale. “I found you wandering outside the gates of our convent as a child with nothing to your name but this ring….and something else.” Sister Abbie wipes a tear from her wrinkled eyes.

“My dear, dear child, I have loved you as my own ever since the day I took you in but now I feel I must pay the price for my sins.”

My heart pounds furiously, I have an inkling as to what is coming next. I shake my head again, wishing for all this to be just a bad dream. Another tear leaves my eye and drips onto the cold pavement below, creating a darkened spot.

“You had the same glowing purple eyes that you sported this morning…the eyes of a succubus.”

“Why are you telling me this?” My voice quivers. I am an abomination.

“Listen to me Alisa, when the Hunter comes, kiss him. Then break free and run.”

My head snaps up at the nun’s words. “What?”

“Run, don’t look back. Leave and never come back.”

My mouth drops open, shocked at Sister Abbie’s plan.

“Are you listening to me?” she asks through the prison bars. Above us, the basement door creaks to an open and footsteps, sharp and strong can be heard coming down the flight of stairs.

“You have a right to live. You have a right to be free. But when you leave, live a life of kindness, don’t kill. Bless others as the Lord has blessed you all these years. Remember my words child,” Sister Abbie whispers, her voice filled with urgency this time.

I am wracked with sobs by now. Sister Abbie is like a mother to me and the thought of living a life without her breaks my heart. I know that If I leave, I will never see her again. Ever.

“No, please Sister Abbie…please…”

Sister Abbie backs away and with one last look of longing and pain, she disappears from my life.

I close my eyes. He is coming, I can hear his footsteps approaching even as Sister Abbie’s recedes and my heart pounds like crazy, threatening to burst out of my rib cage. The strange power that coursed through my veins earlier had all but drained away and I know it is pointless to struggle now. My stomach starts to rumble again. The succubus in me is hungry, hungry for the pleasures of the flesh.

‘Alisa….it is time to feed,’ a voice inside of me calls out and my heart stops. No…get out of my head!

I squeeze my eyes tighter and shake my head, how can I harm another being?

The steps grow louder, closer, yet at a calm and confident pace. I take in a deep shaky breath to calm myself down. Panicking isn’t going to help in any way. I will have to be in control.

My eyes strain to make shapes out of the shadow and that is when I see him. The Hunter.

His footsteps stop right in front of my cell and I see a tall man with jet black hair and a dark leather jacket. Thick brows frame his eyes of obsidian as he stares straight at me.

“Hello.” The hunter’s voice is rich and deep, soothing even, my eyes trail to the dagger in his hand. There is nothing soothing about that sharp pointy thing.

“Hello Hunter,” I manage to greet him back. My voice comes out calm, husky even and I blink. I sound like the voice inside my head.

The hunter inserts a metal key to unlock the cell and my breath hitches. I am terrified but also dripping with the need to touch him, to feed on him.  My eyes fall on his chiselled jaw and up to his sensual lips. A part of me wants to wrap my legs around this man with tall lean frame. I want to press my lips against his, roam his mouth and suck every single drop of –

Stop it! 

He tenses when he notices me staring at him and I quickly avert my gaze. I am turning into a monster and it scares me.

“My name is Alec Winters. I believe you already know what I am here for.”

A shiver that has nothing to do with the cold run down my spine. But I raise my head in defiance and look him in the eye.

“Alec Winters,” I repeat his name, startling myself again with the sensual voice. “You don’t have to kill me,” I say, hoping he will set me free. But who am I kidding? The man is here to end my life. No succubus ever escaped a Hunter alive before.

He does not answer me, he merely lifts his dagger and slashes it across his arm and a dark streak of blood forms across his wound. He allows a single drop of blood to stain the tip of his blade. I eye his dagger even as my pulse races at a feverish pace.

Then Alec Winters begins to whisper a chant. I do not like it, it sounds nothing like the calming prayers from the convent. The chants are hard on the ear and fill my heart with fear. And as he chants, the dagger begins to glow. Terror consumes me.

“Please…” I call out once more, writhing and struggling against the shackles that bind me. I am desperate now. “Please don’t.” I am scared, I don’t want to die.

“It is for the best,” he says and raises the dagger above his head.

It is for the best…his words echo in my head. Yes, I want to live but not at the expense of another life. My shoulders sag and my head falls. So today will be the day I die. I shut my eyes and wait for the end to come.

Except it doesn’t.

“What is this?” he suddenly asks and my eyes flutter open.

What? The dagger is still in his hands but he has lowered it slightly, his eyes are on a scar on my shoulder. The scar is a strange one, it is in the shape of a jagged crescent. I have borne the scar for as long as I can remember, but for the life of me, I do not know how it came to be.

“How did you get this?” The hunter steps even closer, his eyes narrowing. His warm breath fans my face.

Then something in me changes, something takes over my body. Something alien, something I do not understand and before I can stop, I find myself leaning forward to plant a kiss on his lips.

It is a simple peck on the lips but the effect is profound. For the moment our lips touch, I feel a surge of energy flow from his body to mine. Alec Winters gasps, dropping his dagger onto the floor. It falls with a little clanging sound onto the ground. He blinks in surprise and confusion.

“You…” he whispers and tries to step away.

‘More…’ the succubus in me whispers.

“I’m sorry Alec Winters.” I break free of the chains, then cupping his face, I dive in yet another kiss, pressing my body against his. I am screaming from the inside, screaming for the succubus in me to stop but I cannot.

It feels so good to taste him. He moans and wraps his arms around my waist and his nails dig into my skin. I feel a strange heat start to build up within me. I deepen our kiss.  

Then just as suddenly he started to kiss back, his body convulses. No! I must stop this madness! SUCCUBUS STOP!!!!!!