Lethal Confessions
Nineteen

She reached out her hands on both her sides, searching for anything that could pose as a weapon. All she came up with was mud and leaves, not exactly the best weapons to ward off a soul-stealing monster - who was at the moment probably figuring ways to kill her off quickly.

It was unnerving, face-to-face with your death and still having a little hope that someway, somehow you were going to get out of this alive, your soul intact.

Cassandra fingers brushed a blade and her heart did a little somersault. Just when Alma positioned herself to pounce on her victim, Cassandra brought the dagger in front of her, clutching it with both hands.

Fear mixed with worry flashed on Alma's beautiful face but she quickly brushed it off with an evil grin. "You think that thing's going to stop me?"

"I don't know. But you seem to, considering your expression seconds ago. This is it, isn't it? The dagger the witch gave you, the one you murdered your family with." Cassandra inspected the knife. Its wooden handle had carvings of a tall man holding a sword and a little girl with long snakes on her head like hair, their forked tongues looking very sharp. "And probably the one to bring your downfall."

"Fine. You've got me. That knife goes into my body, I die. But so do your friends."

"That trick is not going to work on me. I know my friends are already dead, it's just you who is going to lose from this. And I suspect that's exactly the opposite of what you want."

She saw Alma's face fall into resignation. "Fine, you've got me in the corner where you want me. What do you want?"

"For you to let me go. I want to leave this forest and I don't want you to follow me. It's as simple as that."

"Okay. You have your wish. I'll let you go. But that dagger stays with me."

"No way. I know that once I give you the knife,there's nothing to protect me from you. You'll have the knife once I'm out of here. That I promise you."

"Well then, leave before I change my mind."

Cassandra hadn't expected her to give in so easily, the dagger must be very powerful for her to let Cassandra go like that. With slow steps she walked away, looking at Alma as she did so. When she was finally out of the light she turned back and made to run but a tree branch came out of nowhere and crashed into her face, sending her flying back.

She landed on her back and felt the dagger get out of her grasp. Her vision was gauzy and she couldn't make anything out. Then she felt thin slender fingers grab her collar, their multicoloured nails shimmering in the light. Before she could make sense of her surroundings she felt those hands circle her neck and begin to strangle her.

Cassandra couldn't breathe, Alma's grip was strong and squeezing every ounce of breath out of her. She scratched at her face, pulled her hair but her grip grew tighter still. She reached to her side and grabbed the first thing she got her hands on, shoving it straight into Alma's mouth.

It was Shawn's hand and Alma was momentarily distracted. Cassandra escaped from her grip and finally caught sight of the dagger. With new found strength she crawled as fast as she could and almost closed her hand around the handle when Alma pulled her back through the mud.

She was back to where she had been seconds ago, Alma's grip on her neck. This time, her grip wasn't as tight as before and Cassandra realized that Alma had thought of another way to kill her. She followed Alma's gaze towards the knife.

Alma suddenly let her go and lunged for dagger. Cassandra caught that glistening red hair and pulled back with all her might. Alma fell behind and Cassandra immediately went for the dagger. She got it but screamed in agony when she felt two sharp fangs bite deep into her neck.

She dropped the dagger and collapsed to the ground. She looked up at Alma whose mouth was covered in blood, her hand clutching the knife. Cassandra held unto her neck as she tried to stop the blood flow.

Alma towering over her, bent down and watched Cassandra who was in pain, the blood on her face giving her a sinister look.

She held the dagger in front of Cassandra, allowing the moonlight to reflect on the blade. It was fast, unexpected, the pain Cassandra sensed when the knife pierced her stomach. She looked at the dagger, lodged in her body and finally surmised that her time had come.

She looked back at Alma who had a very triumphant look on her face. "Guess you won then." Cassandra drawled. Every word she uttered brought a different kind of pain to her body. She touched the handle of the dagger and glanced at Alma as she did so. "Well, ever heard of the proverb, two deaths are better than one?" Alma gave her a puzzled look. "Yeah, me neither." Then with a speed which even surprised she herself Cassandra pulled out the dagger from her body and drove into Alma's chest.

Alma's face changed from shock to realization to pain. Blood trickled from her mouth and eyes and dropped unto Cassandra's face. The horror set on her face was going to give Cassandra nightmares for weeks - if she survived this nightmare.

Cassandra gave Alma a small push and she fell at her side. Alma's breathing slowed as she gazed sideways at Cassandra. "Help me, please help me." She croaked one last time before becoming still. Then her fair skin gradually turned grey and began to peel off, as did her hair. Cassandra watched horrified, unable to move, as the skin fell off to reveal her skeleton which in turn crumbled into dust and was washed away by the rain.

She gingerly pick up the dagger, and with her other hand she dug a small hole in the mud. She put in the dagger and covered it up.

Alma was gone and so were her friends.

Suddenly the rain reduced to a drizzle and then stopped. The clouds shielding the sky gave way and the place was illuminated with the full glow of the just risen sun. Somewhere in a distance Cassandra heard the faint horn of a truck.

Her hope was ignited again. Clutching her stomach, she forced herself up and using the trees as support trudged towards the sounds of the road. She was finally going home, she hoped with all her heart.

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