'Sickly'
I was born with a terrible disease. Its called 'argromosia'. It makes your skin very pale, and you bruise very easily. The skin around your eyes becomes dark purple and red, and your lips become dark brown. It doubles any pain you normally feel and makes you sick. It's not usually a disease that can kill you, but it does make you weak and sickly.
My parents weren't the nicest of people. They knew that I would be born with the disease, and decided to call me Delilah. Delilah means 'weak'. And to top it all off, their nickname for me was 'Sick Child' or 'Sickly'. They didn't abuse me or anything. They took good care of me. But I know that they did not love me. If they loved me, they wouldn't hurt us! They wouldn't have-
No, I don't want to get ahead of myself...I-I'll start when I first got very sick.
I was about seven years old. I was lucky that I hadn't gotten that sick before then, for if I had, I probably would've died. It was December, and I had gotten a cold. My head was throbbing, and my nose was like a waterfall. My whole body ached, and if I moved, I would feel nauseous. I had gotten sick over at Grandmother's house. The hospital was a long drive away, but they called the hospital and had me transported by helicopter. It was still horrible to move, and I threw up at least three times. When I got to the hospital, they tried to give me medicine, but I couldn't keep anything down. This continued on for three weeks, until I was finally able to swallow a flavorless pill. The medicine kicked in two days later. I ended up going home three days after that.
My sister Alyssa was born four years after me. Alyssa means 'princess', and that she was. A gorgeous, sweet princess. Her and my grandmother were the only people in my family that were kind to me, and the only two people who visited me in the hospital. My grandmother would bring Alyssa over once everyday, and they would help feed and bathe me. They were so nice, so caring.
Six years later, I was thirteen, and it was Alyssa's ninth birthday. I had gotten her a Barbie doll she had wanted since last year. My mother and father had gone out, they didn't even care to go to her birthday party. The party was at the neighborhood pool, and all of Alyssa's friends came. Alyssa got tons of presents, and was so happy when she saw the Barbie I got her that she started to cry. She hugged me and told me how 'I was the best sister ever' and she 'would love me until the end of time'. I hugged her back and told her that I loved her too. After the party, our grandmother took us out for ice cream, then she dropped us off at our house, leaving me to take care of our sister while our parents were out.
We watched some TV and played 'tea party' with Alyssa's toys until we were both tired. We shared a room, as Alyssa didn't like sleep alone, and I let her sleep with me in my bed that night. I woke up at around 1:34 AM to the noise of the front door being slammed open. Careful not to wake my sleeping sister, I climbed out of bed to see who it was, grabbing my baseball bat out of the closet.
I walked downstairs and saw my father and mother walking around drunk in the living room. I sighed and asked of they wanted me to go grab some pillows and things for sleep down here. This earned a slap to my face from my mother. I had never been around them when they were drunk, every other time I had gone over to my grandparents'. I know understood why. I held my face as she rambled on about how 'they could do it themselves' and 'they didn't need help from a worthless, weak piece of trash who was a mistake in the first place'. I started to cry as my face burned bright red with embarrassment. I went up and got the pillows and things anyways, knowing they were lying and couldn't go anywhere near the stairs.
I came back with everything for them, I even made a comfy-looking pallet on the carpet of the living room for them.
"I know you guys were lying, so I went and got everything and made this for you. I'll get you some water if you'd like," I said, emotionless. The feeling of hatred was mutual between us. "Yeah, whatever, Sickly. Just go make us some water. Don't forget the ice!" That was all my father said before plopping down on the couch and turning on the TV. As I was making the water, I heard Alyssa come downstairs. I didn't want her to get hurt so I quickly made the ice water and walked into the living room to give it to my father before Alyssa got all the way down there.
He took the water from me and slapped me right as my 9-year-old sister walked through the doorway. She froze at the sight of it, having always thought of our parents as kind and loving. No! She shouldn't have to see this! I thought.
Then my father did something that surprised me. He smiled at Alyssa as he shoved me to the ground and hit me again. There was already a bruise where my parents had slapped me, and I could tell more were going to form by the extreme pain I felt everytime he slapped, hit, or kicked me. My mother was passed out on the pallet, and wouldn't have helped, anyways.
Alyssa started to cry as our father hit me again and again. I soon became numb, and I was thankful for that at first. However, I soon hated the numbness as it meant I couldn't move, so when my father went out the door, I couldn't get up and get Alyssa out of there. But I could yell, and I did.
"Help! Someone help! My father's drunk and abusing us! Help!" I yelled. I screamed myself hoarse until I could move again, which was only around ten minutes later. No one had come to help, so I assumed no one had heard. My eyes finally latched onto Alyssa, who was a blubbering mess on the floor. She had broken down while my father was beating me, and her tears had ended up staining her beautiful, lavender dress, and her soft, red hair was now matted and knotted. I picked her up and carried her in my arms; adrenaline had taken over, I didn't feel any of her weight or the pain of my bruises as I carried her to my best friend Sarah's house.
"Sarah! Please be home! I need your help! Please!" Alyssa's weight started to kick in as I yelled and waited in front of Sarah's door. I heard the sound of footsteps running downstairs, and shortly after the door opened to show Sarah. She seemed shocked as her eyes looked me over, and she tried not to touch me as she helped inside, probably because of all the bruises. She was home alone that night, and took Alyssa from me and set her down on the couch. "D-Delilah, what happened to you two?" She asked in a shaky voice.
Her face transitioned from shock to anger to pity as I relayed what had happened to me just minutes before. When she didn't respond and just stared at me with pity in her eyes, I walked into the nearest restroom, not caring to lock the door as it was just my sister and my best friend. I took off my clothes and nearly cried again as I saw all the bruises that had formed on my skin. They hurt and burned like hell, but I didn't expect them to be that bad. I counted seventy-eight of them before I hopped in the shower and turned the water on. It was cold, but I didn't care. The water felt horrible when it hit my bruises, but amazing when it slipped down them and cooled them off.
The water seemed to clear my mind. I decided to do something rash. Something unexpected.
I quickly finished my shower and dried off. I practically threw on my clothes, and I was about to open Sarah's front door when I heard a soft voice say, "Dee-Dee, where are you going? Please don't leave." As I turned to face my younger sister, the thoughts of doing whatever it was I had intended to vanished. I couldn't leave her anywhere after what she had seen.
I couldn't tell her what I had planned to do; the poor thing would've been even more scarred than before. "I was just going to grab our things, Princess. I'll do it in the morning," I said. I slept with her on the couch, ignoring the pain of my bruises.
I woke up to the sound of screaming. At first, I thought it might've been mine. Then I realized it was too high-pitched to be mine.
Then I realized Alyssa wasn't next to me.
Fearing for my sister's safety, I ran to the source of the screaming. Sarah's kitchen. I froze when I got there. Sarah was kneeling on the ground, laying in a pool of what I assumed was her own blood, with her left eye carved out of its socket. Alyssa was kneeled in front of her, screaming her head off. Just another thing she should never have seen. I thought as I picked her up once again. I had started for the front door when I felt a pair of eyes watching us from upstairs. I put Alyssa down and told her to wait there. To not follow no matter what she heard.
I went into the kitchen and found that Sarah wasn't there anymore. I saw a trail of blood leading to the back door, so I assumed she had escaped and was trying to get help. I grabbed the largest knife I could and ran my finger down it to make sure it was sharp. I had to make sure it could help me protect Alysa.
I walked, knife in hand, up the staircase. I heard heavy breathing coming from Sarah's room, so I snuck up to it and readied myself for whatever might be in there.
Though, I really knew exactly who it was. It wasn't surprising at all when I walked in on my father, covered in blood, holding a pair of scissors in his left hand.
I was ready for his lunge. I sidestepped as it sliced his left wrist, forcing him to drop the scissors. I grabbed it and threw it out the window. I slammed the knife in his head without a second thought. I could feel it crash through his skull and slowly slide into his brain. I could smell my mother's perfume and Sarah's body-wash on him. I felt anger rip through me as I realized he had intended to kill not only Sarah and me, but Alyssa too. I laughed loudly as I shoved the knife in again and again.
I stopped mutilating my father's corpse and walked into Sarah's bathroom. I washed myself off, switched into some clothes on Sarah's dresser, and grabbed two suitcases - one for me, one for Alyssa. I walked downstairs with them, and told Sarah that we were going to get our things, and that I wanted her to walk right in front of me.
I wasn't worried about my mother's body being at the house; I didn't smell the house on my father so he obviously hadn't killed her there. We got there and I brought the suitcases up to our room. I helped Alyssa pack. We ended up packing all our clothes into my suitcase, and all the supplies into Alyssa's.
I realized soon after the packing was finished that we had nowhere to go. My grandmother lived in another state, so we couldn't walk. I then thought about the forest that was just beyond our backyard, seperated by our fence. I remembered how our grandmother had made me and Alyssa a big tree house last summer, and we had only been able to go there when she visited, which she never did anymore. I decided we would have to go there and told Alyssa to walk right beside me and not wander off.
We went to the edge of the forest and found the path we had made, lined with rocks and spare bricks. We followed it to the tree house and unpacked everything. We had beds in there, and running water from a large waterfall nearby; our grandmother had worked as both a carpenter and a plumber before.
We had lived there for about a week when he came to us. A teenage boy with pale skin, who seemed to twitch every few seconds. He said that his 'boss wanted to see us' and that 'I did a great job'.
I didn't know who this guy's boss was, but I could guess what he meant by 'a great job'. Somehow he had seen me kill my dad. I didn't care, and a job would provide pay, and that's what we needed. He told us to follow him, and we ended up outside a three-story manor that looked to be in fairly good condition.
"Why are we at a hou-" I started to ask, until I was interrupted by the boy grabbing my hand and pulling me inside. I felt annoyed by this, I could walk by myself. But instead of snatching my hand away from his, I just went with it and told Alyssa to grab my other hand. She did as told, and the three of us entered the manor, hand-in-twitchy-hand.
The boy took me up to top floor, into what looks like a study. I assumed this was his boss's office. He twitched once more and left the room. I had Alyssa sit in my lap, so I knew she was with me the entire time. Shortly after, a tall, deathly, white figure in a suit entered the room. He was turned away from us at first, and when he talked, his voice was gravelly, yet soothing. "Good evening, Delilah. You did a great job that day, you know. I've been watching over you since you were a baby. Your sickness is such a rare one. It's not as amazing as you think that you lived through your toddler years, you know. I kept you alive through then. I knew I could use you, I could smell the possible - you know what, how about we get the little one out of here while we talk about this? I know she's been subjected to a lot. Little Alyssa shouldn't have to be exposed to more of it." At that, he turned to look at us, and I could see the blood drain from Alyssa's face. However, I was not as fased; I had destroyed my own father's body.
He seemed to notice this and chuckled slightly. "Sorry, child; I should've warned you." He then called out for two people. "Sally! Toby! Can you come in here and take care of this precious, little girl for me? Make sure she's got some things to play with, and keep her away from Jeff!" His shout was followed by footsteps, then the door opened to reveal a little girl about Alyssa's age, Sally, and the boy from earlier, Toby.
I honestly wasn't sure I wanted to let anyone else near my sister when I wasn't there. But my fear for her safety dissolved when Toby picked her up as though they were family and calmed her down as he walked out the door.
"Ahem. Delilah, let's start from where we left off, yes?" The faceless figure asked, and my attention immediately snapped back to him. "Yes, of course. 'I could smell the possible', I believe, sir," I said as politely as I could. I didn't exactly fear him, but I respected him, and knew that he wouldn't be happy if I was rude.
"Ah, yes. I knew I could use you, I could smell the possible murder in your soul. And, of course, you didn't let me down in any aspect. I'm very proud of you for that," He said, and I could hear the 'smile' in his voice. I nodded, encouraging him to go on.
"I'd like to repay you by asking you and Alyssa to join our little 'family'," He said as he got up from his chair and walked towards me. I was shocked. Not only was he offering a job, but he was offering a nice home with warm showers and fresh-cooked food!
"I know you've been holed up in that old tree-fort for a week now, and I know this is sudden, but you've never let me down before, and I trust you completely. I'd really like it if you stayed, and I'll have Toby go grab your things." "Yes, of course I'll stay here. It seems like a nice place, and we need a better home as well as work. I do not wish to be burden to you, though," I answered, wondering if there was a catch or anything. "Yes, child, there is a catch. I need something from you," He said, as if he had read my mind. I was nervous as I asked, "What do you need from me, sir?"
"Your soul."
News Report
Three days ago, five people went missing. The names were as follows;
-Mrs. Marian Lily Sills, mother
-Mr. David George Sills, father
-Delilah Karen Sills, oldest daughter
-Alyssa Rose Sills, youngest daughter
-Sarah Ann-Marie Johnson, family friend
The bodies of Mr. and Mrs. Sills have been found. Mrs. Sills cause of death was suicide; she was found hanging from her living room ceiling fan. Mr. Sills cause of death was homicide; he was stabbed to death by a knife by his daughter, as the handle had her fingerprints on it.
We are not sure where the other three people are, or if they're even alive. The only thing we know is that everything was packed up from the daughter's rooms, and their old tree house looks as though it was messed with recently.
We suggest you keep an eye out for the girls, and contact the police if you see them; they're potentially dangerous.
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