The Devil on Her Shoulders

Ch. 3 ~ Fiery Introduction

(This one is for luciferstempest, thank you so much for your support😊. Okay, *cracks knuckles* let's try to re-write the chapter! Also, this song fits really well.)

The harsh smell of smoke invaded my senses, drawing a cough from my throat. My eyes flickered open, bulging at the sight of dark grey clouds swirling around the room. Adrenaline rushed through my blood, jolting me up and into action.

I quickly pulled my shirt up over my nose and mouth, then hurried over to the puppies to make sure they were safe. The small furry babies were panting insanely, their fur no doubt causing them to overheat. If I had this much sweat dripping from my body, I can't even imagine how they must feel.

Quickly, I scooped them up to my chest and turned to the door. First rule in a house fire, never touch doorknobs. My leg swung out before I even thought, my heel colliding with the wooden door. Splinters flew from every direction and the door itself flung open.

I began to pant. The heat was getting to me and I could feel my body weakening. I have to keep the puppies safe...

My eyes danced around the entire area to examine my options, but were quickly distracted. There, in the kitchen, was the heart of the fire. Except, there was a woman. She looked familiar, creepily so, and I almost wanted to take a step forward to get a closer look. Her eyes met mine, and I was almost swallowed in them.

My feet moved on their own, and suddenly I was staring into her eyes. We were standing almost chest to chest, and finally she spoke a single word. "Anger." Then I realized, the fire was not coming from her. She was the fire. Her eyes were blazing, swirling with a chaotic rage that I knew would not be tamed easily.

But as I reached my hand out to try and stop her, I was suddenly engulfed by her, by her body. I seemed to have fazed right through her, and into another place.

The fire was burning, but sat still and was no longer producing a deadly heat. Instead, a cold breeze crashed through me, chattering my teeth. The puppies will be fine now. I looked down at them, as they were peaceful once more, and placed them down onto a love seat.

A suddden gasp caught my attention. The woman was back, but this time her eyes were empty, and blank. I stepped closer just as a single tear fell down her cheek. A shudder scraped down her body, and she let out a raspy breath. I walked closer, suddenly feeling.... What am I feeling? I wrapped my arms around her in hug. This time I was able to feel her. Her skin itself was cold, like ice. She leaned forward and slumped into me. Again, she muttered only a single word. "Hurt." The girl pulled me closer, nuzzling her face into my neck and then she- licked me? Confusion clouded my mind.

Pulling away, I gave her a look. She was now smiling widely, and her tongue was hanging out of her mouth as well as a long strand of saliva. And then she spread her lips, letting out a high pitched bark.

"What-"

"The..." Stryker loomed over me, continuing to bark and whimper. The dark colored dog was panting and pacing up and down my body. I jolted up. The fire. It was here. Once again, I scrambled around and gathered up the puppies, kicked the door down and ran out. However, this time there was no woman. Only the pups and I.

Quickly, I slipped on my shoes and went for the front door, grabbing my keys on the way. But before I could try and get that door down as well, the sharp part of an axe tore halfway through. "Get back!"

Right as I scrambled away, the door came crashing down. Four men stood behind it dressed in bulky clothes, rushing me to exit the house and get to safety. I don't know how the fire started, or who called it in, but my stomach churned. Something didn't feel right.

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I sat in the back of the large fire truck and watched as the firemen doused the deadly flames with water. They had wrapped me in a flame retardant blanket and checked me for any wounds, but I shooed them away to check the puppies instead.

The night air blew across my skin, cooling me off immensely. With a soft release of breath, I hopped up and began to speak to one of the officers at the scene. I had told them that Stryker had woken me up to the fire, and that I had no idea how it started.

Not soon after he began asking me more questions, the man's eyes began to wander down my exposed body. I was wearing what I normally wore to bed, a tank top and pajama shorts. I felt disgusted, even men like him would try to take advantage of the vulnerable.

Glaring at the man, I gave him a nod and turned to my car, the puppies in tow. I opened the back for them, and watched as they jumped in. I swung open the driver's door and hopped in as well, starting up the truck and pulling out if the apartment complex.

I wonder if Alex will let me stay for a bit...

My hands ran down my face with a sigh. The police would inform me what belongings were saved, if there were any. This sucks. Like moldy ass. I'm THIS close to having a mental breakdown. And now satan just decides to sprinkle down some fire rain into my already steaming pile of dog shit. Nothing can top this.

But as soon as the thought crossed my mind, my heart dropped. There was a little red car parked behind Alex's. Something was definitely up. Pulling up next to the sidewalk, I hopped out and headed towards the door. But as I passed the large window, I could begin to hear the moans and cries of pleasure coming from inside.

I stood still and watched as Alex was leaning forward, standing between a woman's thighs. She was bent backwards on the table in front of him, with her legs wrapped around his midriff, doing what I had only been able to imagine.

A sudden female voice entered my head.

Anger. Jealousy. Rage. Burn.

My veins felt hot, and violent thoughts filled my head. I wanted nothing more then to storm in there and rip them apart. My arm reached for the door knob, but I stopped. Was this even worth it? He's not mine, he never was...

But he knew you liked him, didn't he? He played you, and played with your feelings. Pathetic.

I frowned as the voices argued in my head. They were right, he WAS pathetic. All these years I had been madly in love with him, ever since high school. And he knew it, he knew the whole time. The way I would follow him around like a puppy, the way I had hoped he would choose me. But he never did. I've entertained his games long enough.

I took a deep breath and walked back to the truck. Too many thoughts filled my head, so I turned my music up and drove away. I had no idea where I was going, and honestly I didn't care. I needed to go somewhere where no one knew my name.