Devil Children

Ana looked around curiously, her mind wandering as she stared at the strange relics. She reached to touch one but a strong, bony hand instantly grabbed her wrist.

“Do not touch anything,” a man said, worry and anger in his raspy voice.

She gasps slightly but nods in agreement. Ana instantly rubbed her wrist tenderly and looked down, her mind reeling. She didn’t really understand why the man was so rude like that but she shrugged it off. With a small sigh, she explored the office and examined each ancient relic.

“Ana love!” Her mother called from the door. She jumped at the sudden call and ran to her mother. “Well, thank you for letting us see your museum,” Her mother stated, shaking the man’s hand.

He smiled slightly and said, “Anytime Miriam.” With that, they both left the area and headed to the car. “Ana, you act like a child at times,” her mother spat after getting into the car. Ana looked down shamefully, not knowing how to reply. She then grabbed her notepad and wrote: "I am sorry mom, I couldn't help myself. Everything was very intriguing."

She rolled her eyes and sped home. Naturally, Ana  watched as the trees flew past the car, her lips curled into a wide smile. She reached into her pocket and fiddled with the tiny thing she had taken from the museum. She looked down, happiness yet shame was in her eyes. She immediately stopped thinking of the shame and quickly jumped out from the car when they arrived home. She dashed up the stairs and into her room before quickly shutting her door. She walked over to her dresser and set the item on it, its mahogany wood sitting nicely with the color of her room. Grinning, Ana sat on her chair and began sketching like she always did. “Ana! Get down here now!” Her mother called. Groaning mentally, she trudged down stairs with her notepad. “I asked you to clean this up before we left,” she said angrily. Ana clutched her notepad then wrote: "I’m sorry. I could've sworn I did. I’ll do it right now." With that, she set her notepad down and began cleaning the whole house again.

The door slammed shut and moments later, tires squealed out from the driveway. Ana jumped up happily and grabbed her hidden Ipod. She plugged it into the radio and played it loudly, listening closely to the words of the song. She knew how much trouble she would be in if she was caught with it but she didn't care. She mouthed the words cheerfully and cleaned efficiently. Soon, the house was clean once more and she sat on the couch like every normal teen girl. She closed her eyes and rested her head against the couch, her breathing slowing. Within seconds, she was sleeping. Giggling invaded her ears, tiny fingers touched her skin, a cool breath gently blown against her, and the smell of decay filled her nose. Many hands were on her body and she twitched, unable to move. The smell of decay became stronger and the bony fingers gripped her even harder. She gasped and shot up, her eyes wide open, and her breathing erratic. Ana looked around, seeing nothing there. Her heart pounded viciously in her chest and she gulped. When she realized she was safe, she fell back onto the couch and rubbed her face.

She reopened her eyes and got off the couch. She looked around cautiously, ensuring that she was the only one in the house. Finding that she was, she relaxed slightly and took the Ipod from the stereo. She turned it off and went to her room. She looked at the ground and hid her electronic gadget under her mattress. When she looked up, Ana noticed that the mahogany relic was on the floor. She frowned, picking it up and staring at it. It probably fell when she was sleeping. She looked at the item deeply and the air suddenly became heavy. She gulped and struggled to breathe as she looked at the thing. She wanted to throw it down but she couldn't move an inch of her body. She seemed lulled into a trance but an evil feeling washed over her and she finally dropped the thing. She gasped as the air became even heavier and she fell to her knees. Suddenly, she coughed and to her dismay, blood went out with it. She wanted to scream but after being mute for so long, she couldn't make a noise.

Her body trembled and felt tiny fingers on her once more, the sound of laughing filled her ears, and the smell of decay surrounded her. She stretched out for her Ipod but couldn't reach the bed. The weight around her grew more oppressive and she struggled to breathe. Her heart fluttered and she began coughing even more, blood shooting from her mouth.

“Play with us,” a childish voice said in her ear. She fell to her knees and sobbed as her mouth filled with blood.

“Play with us,” the voice said once more. Within seconds, multiple children voices filled the room, shoving and scratching Ana. Ana tried her hardest to stand but she couldn't.

“Play with us!” They yelled, a demonic sounding tone to their voice. Ana felt darkness surround her and the nails of the children dug into her skin. She swatted at them but to no avail. They all laughed maniacally at her, continuing their torture. She reached for the relic but it was thrown across the room and shattered. Ana sobbed in fear. She gripped her hair and tried for her life to speak but no words came out.

“Play with us! Play with us! Play with us!!” They all chanted demonically. Their nails dug even deeper, shredding her skin and innards. She heard the front door open and she struggled to call for her mother, speaking for the first time in years.

“Play with us!!!” The children demanded, becoming more aggressive with their tone.

“I’ll play…”