The Demon Side Read Online Free PDF Page A

getting good. A demotion and a transfer? Maybe John may have not been the great Marine I’d originally thought, but a screw-up, his last mistake landing him at Quantico and in my home. René didn’t listen to a word as she swayed there, staring at him with disgust. I followed her to the stairs as she stormed off. If she fell I wanted the pleasure of watching her snap her neck. She could barely keep her balance enough to storm up the stairs. But she stopped short of Etta.
    “This is your entire fault, you little brat. I hope you’re happy.” René shoved past, pushing her into the railing.
    “Yeah, couldn’t be the alcohol, could it?” Etta whispered under her breath.
    “What did you say to me?” René swung around and jumped in her face.
    She turned away from René and looked down at the floor. “Nothing,” she muttered.
    Why was Etta so afraid of her own mother? I couldn’t imagine a girl who could stand up to a Demon would fear a decrepit drunk. What power did Rene have over her?
    “Don’t you lie to me! What did you say?”
    Etta kept silent. René pretended to walk away, and then she spun around and out of the blue began beating on her shoulder with the side of her fist. Etta dropped into a ball on the floor and took every punch without making a sound. Every hit landed harder than the previous one. Watching the hate René had for her aroused me.
    That is, until a single tear fell from Etta’s frightened brown eyes.
    Something in me awoke as the tear splattered on the floor. A feeling I hadn’t encountered for as long as I could remember: rage. I suddenly had the urge to protect Etta.
    I lost all control of my senses, composure, and thoughts. Before I knew it, I pinned René to the wall and was rapidly draining her of all energy. I would rid the world of this insect. Her fear was my drug, her struggles were my syringe. Trying to use her dangling feet to break free from my grip, René kicked a hole in the wall. The sound of breaking sheetrock finally grabbed John’s attention and brought him charging up the stairs.
    “What the hell?” John yelled as he tried to grab for Rene. With a soft push I sent him down the stairs and crashing into the front door.
    “Stop it! Stop it! You’re killing her!” a coarse voice yelled. Etta sat up against the railing, pulling her knees to her chest and trying to suck back her tears as she pleaded for this pathetic sack of flesh’s life. Why she wanted this woman to live was beyond my comprehension. Watching Etta rock back and forth, I realized the rage that caused me to try to help her hurt her more. I looked back at Rene’s sunken face and bulging purple veins, trying to decide the next best course of action. I could hold on a few seconds longer and end her life, maybe getting rid of John and Etta at the same time, or I could drop her now and be demonized—no pun intended—for my actions. Either way, I knew my actions of physically hurting René had already caught the attention of the Arches and for that, they would be visiting me soon. I might get off easy if I showed mercy and let the bitch live. I glanced at Etta’s terrified face one last time before dropping René to the floor so hard she actually bounced.
    Etta crawled over to René and cradled her head into her lap. René was already regaining her color as Etta petted her hair. As pink began to fill her cheeks, she finally found the strength to lift her head and look at her daughter. I waited to hear her apologies and grateful pleas. Etta basically saved her life, but what I heard next made me want to kill her even more. It wasn’t strength that lifted her head, it was spite.
    “Get away from me, you little bitch. You did this. You did this!” René hissed in anger at Etta.
    Etta’s face sank as René pushed away from her as if she had an infectious disease. John finally regained consciousness and came to René’s aid, helping her into their bedroom and closing the door behind him. Blood had dripped