It.

She felt the chill run up her spine, a shudder racked her sweaty body, ‘it’s like someone walked on my grave’ her mum used to say…

She ran along this beach every morning of d 3 years she’d been in the university, and always at this time she was alone…except today…

The sea was quiet, the crickets too, the unusual hush seemed potent;like a captivated audience expectant…waiting…for something

It was cold. Too cold…her breath vapored from her mouth, her lungs constricted around a cloying kind of coldness…a dead chill

She ran faster her heart pounding in her chest, there was the light of the sea-view lounge up ahead if she could get there, she could escape, be safe…

Something brushed her exposed shoulder…a sinister caress, she whipped around on a small cry, nearly loosing her footing in the loose sand…

Behind her was darkness… blackness, it felt alive, like it was moving…like it was hungry, starving for her…

She shook her head and continued running toward the light, faster now…she’d drank too much yesterday, her mind was playing tricks…then it laughed

It laughed…she turned and saw it, saw evil, in it’s true form and knew she’d die at 22, with all her dreams within reach; forever untouchable.

Detective Damilare had never seen anything like this, 23 years as police officer on homicides so he’d seen a lot, but nothing close to this…

The body was nude, spread eagled her wrists and ankles pinned to the beach floor with inch wide stakes…
All her relevant arteries had been cut and bled…

Literarily torn apart, her abdomen was empty, like something had sliced her flesh into ribbons then scooped out her innards…spreading some as far as 5 feet away

Her face was a mess…her eye sockets empty, nose smashed in, her neck sliced in macabre grin that touched spine, prelim exam said her heart was missing…

He knew man did this, for whatever reason, a man did this, but even in his cops mind he knew that whoever did this, was pure evil on the inside

It walked amongst the crowd, touching, brushing, even sharing minds with those it could…how death and pain and evil drew admiration

They strained the police line, pushing to see a little more of its handiwork, to share on their networks. There was a little of it in all of them- a little of evil

He listened to them, most pretended they cared, that they pitied but mostly they where glad, that it was her not them, yet scared that it could still be…

And it could, power…it had it now and wanted more, it had followed it’s calling and it’s hunger had found satisfaction but satisfaction begat greater hunger…

It began to move again, choosing it’s prey carefully, it’s master had liked the girls heart…maybe a male heart this time, the master would like that.

As it carefully chose its next victim, maybe the boy in the blue shirt trying to take a better shot would like a more personal experience…even as it began to smile…

It felt the ice, the eternal coldness before it heard a whisper…Dagon… It was known by many names, called by many names but only few dared to use it’s true name, and even fewer wielded such eternal power…

Sama’el the Angel of Death, half angel half demon, prodigal son of the Most High, the only being that had power in every realm from the high heavens to the lowest rings of Hell but belonged to none.

Sama’el was neither good not bad, he was a fanatic of the Most High, his love for the Supreme Being was perfect, popular misconception labeled him as a malevolent spirit but in truth he was was one of the most beautiful supernatural beings created…

“Dagon…the soul of the girl belongs to Him” His beautiful lips unmoving as he spoke his pure aura, neither black or white but both, cloaking him

“No. She’s fallen from grace, He won’t take her…” Dagon threw back, his voice shaking, his power, that soul was his power he wasn’t giving it back, he’d been asleep for centuries too long…

As rebellion swam in his mind, Sama’el pulled his sword from the scabbard at his waist, and cut him down before the demon took two steps freeing the trapped soul, Dagon gave a keening wail…Sama’el stood silent leaving it to mourn and curse…

The Most High hadn’t given him leave to kill the accursed one or send it back…he was one of the few beings who had such power, let it curse, the girl was free and even it’s master wouldn’t dare him.

The people gathered around the emptiness of death felt nothing except the most clairvoyant of them who merely noticed the chill despite the hot 9am West African sun…

As he disappeared -taking Dagon away and dumping him in the Sahara to run mad till its master forgave him-, having done one more act in his millennia old penance, he pitied these pampered fools his Father loved so much, if only they knew…

“…There are more things in Heaven and Earth Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy… ” Hamlet – William Shakespeare