Demon Girlfriend: Demeter 2 (special preview)

Several years ago, my brother and my fiancé both went off to war. Land disputes between the kingdoms had come to our lands, and our people decided it was not up for grabs. Our lands were defended as best as possible, but Miror still ended up taking us as part of their property. My fiancé died in battle, and my brother, Henry, came back changed. War changes everybody, especially the soldiers, so we had expected him to come home perhaps less of what he was.

I was mourning my fiancé and suffered many sleepless nights, as did Henry, so we often stayed up together, talking in the dead of night. He told me about his nightmares, of a creature taking him and biting him repeatedly until he was riddled full of holes. I thought his dreams were about the guns of the Miror army. Henry showed me his wounds, though, once they were healed enough. They did look like bite marks, dozens of them. Henry told me in secret that Miror had sent in a wild animal into their camp and it had attacked many of the soldiers, killing some, wounding others, and that it had dragged off my fiancé, who saved his life.

I begged Henry not to tell me more, but I still began having nightmares of this monster attacking me and stalking me on the farm. It took time, but eventually Henry returned to life on the farm. About a year after, though, strange things started happening around our village. People made reports of a creature attacking their chickens. Which at first was blamed on coyotes. After that, the attacks began to escalate, this creature started to hunt down geese, who are quite dangerous themselves, then goats, and sheep. The villagers began to prepare, building bigger and better barns to protect their animals at night. Some used straw fortified by mud or cement, others used the same method but with strong sticks and lumber, those who could afford it built stone structures to defend their livestock.

Well, aside from the stone structures, the other two didn’t work out well. Eventually, the creature was taking pigs after destroying the stick and straw structures. Hunts for the creature began in earnest, with large sweeps going through the woods. At night, men would hide out with their weapons, hoping to catch a glimpse of something strange stalking around.

One man allegedly came across the monster and when he told him his livestock were safe in a structure, the creature told him: “then I’ll just blow it down!” For a few weeks, the hunt was all anyone could think about. Rewards were put up for the capture of this monster, people were building traps and finding ways to hide their animals. Henry would guard our barn every night, going as far as sleeping out there, while our father stayed inside with mother and me. Then, one night, someone actually shot the creature. They were able to track it because of the trail of blood it left behind. Unbeknownst to us, the trail led right to our barn.

I was terrified. Henry was in the barn! What if that monster had him! Father kept me and mother locked in the house while he joined the rest of the hunting party. It became known all too quickly what the truth of the matter was and it ruined our lives forever.

Whatever had bitten Henry had caused him to become this monster, this wolf like thing. He was able to run off that night, but everyone was still on high alert, even against the rest of the family.

“He has been chosen by a brother to mine,” Demeter replies. “Someone very much like me, but more in tune to blood and mayhem.”

Henry’s lips curl as he looks at Demeter. “Why is that thing talking?”

“Henry,” I stand before Demeter and extend out my arms. “How long have you been here? Why haven’t you come home?”

His eyes flick up to mine again. “What good would it do? Dad would try to kill me. Mom would hate me. The whole town would want to see me hanging from my neck over a pyre. Think, Bo! Why would I ever want to go back there? To die?”

“Then why stay so close?” Demeter asks calmly.

Henry points to her and snaps his jaws. “Seriously, what the fuck is that?”

“I honestly don’t know, Henry!” I snap. “She just showed up one day. But she’s right! Why remain so close to home? Why not try to run north or towards the Tulgey Wood?”

He stiffens and turns when the pigs start snorting and squealing. “What would be the point? I just found myself here. The mushrooms calmed my nerves, they made the change less painful, less-” His hand hovers around his head before he drops it. “I couldn’t go anywhere looking like this, so I just remained here.”

Demeter lifts her chin. “Sometimes the tether to home is quite short.”

“I don’t like you! Talking black sheep, dad was right! Black sheep and goats can’t be trusted.” I stomp over to his pigs, pulling a rope that allows slop to pour down from a hatch on the side of the house.