Chapter 11: Hatred and Love

Night 5

Valentina and Liam fell on top of each other as they landed on the bed, Liam over Valentina. He kissed her, it was long and passionate. Valentina placed her hands on the back of his head, and pushed him down harder.

Liam removed his tongue from her mouth, they looked into each others eyes as they desired to do more than that. However, the moment could never occur, because Emma began to cry.

"Again...?" Liam said.

"I just hope nothing bad happened to her." Valentina got up and picked Emma up from the cot, next to their bed.

"Nah.. She's fine..."

"Oh....!~ My poor darling~ It's ok Emma... Mommy's here... I won't ever let you go..."

"Come on... put her on the bed and let's go to sleep..." Liam crawled to his side of the bed, and Valentina placed quiet Emma on the bed next to her.

She began to sing a lullaby to make Emma fall asleep, along with her and Liam. Valentina rested her eyes for a bit when she suddenly heard a voice, humming the same song.

"Huh?..." Valentina slowly opened her eyes, then looked over her shoulder. She gasped as she saw a little girl, smiling at her and standing by the door.

"Hello Mommy...." The little girl whispered.

"What?... Emma?..." The little had distinct features, just like Emma. She had blonde hair, it was lengthen around her shoulders. Her bright blue eyes glowed in the darkness.

"Emma!" She turned around to see her bed empty.

"Liam?! Where are you?!" In panic she yells, but before she could even breathe, she felt a tight grip on her throat.

"WHY DID YOU ABONDON ME?!! WHY DID YOU LEAVE ME TO DIE?!!" The girl screamed as she pressed harder on Valentina's throat.

Everything around them faded to darkness...They were sinking into an abyss. Valentina was struggling to breathe.

"...St....op!.." Valentina cried for the pain to end...

However, not a single word could reach out to her future daughter.

"The angel of death is here.... And your soul... he won't spare!"

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Everything turned black...

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Valentina stood in a dark room...

Suddenly, light emitted the center of the room, which revealed three caskets...

In shock and confusion, Valentina dropped tears from her eyes. She stared blankly at the caskets... She couldn't move...

"What?... what...is this?..." She quietly whimpered.

"This... is your future..."

Valentina suddenly turned around to the voice, and she saw a young man, around his 20s... he had black hair, and wore a black funeral attire.

His voice was husky and deep, his eyes looked sharp as he glared at her.

"Who are you?! Where's my family?! Are you the one who's doing this to us?!-"

"Valentina!!" The man yelled and Valentina came to a halt.

"Tell me... Do you value death?..."

"What?..."

"Or do you value life?..."

"What are you talking about?! I just want to go home!-" The man quickly held her in his arms, grabbed her tight, and pushed her closer.

"Listen... Do you think death has any value?..."

"Why?..."

"I just... wanted to prove that... death...also has value...."

"HOW?... death is just the end of everything!" Valentina mustered up her strength and pushed the man away.

"Who are you?... What did you do to us?!"

There was a deadly silence between them... Valentina shivered while staring at the man, who covered his face in the darkness.

"I... thought you would understand... I granted everything you ever wanted...! And this! Is how you repay me?!!!"

Suddenly, his skin began to flake into ashes. His eyes turned black, and his teeth fell out of his mouth, they dropped down like little pennies. There was a dark entity within him that, forcefully, escaped his body, as if it were trapped inside a cage for too long. The screams echoed the room.

The light began to flicker, frightening Valentina, the casket doors, opened and closed within seconds. Everything was in chaos. Valentina bent down and covered her ears, she couldn't bare the sound.

The man infront of her...disappeared. Not a trace was left. The light returned, and the casket remained closed.

"You want to know who I am!!"

"NO!" Valentina remained in brace, she didn't have the courage to look up at the monster this man had become.

"I AM THE DEVIL!! I WILL KILL YOU!! AND EVERYONE YOU'VE EVER LOVED!!!"

"NOOOO!!" She screamed and everything returned to chaos. It was as if there was a terrible earthquake. The screaming synced with the monster's cynical laughter.

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Valentina looked up from the awful sound of silence... The caskets disappeared. But in replace... There were three dead bodies... hanging...

"Now..tell me... do you value death?..." Valentina turned around and the man she saw before returned to his original state.

"...I... Don't..." She said quietly. She blankly stared at the bodies. She couldn't possibly recognise them, since their faces were covered with a cloth over it.

However, she represents them as her family...and this was their future...

"Then, let's play a little game!" The monster, in his human form, grabbed Valentina's shoulders from behind. He then continued to stroke his hands across her cheeks, then her eyes, blocking her sight.

"You choose one... And I'll give them death..."

He removed his hands from her eyes and there she saw the same three caskets, however, she didn't know who was in what.

"You must only choose one casket... and whoever body lies in there...I shall kill..."

"No!"

"You must!!...since you value life so much..."

"No! You can't make me!" She pushes the man away from her.

"Then... I'll just kill them both!"

"No! Don't take them away! Take me!"

"Such irony... I thought you valued life... Why get rid of your life for others?..."

"Because, I value their lives! My life isn't as important to me than their lives are to me! Do you understand?! Kill me!... just let them live..."

"It's your choice..." He points directly at the caskets behind her.

Valentina's eyes widened, she had to make a choice... One she could never undo...

"No...I can't... Whose caskets are these?... Where's mine?..."

"Liam... Emma... and...Valentina...." He didn't give the instructions as to where each body was laying. However, his eyes widen in excitement...

Who is she gonna pick?...

Valentina began pounding her head by slamming her hand against her head.

"Argh! I can't! I can't! I can't! I can't! I can't! I can't! I can't! I can't! I Can't!...I can't kill them!"

She looked up, carefully... thinking... and she made up her mind....

She trusted her gut feeling and pointed... to the casket at the left...

"Wow! Well done! This will be a very exciting kill!"

"Now tell me!! Who is it?!" Valentina yelled furiously.

"You'll find out...soon enough..."

Everything disappeared into darkness...

"Now...Forget everything...and fall asleep..."