1-It's Time

Eyes dilated, lips parted, breath hitched, heart stopped, goose bumps on her body as the darkness held on her throat piercing it's sharp fingers into her baby like snow white skin.

"It's time." A harsh voice growled into her ear drums making them vibrate, she tried to scream but it had her vocal cords firmly in grip, another try to scream was in vain. Her body was frozen and unable to move.

She tried to push her body forward but failed, another try went in vain, but she didn't give up, she pushed forward once more and this time her whole body jerked up as her amber colored eyes opened to look at the dimly lighted ceiling, as she was laying on the couch, her heart thumped against her chest making her breath irregular when she realized it was a dream rather a sleep paralysis .

Her throat felt harsh like a cactus when she sat up throwing off the single cotton sheet on her body, she looked around the small apartment she lived in.

A small studio apartment with an open kitchen in one corner and a toilet in another corner. A rugged couch in the middle which she was currently using as a bed. Her suitcase opened and her clothes scattered around, the dripping ceiling in the kitchen was getting annoying with every tip and tap on the steel bucket left underneath it near the small window.

Why did I ever think moving to a bigger city can fix my financial problems? She sighed at the thought. I don't even have any talents to make it big. What was I thinking? Regret woven in her expression she sighed again.

It has been two weeks since she moved here. When her family couldn't afford college for her, Fiona tried to stay in town and work various jobs but couldn't make enough to support her family, it was then she decided to move to a bigger city hoping to make enough money that after two years her step-sister won't have to face the same fate as hers.

Her siblings, although from her step mother, still mattered to her. She wanted to see them both grow and develop. That was why she took this step.

She finally stood up and went to the kitchen counter, she lifted up the water bottle and hastily drank from it directly, choking on it she placed it back and coughed out the water splashing it all over the counter. She stood there coughing for some time. It was then she felt a hand softly caressing her back.

"Oh dear," The husky voice vibrated in her ear as she immediately turned around, still coughing the water droplets out, her eyes locked with a pair of beaming red eyes, the moonlight from the window highlighted the sharpness in the person's features, his hair slicked back neatly, a soft smile tugged on his lips as he took a step towards her and held her by her biceps.

Her cough was gone as she stared into his beaming eyes. She wasn't scared of him, there was something comforting about him, something that made Fiona just let him stand like that, holding her in her own apartment, and she didn't even know this man. He was an intruder but didn't feel like one to Fiona, he felt familiar.

"It's time, my angel," his hands reached her face as he held it, his skin though rough on her baby like one but it was warm giving her comfort in the freezing coldness of her apartment, "I'm coming for you," She leaned into his hand and nodded softly, "You need to stay safe until then, if anything happens remember to call my name." He said and Fiona nodded leaning more into his hand she held it softly moving it caressing her cheek, "You know my name, angel?" he asked, that's when she stopped and opened her eyes, the ambers glowing with golden as the moonlight hit them.

She smiled at him, like he was joking, "Of course, I know your name, silly. It's," her lips softly curved as she said the words quietly and slowly making it sound almost melodious, "Lu-ci-fer."

Fiona jerked open her eyes as she sat up looking around her apartment a little startled and confused. Her head twirled around looking for someone but the apartment was empty.

A dream? She thought, rubbing her palm against her temple as she let out a soft breath. What was the dream again?

_

The cold shower shivered her whole existence to the core, back home she wouldn't even get into the shower until there was enough fog that anything in there wasn't visible. Shivering all over she dried her body using her old towel, after getting done with that she pulled up her wet dripping hair in the same towel and quickly put on a long jacket warming her body.

She sat on the couch and pulled out a small makeup bag from her suitcase to put on basic makeup in order to give her a little fresh look. She thought about putting on a blush but due to the cold weather her nose and cheeks were tinted red.

She took off the jacket and slipped on her underwear along with a white camisole, she put on the carefully ironed crisp white blouse and a pair of plain black pants, tucking the pants in, she let her hair fall down from the grip of towel and put the towel around her shoulders letting her water dripping hair fall on it, she combed her hair, praying to God that they dry out soon although she knew they won't.

After a five minute battle with her hair using the towel, she gave up and pulled them up in a bun with a hair tie and put on a thick wool cap over them. She put on the same jacket she was wearing before, put some necessary things in her small hand bag and left the apartment hanging it over her shoulder. Making her way down the hall of the barely standing residential building, hearing noises from each door she made her way down through the stairs. She could've used the elevator but chose not to because she didn't trust the building maintenance.

Making her way out of the building she was hit with a sharp sword like cold wind against her forehead, to her it felt like the wind cut through her skin as she cringed her face in pain and kept walking down the street, the cold was freezingly painful with the wind blowing sharply. She pushed her cap a little down to cover her forehead and stuffed her hands into her pockets.

Just as she was making her way towards the bus stop, she felt a strong tug on her jacket's collar pulling her back. She turned to see a familiar idiotically grinning face with eyes similar to an abyss, strawberry red lips in between them the white teeth shined, his nose and cheeks flushed pink due to the cold. He had a long black coat wrapped around his lean figure, a grey scarf around his neck stuffed into his coat covering his chest.

"Where are you headed, kiddo? " He asked as fog formed near his mouth, taking off the scarf around his neck.

"Job interview, Roy, what are you-" She said as he wrapped the scarf around her neck covering her face and nose too.

Fiona felt his warmth encaged in the fabric softly caressing her face and neck, making the blood travel up to her cheeks tinting them even more.

"It's cold, you'll get sick." He said stepping a little back, a little laugh left his throat, "God, I can't tell if you're a boy or a girl in this get up. Why did you stuff all your hair in that ugly cap?"

"They're wet." She mumbled softly.

"Again?" He asked, raising his eyebrow.

"Pray that I get the job, I'm gonna buy a hair dryer and a heater with my first paycheck." She remarked as Roy smiled and stepped forward pulling her cap down covering her bare forehead, "I'm sure you will." He said, looking into her eyes, stepping away.

"I have to go take care of the shop, when you get back, stop by, I'm ordering Chinese for dinner for both of us." He said and she smiled underneath the scarf and nodded.

Roy Connors, owned a little electronics shop near Fiona's building, ever since she moved here he's been a big help to her, both financially and emotionally. He has made his presence around her quite normal, Fiona didn't understand why it was, she didn't really make friends that easily due to her past experiences in school. Maybe she was too lonely moving away from home? But whatever it was she felt calm being around him, she might've even developed a crush on him, she wasn't sure of it though.

_

The walk all the way to the restaurant was a bit tiring, and she also didn't get the job. The thought of not even getting hired at a menial job as a waitress really shot down her confidence. Feeling under the weather she walked down the street without being aware of her surroundings, she turned into a quiet and dark street.

A stupid little infamous restaurant like that also won't hire me. She was boiling with anger and regret. She barely had money left in her bank account, she had just used the atm, for her it'll be now surviving on bits and pieces like she wasn't already doing that.

Lost in her thoughts she walked down the street. She looked up when she heard someone say, "Hey." The person's face was covered with a black mask, only his eyes visible and a gun in his hand as he tugged on her hand bag. It took some time for her to realize she was getting mugged, instinctively she reached out and held onto her purse, whatever money she had left was in that bag, she couldn't possibly imagine losing it.

In a little struggle with the mugger, pulling and pushing, a shot was fired and with a strong tug the mugger snatched the bag away from her hand and disappeared in the fog. It was then she felt the sharp pain in her abdomen, she touched the area and felt something warm and wet, looking at her hand her head felt dizzy looking at the scarlet liquid. The pain was too much, she wanted to scream but couldn't it was like her throat was clenched by something, she lost her balance and fell backward, tears spilling down her cheeks when she felt her heart beat slowed down, a constant ringing played in her ears as helplessness crept into her.

No one. No one. No one. She kept saying that word in her mind. The loneliness of the moment reminded that's how her life had always been painful and lonely. Darkness enveloping her eyes, when she remembered something, a voice

Call me when you're in trouble.

Darkness enveloping her surroundings as she spoke in a soft whisper, "Lucifer."

After that everything went quiet and dark.