The Ladies of Horror
Picture-Prompt Writing Challenge!

Atonement
by K.R. Morrison 

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She sat on the sand, weeping, oblivious to the rapidly-rising tide. Her wings were dissolving almost as fast as the onrushing waters, and there was absolutely nothing that could stop them. She covered her face with her hands and wept.

Once the tears stopped, she raised her head and stared out at the horizon. Tears were getting her nowhere; she had to think of a solution, and think of one fast, before she became like the mortals she had chosen to dwell with.

That had been her mistake. She had been sent to do her duty, to draw these creatures to her Lord’s will. But she had become enamored by their lives and, little by little, had forgotten why she had been put here in the first place.

Today, when she felt the sizzling at her back, she remembered her mission with a nauseating jolt. And now she sat alone, cut off from her former existence, feeling her wings fading away.

Wait! What was that way out to sea?

It was a yacht, and it seemed to be having trouble. Her eyesight had not failed her yet, so she could see that it was floating aimlessly. There were occasional puffs of gray smoke from the windows.

This was her one chance!

“Just let me make it right for this ship!” she prayed. “I know I can become who I was!”

A surge of her old energy returned, and she stood up. She stared hard at the yacht, concentrating on the smoke that was now steadily rising.

About a minute later, she was rewarded.

The vessel had caught fire. Moments later it blew up.

She leaned her head back and laughed as her wings returned. At first white, they swiftly withered and turned a black darker than nightmares. Her fingernails curved and extended, and she could see her humanlike skin becoming twisted and burnt.

She had never felt so free! One deed done for her Master was enough. “This time,” she thought to herself. “There can’t be a next time.”

As she disappeared in a puff of sulfuric smoke, she resolved to be the best demon her Master could ever want.

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Fiction © Copyright K.R. Morrison
Image courtesy of Pixabay.com.

More from K.R. Morrison:

Enoch’s Return: Pride’s Downfall Book 4

All hell broke loose, as demon fought saint, and undead fought mortal. Fangs and swords, fire and light, mingled in a cacophony of noise that would have awakened the dead — if they hadn’t already been in the pitch of battle.

Toby was looking forward to celebrating his 21st birthday with family and friends. However, the day is shattered by the arrival of his sister, Erica, fresh out of the juvenile detention center, where she has lived in isolation most of her life. There is something very wrong with her still; witness her biting the ear of her taxi driver and licking the blood from her lips, and the way she antagonizes everyone around her. The other thing that is very off-putting about the day is a gift he receives – a musty tent and a few iron spikes that have been lying in the ground for years. Toby faints at the sight of the “treasure,” while Erica reacts violently and runs off to who-knows-where.
While he is unconscious, Toby learns who he truly is, and of his mission.

Available on Amazon!