Death is always the end. As a lifeless corpse hangs in the air, feet void from the ground, neck gripped by a noose made of flesh and fingers, they sway, limp and cold. Blood leaked out of their eyes as those very eyes nearly popped out of their protective sockets. Mouth open, waiting for air to fill their lungs, but even if they could breathe again, they’ll never walk. Their legs can never touch the ground.

Harmony lets go of Tiffany, and she falls to the floor. Her arms and legs folded on her, so when she touched the earth, her body sprawled in an uncomfortable position. What if she could still think and feel? Is she screaming for us to help her? If she could have talked before her neck snapped, would she plead for us to help her? 

I still couldn’t see Harmony’s face. She’s still turned away, her face unseen and her voice unheard. What could she be thinking? Is she depressed about having to kill her? Did she enjoy feeling Tiffany’s lifeless body dangle in her hand? Unlike Tiffany, Harmony can still speak. All she has to do is turn around.

Turn around she did. I don’t know what I expected to see when I got a good look at her face. Whether it scared me, or gave me at least a little bit of hope, I wanted for her expression to scream something. Anything at all would have been better than nothing. But nothing is what she screamed. Her eyes were void of emotion. Her lips were neither a smile nor a scowl. It was a blank expression, one that screamed nothing in particular. 

She approached me, and I could do nothing but stare. That same feeling from when I figured out her real identity spiked in me. This time, it bit at me harder and refused to let me go. She stood directly in front of me, staring down at me with blank eyes. I swallowed, and she got on her knees and began untying my ankles.

“Are you okay?” Harmony asked.

What could I even say? I’m not all that injured except with a massive wound on my head, but I don’t feel safe in the slightest. As Harmony untied my feet, I noticed that her horns and tail were exposed, which didn’t bode well for me. Last time those horns were out, she broke down my door and she broke a woman’s neck with almost no effort. 

Once my ankles were free, she worked on the rope tying my wrists to the chair. I looked over at Jessica, and her eyes were as wide as the sun. She couldn’t keep her eyes from looking at the tail sprouting from Harmony’s hips. Her entire worldview has completely vanished within just a few moments.

Harmony finished untying my arms, and once she moved out of the way, I collapsed on the ground. Sweat poured from my face, and my body trembled in a fright that eclipsed the moon. I looked up and saw Harmony reaching her hand to me. But I caught the sight of the corpse laying in the center of the room. When my eyes processed what I was seeing, all of yesterday’s meals rose from my stomach. I puked all the contents onto the floor, and Harmony jerked her hand away.

When she realized I was a lost cause, she went over to Jessica and began untying her. Jessica refused to look away from Harmony. She remained on high alert the entire time she took to untie her. 

“What are you?” Jessica asked. 

Harmony untied Jessica’s left foot, then began working on her right. 

“I’m a succubus.” Harmony responded.

She finished untying her ankles, then began working on her wrists. Jessica twisted her foot, enjoying the freedom she was granted once more. 

“Are you the murderer I’ve been searching for?” Jessica bluntly asked.

Harmony shook her head. “There’s more cubbi than me. There’s another one wreaking havoc. I’m not the one you’re searching for.”

“Well, at least I know I’m dealing with a demon now.” Jessica said.

Harmony nearly finished untying the final knot, but before she did, she gazed into Jessica’s eyes. “We’re not demons.”

“You just killed someone by lifting them off the ground with one hand. What’s more demonic than that?” 

Jessica brushed Harmony’s hand away and undid the knot for herself. When she freed herself, she rushed to Karina and placed two of her fingers on her neck. Her brow furrowed as she locked in on what would hopefully be a pulse. 

“She’s still alive. If we can get an ambulance here, she just might make it.” 

Jessica turned her attention to the corpse of Tiffany laying on the ground. Her eyes looked up at the ceiling and her mouth hung agape in a perpetual scream of agony and tragedy. 

Harmony turned away from Jessica, and she walked toward me again. I had finally stopped puking, but a pool of the stuff had formed underneath me and stained my clothes. The smell went ignored as my mind wandered into greater pastures. In my head, none of this was happening. Everything was fine. There is no tragedy. Everyone’s smiling at a sun that stays out twenty-four-seven. 

“Are you getting up?” Harmony asked. 

Tears welled up in my eyes. My throat continues to tear at me, and I can hardly speak. Anything that comes out will be nothing but horrid static and noise. However, even with my throat punishing me, I had to understand.

“Why am I still alive?” I asked to no one. “This is the second time that I’ve lived when I shouldn’t and someone else paid the price. Karina’s beaten to near death, and someone who needed help more than anyone has their neck split in two.” My throat screamed at me to stop talking, but I had to finish this. I had to know why. “Why am I still alive when the only proof of my existence is all laid bare in tragedies? I caused so many people to cry; to fight; to die. Why am I still here?”

My throat finally quit working on me. I wanted to say so many more things, but I couldn’t speak anymore. Once again, my anger caused my pain, and I did nothing to stop it. Tears fell to the vomit below, adding on to the putrid smell. 

Suddenly, I felt something touch my chin. Then my head lifted itself on its own, and the next thing I know, I’m staring into Harmony’s eyes. They’re the only part of her body that’s visible to most people, but no one can see them thanks to their abilities. And I’m entranced within the clutches of those eyes once again. She hadn’t eaten in days, so the effects they give off are nothing short of intoxicating. 

Those eyes are beautiful. The way her pupil and iris forms the faintest trace of a heart feels both unnaturally unsettling, yet it also tickles my curiosity and desire. They prod at the instincts that humanity gained through years and years of evolution and survival. 

“The reason we’re all here, right here and now, yet she dies, is because we’re the worst versions of ourselves to exist.”

We’re the worst versions of ourselves to exist. It’s a phrase that I don’t like to look back on, but I know is completely true. Whatever happened to Tiffany and Karina, it’s obvious that she wasn’t always like that. But Karina never changed. She’s always been herself. Her worst self to be. The only reason Tiffany is like she is now is because of whatever happened back then, so what would Tiffany be like if she stayed in line with the game? She wouldn’t be dead. That’s for certain.

So what does that say about me? Am I the embodiment of all that happened to me, or is this just the end game of who I am? In every conceivable universe, am I doomed to end up this way because it’s just who I am, or is there a universe out there where I’m not a piece of shit because one thing happened to me in particular? Why do I feel like it’s not the second option at all? Why am I an awful person? 

“Harmony.” Jessica spoke up. “I called for an ambulance to arrive. Police will be coming too, and in droves. It’s now or never. Leave. Leave, and I’ll come up with a story about how we got in this situation.”

“You’re not going to turn me in?” Harmony questioned.

“Not if you get out of here.”

Harmony looked down at me, then sighed. Before leaving, she grabbed me by the collar and pulled me off my feet. She grabbed my hand and began dragging me to the stairs.

“Where are you going with him?” Jessica asked. “He has to stay here.”

“I’ll leave him upstairs once I’m finished with him.” Harmony said, and her voice showed no sign of giving into anything else. “I’m a succubus, and I haven’t eaten in two days. You don’t want me hungry on the third day, or else you’re going to be following a different case.”

Jessica quickly picked up on what she meant, and her face blushed red. “Fine, but do it quickly. The police’ll be here in at least ten minutes.”

“I can do that. You just have to explain more after I’m done.” 

We headed upstairs, and not only did I end up damaging my throat and my head returned to spilling some blood, but I also had a broken arm. That’s just what happens when a succubus goes days without eating. After the feeding, Harmony apologized for breaking my arm, but I didn’t react back. She left as soon as the sirens appeared in the distance.