THE DEMON IN ME

FRACTURES

Arden lay on his back, staring at the wooden ceiling above him. His body was heavy with exhaustion, yet no sleep came. Every time he closed his eyes, the memory of last night slammed back into him: the cracking of beams, the burning in his veins, the demon's laughter clawing at his skull.

He turned to his side, clutching the thin blanket as if it could shield him from the voice that still lingered inside his head.

"You can't run from me, boy. I am in your blood. I am your truth."

Arden gritted his teeth and pulled the blanket over his head. Still, the whisper wouldn't fade. His heart raced, his body tense as though at any moment the thing within might tear free again.

Finally, with a frustrated sigh, he sat up, rubbing his temples. That was when he heard the muffled voices drifting in from just outside the hut.

"…if it happens again," his mother whispered, her voice tight with worry, "the villagers will notice. We can't hide it forever."

Maya answered quickly, the edge in her tone sharp as a blade.

"So what then? We just give up on him? No. I won't allow it. He's still Arden our Arden."

Cyril's voice followed, low but firm.

"You don't understand, Maya. I've seen things… I've read stories. Demons don't just go away. If it takes him fully, what then? What if next time it's not just a hut that's destroyed, but the whole village?"

Arden froze. The words crawled beneath his skin like poison. His chest tightened as he swung his legs off the bed, moving closer to the door.

His mother's voice cracked softly, broken by fear.

"I will not abandon my son… but I don't know how much longer we can keep this secret."

The blanket slipped from Arden's shoulders as his breath quickened. Secret. That was all he had become a danger hidden behind locked doors.

And then, like oil poured over fire, the demon's laughter stirred again within him.

" You hear them, don't you? Even those you love most doubt you. You'll never escape me… but you could embrace me. Then they will never look down on you again".

Arden pressed his palms hard against his ears, shaking his head, but it was no use. The voices outside, the voices within, they tangled together, drowning him in fear and anger.

The voices outside gnawed at Arden's chest until he couldn't bear it anymore. His hand trembled on the wooden doorframe as the first gray light of dawn crept through the shutters. The night had ended, but the weight of it lingered like smoke after fire.

He pushed the door open. It creaked, startling the three outside. His mother, Maya, and Cyril turned sharply, their faces pale in the early light.

Arden's eyes were shadowed, sleepless, and his voice came out hoarse, yet edged with something raw.

"So that's what I am to you? A secret? A danger to be hidden until I finally lose control?"

"Arden," his mother began, but her voice broke.

Maya stepped forward quickly, shaking her head. "No! That's not what we meant. We're just"

"Afraid," Arden cut in bitterly. "I heard it all. You think I don't know? You think I haven't felt it, how close I am to losing myself?" His voice cracked, and for a heartbeat, the pain in his eyes was sharper than any anger. "Do you think I want this?"

Cyril lowered his gaze, shame flickering across his face, but he didn't deny it.

Silence stretched between them, heavy as the dawn mist. Behind Arden's ribs, the demon stirred, whispering almost sweetly:

" See? Even now, they hesitate. They don't trust you. Only I will remain when they turn away".

Arden's fists clenched. He took a step back, his voice trembling. "If I truly am the danger you all fear… then maybe I shouldn't stay here at all."

His mother reached out, tears gathering in her eyes. "No, Arden. Don't say that. You're my son. We will find a way."

But Arden wasn't sure anymore if she even believed her own words.

Arden's chest rose and fell rapidly, his breath harsh in the cold dawn air. The look on their faces, his mother's trembling sorrow, Cyril's unease, even Maya's desperate defense was too much to bear.

Before anyone could move, he turned on his heel and ran.

"Arden!" Maya's voice cut through the morning, sharp with panic. She reached out, but her fingers only grazed empty air. His mother cried after him, her voice breaking, while Cyril cursed under his breath and started forward.

But Arden didn't look back. His feet pounded against the dirt path, carrying him past the edge of the huts, past the fields still coated in silver mist. He ran as if the world itself was trying to close in on him.

You see? The demon's voice slithered inside him, thick with satisfaction. Even those you love cannot understand you. They will always fear you. But I….

"Shut up!" Arden roared, his voice echoing in the empty fields. Birds scattered into the pale sky, startled by his outburst. He pressed a hand to his chest, gasping, trembling, the fire inside him threatening to flare.

Behind him, faintly, he could hear Maya calling again, but the sound was distant, swallowed by the pounding in his head.

For the first time since he was fourteen, Arden felt utterly alone, trapped between the fear of his family and friends, and the hunger of the demon within.

And yet, even as the horizon blushed with dawn, he kept running.

Arden's breath came in ragged bursts as he pushed himself farther from the village. The fields gave way to uneven ground, roots breaking through the soil like veins. He didn't notice how far he had gone until the mist thickened, the trees rising tall around him.

The forest.

He stumbled over a gnarled root and fell to his knees, dirt smearing his hands. For a moment, he just knelt there, panting, the silence pressing in. This was the very place his friends had warned him never to enter. A place the villagers whispered about where strange things lurked and shadows never quite faded with the sun.

Fitting, the demon hissed in his mind, its tone amused. A cursed boy in a cursed forest. Perhaps here, you will finally learn what you really are.

Arden slammed his fist into the earth, gritting his teeth. "I'm not yours. Not now, not ever."

But even as he spoke, unease prickled along his skin. The air was colder here, heavier. Somewhere deep among the trees, he thought he heard the crunch of movement, as if he wasn't alone.

Behind him, far away, voices still called his name but the forest swallowed them whole.

Arden pushed himself up, chest heaving, and took his first step deeper between the trees.