Scars. Fringe Walkers. Damantha Makarova

in her father’s knee, throwing him to the floor. Finding the moment of respite, she jumped to her feet, only to face her brothers – grinning and growling with their teeth sharp and their faces animal-like, they tried circling around her.

      But at that moment she was no longer the tormented girl they always cuffed to the bars of the bed. She was an animal, caught among the flames of the raging fire that ate away at everything she used to call home – the furniture, walls and floorboards were already burning down.

      She managed to hit two of her brothers, avoiding their slashing hits – sharp claws barely reaching her. But the last one was stronger. He caught her arms and twisted it, making her lose the poker. In a sudden rage she kicked the young man in the groin, but he barely felt it. However, her blood helped her – when she jerked her hand away, his fingers slipped on the blood, letting her go, and she darted past the young man to the entrance.

      Behind her she heard something crashing, but didn’t look back, running out and holding the baby, who seemed to start fussing a little from being woken from his deep slumber. She ran, hearing the roaring fire and crashing of her home, until she slipped and fell to her knees, crying and gasping for air.

      Rox didn’t remember how long she was sitting there, rocking the baby in her arms, until she realised that people were approaching her, lit up from behind by multiple differently-coloured lights.

      Even though the firefighters got there, the house burned down to embers, leaving only the four skeletons of what used to be her family. It took some time for the medics to calm Rox down and have her pass them the child, who, in fact, was quite fine.

      She might have survived that night, but her possessed family left Rox with lots of scars from their demonic claws.

      Jack was there when they found her with the baby in her arms and later, when she woke up in the hospital, bandaged and sedated. Sheriff Jack Hills was an honourable man, who helped her even after she was discharged.