MONSTER by Meli J Nightly (best books to read for students .txt) 📕

Big Bear signaled me that we had arrived at our destination, finally shaking me away from my thoughts I stared intently at the abandoned warehouse, near the bay. My heart began to beat faster, the unknown and not being in control made me shiver. I did my best to hide it and act strong. He opened my door and motioned me to get out of the car. “They’re waiting.” Other than Escobar I couldn’t imagine who else would be waiting for me. All I could think of was that he had planned some major welcome party or a new job. I had barely gotten out from prison but I was sure he already had something planned for me...

“Brothers and sisters, it is time...” Escobar’s voice echoed throughout the empty warehouse. My senses adjusted to the dark space which was barely lit by candle light. At the snap of fingers and on queue lights turned on making my surroundings more visible. There, stood six people in red robes and Escobar in a white one. I could not believe my eyes, behind him sat a girl, tied and beaten. Her eyes were devoid of any strength to live. I looked at Escobar with disgust, while he only smiled and motioned to embrace me. I made no move to stop him for my eyes kept on returning to the girl sitting in the chair. She could have been no more than fifteen years old and she reminded me of myself. Her scared green eyes and bloodied brunette hair brought me back horrible memories.

“Whatever you are planning to do, I want no part of it,” I made myself clear; still I know my voice did not sound too convincing. I knew all too well Escobar’s involvement in bloody satanic rituals. I’d already seen far more than I’d needed to in my years, and I had no desire to participate in his dark arts.

He let out a laugh and a holler, “Woowee! Well lookie here, the years in prison have surely made you tougher.”

The people in robes only laughed to go with his statement, yet I was unable to see who they were, not once had they showed themselves. “I won’t have any part of this,” I repeated in a more assertive manner. I could feel my eyes burning and my face becoming warmer with anger. I turned to walk away like I had done so many times before, but it was clear I was not going anywhere this time. The ones in red coats made a barrier, making sure I would not dare pass. “What the hell is going on?” I turned to Escobar making it clear I was far from pissed. The girl began to squirm. I could only assume she had noticed my uncertainty. She thinks I can help her, but I honestly don’t care… or at least I think I don’t care.

“Well if you would let me explain,” he started, moving behind the girl. There was a table which was adorned with a red satin blanket that almost made it look like one of those altars you would see in cheesy horror movies. “This is my gift to you.” He grabbed a golden dagger, which I had seen before. It was known he used it for sacrifices and soon it became clear what the girl’s role was. “I have been very patient with you, Reina. I have protected you and cared for you because we are blood bonded. That is why I had let you do what you want,” he stomped his feet and raised his arms in dramatization, “But no more! It is time for you to join the Coven. Our family. We are one with our god.” He inhaled deeply and turned to bow to a large reversed wooden cross behind the altar.

I looked around trying to find a way out, a means of escape, there was no way in hell I would hurt another innocent person. As if he was reading my mind he stared at me, his eyes were never so piercing, “What are you afraid of? You were born from evil... you are the seed of evil. You cannot escape what you are. You have killed the innocent... yet you left one, in order to become part of us you have to finish what you started.”

His words were confusing me, I tried to understand but nothing made sense. “What are you trying to say?”

“I thought you were just a bit smarter, I guess the lack of drugs have the opposite effect on you. This bitch right here...” He swung the dagger right to left and then swiftly placed on the girl’s throat. The girl muffled a scream under her gagged mouth. She looked at me, terror in her eyes, pleading for me to help her. “She’s the one you left alive.”


Escobar looked at me and sneered. “Or don’t you remember?”

I stared at him for a moment, and then understanding began to set in. My head swam as I realized just who the girl in front of me was. Oh, I remembered…


After the crash, I woke up in a cell. The drugs had worn out by then and my mind was pure mush. While I was still alert, I couldn’t remember what I had hit or who. The cops whispered when they looked at me, it didn’t seem good.

I learned later who I had crashed into. Whenever I drugged myself and I had felt like dying, I really never thought about anybody but myself. I was always selfish, egotistical and uncaring for the world. Killing innocent people was never something I had envisioned and something I had never really wanted to do. For some reason when I heard the full report my heart ached. I had crashed into a couple who were exiting a fast food drive thru, the speed and force in which I hit them made their car crash into a light pole and it split the car in half. I looked at my lawyer; I couldn’t help but ask even though I knew the answer, “Did they die?”

There was some pity in his eyes. I only hoped that the pity was not meant for me. “The male victim, the driver, he died instantly.” He showed me pictures of the wreck, it was atrocious, not even in Hollywood movies you would see such a thing and I had created that.

I held back my tears and acted like I didn’t care, I had no right to cry. Who was I to cry? Pushing back the pictures to him, I continued, “And the girl? There was a girl right?”

“The other half exploded and the girl was badly burned...”

A sudden flashback appeared in my mind. Cops pulled me over by then and I remembered the chilling screams of a woman pleading for help. I shuttered at the memory of it and crossed my arms.

“They were able to get her out,” a glimpse of hope passed by me, she had made it out, but as he continued I came to learn that it was not so. “She was alive when the paramedics arrived. But she died on her way to the hospital.”

“I see...” was all I could manage to say. In reality, I couldn’t see beyond myself and much less comprehend what I had done. Guilt was something I had never really felt, until that moment.

“You’re being charged with two counts of negligent homicide, a count of hit and run and grand theft auto. And you could be charged with another count of negligent homicide, but that is still pending.” The lawyer stated.

My eyes opened wide and I felt confused for a moment, “Three counts?” Had I killed a passerby too?

He took a deep breath, “The girl was eight months pregnant, the child is in intensive care, they don’t have much hopes.”

Back in my cell, my heart ached. The world seemed smaller than usual, a strange feeling. Behind those bars was more of a home than the outside world. I used to feel safe and comfortable behind them, I felt that I could rest. If I had a soul I would say it felt uneasy then. I didn’t understand anything of what the lawyer had explained. All I knew was that I had killed two innocent people and possibly an unborn child. I thought it wasn’t too bad if the baby had to die, it was beyond me on how people decided to bring kids into this god forsaken world. Yet, I debated within myself that it was something I had no right to decide and as much as I tried to lie I was happy that for the moment the baby was safe. I could only imagine the hardships he or she would encounter now that I had left him or her without any parents...

I stared in horror as Escobar pulled on the girl’s hair and she muffled another scream. “You see her,” he pointed the golden dagger at me, “She’s the one who killed your parents. She’s the one that left you an orphan to struggle with life on your own.”

It was all clear then. She was the baby that had survived. The one and only thing that gave me hope. The baby that was somewhat a miracle was there, beaten, strapped and about to die. The girl’s eyes were no longer pleading to me but instead they turned to anger and grief. The change was drastic. It was as if she was no longer frightened of death.

“What did you really think, Reina? That you got out of prison for your own merits?” He let go of the girl and made his way to me. I noticed his gun showing from his waist, it would be hard to grab it, I thought to myself. “We made a promise, to give this child in return for your freedom. It’s time for you to join the Coven. Then you will bear my seed.” I felt like throwing up at his last announcement. He had gone completely insane; it was as if he was another person or as if he had been possessed by a demon. The ones in red robes began to chant and his last warning was, “If you fail to do this, I will give her the right to avenge her parents and you will cease to exist.” He placed the gun on her lap.

The tortured girl’s eyes opened wide at that and I for one didn’t think it would be a bad idea at first. However, my thoughts changed in a matter of seconds, I was not about to die. What was one more life to take? I was already doomed, dead and shattered. What was one more death in my bloodied hands? Hell was already here, there was nothing more to be afraid of because death was all around me.

Escobar smiled. Once again it was like he was reading my mind. He handed me the dagger and I took it. I made my way to the girl, her anger showed but this time she was also afraid. The chants continued to get louder, Escobar also joined in, his anticipation growing every second. I lifted the dagger and aimed it for her heart, the girl looked up at me and her eyes