Short Story - A penny

Fair warning: The following story contains - but doesn't describe in detail - a sexual act. It may be deemed as NSFW by some. It is also a tad brutal. Read at your own discretion.

“No, no, not this.” Mark held Susanne by her hands and directed them back onto the backside of his head and continued kissing her.

“Really? This again?” She got mad all of a sudden, drew her hands to herself, and completely ruined the mood. “What is it with you and this stupid penny?” She pointed at the old penny, covered in all colors of patina, hanging around Mark’s neck on a thin golden chain. “You promised to tell me someday, you know.”

Mark moved himself away from her, sat at the edge of the bed and began dressing himself back up. “I did, and I will. Just not today. Maybe not even any time soon.” He pulled on his pants. “Someday.”

“Oh come on, Mark! Tell me! We’ve been together for a year now. We shouldn’t be keeping secrets from each other, you know that, right?”

“Can you not? I said I’ll tell you someday,” halfway to the bathroom.

“And when is this someday, Mark?” She yelled behind him.

“When I’m ready, Susanne, okay? Now give me a break, will you?”

It wasn’t five seconds later that she heard the water splashing in the toilet. Her mind was racing with possibilities about what to do. Should she ignore him until he tells her? Should she play nice all day and bring it up again in the evening? Give him an ultimatum that he either tells her or she leaves him? The possibilities were endless.

The water splashing stopped and then began again – Mark was now washing his hands.

“Babe,” She began when Mark came out the bathroom – she chose the being nice approach, “you were right, I shouldn’t push you. I’m sorry I exploded like that before, I should’ve known better. I’m ready when you are,” to which Mark nodded, satisfied with what he heard. “Now come here, you, we were in the middle of something.” Still naked, Susanne grabbed him by the hands and dragged him onto the bed and started kissing him.

Mark didn’t cooperate at first, but the warmth of her body pressing against him and the softness of her lips changed his mind, and in a matter of seconds the act was back at full speedy, with Susanne hastily undressing him.

Amidst kissing, with her hands around his neck, she tried to undo his necklace with her thumb and middle finger without him noticing. She made extra sure to keep him busy with her body, which allowed her enough time to snap the clasp open, forcing the penny to slide down his chest.

He backed off from her and looked at the necklace, now lying on the bed. His eyes were filled with surprise more so than anger. “What did you do? No, no. You shouldn’t have done that. No.” He kept babbling to himself.

His muscles flexed all at once, forcing his veins to pop out and his eyes to turn always redder. Susanne froze in place and her jaw dropped with terror as she witnessed her boyfriend in agony.

“Mark, are you okay?” She managed to say at last, fear in her eyes, but he didn’t answer, he just kept on flexing.

His skin began turning darker, as if being bruised, and his muscles started to grow disproportionally – his shoulders gaining in size most. “You should not have done that.” His voice shifted to a much lower tone at the end of the sentence. His eyes now began to glow a bright red, his face changed to one resembling a demon. Now twice the size of a human, his shoulders sprouted a ten inch spike each, his transformation was complete.

Susanne screamed at the top of her lungs and tried to run toward the front door, but the demon had anticipated that move and grabbed her by the hand just in time – its claws piercing her soft skin.

“Yes, we were in the middle of something.” The demon grinned and threw her back on the bed. “But first, a thank you,” it forced itself on top of her and pinned her down, “This human vessel had me locked up for ages and almost had me banished! But with your help,” it caressed her cheek with its sharp claws, “sugar, I am now free! As a sign of gratitude, I choose you to carry my child.” The demon spread Susanne’s legs and forced itself into her, covering her mouth so she wouldn’t be heard screaming. It had taken long 10 minutes of the demon hurting her before it finally finished. “Take good care of it, and we will take good care of you.” The demon said exhausted and covered in sweat. It then walked in the middle of the room and began to perform a strange ritual, muttering words in a strange language and flaunting its hands through the air, at last opening a purple portal into another dimension. “My people need me.” It made a step closer to the portal, then locked eyes first with Susanne, and then her stomach. “My people need you.” With another step, the demon was sucked into the vortex and the portal disappeared.

Susanne, with tears still rolling down her cheeks and her hands and privates all covered in blood, remained frozen in bed in absolute shock. She couldn’t fathom what had just happened and so just laid in bed for a couple minutes. Things slowly started to come together like the pieces of a puzzle, and then she found herself facing a great decision.

”Do I keep the baby or not? But if I don’t it’ll surely come back for me and do it again. Or worse, torture me. No. I must keep it. Unless, …” Her eyes shone with the light of hope, yet the very next second she shuddered with horror. ”Unless I end it myself,” she finished her thought.

With the thought stuck in her mind she made her way to the bathroom, opened up the overhead cabinet, took out the pack of razors and just stared at them for about a minute, contemplating her choices. At last, she opened the box and pulled one out, feeling the cold of steel on her fingers. She then stepped in the shower, and opened the water in an attempt to override her thoughts.

Then, with one swift stroke, she slit her throat, and collapsed on the shower floor, her blood squirting over the entire curtain and tub, but eventually being washed down the drain.