"... Are you fucking serious?"

The succcubus shook her head. "I'm dead serious."

I took a pause ans sat on the bed. "It's been 34 years" I replied after a long pause.

"Doesn't really matter anymore I'm afraid. At this point everyone wants you because everyone wants you, the original reason is... Pretty much irrelevant. I'm fairly sure half of them don't even know it"

"And that's the reason you approached me?"

She scoffed. "Why else? Just hanging around with you is enough to raise my status"

I sighed "And what's in for me?"

"You'll be considered off limits. It will discourage most of them from even approaching and those who do will have to be more discreeti. You'll have your precious break and i'll be able to gloat my accomplishment at every fae gathering for the next decade or so."

I considered the option. I wasn't exactly thrilled to marry a succubus, even if it was a sham marriage. Making deals with devils isn't a smart idea, but worst comes to shove, i'll only have to deal with ONE supernatural. Not much to lose at this point. "I'll be the one to draft the contract."

She waved her hand "As you wish, darling"

I picked up a sheet of paper and scribbled a first draft.

I still had a hard time believing everything started because the fairy queen said "this is the cutest baby i've ever seen". Fucking fae

i honestly tough it was obvious. not much else that can get that amount of people killed that fast coming from a 5y old (unless i were to supernatural but didn't feel like doing it)

If i was the patient 0 i'll feel a little bit guilty, ngl

It wasn't real. I refused to believe that. No 5 year old should have blood on their fingers, and i refused to believe my daughter could have killed anyone. And yet, no matter how much i didn't want ut, the number was still there, floating above her forehead as if it was mocking me, daring me to do something about it.

17

I was devastated. I had left for just 3 days and THIS is what i found? What could have possibly?

"James!"

My wife's voice shook me back to reality.

"Are you ok?"

I nodded. "Yeah, it's just... She looked different somehow. Can't quite understand... Did you cut her hair?" I looked at Sarah, my sister-in-law, who took care of my daughter for the past few days.

"Absolutely not. How could i ruin those lovely curls?"

I looked at my daughter again, hoping the number would have returned to zero. To my dismay, it was now an 18. I could feel shivers down my spine. Was i stating at a serial killer? How? "A light sunburn maybe? What did you during the weekend?"

"Well, friday we stayed in house and watched cartoons, yesterday we went to visit grandma and played at the park, and today rained so we stayed inside, played with dolls and made some homemade pasta for dinner."

"I see." Nothing weird, maybe she did something at the park? No, Sarah would have noticed.

"James, you're worrying over nothing. She looks perfectly fine to me."

I had to concede. Insisting more than that would only make me look like a madman. I thanked Sarah for her help and unpacked the bag before getting to bed. It took me forever to fall asleep, the image of my precious daughter smiling atop a mountain of corpses haunted me every tine i closed my eyes.

The following morning i looked like a zombie. I stumbled in the kitchen and made myself a coffee. Then another one. Then a third.

"Don't you think that's enough?" My wife kissed me on the cheek. "Bad dream?"

I chuckled. "You can say that."

She sighed and handed me the newspaper. "Take a day off. I'll call Bob and tell him you're sick."

"Thanks honey." I sat down and grabbed the news.

"You were right yesterday." I looked at her quizically. "Dana caught the flu. She's in bed with a fever."

I nodded. It wasn't exactly what i was referring to, bit at the very least i didn't look like a paranoid father in front of my sister-in-law. I opened up the newspaper and almost choked on the coffee.

Pneumonia outbreak at St. Jonathan's retirement home. 18 dead over the weekend