Page 48 of Unholy

Bending down, I place two fingers on his neck in an effort to locate his pulse.

Nothing.

Not good.

I try his wrist instead, feeling around. I press as hard as I can until I find one. It’s faint, but he is alive. Which is a relief. I would hate for him to miss his own death. I definitely need him awake for what I have planned.

Looking around the room once more, I walk to one of the manyKING’swritten in blood and touch it.

Still wet.

These were done today and recently. I spot a couple holes in the wall and figure he must have been losing it. Obsessed with the idea of something he could never obtain. Obsessed with anyone who wasn’t an ally or who he was promised. He was hoping we would find these and know what he had planned for us, one by one.

There is one more female. Long black hair hanging down, nipple covers, and a set of metal handcuffs hanging from her wrists. This has to be Rylee. He fucking knew who she was to him; why else would her lookalike be up here?

Calling my dad, he answers on the first ring. “We got him. But you need to see this, Dad. Innocents, blood… it’s everywhere. Like he knew this would be his last chance or wanted to show us what to expect. Dad, that old lady from the bakery, who looks like Greta but less old…” I am not one to be shocked by anything gruesome and gory, but I wasn’t expecting this when we entered his home. I wasn’t expecting to see someone who resembled my little bat and our unborn child dead on his wall. He knew I was coming and that this would set me off. So, call how I feel disbelief from this idiot actually pulling off a mass slaughter.

One thing he didn't plan for was his own team turning against him.

I can hear my dad slam his hand down against his desk. “Dammit. Send pictures. I’ll get Greta’s team to start identifying and contacting families. We will pay for the funerals. And anything else they want. Get the cleanup crew over there ASAP. Contact the morgue, let them know we have bodies coming in. This shit ends today, Elijah.” My dad has always had the empathy I lacked.

“Understood.”

“You know what to do next, son. We will meet you there.”

Hanging up, I take the photos and send the messages. I also advise the cleaning crew that the three not on the wall go to my house for my pigs.

Taking one more picture, I quickly send it to Dad, showing him how similar this is to the other two venues. Dalton used the blood as paint, KING dripping along the walls of his home and the upside-down human crucifix.

“Anyone who needs to remind people of their status this often doesn’t really have a status at all,” I tell Thomas, who is now looking green in the face.

“It was your first kill. It will sit with you for a day or two, then you will get over it. And if you can’t get over it, pretend like you have, because I couldn’t give a fuck,” I advise casually, while walking back to the front door. I don’t hear footsteps behind me, again. Loyal fucking servant, my ass. And if he's waiting for coddling, those dead bodies nailed to the wall are the closest he’ll get to that.

Annoyed, I shout, “Let’s go!” over my shoulder while looking down at Dalton. I’ve decided that I’ll have to carve a reminder into his forehead just before he dies, so he never forgets what he is. The King of Failure.

20

NATHANIEL

Mortified and disgusted.

Those are the only two emotions or thoughts I can register at this moment while taking in the photos Elijah has sent through. He even sounded speechless on the phone, which is unusual for my son, because things don’t affect him. But something in that room did, which is concerning.

I continue scrolling, and that's when I see it—the pregnant girl with dark hair. Fuck me. And next to her, another girl with black nipple covers and cuffs, suspecting that was his way of representing Rylee. The only body not completely exposed is the older lady; she is facing the wall but still upside down with nails embedded into her hands and feet. The bastard left the old lady with some dignity before watching her die slowly.

Once reviewed, I forward the photographs off to D, who is still at the hospital with Cecilia. They hope to release her in the coming days; she’s been awake more and eating. His reply is quick to come in.

D

Today.

Me

I senda thumbs-up back to him, purely for my own enjoyment. It gives me some light on this dark day.

Sitting behind my desk in only my sweats, I lean back in my leather chair and finish my whiskey in a single shot. The sun is peeking over the mountaintops, trying to rise, and I already cannot wait for this day to be over. My office door opens. I don’t even look up, thinking it’s Rogers, but to my surprise, a cute meow catches my attention. I want to smile at her, but I can’t bring myself to do it. Peering up, I find a beautiful raven-haired goddess staring back at me with sleepy eyes while cuddling her kitten.

“I heard something slam, bad news?” Rylee's voice is raspy and really fucking sexy first thing in the morning.

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