Page 70 of The House of Whispers

I rose from the floor, stepping toward the window as I raised my palm examining the brand beneath the foggy moon light, admiring my work. Her blood drenched my arm, dripping to my elbow, mimicking the rain drops that rolled down the outside of the foggy glass window.

Madame Chepi remained pinned to the floor, her organs pouring out from her body as blood slowly pooled around her. Jakkal approached me, equally drenched in her blood. He wrapped his arm around my waist, tucking me into his chest as his mask scratched against mine. “Would you like to take her last breath?” His words were hot against my skin, shooting electricity through my veins as he waited for me to respond.

My hand lowered. “No,” I grinned, “I want to watch as her life fades away, I want to see the look on her face as it happens.” I turned to face him, squeezing her brand in my palm, blood seeping out of the skin like a sponge. “Show me how you like it.”

Jakkal grinned, raising my closed fist to his lips as he kissed the top of my hand, blood staining his mouth. “As you wish.” Jakkal slid the blade from my hand to his, turning to face Madame Chepi. I shadowed his every move, standing directly in front of her body as Jakkal stepped behind her, crouching. He gripped the nape of her neck and raised her head, her eyes meeting mine. He then wrapped his arm around her neck, the blade hovering just below her ear.

“You won’t get away with this,” she rasped, feeling the blade as it softly nicked her skin.

Jakkal looked up at me, his head tilting as I spoke to her, “We already have.” I nodded, signaling for him to continue. Madame Chepi flashed a confused look, her expression changing as Jakkal dug the blade deep into her flesh, taking his time as he dragged it smoothly along her neck, reaching her other ear. Blood spewed from the gash, soaking Jakkal and myself in the essence of her life as it poured from her body, leaving nothing but an empty shell behind.

Yes. The sight of Madame Chepi’s death excited me.

Jakkal dropped her skull and it fell back onto the floor, partially separated from her torso. He threw the knife aside and rushed to me, gripping my face, bloody handprints staining my cheeks as he held me. “You are everything I have searched for in this life. And now, hearing you accept what you truly are—whatweare,” a low growl released deep from within his throat, “you are magnificent, Casper.” His mouth slammed into mine, consuming me. Blood smeared along our faces as we remained frozen in that moment, blending together as one. Jakkal had crept into my life and defeated the old me, the weak version of myself, leaving only power. He was right… I was death. And it was time I accepted that.

The doorknob to Madame Chepi’s room wiggled as someone attempted to enter the room, unable to do so as my magik had sealed the door and kept it locked tight. Jakkal pulled from me, peering over his shoulder at the door. “It seems we have one final game to play.”

Unsure as to what he meant, I remained still, watching as he slowly raised his arm and snapped his fingers. The room burned with magik as he ignited the candles around the room casting us all in an orange shadow of his power. I gasped at the realization of the amount of Madame Chepi’s blood that had been cast along the room. It looked as though someone had poured buckets of red paint all along the ceiling and floors, dousing the furniture in the dark red liquid. The floor was equally covered as the room appeared almost entirely red.

“Chepi?” My head snapped to the door as I instantly recognized the voice on the other side. Jakkal glanced in my direction, waiting to see how I would respond.

My face drained of all color as my brain burned, my head throbbing as the two sides of my soul began to feud deep within my being. A part of me began reaching out, desperate to open the door, as the other tried to drag me back into the shadows.

“Chepi?” The doorknob jiggled as Chesmu continued to try to force the door open. “Chepi, open the door. Open the door!” A loud thud followed as if he had flung himself at the door in frustration, causing me to jump.

My face turned to Jakkal, our masks staring at one another as he raised a hand, magik slowly drifting from his palm to the door, unlocking it.

No.My heart sank as the door flung open.

Chesmu’s body fell the to floor, landing on Madame Chepi’s bloodied corpse. The door slammed shut behind him, locking the three of us inside. Chesmu groaned, glancing down at his bloodied hands, examining them as he registered the mutilated shell of her body, his eyes widening with fear. He crawled to his knees, grabbing her head as he tried to wake her. “Chepi? Chepi, no.” He shook her lifeless head, tears filling his eyes. “Chepi! Chepi, wake up!” He screamed, his sorrow and pain piercing my heart as I choked back tears of my own. My stomach grew sick as I watched him cry over the only family he had left in his life—dead in his arms.

What have I done?Jakkal tilted his head at me, watching as I cried to myself.

Chesmu’s head raised in reaction to my soft sniffles, his reddened eyes staring at the sight of me in horror. “Casper?” He looked me up and down, taking in the amount of blood that had soaked into my skin. “What have you done, Casper?” His voice hardened as he gently laid Madame Chepi on the floor and stood. “What have you done?!” he yelled across the room. My body flinched in response to his anger as tears dripped down my face, streaking the drying blood that caked my burning cheeks.

“I—” I slowly stepped back, Jakkal watching as Chesmu charged me, passing Jakkal and completely ignoring his presence.

Chesmu grabbed me by the neck, lifting me from my feet, and slammed me into the cold window. He squeezed my neck fiercely as my hands grabbed his wrist while his eyes glared down at me. He struggled to remain composed, crying as he pushed me harder into the window, the glass cracking behind my head. “Why, Casper?” He pleaded, anger and sorrow churning in his eyes. “She was my family.” His arm flexed and shook as he grappled with his strength, forcing himself not to strangle my life away. “She was all I had left. Youknewthis.”

My eyes bulged beneath the fox mask as my lungs burned. I forced the words from my mouth, choking. “I–I’m s-so s-sor-ry,” was all I could manage beneath his force.

He removed the mask from my face, revealing my teary eyes. We stared at one another, the old version of myself breaking through back to the present. Chesmu’s face broke, loosening his grip, seeing the change in my face. He released me, my feet landing on the floor as I gasped, coughing as the air returned to my lungs. His hands moved, gently cupping my cheeks.

Don’t let him fool you into being weak.Jakkal had stepped to my side, watching as Chesmu touched my face.You need to finish our game.My eyes glanced from Jakkal to Chesmu, struggling to focus on one or the other as my heart tore into two.

“You once told me of the darkness you held inside,” Chesmu leaned close, his face to mine, “tell me it hasn’t fully consumed your soul.” His dark chestnut eyes silently pleaded with me as he remained close. “Please. Casper, this isn’t you.”

“Yes, it is.” Jakkal growled in response, directing my attention to him.

Chesmu noticed my irises move. His eyebrows furrowed as he moved his head in line with my gaze. “Casper,” he whispered, “look at me.” Jakkal inched closer, anger leaking from his frame. “Iknowyou. Whatever demon you are fighting, you can conquer it. You arestronger.”

“End this,” Jakkal growled, closing in on us.

My eyes strained, bouncing back and forth from Jakkal to Chesmu as my mind began to fray, the two sides of myself splitting me apart. I wanted to scream, releasing the excruciating pain I felt as the two halves of myself pulled in opposite directions shredding my soul.

Jakkal raised his arm, the blood-soaked blade firmly in hand as he stood directly behind Chesmu, preparing to strike. My eyes widened with fear as they glowed, my magik pushing Chesmu back. He fell to the floor, groaning as Jakkal instantly disappeared. Chesmu’s face panicked as he clutched his chest, his last remaining beaded necklace missing.

“What did you do?” His face turned to me.

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