Page 62 of Sinister Hearts
Right.
Ryker came forward, breaking our silence “You’re going to want to see this.”
Rocky and I eyed each other suspiciously as we followed him into his tech security room, both of us were baffled by his sophisticated set up. There were computers and TV screens everywhere.
“I found this footage on one of your neighbors' security cameras.” He zoomed in as I watched Birdie make her way to the gate, right where the protective bind ends.
This person, this thing, knew to lead her out past the boundary. I watched, as my heart pounded in my ears and chest. Rocky grabbed my hand and applied pressure, like we always did when one of us was in distress. We weren’t huggers, but this had been our love language ever since we were little ghouls.
We watched in silence as Birdie dropped her garden bucket and began following a mysterious voice. But not just any voice, an exact mimic of my own.
“Biiiiirdiiiieeeee,” the voice kept calling out in a loud, melodic whisper.
“Mama?” Birdie replied to the insidious voice, as she began following it outside the property.
Then it appeared. A replica of me. There were some differences, like I wasn’t wearing my necklace, and my hair was shorter, like it was months ago. Simple things that a five year old child would miss and never notice. I covered my mouth in disbelief, feeling my skin go raw and clammy.
“What the fuck is that?” I whispered in shock, not being able to remove my eyes from the screen.
A sudden blast sent the mysterious being back as it ran and morphed into a terrifying white, lengthy, creature. Its arms and legs were an unusual length, taking up most of its body. The creature ran towards my mother on all fours as it screeched in fury, its long slithery black tongue dripping saliva, its teeth rotten and sharp. Those eyes… I’ve seen them before. That night in the horse stall, they glowed the same murky yellow hue. This creature had been stalking me for months and I didn’t even realize. Preying on us, learning our routine, our habits, my life! I gasped, terrified at this realization.
Jax came in from the stalls and held me, almost like he could sense my pain and discomfort. I continued to watch the wide screens in shock, as my face streamed with warm tears. I watched my mother battle off with this monster, alone, yet so fierce. A sense of pride had overcome me. She fought till death to save Birdie, to saveme. The monster then struck her, gashing her in the stomach with its long filthy claws. She screamed and then chanted something in Latin, blasting the creature forward yet again with the strength she had left. This time the blow wounded the creature. It screeched in agony, landing on a bush of cacti, then sprinted away, howling on all fours into the dark desert abyss. Its human form began to ascend from its monstrous gooey skin like a second layer.
“This. This thing is what killed her,” I said, observing Ma grab Birdie as she bled on her nightgown. I watched as she wrapped her stomach with her apron and ran into the house where they must have entered the catacombs to hide. Where she bled out, protecting Birdie from this monster.
“Wait! Pause it… there!” I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.
We all gasped in disbelief. Ryker paused the screen and zoomed in. A brunette with beady brown eyes.Avianna. It couldn’t be.
“Avi did always seem quiet and distant with the family. Creed was always excusing her for her shyness, but something always rubbed me the wrong way about her. She was nice, but it always seemed so fictitious. As if she was constantly trying to cover something up and always using the excuse that she was busy taking care of her sickly mother,” Jax said, twirling his iced amber whiskey, seemingly unphased by the revelation.
“That fucking rotten bitch!” Rocky’s eyes were as black as onyx. “I never liked that girl. I should have followed my damn gut!” she spat in putrid disdain.
The air thickened around me. “I’ve known Avi for a long time. Yeah, she’s always been odd, but that’s why I took to her. She was always kind to me. There’s no way she would do this,” I said, refusing to believe my friend would do this to me, to Birdie and Ma. “I’ve had enough pain for today, I can’t take this anymore.”
Jax helped me sit down. “Just breathe, baby. She’s safe. We know who it is now.” He handed me water. “I know we can’t bring back Stefani, but we will make her fucking pay.”
“It’s who it is that is breaking my heart, Jax. Avi is my friend. A good friend. Why would she put them in danger?”
Suddenly, a plate of cookies fell crashing to the wood floor before us. Creed’s face was fierce with anger, and there was sadness in his eyes. “What did you just say?” he shook with adrenaline, gazing at the paused screens.
“Brother, calm down.” Jaxon was trying not to detonate Creed any further.
“What the fuck did you just accuse my fiancée of?” he shouted, pounding his large fists on the table while his monstrous dark shadows made their appearance from the depths of hell. “I demand answers,now!” His Reaper face appeared in the shadows.
“Bjorn, can you please take Birdie to make another batch of cookies?” I begged him, not knowing what would happen next.
“Tio Creed!” Birdie cried out for him.
“It’s okay, he will be back, little one, he just needs to cool off.” Rocky reassured Birdie, attempting to nurture her in the best way she knew how. She was always out of touch with her empathetic instincts, given her mother was absent all her life, but I admired that she tried for Birdie. I’d like to think she learned from Ma.
“Someone better tell me what the fuck is going on, andright now,” Creed shouted, irate, his shadows slithering like rampaged snakes.
“Better yet, brother, why don’t we show you,” Ryker replied, giving Creed his laptop.
Creed watched in disbelief as his shadows pulsed in fury, looking like onyx flames. His face went gloomy and pale. “No, she wouldn’t do this, not to Birdie or Ma, not to Faye!” Creed cried out in denial.
“Well she did! Your skinwalker fiancée nearly kidnapped my niece and murdered my tia, and she will fucking pay for what she’s done!”
