Butcherbird

by Cassie Hart

  ‘Get off.’ She swung back with her elbow and Cade groaned when it felt like she hit his cheek. She wriggled forward, not letting go of the pocket watch as she tried to crawl out from under him. Cade grabbed a chunk of her hair, pulling back, and she screamed in pain.

  ‘No. No, I’m not going to let you win.’ She forced the words out, remembering what Rose had told her. Always fight. Never give up.

  Cade’s weight lifted off her and he rolled her over, pinning her hands behind her head. He was wearing only a towel and a ferocious scowl. His eyes were all black as he leaned down towards her face.

  ‘You’re not going to win, either. I’m going to make you suffer.’ His fingers tightened around her wrists but she held onto the watch as hard as she could, panting breaths out between her teeth. She growled at him, lifting slightly off the floor to snap at his face. He let go of her empty hand, bringing his up to slap her.

  She gasped at the pain, crying out despite herself. No, no she wouldn’t let him win, she had to keep fighting.

  She brought her knee up as hard as she could, slamming it into his genitals. He rolled off her with an ‘oof’, and she was on her feet and dropping the watch out the window within moments.

  ‘RUN!’ she screamed at Will.

  ‘Watch out!’ he yelled back.

  But it was too late. Cade locked his arm around her throat, the pressure crushing her windpipe.

  She was going to die. It was all going to end here.

  He spun her towards him and as he raised his fist and swung, she screamed.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

  WILL

  Will couldn’t breathe. Cade was up there with Jena, and Will could hear her scream, could hear dull thuds like she was being hit, but he knew that he had to find the watch and destroy it.

  He dropped to his knees in the grass, running his hands over the ground until they met the hard metal of the casing. He grabbed the watch, stood, and turned to the barn, running as fast as he could. The sounds of Jena’s cries faded behind him, and not knowing whether it was because Cade had killed her or because Cade was coming after him made his heart pound even faster. He would never forgive himself for leaving her like that, but he’d promised.

  She’d made him.

  He reached the barn and put the watch down on the anvil. It was such a small thing to carry something so dark and twisted, something that could affect generations of a family. He reached for the sledgehammer and raised it as high as he could, bringing it down on the watch. It landed squarely, but when he lifted the hammer, he could see that he’d only managed to crack the glass. He raised and swung again, this time giving it all he had, but still the glass held.

  ‘Will!’ Cade roared at him, and Will glanced over his shoulder to see the other man charging towards him, dressed in only his boxers. And blood. Jena’s blood.

  Will wouldn’t let this all be in vain.

  He swung again, putting all his focus into the watch, and this time he heard the shatter of glass. Before he’d even had a chance to move the hammer a thick, black mist poured out from under it.

  He dropped the hammer and scrambled backwards at the same time as Cade screamed. Will spun to see the other man on his knees, the black stuff oozing through the air, slick like oil as it poured into Cade’s open mouth.

  Will froze.

  This wasn’t what they’d expected to happen. He didn’t know what to do.

  ‘Help me,’ Cade croaked, clasping his throat. Will took a tentative step forward. Cade’s eyes rolled back in his head and Will moved faster, rushing towards him, but he didn’t want to touch the black stuff, didn’t want to be infected with ….

  Will stopped, backed up a few steps. Cade’s head turned towards him; his eyes were pitch black. A grin spread across his face as he got to his feet. His steps were faltering to begin with, but then as the entity gained full control of Cade he broke into a sprint.

  ‘No,’ Will said, shaking his head. He turned away, ran as fast as he could, but Cade was on him in moments, tackling him to the ground.

  ‘You set me free. For that, I’ll let you live, but I’m not going to let you get away pain-free. And I’ve got work to do.’

  Cade’s breath was foul; Will gagged and tried to roll away but Cade punched him in the side of the head. His vision swam and he didn’t know what to do; even unpossessed Cade had enough strength to kill him. But he had to fight back, just like Jena had.

  He balled his hand into a fist and swung it at Cade, but it was like punching a sandbag. Cade didn’t budge, and pain shot through Will’s hand and down his arm.

  ‘Don’t,’ Cade said. He punched Will again, and then again, using both fists now. Will felt his rib crack and he cried out with the pain of it. Oh god, it hurt. Was this how Jena had felt?

  Was she even still alive?

  Will wanted to curl into a ball but he forced himself to open his eyes, to look at Cade and try to dodge the blows, try to hit back. The other man was unstoppable, and all he wanted was Will’s blood. Cade laughed as he punched Will in the face again, knocking him unconscious.

  ***

  When he came to, the sky had darkened and the sun was sitting low on the horizon, its orange rays tingeing the clouds. He could hear magpies screeching near the house and realised the birds had roused him. He pushed himself up from the ground, ignoring the dark patches of what must be his blood. His head spun and he leaned forward, trying not to vomit, the sting in his ribs – in every inch of his chest and head – a reminder of the beating Cade had given him.

  No, not Cade. The entity possessing him. By destroying the watch, they must have freed the spirit to fully inhabit Cade, which meant … there was only one way forward, and it meant Cade would die.

  They’d been so naïve.

  Will forced himself to stand, leaning against the barn wall until the spinning stopped. And then he hobbled towards the house. He couldn’t move quickly and he couldn’t breathe deeply, but he kept moving all the same. It seemed to take an age, his mind constantly going over what he might find when he made it to the house – was Jena dead or alive? Was Rose safe? He paused at the stairs leading to the front door, almost turned away. He didn’t want to go in, couldn’t bear seeing the damage.

  But he had to.

  The door was open and the house was dark.

  ‘Jena?’ he called up the stairs. He glanced down the hall and could see the shattered remains of Rose’s door. There was no chance she’d made it through this, not with Cade so powerful, but there was a chance Jena might have.

  He grabbed the railing and pulled himself up the stairs. He fell to his knees at the top, gasping for air, hot tears slipping down his cheeks. He’d failed. Again. Even if he’d done the task set for him, they were beaten and Cade was fully possessed, the spirit given free rein of the world. It was all worse than it had been, and he might be the only one alive in this house.

  He lay down, hopelessness settling in his broken bones.

  ‘Will?’

  He could breathe again.

  ‘Jena! You’re alive.’ He wiped the tears off his face, tried to pull himself to sitting.

  ‘I almost wish I wasn’t. Everything hurts.’ She came onto the landing, leaning against the wall to hold herself up. Her face was covered in blood, one of her eyes swollen almost shut. ‘You look like shit, but then I guess I do too.’ She laughed, though it was half sob.

  ‘Yeah, you’ve seen better days.’

  She started down the landing, letting herself slip to the ground when she reached the top of the stairs. ‘Gran? Cade? Did you smash the watch?’

  ‘Jena ….’

  ‘He took it, didn’t he? That’s why you’re all beaten up. Gran—’ The word stuck in her throat and her face crumpled.

  ‘I smashed the watch, but it let the spirit out. It went into Cade. I think … I don’t think we can save him now. I’m so sorry.’ Will eased himself down a step, turning slightly away. ‘The door to Rose’s room is smashed ….’


  Jena pushed herself upright, grabbing hold of the railing, her fingers white with the force of her grip. ‘I have to see.’

  ‘No, Jena. Just, let me go in first.’

  ‘No, she’s my grandmother. She needs me.’ Jena took the stairs two at a time, surprising Will with her speed. He winced as he started after her, but she was through the door and into the room before he made the bottom of the stairs.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

  JENA

  Jena skidded around the door and then stopped, breathing heavily from the pain. Her one good eye skimmed across the mess in the room, finally landing on Rose, who lay on the floor. She was so still.

  Jena tiptoed carefully through the wreckage. She didn’t want to reach Rose and find that she was dead. She wasn’t ready to face that. But there; a slight flutter in Rose’s chest. Jena went down on her knees, lowering her head to catch the faint rattle of breath against her cheek.

  ‘Oh, Gran. What did he do to you?’

  Rose coughed, a smattering of blood spraying across her lips. Her eyes were rolled back in her head, only the whites showing.

  ‘I’m so sorry. I thought if we destroyed the watch, we’d kill this thing. I thought … I thought I could save you.’ Tears flowed as she brushed the hair off Rose’s face. It was so fine, so silky, so matted by blood.

  ‘I’m going to call an ambulance,’ Will said from the door. Jena didn’t turn to look at him, just nodded, sobbing silently, her shoulders bunched as if they could keep the pain in.

  This was her fault. The rest might have been Rose’s, but this had been her plan, and it was her fault her grandmother was dying in front of her right now.

  ‘I’m going to get him, Gran. No matter what happens, I’m not going to stop fighting and I’m not going to let him ruin more lives. He’s not going to win. Ever. Do you hear me? Rose? Gran?’ Jena leaned down again, stroking Rose’s cheek and placing a kiss on her forehead.

  The sorrow in her chest was a heavy weight, and she realised that in the time since she’d arrived, she hadn’t done anything to prepare herself for her grandmother’s eventual death. It had been a distant thing – and far less important at the time than finally getting the truth – and now it was right here before her, playing out like a slow-motion movie. The only movement was the shallow rise and fall of Rose’s chest, the flutter of her heart like a small bird stretching its wings.

  Jena’s throat tightened and she slipped one hand into her grandmother’s, stroking her hair with the other. ‘All that time we wasted, such a pair of fools. I think it runs in the family. Stubborn women and stupid mistakes. I wish I’d done something you could be proud of, Gran, wish I’d finished high school, gone to uni, done more than waste my life.’ She swallowed hard, blinded by tears, and continued uttering small meaningless things, telling her the story of her life in a whisper until that tiny bird stopped fluttering. Rose let out a sigh and Jena held her breath, waiting, waiting for her to take another. But it didn’t come.

  Jena heard Will at the doorway, and she turned to him. ‘She’s gone.’

  ‘I’m so sorry, Jena.’ He was propped against the wall, his face distraught. He looked as badly beaten as her, if not worse.

  ‘Everything she did, it was to try and protect me. And I was angry with her, so angry. I still hadn’t forgiven her and I can’t now. I can’t do anything.’

  ‘Not sure it helps, but I don’t think she needed your forgiveness. She just wanted your safety.’

  Jena laughed, though it was more like a sob. ‘And I managed to screw that up too. Do you think he wanted to kill us?’ she asked. She closed her eyes and shook her head; maybe she didn’t want to know. Cade had still been part Cade when he’d attacked her, but the look on his face was one she would never forget.

  ‘I don’t know about you, but he wasn’t trying to kill me, just cause me pain.’ Will let out a choked laugh. ‘He actually thanked me for freeing him. I don’t think he knew …. The look on his face when he came towards me … I don’t think I’ve ever been more afraid.’ Will slid down the wall and rested his head against it, his eyes closed.

  Jena let go of Rose’s hand, placing her grandmother’s cooling fingers over her chest, and crawled across the room to sit beside him. She leaned her head on his shoulder for comfort and they sat there like that in silence for a few minutes.

  Everything was a mess. Everything. The room was a shambles, as if he’d been looking for something while he dealt to Rose. Jena’s hand went to her neck, felt the pounamu, still warm against her chest. Was that what he’d wanted? Was that what had saved her?

  ‘What are we going to tell them?’ Will asked, breaking her train of thought.

  ‘The truth, minus the bit about Cade being possessed. We can say he was using drugs, that when he went to town and stayed gone for a bit, he must have found something that messed with his head?’

  ‘Sounds fair. And the rest, we’re just honest about?’

  Jena looked up at him. ‘He beat the crap out of both of us. He killed Rose. I don’t think we’re going to need another story. This is about as bad as it gets.’ Her nose burned and she couldn’t keep the tears in any longer.

  She was still crying when the sirens came into earshot.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

  WILL

  The morning dawned clear and bright. Will knew because he’d been awake since about 5 a.m., mulling over how the hell they were going to resolve things. After the other day … their failed attempt at saving Cade, Rose’s death, their trip to the hospital and interviews and reports given to the police ….

  He ached all over, would probably ache for days. The bruises on his face had bloomed darkly, layers of them from each of his beatings, and he’d spent an hour looking at them as though they were inkblots that he could somehow interpret. There were no answers there, and none in the core of tension in his stomach, clenched so hard that nothing would fit in. But he had to make himself eat, or he was going to end up worse off. And he needed coffee.

  He dragged himself out of bed and contemplated another shower. The one yesterday, after they’d got back from the hospital, had been good, but it hadn’t made him feel clean. Maybe he was never going to feel clean again. He sighed, the weight of his new knowledge making him feel old and worn out.

  Would it have made a difference if he’d known this back when his mother had been possessed? He didn’t think so; he’d just been a kid, unable to effect much change on anything. He certainly couldn’t have killed his mother to save her; she did that herself, even if that was the entity’s whole intent. But surely there had to be a way to stop it, before it went too far. What was the point in knowing about this stuff if he couldn’t find a way to save people?

  He got dressed and headed downstairs, boiling the kettle. He made himself coffee, considered making one for Jena, but she was nowhere to be seen. This morning he added sugar, feeling like he needed the extra kick, and then he took it out onto the front steps.

  The fresh air was nice, and he watched the driveway, as if expecting Cade to come back. Because there was a chance that he would, right? Because this wouldn’t be over until Jena was dead too, and it would be better for them if they could solve the issue here on the farm with no one the wiser. Or die in the process and rot until the neighbour found them ….

  As if summoned, Mr Mertens’s battered old ute rumbled down the driveway, throwing up dust as it came. He pulled up by the house and hopped out.

  ‘Hey, Will. You’re looking worse for wear,’ Mr Mertens said, sitting down next to him on the steps. The older man appraised Will’s face but didn’t comment further on the bruising. ‘I heard the news. Old Rose has finally passed on, huh?’

  ‘Yeah, yeah she has.’ Will nodded, pressing his lips together. It wasn’t really passing on so much as being shoved into the afterlife, but he didn’t know how much the neighbour knew and wasn’t going to be the one to say it.

  ‘How’s Jena?’ Mr Mertens asked. ‘Bumped into her a couple days a
go, before … I don’t imagine she’s much up for company right now. My wife made a lasagne, though, remembered it was one of Jena’s favourites. It’s in the car along with some other bits and pieces the townsfolk threw together. Decided it was best if I came, though, rather than everyone.’

  ‘Wow. Thank you,’ Will said, his voice hoarse with emotion. Rose might have kept to herself a fair bit, but she was still part of the community, and the fact that they’d pitched in like this meant something. And it would mean neither of them needed to think about cooking for the next week.

  If they lived that long, anyway.

  He drank the last of his coffee and left the mug by the door. ‘Let me help you bring stuff in. I don’t know if Jena is up yet.’

  He followed Mr Mertens to the car and waited while the other man loaded his arms, and then Will took the lead and headed inside, wishing Jena would come down. She’d been licking her wounds, keeping to herself, but they had things to talk about.

  Mr Mertens chatted away, and Will only had to fill in the spaces with nods or murmurs of the right tone. It was like he knew Will wasn’t capable of much more right now.

  They filled the fridge, and there were still several dishes on the bench. Will was scratching his head wondering what to do with them when Jena came in.

  ‘What’s all this?’ she asked with a frown, her eyes on the bench.

  ‘That’s just some of it; we’ve put away what we could,’ Mr Mertens said. He walked over to Jena and wrapped her in his arms, dwarfing her with his size. She sank into him. ‘I know you’ve been gone a long time, but you’re still part of us, and we’re sorry about what happened to Rose.’ He pulled back, inspecting her, his concerned gaze intensifying now that he could clearly see the damage to her face. ‘I’m sorry, Jena. Wish I’d been here to punch that bastard.’ He shook his head. ‘I think you’ve got enough food to last you a good week, but if you get stuck you call us. Okay? And don’t you worry about the farm. I’ll keep leasing it from you as long as you want. Hell, I’ll even buy the land if you want to keep the house. I know it might be harder to sell now that … but I wouldn’t stiff you on what it’s worth. Okay?’