by M. K. ROZE
are real, and they’re not human.”
Liam walked over to the window. “Mr. Vandell, Viata’s
not lying. There are people after us. I saw them with my own
eyes.”
“Who are they?” Mom asked Liam.
Liam shrugged.
I stomped my foot down. “Dammit! I told you. They
are the people from my dreams. Why won’t you freaking
believe me?”
Mom looked at me like she didn’t know me and quickly
turned away from my glare.
Dad pointed at me. “That’s it. I’ve heard enough. You
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stop this psychotic behavior right now! And watch your
mouth! We didn’t raise you like this!” He turned to Liam.
“And you! What are you doing making my daughter believe
this shit?”
Liam backed up against the wall. “I know it sounds far-
fetched, but this woman who attacked us wasn’t normal. Her
face changed from one girl to another right in front of us.”
Dad punched his fist through the wall. “You’re both
crazy. I’m calling the cops.” He took his cell phone out of
his back pocket.
Mom stumbled backward in shock.
Liam and I stared at one another, not sure what to do.
“My daughter and her friend think that there are people
after them, trying to kill them. Can you have the cops come
here and make sure everything is okay?” Dad paused for a
few seconds. “I don’t know. Just do your damn job and send
the cops out here, right now!” He lowered his phone. “Viata,
sit down.” He pointed at Liam. “You, son, can stand right
here and wait for the cops to come.”
“Bret, stop it,” Mom scolded. “Maybe they’re telling us
the truth.”
Dad turned to Mom. “Julia, are you listening to yourself?
Our daughter thinks that people from her dreams are here
chasing her just like she said before.” He pointed at Liam.
“And that idiot is making her believe this crap.”
“It’s the truth,” Liam mumbled.
Mom sighed. “What do you want me to do, huh? Our
daughter needs us right now.”
I heard sirens, and Dad rushed outside. I grabbed my
phone off the couch next to me and called Constin again.
When he didn’t answer, I left a message.
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“Constin, someone is after me. Please come to 1876
Victorian Lane. Hurry!”
“Viata, who did you give our address to?” Mom asked.
“Don’t worry about it.” I rushed up and walked up to
Liam. “Should we run? I don’t want them taking us away.”
He backed away and stared blankly at me.
“Come on. Let’s go out the back door.”
He shook his head. “We’re safer here.”
Mom came up to me. “Honey, please sit back down and
breathe. The cops are here now. You will be safe.”
I laughed. “They can’t help us.”
Detective Maverick stepped in with a few cops
following him. “What’s going on?”
“Why do you care? No one got killed, so why are you
here?”
“Viata, the man who killed Dr. Wells is still on the loose.
We want to make sure that it’s not him who’s after you.”
I laughed. “Don’t you get it? It’s people from my dreams
that did it. And that male nurse who killed Dr. Wells was one
of them. They’re not human.”
His eyebrows came together. “Come again?”
My mouth ran a mile a minute, telling Detective
Maverick the truth. Three officers walked up to me with
caution. Detective Maverick looked at Liam to corroborate
my story.
Liam lowered his head. “I’m sorry, Viata. Maybe Maria
and your boyfriend drugged us or something. I do feel kind
of dizzy.”
“Liam!” I scowled at him as I lunged toward him.
Liam jumped back, hitting the coat rack. Mom, with the
three officers, grabbed me and held me back from getting to
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Liam.
“Damn, she’s strong,” one of the officers said.
Detective Maverick raced over and helped them hold
me in place. “I need restraints in here. Now,” Detective
Maverick ordered.
I kicked and screamed, trying to get away. “Let me go!”
“Calm down, Viata, we’re going to get you some help.”
“Please, let her go,” Mom pleaded with Detective
Maverick and the other cops.
They ignored her and held me in place. More cops
flooded the living room, and a couple of male EMTs came
in and took over.
“Please, let me go. Mom, help me.”
Dad came rushing in.
“Dad, please. I’m telling you the truth.”
He turned away. “I’m sorry, Viata, but you’re sick and
need help.” He pointed at Liam. “And you. Get the hell out
of here, now,” he ordered.
Liam turned to me. “I’m sorry.” He held his neck and
staggered out the door.
“Liam, please!” I turned to Dad. “Don’t let them take
me away.”
Mom came up to me as they lay me on a gurney and
strapped me down. “This is for the best. Please calm down,
honey.”
I closed my eyes, hoping it was a bad dream, and kept
them shut until they were about to place me in the
ambulance. When I opened them, I looked around and saw
all the neighbors outside and cops everywhere. It looked like
a murder scene.
“Can I ride with my daughter?” Mom asked the male
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EMT.
“That’s fine. Just have your husband follow us.”
“Viata, I’ll be right back,” Mom said in a shaky voice.
As they backed me up in the gurney, I saw Constin
walking toward me, breathing heavily.
Mom returned. “Okay, Dad’s going to follow us.”
“Move out of the way!”
Mom stepped up into the ambulance and sat to my left.
“Why?”
“Constin! Constin! Help me!”
Dad came up, blocking my view. “Who are you talking
to?”
I ignored him, trying to look past him for Constin.
“Julia, I’ll meet you at the hospital.”
“Dad, why are you doing this to me?”
He lowered his head. “It’s for your own good.”
“I’m not crazy!” I yanked on the restraints, trying to
release myself.
“Ms. Vandell, please relax,” the young male EMT said,
“or I will have to sedate you.”
Mom rubbed my arm. “Calm down, honey. They’ll take
the straps off you at the hospital.”
I turned to her and squeezed my fist. “I hate you for not
believing me.”
She gasped and covered her face, crying hysterically.
“Constin, please help me! They’re going to take me
away!”
Detective Maverick approached Constin.
A woman with her head down came from around the
corner. “Ms. Vandell, you’re in perfect care.” Savina, dressed
as an EMT, looked up at me with a smirk, but her accent was
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American.
I gasped. “Constin, help me!”
“Viata, who are you talking to?” Mom asked.
I screamed again, still trying to free myself.
The male EMT tightened my straps and looked at Mom.
“Ma’am, maybe it would be better if you follow us to the
hospital.”
I shook my head. “It’s the lady from my dream!”
Mom touched my face. “Viata, she’s here to help you.
Please calm down, honey.”
Savina looked at Constin, and in a blink of an eye, she
disappeared from my sight. Constin pushed Detective
Maverick out of his way and kept walking toward me. I didn’t
know what to think, but I did know for a fact that Constin
wasn’t acting normal. The EMT shouted for a colleague.
When no one came, he jumped down from the ambulance.
“What’s going on out there?” Mom shouted.
Dad pulled up behind the ambulance and jumped out of
his truck. “Viata, who is that?”
“He’s my boyfriend.”
“What? He just tossed a damn cop into the yard.”
When Dad moved out of the way, cops surrounded
Constin. “Get on the ground, now!” a male cop shouted.
Constin chuckled and continued toward me. The
officers tackled him. Constin threw each one onto the grass
like they were weightless.
Dad jumped up and sat next to Mom. “What is he on?”
I ignored him, trying to hold my head up and watch
Constin as he came closer.
“Stop, or I’ll have no choice but to tase you,” a police
officer shouted.
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Constin ignored the cop and kept his eyes on mine as
he walked.
“Taser, taser, taser,” a cop shouted.
Constin didn’t listen and kept on walking. The cops
took turns tasering Constin, and he turned to the officers.
“Don’t waste your time,” Constin said in a Romanian
accent as he ripped the prongs out one by one.
“What the hell are you on?” a cop shouted.
“Stop, or I will shoot. I mean it, man. Stop!” another
cop yelled in a shaky tone.
“Bain?” I said, confused. I didn’t understand why
Constin was speaking with Bain’s voice.
“Don’t worry, love,” Bain said, looking at me like
nothing was going on.
I gasped. Is that really you?
Six officers charged Constin and tried to restrain him,
but he threw some of them onto the grass and one onto the
hood of a police car. The officers got up and scattered all
around him. Constin ripped the door off a police car like it
was paper. All the cops took out their guns and pointed them
at him.
“Put it down now, or we will shoot,” a cop ordered.
“Go ahead.” Constin threw the door at the cops,
knocking one out.
Seconds later, gunshots went off.
“No!” I cried as I pulled on the restraints, trying to free
myself.
Mom hid behind Dad, screaming.
Dad looked shocked.
“This guy isn’t human,” a cop shouted to his partner.
A loud growl that sounded like a leopard shattered the
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glass door of the ambulance. Mom jumped up, shook the
glass off her shirt, and grabbed Dad’s arm.
“What is he?” Mom wailed.
I raised my head enough to watch Constin lift his shirt
and pull the bullets out of his chest one by one.
“This can’t be real.” I looked at Dad. “Undo my straps,
please, please undo them now.”
Dad shook his head.
My face became hot, and a light from my eyes directed
on the straps, burning them off. I screamed from the
scorching pain.
Dad looked at me in disbelief. “How the hell did you
just do that?”
Mom hid behind Dad like she was afraid of me.
I jumped down out of the ambulance. “Constin, are you
okay?”
“Come back here, Viata,” Mom cried out.
“Stay back,” a cop warned.
I ignored him and kept walking slowly toward Constin.
“Move back, ma’am, please stay back,” an officer
shouted.
I stopped and looked at Constin in a daze. My mind
couldn’t register what I had just witnessed. Our eyes met,
and he held out his hand. I ran toward him, but something
grabbed me by the back of my neck, lifting me in the air.
Constin looked up into the black sky and roared like a
leopard, ready to kill.
“Let me go!” I turned to see it was Latore. My neck felt
like it was about to rip off from my body, so I grabbed his
arm and pulled myself up.
“Let our daughter down!” Mom and Dad took turns
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shouting.
I glared at my parents. “Now, do you believe me?”
They said nothing and stood there in disbelief.
Constin’s breathing turned rapid. His eyes turned black,
and he started to walk toward us cautiously. “Set her down
unless you want to die today,” he commanded in Bain’s
voice.
“How did you manage to hide your identity from us?”
Latore asked.
“Take a wild guess,” Bain replied in a harsh tone.
Latore stepped forward. “Do you honestly think that
you can subdue me?”
The officers circled us, and more showed up to join
them.
“Let me go!”
Liam came out of his house with sweat pouring down
his face. “Put her down.” His voice was weak.
Latore jerked his head Liam’s way. “You might feel that
way now, but in a few more hours, you will despise her as
much as we do.”
Liam had a confused look.
“What are you talking about?” I shouted.
“I’m sure you already know who we are.” Latore
squeezed my neck, cutting off my circulation. Everything
turned blurry for a few seconds. All I could hear were the
sounds of the guns being cocked, loud breathing, and the
chatter of police radios. My vision slowly returned.
Savina walked out from behind a car and stood at
Latore’s side. “She doesn’t belong here,” she announced to
one and all.
Constin’s face turned ashen, and his eyes glowed red.
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He looked up into the sky. “Enough,” he bellowed.
When Latore loosened his grip on my neck, I gasped for
air. Constin stepped closer, and half of his face started to
morph into Bain.
“Impossible,” Latore shouted.
I blinked in disbelief and looked again. I saw it was still
Bain, then Constin’s face, then back to Bain.
An officer stared in horror as he pointed his gun at Bain.
“Put your hands up where I can see them,” he shouted.
“What the hell are you?” another officer yelled and took
cover behind a patrol car.
When Bain stepped out of Constin’s body like an
apparition, Constin dropped to the ground and looked
around.
“Where am I?�
�� Constin looked all around him. He tried
to get back up, but he fell back down.
The other officers pointed their guns at Bain.
I gasped. “Bain,” I mumbled, confused. My eyes
narrowed on Constin lying there, wondering if I was drugged
like Liam said.
“Don’t you dare hurt her.” Latore set me down and
shoved me toward Savina.
“Anything for you, love.” Savina balled her fist and
glared at me.
My eyes moved to Bain, unable to speak.
“Please let our daughter go and take me,” Mom pleaded.
“She was never your daughter,” Savina said. “Now, shut
your mouth before I feed on you and tear your vocal cords
out.”
Dad charged toward Savina. “Who the hell do you think
you’re talking to?”
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Savina released me, grabbed Dad, and tossed him over
Mom’s head into the ambulance, knocking him out cold.
“Dad!” I screamed and ran toward him.
Savina yanked me back. “You’re not going anywhere.”
I spit in her face. “Why are you doing this to me?”
Her eyes turned red, and she pulled me close to her face.
“Because you’re a threat to our kind.”
I turned away and gagged from her foul breath. The
cops circled us with their guns drawn.
“Let the girl go now,” Detective Maverick ordered.
Latore smirked.
“This is your last chance,” Bain said, ten feet away from
Latore.
“Are you certain you want to do this right here, right
now, in front of all these sweet and tasty people?” Latore
asked.
Bain stepped forward. “I will do whatever it takes to
protect Viata.”
Latore looked at Savina.
Savina nodded and grabbed my hair. “With pleasure.”
She blew the black dust in my face again. Her wings
expanded, and she flew me up above the houses. “Watch
this.” She hissed like a cat.
I grabbed her arms and screamed as I tried to pull myself
up to ease the agony on my scalp.
“Look, Viata, your true love is about to die.”
I shut my eyes. “I’m not watching … you evil bitch!”
Savina pried my eyes open and held my face still, leaving
me no choice but to watch. Cops were running and hiding
behind their vehicles, while other cops were shooting at Bain