Terrifying Love: A Halloween Anthology

by Serena Nova

  I shrugged. “You said they used to be your family. The minute you agreed to accept their help, I got scared.”

  Kayla flipped over my egg, knowing I liked it sunny side down. “I wanted to join them again ever since I turned. I thought it was what I was supposed to do. My purpose.” She smiled mirthlessly. “And you were right. Again. They hunt us. And not all of us deserve to be hunted, not all myres are monsters.” She shut off the heat and inched closer. “Besides, I think I found what I have been looking for since that night. My purpose. My reason to live.”

  I blushed under her silver focus. “Have you?”

  “Yes.” Kayla kissed me. Languid. Soft. So unbearably tender that I felt tears burn behind my lids. “I love you, my witch,” she whispered, and nicked my lower lip with a fang, then sucked my lip into her mouth.

  A tear snaked down my cheek and I palmed her face with both hands, pulling back a little. “I love you too, my Huntress.”

  About Victoria Larque

  Victoria Larque writes Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy. Her love for the genre is rooted in the fact that she has rules to go by, but they can be bent and even broken if need be. She was born and raised in the wonderful country of Namibia and is now residing and working in Germany where she lives in the woods with her adorable, grumpy husband. She has learned the amazing craft of being a car-mechanic, but her passion is writing, telling stories and dreaming up impossibilities. When she gets home from work she writes. On the weekends she writes. Her goal is to, one day, be able to do nothing but indulge in her passion.

  BLOODY MONEY

  By Annelie Janssen

  You are my beautiful quantum singularity

  A shooting star worth a thousand wishes

  Whispers of your flawless spirit

  Flows like a tsunami below the surface

  In between interstellar constellations

  Of a beauty that can make you weep

  Salty tears of joy and gratitude

  That you chose to grace me

  With your love and happiness

  Will forever be imprinted on my soul

  Following me until the end of time

  By Helle Gade

  Prologue

  “Air, I need air!” was the only thing going through Anna’s head. She felt like she was restrained and suffocating, with no way to break free and get a gulp of air to save her life. She was convinced she was dying.

  Anna tried to wake up, certain if she could get out of her nightmare, she could take that breath of air her body needed so desperately. Her lungs were burning and the weight restraining her was becoming heavier and more real. She had no idea how to wake up, only that she was kicking, trying to break free as she fought her panic. When the weight stayed on her, pressing her further into the mattress, she realised this was no dream, she was awake, and this was really happening. Someone was sitting on top of her and suffocating her with the pillow and she was no match for them, not strong enough to fight them off.

  Anna was running out of air and her strength was diminishing. All kinds of thoughts were going through her head. She thought about her unfulfilled dreams, her unobtainable future, the love she was leaving behind… All of it, the good and the bad. And as her consciousness was leaving her slowly, she could feel the tears gathering in her eyes and wetting the pillow that was to be her demise.

  Chapter One

  “Damn that bus ticket! Always hiding when it’s time to get on the bus,” Anna thought to herself, as she kept on digging through her oversized handbag in search of the prepaid monthly ticket. She knew her bag was overstuffed, not that she would ever admit this out loud. Her colleagues would often make fun of her bag anyway, but there were so many useful things in there, umbrella, sunglasses, make-up, a book – you never knew whether it was going to rain or shine, and the bus ride was long. Anna liked to be prepared for any eventuality, even if that meant putting on make-up on the bus, in case she woke up late and didn’t have time to do it at home.

  Finally, she found it and entered the bus, to the great disapproval of the bus driver who waited for her, yet again. She might have been upset or cared, had the current situation in her life been different. Instead, Anna just proceeded to find a place to sit and stare through the window as the beautiful buildings from the turn of the previous century passed by. As the bus jostled forward, she watched the streets and realised her stop was approaching. Anna was not looking forward to her work. Not today, not after everything that happened.

  Everything was fine until two days ago. Even great. Things were going her way in every possible aspect. She was about to get the promotion she had worked so hard for, and the bank approved an employee mortgage so she could finally buy that cute little place she was looking for and had finally found. But no, fate had other plans, and they apparently included screwing Anna over big time.

  She had worked in that bank for years and finally, last week, she was put forward for promotion. It was one of the best days of her life. As the last few bus stops passed, Anna recalled how she went straight home and celebrated. And then everything went to hell and her life changed for the worse, just like that. Her colleague, Rudi, died. Yesterday. No one knows how, or what happened. He went on vacation and just died. Or at least that was the official notice everyone got.

  Anna liked him a lot, they were good colleagues, and perhaps even friends. They talked and sometimes confided in each other. He was a wonderful person, and Anna had no idea how to deal with this loss. She was certainly not allowed to take any time off, not when she was now needed so badly to fill in for him, as the only other employee left in the building who knew how to do his job.

  All of his work was now hers to finalise and organise, at least until they hired a new person. This also meant her promotion would probably be put on hold, and her mortgage frozen, as it was approved for the new higher salary she was supposed to get. Anna was sad and pissed off at the same time, but she had no choice in the matter, no one could bring Rudi back. She just had to weather it and hope for the best.

  The screech of the brakes pulled her from her thoughts as her stop finally came and she got off the bus and continued to the bank. At least it was convenient, as the bank was literally at the bus stop. Well, the bus stop was in front of the bank and Anna could not be more grateful for that. Especially this morning. It started raining again and she could not be bothered to take out her umbrella, not even to preserve her perfectly straightened blonde hair, not when she was in a mood like this. Anna always tried to look her best but recently, she was putting in an extra effort. A new security guard had started working in the bank, and she had a weakness for a pretty woman in a uniform. However, today she was too sad to care what Taj would think of her appearance.

  Anna entered the bank and a smiling Taj greeted her, as usual. She could not help herself and she might have blushed a little. After all, Taj was stunning with her big dark brown eyes, short blue hair, full lips and that incredibly enticing gap between her teeth. Yes, the teeth gap was Anna’s kryptonite. But today, she had no time to admire Taj, she had to report to her boss the moment she came to the office.

  She rushed to her office and left her jacket and bag, and straightened her clothes, fixing her hair as much as she could. Her boss was a stickler for punctuality, to the point that he cared less about the work someone has done, than what time they came and left. It made no sense to Anna, but what choice did she have in the matter? So, she came and left work on time, did her job and dealt with the asshole as little as possible.

  She knocked on his door and heard a muffled response, “Come in.”

  “Good morning, Matthew,” she said, as she opened the door and stepped into his office.

  “Good morning, Anna,” he replied in his lazy manner, barely looking up at her for a moment, not even bothering to ask how she was doing as he continued straight to business.

  Anna observed him for a moment. His oversized belly might have been hidden at times by his well-tailored suit, but it
was not fitting into his button up shirt, and the gaping holes between the buttons were displaying hairy blobs of the fat of his belly. Sometimes, these images made her want to puke. Anna probably wouldn’t pay attention to such details had he been a nice person to work with, but Matthew was anything but nice or pleasant. He thrived on other people’s misery and he hated working with women, so he made it his business to bully every single female employee into quitting or changing departments. The management either didn’t know, or simply didn’t care, and let Matthew get away with whatever he felt like doing.

  As Anna contemplated her disgust with Matthew, he started talking and she had to shake her thoughts away to be able to focus on his words. She hated the sound of his irritating nasal voice, but she knew she had to listen regardless. “As you are aware, we lost Rudi yesterday. But this does not mean our customers can suffer. As much as we all miss him, the work must continue to ensure that they don’t. Since you worked closest to him, it is logical that you officially take over his work.”

  “I don’t mind stepping in for a short time. How long will you need me, as I start a new position next week?”

  “Indefinitely,” he looked at her flatly, leaving no room for discussion. She didn’t care though as she was not okay with this. Matthew was not going to ruin this for her!

  “But, Matthew, I was promised a promotion and a move to another department last week. I am more than happy to help out until I leave, but I can’t sacrifice my promotion. I have worked too hard for it.”

  “You do not have to worry about that promotion, the position was given to Dawn as they needed a person in that department urgently. You will be considered for the next one,” he stated unemotionally and continued to review the documents on his desk, effectively dismissing Anna, without any concern for how this might affect her life and future.

  Anna could not believe her ears. Suddenly, her whole world was crashing, all of her plans, everything, all because her lazy boss couldn’t do this without her. Matthew had made her life a living hell with his well-placed toxic and negative comments, and now he had practically ruined her chances of promotion. Anna was furious and frustrated, but she had no choice but to comply. She needed this job to pay her bills, there was no way she had enough in her savings to be unemployed. But it seemed to her that there was no end to this bullying and sabotage in any foreseeable future.

  She hated her boss and had contemplated at times to report him for misconduct. He continuously made disparaging comments about his female colleagues, stole their work, and presented it as his, and it seemed that management just turned a blind eye. He appeared untouchable. Anna also suspected that Dawn got her promotion because she was sleeping with Matthew, but she had no proof with which to file a complaint.

  She nodded her head in forced agreement and asked to leave. He dismissed her with a nod, and she left his office and rushed to the restrooms. Anna ran into one of the cubicles, the sound of the door slamming shut echoing through the empty bathroom, as she proceeded to empty the entire contents of her breakfast. She was so sick of the office politics and she had thought she was finally done with them, free to leave, start over in a new department with a new boss and a different, better work atmosphere. She felt lost and trapped and she could not stop the tears that gathered in her eyes and ran uncontrollably down her face. She felt that not only had she lost a friend yesterday, but her whole future had gone with him. She had no idea what to do, so she just kept on crying.

  Suddenly, there was a gentle knock on the door of her cubicle and a voice calling her name softly. “Oh, no,” she thought as she heard a familiar voice. Why did Taj show up now? She didn’t want Taj to see her looking like this. But apparently, Taj had other plans.

  “Anna, are you okay? You seemed distressed when you left your boss’ office and I just wanted to make sure you’re okay.”

  Anna breathed deep, forcing herself to pull it together. She really didn’t want Taj to see her as such a mess.

  She tried to wipe her eyes and face and get up off the floor. Anna was grateful she did not wear any makeup today. There was nothing like smeared mascara to make her appear unprofessional in front of her superficial colleagues. She expected to cry, as she was grieving for Rudi, but she had no idea she was going to end up grieving for her stolen future and missed opportunities, too. Anna slowly opened the door and shyly looked up.

  “I’ll be okay. I’m just sad.”

  “Are you sure you’re okay? You ran out of that office like he did something to you. Did he? Did he hurt you? You know, it’s part of my job to make sure you’re safe, not only from the outside threats but the inside ones as well. Tell me what’s wrong, Anna.”

  Her eyes went to the door, unsure if she should say anything, let alone share her personal problems with her romantic interest before they had even gone on a date. Taj reassured her that the door was locked, and they were alone, and so she could not stop the words from pouring out.

  So, Anna told her everything, how she missed Rudi, how her hopes and dreams were crushed, how she felt lost and trapped. Taj just patiently listened to her story and nodded her head occasionally. It bothered her to see Anna so hurt and she could not resist the urge to comfort her, so she gently took Anna’s hands and led her from the cubicle, pulling her close. Taj enveloped her into her arms and rubbed her back gently as Anna’s tears ran freely and words spilled from her until she finished her story. Anna felt safe in Taj’s arms and she managed to relax and calm down finally.

  Taj pulled back and looked at Anna, “It seems like you have had a hell of a day, and it’s just started. Look, I know it’s a terrible situation, but don’t let them get to you. If you do, they only win.”

  “Thank you,” Anna said to Taj, and Taj just smiled and nodded.

  “Anytime. Just say the word,” and with that she unlocked the door and left.

  Anna splashed some water on her face and fixed her hair and clothes, erasing any signs of her reaction and distress. A few minutes later she left and went to her office, ready to face her new reality, hoping no one could tell how upset she was. She had no choice, after all. She just hoped that a new opportunity would present itself and that someday she would be able to leave this place and her horrible boss behind.

  She would miss Taj, though, and her captivating smile. Yeah, Taj was pretty cool, and definitely the only thing she would miss about this hellhole.

  Chapter Two

  The next day, Anna returned to work and things were already back to normal, boring and mundane, like nothing had happened. She was quite upset that no one was talking about Rudi, unless it was related to work. Oh, and her boss’ assistant kept bringing countless folders to her office, piling them up on the visitor chairs and on the floor around her desk. The emails relating to her new assignment would not stop coming either.

  Finally, Melanie dropped off the last of the folders and the emails stopped coming, so Anna was finally able to start organising her new work. She often worked with Rudi, so she knew most of the ins and outs of his job, but there were still details she needed to figure out.

  She was surprised that Matthew had it in him to do any work by himself. If it weren’t for Melanie going in and out of her office for the past two hours, she would think the emails were her doing.

  As she was finally able to start working, she focused on the emails before tackling the mountain of folders and boxes that now littered her office. She wasn’t sure what exciting information she expected to find in the emails, but there was none, just a boring bla bla, do this, do that, and so on. It did not take her long to finish reading them, for which she was grateful. It was time to dig in and do some real work.

  Anna reached for the nearest pile and started reviewing the documents. She quickly realised that all of the piles needed some kind of sorting, so she decided to enlist Melanie to help her. Anna got up from the chair and leaned forward to return the folder to its pile when a piece of paper fell out. She recognised Rudi’s writing immediately. He had a
peculiar way of writing certain letters and there was no mistaking that this writing was his.

  She picked it up and looked at it. All it said was ‘irregular - double check’. Anna found it a bit strange but didn’t pay much attention to it because she didn’t have any idea what it could be related to. She put the note back into the folder and left the office to look for Melanie.

  It didn’t take long for Anna to find Melanie, who was more than happy to help as it got her out of her own job for a little while. In no time at all, all the files were organised, separated into various filing cabinets in Anna’s office. Ironically, she emptied them last week, expecting to move to the other department with her promotion. “Oh, well,” she thought, “at least some benefit came out of that exercise.”

  She thanked Melanie and went to her desk to sit down and tackle the actual work she was supposed to do, when Melanie turned and said, “It is almost like these files are cursed. Whoever worked with them, died. So, creepy.” Her face got serious for a moment and she couldn’t hide a shudder.

  “What do you mean?” Anna asked before Melanie could leave her office.

  “I know it’s probably just my vivid imagination, but there was another colleague working on these files before Rudi, and he died in a car crash,” Melanie replied. “And now Rudi,” she trailed off letting her insinuation hang in the air.

  “That’s weird. And creepy,” Anna agreed.

  “Ah, it’s probably nothing. Just a coincidence,” and with that, Melanie left.

  Anna would be lying if she didn’t acknowledge the shivers that followed that statement, but what was she supposed to do? Say that she doesn’t feel comfortable to work on these ‘killer’ folders? That sounded ridiculous even to her. So, she turned to her computer and started reviewing the accounts and daily overdrafts. She had to check the client accounts regularly to see if any of them were continuously in overdraft and flag those accounts. At least that’s what Rudi did, and she hoped that was all she had to do. She would hate to be involved in notifying the clients that their overdrafts would be cancelled, and their credit history marred by their irregular payments.