by Castro, V.
The night before Fernanda left, we sat in a circle on my floor with a bottle of tequila. Depeche Mode played low on my stereo. We looked at each other, remembering the night it all began.
Fernanda broke the silence. “Thank you for always being by my side. I know it was frightening and had an ugly end. I wish to God it did not happen the way it did. If only Dr. Camacho’s death could have been prevented. But we stuck together. To being Chicana brujas always.”
She raised her shot of tequila with tears in her eyes and pupils vibrating. Tlazoltéotl was with us.
“And to the goddess for her teachings. May her words show us the way.” I raised my shot.
“To Dr. Camacho,” said Ana.
Pauline and Perla looked at each other. “To us.”
With tears streaming down our cheeks, we necked the smooth and smoky alcohol and then turned on The Craft one last time.
V. CASTRO is a Mexican American author from San Antonio, Texas now residing in the UK. She is a full-time mother, a Latinx literary advocate, and co-founder of Fright Girl Summer, a platform to amplify marginalized voices. She writes Latinx novels of horror, erotic horror, and science fiction, including her most recent, Hairspray and Switchblades. Connect with Violet via Instagram and Twitter @vlatinalondon or at www.vvcastro.com.
CREATURE PUBLISHING was founded on a passion for feminist discourse and horror’s potential for social commentary and catharsis. Seeking to address the gender imbalance and lack of diversity traditionally found in the horror genre, Creature is a platform for stories which challenge the status quo. Our definition of feminist horror, broad and inclusive, expands the scope of what horror can be and who can make it.