I leap to my feet, hoping I have the power to fight him off, when another swirl of dark fog swoops between us, pushing the male figure to the side. The mist rolls away, revealing a head full of long red curls.
Monique.
“Hi, doll,” she says, turning to face me, a devilish smile teasing her lips. “Wanna play?”
Cold, hard hatred replaces the fear that had taken root in my chest. “If playing means wiping the gravel off this road with your face, sure.”
My body goes rigid as the wind swirls around me, lifting me off the ground, tossing me on its edges like a rag doll. A mix of clawed fingers and jagged teeth swipe at my face. Is she trying to feed me to them?
There must be at least fifteen to twenty Redeemers clinging to the fog around me. It’s like I’ve been tossed into a mosh-pit to crowd surf over a river of misty dead people. This is not the way I wanted to spend my evening.
The mist grows sour with Redeemer stench, and I immediately grow annoyed. I’m literally floating, surrounded by creatures who would love to rip me to shreds—and probably will when Monique gives the okay to start in on the Caitlyn buffet. Yet, I feel calm.
Collected.
Ready to kick some ass.
Anger wells inside me and heat rolls over my skin. I no longer feel as though I have no control over my flight. Wait. Am I flying? Like, full on controlling myself? Or have I just somehow managed to manipulate the energy Monique threw at me? I know that bitch can fly; I’ve seen it. I just had no idea I had it in me.
A Redeemer flies too close and I reach out, grabbing it around the throat. The moment I touch it, a blind, burning rage courses through me. These things took Chas. They took Mitch. They may have killed them, and I intend to return the favor to each and every one of them.
The Redeemer screams as the energy between us increases, and in less than ten seconds it evaporates into a pile of dust. The other Redeemers grow agitated, storming me, wrapping me in their moldy fog.
I grab two more Redeemers, one with each hand. They try to escape my death grip and as they pull away, I begin to spin in circles. Another burst of power erupts from my chest and they too are gone.
I have no idea how I’m doing any of this, but it’s working and I love it. I feel powerful—drunk with murderous determination.
I. Am. Awesome.
My skin erupts in waves of pain, like a window exploded and filled my body with broken glass. A knife slices through my skull and I grasp both sides of my head. The pain is unbearable. I careen toward the ground, the air that once held me up turning against me. I slam to the dirt road, tangled in rotting mist and nauseous from pain. I look up to find a sea of teeth and claws swarming above me, eager for a bite.
“What are you doing?” Annoyance hangs on Monique’s words. At first I think she is speaking to me, but then I hear the familiar male voice again.
“She was killing them. Didn’t you see that?”
“She wouldn’t have lasted long. I have this under control. Go away.”
“Your father said we were to patrol together and that I was to keep an eye on you to keep you safe.”
“Oh please.” I can hear her signature eye roll in the tone of her voice. “Now that I’ve been bound, I’m pretty much invincible.”
“Not against her.”
“I don’t know about that. I seem to be holding up pretty well.”
Typical Monique. Sends me out for her cronies to take care of. I’d love to turn her into a screaming pile of ash, and I would if I could get my hands on her.
“She’s getting stronger. She’s wiping out the Unbounds. We were given strict orders to protect them at all costs. We can’t upset Malahas. Their energy is her energy, and if it becomes depleted, she can’t … ”
“Blah, blah, blah. I know all about that. I also know what I’m doing here, so back off.”
Monique’s voice grows closer, punctuated by the crackling of gravel. My heart rate increases, ready to fight.
“Maybe you’d like to enlighten me since we are supposed to be partners.”
I struggle against the pain, pushing myself to my feet. I will not let her win. Whatever power Monique uses to push me down seems to be keeping my powers at bay. If I could just push the pain away. If I could …
Something slams into my face—was that a foot? It lifts me off my feet, sending me sprawling on my back once again. The coppery taste of blood fills my mouth. I’m pretty sure my nose is broken.
Huh. Bitch wants to play nasty, I see.
What she doesn’t realize is as I’ve grown more pissed, the intensity of the pain in my head has lessened, and I’m about to unleash a major can of ass-kickery on little red.
I jump to my feet and something hits me again, this time in the side of the head. My left ear rings from the impact as my head twists to the right. I can already feel my eye begin to swell. Did she just hit me with a brick? Surely that wasn’t her fist.
I turn to face her, but she’s no longer there. All that stands before me is an empty dirt road, and a few scraggly trees enveloped in a cloudy mist.
“Aren’t you gonna fight back?” Her voice comes from behind me, and I’m tugged backward by my ponytail, once again lifted off the ground and hurtled into the air. I look up just in time to see the edge of Trevor’s house flying at me. I don’t know how I manage to do it, but I twist my body and land on the roof on all fours with a loud thud.
My hands scrape against the shingles as I slide to a stop. I don’t think there’s a spot on my body that isn’t bruised or covered in blood. It will all be worth it if I can finish Monique and get to Mitch. That’s all I can think about right now.
“Oh, Caity? Where are you, Caity?” Monique’s voice rings through the still air. She sure isn’t being very discreet. What if Trevor or his mom wake up and hear her?
I peer over the edge of the roof, and see her red hair disappear around the corner. It’s easier to see now that the Redeemers—what did the guy call them? The Unbound?—have pulled back. A few of them swirl in the distance, but the majority of them appear to have retreated. Where did Mr. Black Cloak take off to?
The air around me begins to swirl, and I brace myself for another attack from Monique. I drop to my back, staring up at the sky. I figure this way I’ll be able to see her approach and I can at least try and defend myself.
Whatever approaches is not Monique. The air grows thick, and once again my head fills with a blinding pain. It hurts so bad I feel I may throw up. I turn my head, ready to purge, when the pain immediately eases and calmness washes over me.
“What in the hell do you think you’re doing?”
There’s no mistaking that the angry voice belongs to Reverend Carter.
“She’s here,” Monique says. “I’m trying to stop her. She was killing the Unbounds. Someone had to … ”
“Mason told me what you were doing. He told me you were responsible—”
“I was not responsible,” Monique interrupts. “He was here. He was going to kill her. I came to stop him. I know Malahas wants her alive. I know—”
So, Mason was the other one. That’s why the voice sounded slightly familiar. So if he’s one of them, does that mean Trevor is one, too? His mom? Is there anyone in this town I can trust? Is there anyone here who doesn’t want me dead?
I roll onto my stomach and drag myself across the roof to peer over the edge. Aside from Monique and Reverend Carter, there are three other robed figures. Two of them wear black robes that match Monique’s and the other a red that matches Reverend Carter.
“Your dedication to the cause is admirable. My granddaughter must be found, but she cannot be harmed.” What the hell? Nana is out here hunting me, too? I thought she said she was on my side.
Bitch.
My breath comes in angry gasps as I scramble to my feet. I’m ending this here and now. They want me. They said I’m important, so why not turn myself over to them? It may be the quickest way for m
e to get to Mitch.
“Hey!” My voice echoes through the misty air and all five of them turn to look at me. “I’m right here. If you want me, come and get me.”
“Someone grab her before she wakes the Perkins,” Reverend Carter says.
“Why don’t you come get me, Reverend?” I taunt. “Bring your trashy daughter with you. I’ll take you both out.”
Monique moves in my direction, but fades out of view as the mist thickens around me. I open my mouth to taunt her, but before the words can leave my lips, my feet rip out from under me. I bounce across the roof, struggling against the invisible hands that pull me off the edge of the house and drop me into a pit of dark nothingness.
Chapter Seventeen
A heavy thumping pulls me from troubled dreams. I roll over, almost falling off the edge of the sofa. My body throbs and I sit up with a start, wincing at the sharp pain in my ribs. Did I dream all of that, or did I really get my ass handed to me by Monique and a gang of Redeemers last night?
The thudding comes again and I turn my attention to the front door. Someone’s knocking. I have no idea what time it is because all I have to go by is dark and darker. I move toward the door, my shoes sticking to the floor when I walk in front of the window.
Gross. Gross. Gross.
Judy.
I totally just walked in a pool of her blood. I’m seriously going to be sick.
I place my ear against the door, checking to see if I can hear who is responsible for the incessant knocking.
“Caitlyn, open the door. We need to get to the square,” Nana says. If I didn’t know she was a crazy, half-dead something or other I’d be surprised she knew it was me.
I unlatch the lock and pull the door open to reveal a very well-dressed Nana. The tan slacks and pink silk blouse suit her. Problem is, it doesn’t quite fit the mood of our current situation. She looks a little too spring-ish and summer-ish and not enough death and dismemberment.
“Where’s your father?” she asks, bursting into the house. She makes no mention of witnessing a battle last night, but the pain coursing through my body tells me there is no way it could have been a dream, and if my memory serves me correctly, she was there at the end.
“I assume he’s still sleeping.”
“Go clean yourself up while I wake him.”
I start toward the stairs, stopping when she places a hand on my shoulder. The now familiar tingling of her inner Redeemer courses through me and I shrug her off.
“And for God’s sake, if you decide to pull another rescue mission like you did last night, wear that pendant your mother gave you. It was given to you for a reason. They can track you when you’re not wearing it. Didn’t she tell you anything?”
“No. I—I—didn’t know. I just wanted to find Mitch before … ” My words catch in my throat. I can’t say it. Is he dead?
“Mitchell is safe … for now. They don’t make the offering until the final night.” She stops speaking, and the look on her face leads me to believe she’s said too much.
“So, Chas? She’s alive?” My heart swells with happiness at the possibility. “How did I get home last night? The last thing I remember is being pulled from the roof, and—”
“We don’t have time to talk about this right now. We have to get into town. Clean yourself up so we can go.”
***
Once we arrive at the church, my father and I take our places on the steps. I stare at my feet, listening to the murmurings of the townsfolk as they filter into the square. I glance up to find Monique’s pale face staring back at me, a look of pure delight in her eyes. She knows I’m suffering and it pleases her. Rage fills my bones when I think of how she handed me my ass last night. I have to stop myself from flying down the steps and wrapping my hands around her throat. Now is not the time. I’ll take her down before the end of the week.
I scan the crowd, my eyes stopping on Trevor and his mother as they slowly walk toward us. Mason is nowhere to be found. He’s probably perched in a tree somewhere, eager to swoop in and eat me.
Trevor looks as ragged as I feel. Dark circles line his eyes and his Boise State cap sits atop a mass of unkempt hair. He doesn’t see me. I want to call to him. Run to him. Wrap myself around him, but I can’t. I have to stand here with my father and accept responsibility for the sin that caused the Redeemers to take my brother and kill my stepmother.
As if he heard my silent plea, Trevor raises his head, meeting my gaze. His face floods with obvious relief and a smile breaks out across his face. I smile back, tears threatening to push from my eyes. He scans the stairs and his face falls. He pushes through the crowd, stopping when he gets to the bottom of the steps. Neither of us speaks; we just stare at one another. Finally he says, “Mitch?”
That one word is all it takes to release the tears I’ve held back. They spill down my cheeks as Trevor begins to climb the steps, arms outstretched. Reverend Carter moves in front of him before he can reach me, cutting him off. “I’m sorry, Mr. Perkins. We’re ready to begin. Please join your family.”
Trevor peers at me over the Reverend’s shoulder, the sorrow he feels for me written over his face. He slowly backs down the steps, his sympathetic eyes on mine before turning and walking back to his mother.
As Reverend Carter begins his standard welcoming speech, I scan the faces looking up at my father and me, most filled with pity, others with shock as they realize both Judy and Mitch are no longer with us.
“Last night the Foster family lost two members to the Redeemers. Young Mitchell was taken as punishment for the families sins of gluttony and wrath.”
Really?
“As most of you know, young Caitlyn here struggles with drug addiction, a gluttonous sin that, when paired with her wrath over her mother’s murder, is a recipe for disaster. Unfortunately, Judith Foster was killed last night when she left the house to try to retrieve her son. The rules explicitly state that no one shall leave their homes outside the appointed times. The Redeemers considered her a willing sacrifice and took her life just as they took Mr. Edwards’s a few nights ago. There will be a memorial service next week in honor of them both.” He speaks with such eloquence, his words dripping with insincere pity. Naturally, he put this on me. He’s trying to break me. I won’t let it happen. I can’t. “Today, I present to the family a vial of young Mitchell’s blood as a reminder of Caitlyn’s sin. Your family is now absolved. May you find peace.”
I look away when he hands the vial to my dad. I fight back my tears, praying for Mitch’s safety, doing my best to ignore the choked sobs coming from my father. I remind myself that Mitch is not dead. I’ll get to him. I’ll save him.
“Let us pray.”
Reverend Carter reaches out his hands—one to my father and the other to me. I look at him in defiance. I don’t want to touch him.
“Miss Foster?” he says, eyes filled with disdain. Remembering my grandmother’s request from earlier, I reluctantly extend my hand to him.
His cold, clammy skin sticks to mine. The minute I touch him the stone around my neck gives a tug and a shuddering pulse begins in my chest, then travels down my arm. I hear him gasp, and the same feeling I had when I touched the creature last night fills my body.
Just as I suspected. He’s not even human. How awesome would it be if I smoked his ass right here in front of everyone? What kind of shit-storm would that cause?
When he tries to pull away I grasp his hand, refusing to let go. He struggles against me, but I hold tight, watching the color of his iris fade and the whites of his eyes turn black. He finally manages to wrench his hand free, fearfully staring at me. This goes unnoticed by the townsfolk who have their heads bowed in prayer. All but one. Trevor saw what happened. How will I explain this to him?
After the prayer, my father looks distant and somber, as though all his grief was pulled out of him and tossed into the air to float away in the mist. He shakes Reverend Carter’s hand before placing an arm around
my shoulders and leading me down the stairs.
Dad stops to speak with a few of the townsfolk who offer their condolences. I ignore them all and push past. There’s only one person I want to talk to right now.
“What happened up there?” Trevor whispers in my ear as he pulls me to his chest. “It looked like the Reverend was in pain when you touched him.”
“He’s not human.”
“What do you mean?”
“I felt this pulling sensation when I took his hand.” I step back and look at him, glancing around to make sure no one is listening. “Last night when the Redeemers came into our house I touched one of them and this—power—or something shot through my body. It’s like I drained it. It disintegrated. When I touched Reverend Carter just now I got the same feeling. I think he’s one of them. I can’t explain it.”
Trevor looks at me, unsure of how to respond. “Are you going to be okay?” he asks, cupping my face in his hands. “I’m worried about you. You’re not making sense.”
Of course I’m not. Why would he believe his girlfriend has crazy powers?
“I don’t know,” I say. “There’s something you don’t know about me. It’s hard to explain.”
He smiles and shakes his head. “It can’t possibly be any stranger than what is currently taking place in this town.” He glances over my shoulder at his mom. “I have to go. I’m so sorry about Mitch and Judy. I’m glad you’re okay.”
“Thanks,” I say before pressing my lips to his.
“I’ll see you tomorrow. Try to get some rest.”
He kisses me one last time before leaving me alone with my thoughts.
“Cait, I’m sorry.” Jeb’s voice pulls me from my pity party. He looks even worse today than yesterday. He wraps his arms around me and my tears begin to fall again. “I’m so sick of this. I can’t believe they took Mitch. He was a little kid.” His voice catches and he pulls away from me, running a hand over his face. Mitch was best friends with Jeb’s brother, Beau, and spent a lot of time at their place. Jeb was like his big brother.
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