by Robin Thorn
All of a sudden, I couldn’t breathe. My chest tightened, squeezing the air from my lungs. I staggered to my feet and threw open the window onto the cold night. My eyes held the full moon as it blurred my tears. I let out a cry—a hopeless, shattered cry.
I wanted to scream. To all of them. I was sorry. My parents, Stef, Sam, and all the lost lives because I’d refused to betray Sam.
But it was all over now.
Some way in the distance, I hear a scream, and another, and another moving like a ripple, a brewing tsunami on the horizon. And they were screaming only for my ears.
I shivered in the icy air. Something moved over my skin, spreading goose pimples along my arms.
The screams grew louder, more piercing.
I pressed my hands over my ears, trying to block out the bone-shuddering wails. But no amount of dulling could block their cries. I yanked the window shut and sank to the floor, breathless.
The Banshees were coming. It was warning of death.
A massacre was on its way.
Lilith’s third child, born from her cries of pain. The mysterious third demon race had arrived at last. Guardians had been waiting for this day to come.
I ran from the warehouse, following the route I’d taken with Phoebe just a day earlier. Although now, it felt like a lifetime had passed since yesterday. Perhaps, in some ways, it had.
The moon hung full in the sky and the clear ebony night made the stars stand out brighter than I’d ever seen before. My phone wasn’t in my pocket like it usually was, I guess it was lost somewhere inside the office at school, where I’d last spoken to Phoebe. I kept pacing along the tree-bound road, my thoughts jumbled, and my body is churning with changes.
At last, I reached a part of town I recognised, and I let my instinct guide me towards Will’s house. I had to see him. I had to see someone who wasn’t a Demon, or a Guardian, or anything other than a familiar face.
As I waded through the remnants of snow on the pavement, I realised that the cold wasn’t affecting me as it had done before. My bare arms didn’t bother me, and there was no numbness in my face as I walked through the biting wind. It made sense. I was changing.
All I knew for sure was that in a couple of days I’d be dead. I guess nothing else mattered after that.
I rounded a corner on the suburban street, and Will’s house came into view. The first-floor window where Will’s bedroom was, gave off a soft glow, a beacon in the otherwise dark night.
I emptied my mind as I crept onto the front lawn, concealed from the road by hedges and rose bushes. I searched blindly for something to throw at the window and stopped when my fingers grazed over a small stone. I weighed it in my hand and then, holding my breath, I threw it.
The stone tapped on the windowpane. I starred up, waiting for a sign that it had caught Will’s attention. Seconds passed in agonising concession before a silhouette moved behind the curtains. One of the curtains peeled back, and Will’s face appeared. His expression relaxed when his eyes landed on me. He signalled for me to go to the front door, just like he’d done dozens of times before.
By the time I reached the porch, the front door was already opening, and Will was waiting in the dark corridor. His bare chest caught me by surprise. Even in the darkness, I could see the defined lines that were mapped out on his skin like a jigsaw puzzle—one that I wanted to touch. I shook the thought aside and looked up as he mouthed for me to follow him.
It wasn’t that his parents didn’t approve of me—at least, I didn’t think they did—it was more they didn’t approve of these late-night visits. But that had never stopped us. And right now, I didn’t feel an ounce of guilt as I made my way up the stairs towards his room. I needed him.
Will closed the bedroom door behind us and turned to me. “I’ve been trying to call you all day,” he murmured. “Where have you been hiding?”
I clenched my teeth, suppressing a grimace.
“I’ve been at Phoebe’s,” I said. “I should have called, but we’ve been so busy with school work…” My lie couldn’t come out fast enough.
Will pulled a face, one side of his mouth turning down and the opposite eyebrow lifted up. “I spoke to Phoebe,” he said in a discerning voice. “She told me she hadn’t seen you. Don’t lie to me, Stef. If something has happed… if you’ve met someone else—”
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “No, it’s nothing like that.” I broke eye contact and walked over to his bed, exhaustion gripping a tight hold on my legs. Honestly, I didn’t know what to say to him, but I could feel his gaze begging for answers, demanding them. Part of me wanted to tell him the truth, blurt out everything about Collette, and Leonard, and what was happening to me. But he’d think I was crazy. I mean, I hardly believed it myself, and I was the one living it.
“If you’re seeing someone else, Stef,” he said again. “I’d rather just know. I’m a big boy; I can handle it.”
“No,” I told him again. “I swear to you, I’m not.” I sat down on his bed and raked my hands through my hair. “It’s just been a weird day. I’ve got a lot on my mind.”
He stepped closer to me. “You can talk to me,” he said. “That’s why you’re here, right?” He reached out and trailed a finger down my cheek. “Unless you’re here for something else.” His expression turned playful, lust shining in his eyes. The bed shifted as he sat down next to me. He placed a hand on my stomach and rubbed his thumb in circles over my abdomen.
I found myself shying away from him.
“Will,” I said, placing my hand on his. Sudden desire to taste him overtook me. I gazed into his knowing eyes, and we moved to each other.
I opened my mouth to speak, but he kissed me, a slow, passionate kiss. I felt myself melt into him, overcome by desire for him. I rolled over as my jeans were peeled off. They landed on the floor, and Will’s strong hand turned me to face him. The bed jumped as he dropped down close to my lips. His hands braced on either side of me. I gave in to the pull of lust and lifted my mouth to his. His tongue moved with mine, and I felt the stiff lump of something press against my bare leg. Need to be burned through me.
I wrapped my legs around his waist and heaved my body up until he was under me. My hands ran over his chest and around his neck. Our kisses intensified, mirrored by the growing hunger.
A distant voice in my subconscious recoiled away from this feeling. Something about this passion, this insatiable hunger, felt dark, wrong. But I couldn’t stop, kissing hard, gripping tighter. A wave of pressure was building within me, one that I had no control over. I was being pulled by the tidal wave, drowning in its clutches. I grabbed onto Will’s strong arms, holding him in place as I lusted for more. My tongue played with his; hands exploring every inch of his body.
I lost grip on time and reality. Then, Collette’s face flashed through my mind. My eyes shot open, only to see the horror inches from my face.
Consumed by lust, I hadn’t noticed how still Will had become. His face was rigid; eyes were frozen open, lips saint blue. A spasm of pain erupted through my spine, and I fell to the floor. The lights above me blinked as I gasped for breath and, for a split second, darkness swallowed the room.
All I felt was a pain; hot and searing. My limbs felt as though they were twisted, and the hollowness inside of me was full, ready to burst. I was full, for the first time in days, the hunger vacant, replaced with an entirely new sensation.
I wanted to scream.
The room came to life again, bright now, blindingly bright. From where I lay, I saw the bedroom door open, and two figures hovering beneath the doorframe with ashen faces. Was it two? My vision was blurry; everything was out of focus.
I scrambled back, away from the Will’s lifeless body.
“It is complete.”
The voice was muffled, but it was close to me, almost inside of me. It was rich, deep… Leonard. My eyes wouldn’t focus.
Will. Will. Will.
I felt his soul swirl around me, filling that space; quenchi
ng the hunger.
My vision began to restore, the pain faltering into nothingness. Leonard came into focus, a smile crooked onto his handsome face. I looked at the figure behind him and now saw Collette standing amongst the dancing shadow. It was all so clear. It was all so real.
Collette wasn’t looking at me. She was looking at the body splayed on the bed. I followed her gaze until my eyes rested on Will’s face. Now, in the clarity, I could see the whispers of white smoke that floated from his slack mouth, stark against his greying skin.
I stood, using the wall to pull myself up. I stepped closer to the bed. I knew what waited for me, what I’d done. I could smell it, taste the death on my tongue.
I’d killed him.
Grief bubbled within me, but the swirling soul overpowered that emotion, muddling everything. I wanted to cry, to scream, to beg for forgiveness and mercy, but I could only stare.
I pressed my hand to Will’s strong face, feeling the chill of death.
Me, the killer.
Will, my prey.
“What have I done?” I directed my words like sharp knifes towards Leonard. I didn’t take my eyes off Will as I spoke. “That drink you gave me… You drugged me—”
Leonard rumbled with laughter. “The drink was merely a tonic. A gift to help you on your way. As for this,” he gestured towards Will, “I had no hand in this. This is all you, New Blood. And might I say, what an attractive choice you made.” He leered at Will’s motionless body, arching an eyebrow in approval.
“Don’t you dare!” I turned to him, my voice raising. The light bulb flickered again, and the shadows danced faster. “Don’t you dare even look at him!”
Collette recoiled from me, and Leonard continued to laugh. Deep, resounding laughter.
There was a knock on the bedroom door. “Will?” My blood chilled at the sound of Will’s mum’s gentle voice on the other side of the door. “What is going on in there?”
Leonard stared at the close door and ran his tongue across his teeth.
“Don’t,” I warned, pre-empting his thoughts.
His smirked. “Watching you feed has made me hungry. I’m in the mood for a snack.”
“Leonard…” Collette choked. “Please.”
The door creaked open, and Will’s mum appeared. Her eyes landed on me first. Her mouth fell open, but she faltered when she saw Leonard and Collette. Her face paled as her gaze landed on Will.
Then, Leonard attacked.
The scream ripped through my throat. I lunged forward, moving with speed. In a second, I was standing before Will’s mum, using all my strength to push Leonard back. To my surprise, he flew across the room, colliding into the window and exploding it into thousands of glinting fragments of glass.
Collette drew in a breath as Leonard dissipated before falling from the shattered window. He materialized back in the centre of the room, unharmed.
Will’s mum was screaming at me, and I barely had a chance to register the sight of Will’s dad dragging her from the bedroom before my vision flashed white. I stumbled to the floor, looking up just in time to see the boot come for my face. My head snapped back, and my stomach turned, but the pain was nothing compared to what I’d already faced. I sprung to my feet and grabbed the back of Leonard’s jacket. He was halfway out the door, going after Will’s parents, but I pulled him back. My arms burned with new found strength and I threw Leonard to the floor.
“You’ll leave them.” I hissed. It surprised me when he stopped fighting, his golden eyes glowing up at me.
“If I can’t have them,” he murmured darkly, “then I’ll just take yours.” That familiar smirked curved onto his lips.
Leonard took a shuddering breath, and the swirling soul that had embedded itself within me began to rush from my body. I watched, eyes wide, as the white smoke seeped from my mouth into Leonards. At that moment, I lost control of my body and gave in to the darkness that crept into the corners of my eyes.
I knelt on my bedroom floor at my parent’s house; a crumpled road map spread out across the rug.
Jeanie’s ethereal form was pacing around the room; her translucent hands pressed delicately to her ears.
“What’s happening?” she asked, her voice wavering. “Why are they screaming?” Her pretty face creased in pain. “Why won’t they stop?”
I swallowed. For the past few minutes, I’d been trying in vain to block out the sound of her voice. I needed to focus. But maintaining concertation was hard when there was a neurotic spirit trampling through me every few seconds.
“It’s the banshees; I explained, distractedly. “The banshees are coming.”
“What does that mean, the banshees are coming?” she echoed my words back to me. She’d stopped pacing, and her hands were on her hips.
I grimaced. “It means death is on the way. Big time.”
Jeanie let out a small whimper, following by a long, drawn-out wail of distress. “It’s happening,” she bemoaned. “It’s starting. The demons are waging war. It started with me, and now him. Stefan.”
I gritted my teeth. For a rookie ghost, Jeanie was intuitive. It was what I was afraid of too. So, Stefan had chosen death? Maybe that was it. Honestly, I didn’t think I could stomach the thought of the alternative right now.
Jeanie gave way to another breathy cry. “The bloodshed… The bloodshed! I can’t stand it!”
I tuned out the sound of her haunted wails and stared down at the open map.
Okay. Breathe.
I let all my fear and nervousness slip from my mind as I hovered my palms above the Briarwood road atlas.
My chest began to feel warm, a comforting pulse of heat that cossetted my heart. The sensation moved along my arms, finally reaching my fingers, and I murmured the words, “Find Stefan.”
A bolt of light shot from my hands and sparked on the page.
I’d found him.
I pinned my fingertip to the location as the pearl of light fizzled away.
Marlon Terrace. I knew that street name. I’d given Stefan a ride there a couple of times this year.
Will, I realised at once.
So, Stef was at Will’s house.
Stef, the transitioning, lust-filled almost-Incubus, was at his boyfriend Will’s house.
Oh. God.
My hands gripped the steering wheel, and I pressed my foot down on the gas pedal. I sped down the suburban road, and beneath my tight grasp, the wheel juddered and trembled. In the black night, streetlamp’s bulbs flashed intermittently as I passed each one by, blinking in and out in time with my pounding heartbeat.
I swerved onto Marlon Terrace and pulled up alongside the curb, where hedges and rose bushes flanked a neat lawn.
Will’s house.
I cut the engine and stared out at the darkened house. The lights were all out, and the curtains were drawn. Of course, what else had I expected? It was past midnight.
But Stef was in there, somewhere. At least, this is where my scrying had led me. Whether he was still in there, remained to be seen.
I opened the Chevy’s door with a creak and winced as I stepped out into the icy night.
In a stupor, I walked along the pathway leading to the front door. My pulse quickened when I noticed that the door was already open, swaying gently in the breeze and tapping against the latch.
Biting my lip, I nudged the door a little wider and stepped through the threshold.
“Hello?” I murmured into the dark house. “Is anyone here?”
There was no response, apart from the brassy thrum of a grandfather clock somewhere inside the hallway.
This wasn’t good. This wasn’t good at all.
“Hello?” I called a little louder.
My voice sounded deafening in the stillness of the house. There was no sound of movement or life anywhere.
In my experience, that was always a bad sign.
I fumbled my way through the lower hallway, trailing my fingers over the wall as I searched blindly for a light switch. At last
, I felt the raised switch and flipped it. But the bulbs overhead just clicked, unresponsive.
So, either the power was out, or an overload of demonic energy had blown a fuse.
I was willing to bet on the latter.
Time for Plan B.
I extended my hand and drew in a deep, steadying breath. Slowly, a ball of reflective light began to take shape in my palm, twirling into an orb. The revolving sphere gave off just enough light for me to manoeuvre a path up the staircase.
I began up the steps. There was something at the top, a silhouette in the darkness, but low to the ground. I lingered on the staircase and raised the orb a little higher to illuminate the shape.
It was a person. A woman. She was lying in the upper hallway, her arm draped down onto the staircase, fingers skimming the banister.
I ran up the last few steps and crouched beside her, checking for a pulse on her wrist.
Nothing.
My stomach lurched. She was dead.
My gaze shot to the upper hallway and my eyes landed on another motionless body—a man, this time—lying in the corridor.
Two dead.
With my heart hammering in my throat, I nudged open the nearest door and lifted my hand to illuminate the room. At once, I saw Will, reclined shirtless on his bed, his eyes wide open and his lips parted.
I heaved.
They were all dead. So, Stefan had been here. And, evidentially, he had chosen a side.
I squashed my hand into a fist, snuffing out the light.
I couldn’t look anymore.
The scream ripped through my throat. I lunged forward, moving with speed. In a second, I was standing before Will’s mum, using all my strength to push Leonard back. To my surprise, he flew across the room, colliding into the window and exploding it into thousands of glinting fragments of glass.
Collette drew in a breath as Leonard dissipated before falling from the shattered window. He materialized back in the centre of the room, unharmed.
Will’s mum was screaming at me, and I barely had a chance to register the sight of Will’s dad dragging her from the bedroom before my vision flashed white. I stumbled to the floor, looking up just in time to see the boot come for my face. My head snapped back, and my stomach turned, but the pain was nothing compared to what I’d already faced. I sprung to my feet and grabbed the back of Leonard’s jacket. He was halfway out the door, going after Will’s parents, but I pulled him back. My arms burned with new found strength and I threw Leonard to the floor.