Marked for Damnation

by S.A. Tadej

  I looked over at Tommy and smiled apologetically. I felt horrible for having thought he could have had anything to do with Jim’s disappearance. “What if she belongs to someone?” I asked.

  “Nope. Already checked it out. She wasn’t wearing any tags so I took her over to the vet to have her checked out and see if she was micro chipped.”

  “I wonder what happened to her,” I whispered softly as I rubbed the top of the dog’s head.

  “Don’t know. Vet said a coyote probably got to her or something.”

  I shuddered at the thought. I rose up from the floor and put my arms around my brother. “Thanks, Tommy. I love her.”

  “Sure, sis. Now what are you gonna call her?”

  I bit my lower lip and thought it over as I looked at the poor dog. “Nevaeh.”

  “Nevaeh? That’s unusual,” my mother said.

  I smiled and sat back down next to the dog. “Yeah, but it seems to fit.” I rolled over onto my belly so that I was face to face with the dog. “Nevaeh,” I whispered. The dog licked my face and I giggled. “See, she likes it!”

  Mom laughed and shook her head. “Well I’m gonna go work in the garden. Try to take it easy. I’ll see you later.”

  My mother worked outside in the yard nearly everyday. She was highly regarded in the neighborhood as having the best yard. It was an honor that she took great pride in.

  “Bye, mom,” I called after her. I turned to Tommy. “So, can she walk?”

  “Yeah, but she limps. Vet said we should try to keep her off it for a few days. Want me to carry her up to your room for you?”

  “Yeah, that would be great. Thanks.”

  I sat at the edge of my bed next to my new dog. I could see blood seeping through her bandage, so I decided to take it off, clean her wound, and apply a new bandage. The dull throbbing pain had returned in my head. I took one of the pain pills the doctor had prescribed, cuddled up next to Nevaeh and fell asleep.

  When I awoke from my nap, I looked over at the small alarm clock atop my nightstand. 8:30. Had I really been asleep that long? Must be the pain pills the doctor prescribed for my head. Nevaeh was stretched out at the bottom of my bed by my feet. I could hear her snoring. I got up and walked over to the window. The sun was just going down. I could see light coming from under the barn door. Tommy.

  I walked over to my closet and grabbed a sweatshirt. I pulled it over my head, put on some sandals, and headed down the stairs and out the back door. Yep. Definitely Tommy, I thought as I heard the faint sound of music when I got closer to the barn. I walked over to the side door and pulled it open.

  “Looking good,” I called out to Tommy as I looked my car over. The dents had already been pulled out and Tommy was painting the rear end.

  Tommy grinned. “By the time I’m done, you’ll never be able to tell it was even in an accident.”

  “Thanks, Tommy. I really...” I was cut off by the sound of my cell phone ringing. The caller id showed it to be Devin. I had several missed calls from him when I was in the hospital, but still hadn’t returned any of them. “Oooh, hold on a minute, Tommy. Let me get this,” I said as I walked away. “Hello?”

  “Hey, beautiful. I heard about your accident. Just wanted to make sure you were okay,” Devin said.

  “Oh yeah, I’m fine. Just a little bump to the head.”

  “That’s good. You’re lucky it wasn’t more serious. So what are you doing tonight?” Devin asked.

  “I don’t know. I don’t really have any plans I guess.”

  “Can you come meet me?”

  “I can’t. My brother is still working on my car.” I thought about it for a minute. “You could come over here if you want to though.”

  Devin agreed. I gave him my address and hung up. I started to walk toward the house then spun back around. Oh shit! Tommy! I walked back to the barn and explained to my brother about my friend coming over. Then I ran back up to the house to take a quick shower and change. When I finished I sat out on the front porch watching the road for Devin’s truck.

  A short while later, I noticed what appeared to be a truck coming down the dark road. It was obvious that the truck was starting to slow down as it got closer, so I stood up. It’s got to be him. It’s not like we get much traffic here at this time of night. Devin pulled into the long gravel drive and parked near the back. I made my way over to his truck just as he was getting out. I noticed he was holding something behind his back, trying to hide it from me.

  As we stood face to face, he leaned forward and kissed me softly on my lips. “Hi,” I whispered as I smiled shyly and looked away from his intense gaze. “What’s behind your back?”

  He smiled at me and slowly pulled his hand from behind his back, revealing a bouquet of yellow roses. “For you,” he said. “Sorry about your ex-boyfriend. Hope this cheers you up some.”

  How did he know about Jim’s death? Had I mentioned it on the phone earlier? These pain pills were really screwing with my memory. I extended my arm to grab the flowers, bringing them up to my nose to inhale their sweet scent. “They’re beautiful, Devin. Thank you.” I smiled up at him. “Let me just go put these in some water,” I said as I turned to walk toward the house. I noticed he just stood there watching me. “Aren’t you coming?” I asked.

  Devin just grinned and jogged the short distance to me. As we entered the kitchen, I heard a howling noise. Nevaeh. She must want out of my room. The howl was followed by an intense scratching noise. Nevaeh must be scratching at my bedroom door to get out.

  “What’s that noise?” Devin asked, taking a step back; as he broke me out of my thoughts.

  “That’s just my dog, Nevaeh.”

  “I didn’t know you had a dog. I mean, you never mentioned it when you were telling me about your life.”

  “That’s because I just got her. My brother found her a few days ago. She was injured and he brought her home. We found out she doesn’t have an owner, so I’m keeping her. She’s really sweet. Do you want to meet her?” I asked.

  “No,” Devin answered abruptly. Realizing he had answered a bit too quickly, he went on. “I mean... well... I’m allergic to dogs,” he responded, thinking fast. He cleared his throat. “Can we go back outside now? I need some fresh air.”

  I grabbed a vase from under the kitchen sink and filled it with water from the faucet. I quickly arranged the flowers in it and set the vase on the counter, then turned to face him. “Sure. Let me just check on my dog real quick. I just want to make sure she’s okay. I don’t know why she’s howling and scratching like this.”

  Devin’s hand shot out and he firmly grasped my arm. Another howl was heard. The scratching intensified. “Can we please just go outside now?” Devin pleaded.

  I noticed he didn’t look too well. I shook my arm from his grasp and smiled up at him. “Sure, no problem. Guess I can come back in and check on her in a little while.”

  “Come on. I want you to meet my brother,” I said as I grabbed Devin’s hand and walked toward the barn.

  As we approached the barn, the side door opened and Tommy came out. He was looking down, wiping grease off his fingers with the rag he held in his hands. As we drew closer, he looked up and stopped. Devin and I continued walking toward Tommy until we were face to face with him.

  “Tommy, this is my friend Devin. Devin... Tommy,” I said as I looked from one to the other and smiled. Still Tommy said nothing. I was embarrassed at his silence. He just stood there glaring at Devin.

  “Nice to meet you. Nicole has said some wonderful things about you,” Devin said, breaking the awkward silence as he extended his hand to Tommy.

  Tommy just stood there staring. He snickered at what Devin had said. “Wish I could say the same about you,” Tommy sneered as he shook his head and walked away.

  Devin dropped his hand. “Tommy!” I yelled. But my brother just kept on walking, not loo
king back. I was furious at him for his rudeness. I turned to face Devin. “I’m... I’m so sorry. I don’t know what’s gotten into him. He’s normally not like this,” I stammered as I felt my cheeks grow hot from embarrassment and anger.

  Devin lifted my chin with his finger. Our eyes met and he smiled at me. “Don’t worry about him. It’s fine. Why don’t we go for a walk in the fields?” Another howl.

  Devin put his hand on my back and started to lead me toward the field behind the barn. A few feet into the field, he stopped and turned to face me. He grabbed my hand and looked into my eyes as he leaned in for a quick kiss. Then he picked up my hand and brought it to his lips, gently kissing it. He held my hand for a moment then unclasped my fingers. I felt the coolness of his finger as it gently traced the scar on my finger. “What’s this?” he asked.

  Great. What is it with this mark on my finger? It’s just some sort of scar. I don’t know why everyone finds it so interesting. Before I could answer, a loud noise caused me to turn my head. The screen door had been pushed open so violently that it smacked hard against the house, the glass shattering. Nevaeh bolted through the door snarling as she ran toward us. I looked over at Devin. His lips were curled back; a look of pure horror contorted his beautiful face. He took off in a sprint to his truck and slammed the door closed just as Nevaeh had reached it.

  “Nevaeh!” I yelled out. “Nevaeh, stop it! Nevaeh!” I ran to the dog to try to control her. But it was no use. She stood up on her hind legs, pushing her front paws against the door of Devin’s truck, snarling; spit coming out of her mouth as she bared her teeth. I heard the truck start up and watched as Devin backed down the long driveway and onto the road. Nevaeh ran after his truck, still growling and barking wildly.

  “Nevaeh!” I yelled several times. What has gotten into this dog? Why is she behaving like this? I wondered. I called her name again and she turned and ran back to me. She sat at my feet and looked up at me, panting. I pet her head and she licked my hand. “What was that all about? Huh, girl? Why did you go after Devin like that?”

  I heard laughing and turned my head to reveal the source. Tommy was standing against the tall oak tree smoking a cigarette, looking at me and laughing. I grabbed hold of Nevaeh’s collar and walked her over to where Tommy was standing. I could feel my face grow hot with anger. “Is something funny?” I asked when I faced him.

  “Yeah, sure is.” Tommy laughed. “The way that dog ran after your boyfriend was hilarious.” Tommy bent down and pet Nevaeh. “Good girl,” he said as he stroked the top of her head. Nevaeh looked up at me innocently.

  “It’s not funny, Tommy. How did she get out?” I demanded to know as I stared at him waiting for him to answer.

  Tommy flicked his cigarette to the ground and stomped it out. He looked up at me. “Hey, don’t blame this on me. The dog obviously has good taste.” Tommy half laughed as he looked over at me.

  “I’m serious, Tommy.”

  “Me too,” he said as he started to laugh again.

  I lightly smacked his arm. He laughed harder. “Come on. How did she get out, Tommy? Did you let her out?”

  “Hey, don’t blame this on me. I just went into the kitchen to grab a drink and I heard her howling and pawing against your door, so I went to check on her. As soon as I opened your bedroom door she bolted past me, knocking me down in the process. From there I’m guessing she must have ran into the screen door with enough force to open it. I don’t know. I didn’t see that part.”

  I thought it over in my head. It just didn’t make sense. I looked over at my new dog. She was so sweet and gentle. It was then that I noticed her eyes. They were blue. And not just any blue. They were a bright, yet dark blue. And they seemed to glow. I had never seen a dog with eyes like hers. I shook my head, then squeezed my eyes shut and reopened them. When I looked at her again her eyes had returned to the normal soft brown color I was used to. Great, I’m seeing things again!

  “Maybe she was protecting you,” Tommy said in a low voice as he reached down to pet Nevaeh again. “They say that pets have a sixth sense about evil. That guy gave me the creeps.”

  “Get real, Tommy,” I replied as I steered Nevaeh past him and toward the house.

  “Hey! Mom’s going to be pissed about that broken glass,” Tommy called after me.

  “So clean it up!” I yelled back.

  I took Nevaeh back up to my room and she jumped up on my bed. How can she do that with her injured paw? Come to think of it, how was she able to run after Devin like that with her injury? I sat down next to Nevaeh on the bed and began stroking her fur, running my fingers lightly down her front leg until I reached her wrapped paw, which was now covered in dirt. Slowly and carefully, I undid the bandage and gasped. It’s gone! The wound is gone! How can that be? I saw it myself. Her paw had had a huge gaping wound. How could it have just disappeared?

  I looked over at Nevaeh. Her mouth was open and she appeared to be smiling at me. I heard Tommy’s voice in my mind again. ‘Maybe she was protecting you’. Naw. No way.

  “Were you protecting me, Nevaeh? Huh, girl? Is that what you were doing?” I asked. God, look at me. Now I’m talking to my dog as if she’s going to answer me. I’m losing my mind.

  I felt really bad about what had just happened with Devin. I picked up my cell phone and dialed his number, but it went straight to voice mail. I decided against leaving him a message. I’d just try again later. I put my cell phone on the nightstand and decided to go take a hot bath to help me relax.

  “I’ll be right back, girl. Mommy’s gonna go take a bath, okay?”

  Nevaeh jumped off the bed and stood at my feet staring up at me.

  “Okay, you can come with me,” I laughed. I grabbed a clean nightgown and underwear and headed to the bathroom. Nevaeh followed me and sat on the rug staring at me as I lay back in the tub trying to make sense of all that just occurred. So much had happened in such a short time. The missing girl. The dead bodies. Jim’s disappearance. Jim’s death and upcoming funeral. My accident. Nevaeh. Devin. Tommy. It was all just too much. Just what the hell was going on? I got the feeling I would soon find out.

  After my bath, I tried calling Devin again, but his phone went straight to voicemail. I turned the TV on in my room and lay down on my bed with Nevaeh. The dull aching pain grew stronger in my head, so I grabbed my prescription bottle and popped another pill. Sleep soon overtook me.

  I had the most vivid, strange, and scary dream I had ever had. It was about Nevaeh. And Devin. I was outside with Devin and Nevaeh burst through the door like she had that night. Only this time when I turned to look at Devin, he had fangs with blood dripping from them. ‘Run’ that soft angelic voice called out as Devin lunged at me and Nevaeh pounced on him. She tore him apart limb by limb as a bloodcurdling scream escaped his lips.

  I woke up abruptly dripping with sweat and gasping for air. Relax, Nicole. It was just a dream. Obviously brought about by a combination of the pain pills and what happened earlier. But hard as I tried, I couldn’t shake the dream from my mind.

  I got up and walked over to my window, pushing it open. I leaned my head out, the cool breeze washing over my face. ‘She was protecting you.’

  “Where have you been?” Damien demanded as he emerged from behind one of the many tall trees.

  “Don’t sneak up on me like that,” Devin warned.

  “Don’t forget who’s in charge here.”

  Devin smiled wickedly. “I guess you were right about her.”

  “I don’t understand. What are you talking about?”

  “I told you there was something different about her.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “She’s… how should I say this... special.”

  “What the fuck are you talking about?”

  “She’s the one Kya’s been looking for. She bares the mark.”
/>   Damien smiled and nodded knowingly as he rubbed his hands together. “Well, what are we waiting for? I’ll go get the others. Let’s strike.”

  Devin put a hand up to stop him. “It’s not that simple. She has a protector.” Devin was silent a few minutes as he sat down and scratched his chin.

  “So, why should that stop us,” Damien asked. Damien thought it over for a few moments. Then a huge grin spread over his face. “You’re falling for her, aren’t you?”

  “No!” Devin said defensively.

  Damien looked directly into Devin’s eyes, trying to read him. “Yes, you are!”

  “Okay, maybe a little,” Devin admitted. “But it doesn’t matter. Our orders are clear.”

  “Good to hear,” Damien said as he patted Devin’s back and let out a sinister laugh. “Come on. Lets go inside and tell the others.”

  Damien started to walk toward the old abandoned farmhouse they had taken up residence in. Set back about a mile from the road and completely surrounded by tall thick foliage, it was the perfect hiding place for their coven.

  “Wait,” Devin called after him.

  Damien stopped and turned around to face his “brother”.

  “Do you remember what it was like before all of this?”

  Damien’s expression became one of confusion. “What do you mean?”

  Devin paused, studying Damien’s face. “Human. Do you remember what it was like to be human?”

  “What’s gotten into you, man?” Damien asked. “I hope you’re not thinking what I think you are.”

  “Maybe she can help us,” Devin muttered under his breath.

  “Help us,” Damien screeched. Then he let out an evil, throaty sort of laugh. “We’re killers, Dev. We’ve been damned and we belong to his army. We’re his soldiers now. We fight for his vengeance and we take our payment in blood. It’s as simple as that.”

  “I know what we are, but is this really what you want? Is this really who you are?”

  Damien looked Devin over. “I chose him. So did you. You cannot turn your back now.”