I knew now that I’d been wrong. The killer could track me, somehow. And now I was alone.
My arcana moved without being summoned. It saw the threat and responded in kind. I felt it shove into the earth and flood in every direction. My power washed over all sorts of bones for hundreds of feet all around.
Chest tight, I thought about pulling it back. I would destroy this entire field if I let my arcana take ahold of all the dead things under my feet. There would be a barren crater in this valley. However, it could be the thing that allowed me to leave here alive.
No. I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I didn’t want to think about creatures crawling their way out of the ground when they should be left alone. I didn’t want to think about the sacrifice this valley would have to make just to saveme.
While I panicked and yanked back on my arcana, it slithered out of my grasp like incorporeal fog. It washed between my fingers and continued to spread out in all directions. More and more unfurled from me. I wondered if it would ever stop. I reached the foothills of the shallow mountains and felt the arcana climb to find things long trapped beneath fallen rocks.
No. Come back. We can’t do this. I don’t want to hurt anything!
In my distress, I forgot about the figure. Head snapping up, I scanned the field, but they were gone. I breathed a sigh of relief until I saw the tall grass move. Death whispered along the field.
My arcana refused to waste any more time. It took ahold of every bone within its grasp and shoved life into it. I cried out, desperately trying to pull back. I couldn’t get ahold of my own power, though. It refused to obey. My life was in danger, and it would do whatever it thought necessary for my survival.
I didn’t want to live at the expense of others, though. This had gone on long enough. I was tired of stealing life from those around me. I didn’t deserve it.
I wasn’t worth it. I wasn’t worth it…
The ground broke open. It made an awful tearing sound that tore at my heart. I let out a whimper at the sight of the bleached bones breaking the earth. As the creatures put themselves back together, the foliage around them dried and crumbled. Death spread in every direction.
No. Stop.
This isn’t right.
In my fear, I’d forgotten about the threat coming my way. The tall grass split and out stepped a rotting monstrosity. It shambled towards me while my own risen beasts were bursting with new flesh and fur.
Breath quick, I turned and ran. I paid no attention to the direction. All I knew was that I had to leave. I had to put distance between myself and this valley before everything died.
The thunderous footsteps of the beast followed until a buck’s bellow filled the air. I didn’t stop to look back at the fight. I knew that the creatures held by my arcana were fighting for me. It broke my heart. They were whole only to fall all over again.
Maddox
When the call came through,I jumped out of my chair and ran for the door. I shouldn’t have been so ready to run to a suspect’s help, but Addie needed me.
My phone rang again once I was on the road towards the state park. Bastien’s number flashed across the screen. When I didn’t answer, a message came through. I gave it a quick glance, but I cared little for whatever my friend needed while Addie was in trouble.
There was another emergency. A hit and run had resulted in a death. I didn’t know why that required me, though. Maybe it was in my wheelhouse, but I had other things to deal with. I knew my priorities weren’t in the right place, but I decided to ignore it.
I flew into the parking spot beside Addie’s old sedan and leapt out of my seat. Halfway to the park trail, I stopped because I heard the sound of sobbing near Addie’s car. I doubled back and found her crouched near the ground, her face in her hands.
Without thinking, I dropped to my knees and pulled her into my arms. She threw herself at me. A rosary in her hand, one that she must have been praying over, made soft chime-like sounds when she flung her arms wide. Her sobs tugged at me more than I expected. I clutched her tight until she steadied herself enough to talk. When she pulled back, her eyes were red and puffy. Distress still wrenched her features.
I ran a hand along her cheek, pushing her hair back and wiping away any tears that didn’t get soaked up by my shirt.
“There were so many. I—I didn’t…” She cut herself off and shook her head. Her fingers dug into my arms where she held me.
“This isn’t your fault,” I told her.
She pressed her lips into a grim line but nodded anyway. The circles under her eyes had darkened even more since I’d last seen her. I got the sense that the tremble in her body might have been more from her lack of sleep than her fear—or perhaps both had crashed together to make her quake like a scared toy-sized dog.
Maybe she didn’t believe me, but I wouldn’t allow her to blame herself for the actions of others. Whoever was behind this had it out for her. We would be able to find them if she told me why they wanted her so badly. Until then, we would be fumbling in the dark, waiting for the one hunting her to strike again.
I’d rather be prepared for the next fight than sit on my laurels and wait.
“Can you take me back to where it happened?” I asked.
I expected her to say no. Instead, Addie wiped at her nose and looked past me. A film of white crossed over her eyes like it had in the interrogation room. I would never get used to that. This new world full of monsters continually took me by surprise. Every time I thought that I had a handle on what was going on, Addie would look past me at something that wasn’t there, and I would feel lost all over again.