Page 28 of Fatally Yours

“We did,” he affirmed. Wes looked at me, surely hoping I would proclaim that August was once more spouting bullshit or telling tall tales. If only I had better news for him…

“Did you really?” he asked. I nodded silently as he leaned back on the couch in disbelief, pressing his palms to his face and muttering another string of obscenities under his breath.

“That guy was a jerk, anyway,” Mandy huffed, shrugging her shoulders. Wes sighed, his face lacking as much life as we were.

“I-I suppose that’s what you’re doing here, then.

” He struggled to spit out the words. “K-killing all your enemies.” Without looking up from the file, he nodded.

“Then, what does that make us?” August’s mismatched eyes shot to mine.

There was a spark of anger there, but I couldn’t find the same fire.

My passion was more than likely dulled by the joy of seeing them again.

“I’ll let Natasha decide since you really only wronged her,” he growled.

“Be grateful she’s nicer than I am, but don’t get your hopes up.

Being dead changes you.” Mandy’s previously jovial expression fell as her hand threaded with Wes’.

My chest hollowed out as I felt the silence threaten to crush me.

Her eyes were wide and pleading as her bottom lip began to tremble, and all her joy slipped away.

“So… are you changed, Tash?” she questioned, her voice barely a whisper.

“No.” I shook my head. “Not like August. Not yet, anyway.” Both of them let out a simultaneous sigh of relief.

“But you can’t tell anyone about this. Ever.

You’ll go to your graves about this,” I said, eyeing them.

“Your literal graves. Got it?” They nodded, and Mandy gave Wes’ hand an affirming squeeze as if that would calm him down.

“Why were you here, anyway?” I asked. Her head fell like a wilted flower.

“Guilt. I couldn’t think about it anymore,” she said. Wes nodded in agreement, his eyes refusing to meet mine. August looked up from his scattering of papers and spoke.

“And Scott? I’m assuming he’s not feeling as guilty as you two,” he inquired. Mandy’s head rocked from side to side hesitantly.

“N-no, he’s not…”

“Interesting…” August peeked at the block of knives just a few feet away.

“No!” Mandy said, holding out her arms. “He probably just let Devin sway him. But now that he’s gone… that’s three of us dead. He’s going to think we’re cursed or something.” Wes’ palm met his forehead with a dull slap.

“We are fucking cursed,” he muttered. “This doesn’t happen to normal people. We should’ve never done that ritual.”

“We aren’t exactly normal people,” Mandy said blankly. “Maybe there’s a ritual for going back in time.” Wes shook his head and got to his feet.

“No,” he said. “No more rituals. No more magic. No more anything. I want nothing to do with this.” He ran his hand along the top of his head and then headed for the front door, completely forgetting our morbid confession. When I looked at August, he was glaring at him.

“Sit down,” he hissed. I wasn’t sure if it was his newly acquired powers, but Wes stiffened up and went back to his seat as obediently as I had fallen to my knees previously.

If there was something supernatural going on there, Wes didn’t comment.

Though fear was almost as powerful as whatever August could do, I was sure .

“We need your help to find the fucker who killed me.”

“And if I say no? Are you gonna kill me, then?” Wes said with a disgruntled expression.

“I might.”

“August!” I cried. When his eyes flicked to me, he was smirking. However, I couldn’t tell if it was to indicate his playfulness or if he really intended to kill our friends. They did bury me after all, and it seemed anyone wronging me was meeting an untimely end.

Wes’ shoulders slumped as he leaned back on the couch again with his face in his hands. Sweat was still pouring from his hairline as Mandy set her hand on his thigh in a feeble attempt to soothe him. After a moment of silence, Wes spoke.

“So what happens when you find this asshole? You gonna kill them, too?”

“Of course.”

“And what if it’s some stupid kid? Or an old lady?”

“It’s not,” August stated, closing the file and sliding it across the counter.

I scooped it up and felt a heaviness in my chest. This was our answer.

This was the key to everything, the solution that would make all of our problems disappear.

We would finally get justice for the cruelty that was inflicted upon us—if only I could bring myself to open it.

Not wanting to be the sole bearer of information, I made my way to the couch as Mandy moved over so I could sit between them.

Wes scooted away and cradled the arm nearest to me to his chest in an attempt to avoid contact.

I didn’t blame him. Mandy set her head on my shoulder as I flipped open the folder, struggling to stop my hands from shaking.

I looked at the image at the top of the file.

It was the same picture I saw in the newspaper back at the bar.

If only I knew how much significance it had held.

They couldn’t have cast a more rugged individual to play the role of August’s killer.

The man had greasy long locks and a strip of salt and pepper hair adorning his lip.

The creases in his face showed his age, indicated drug use, or some twisted combination of the two.

I flipped the page, taking in another picture.

His checkerboard teeth made me shiver as I attempted to scan the words, but my eyes couldn’t be pulled from the images before me.

Mandy was over my shoulder, glaring down at the extensive list of charges at the bottom of the page and continuing to the next.

“Randy Clark?” she questioned. “He’s that weirdo who runs the auto body.”

“Wait,” August said. “ That weirdo who got caught with kiddie shit?” She shrugged and took the folder from my hands.

Then she pulled it to her face as if making sure her eyes weren’t fooling her.

Turning to the next document, her gaze darted from left to right, flipping from page to page until she slapped it down onto her lap.

“Dude, why the hell were they always coming after us? This dude is a menace,” she said, pointing to the paper.

“He already has a gross bodily harm charge for reckless driving…” She continued with a crumpled expression.

“First-degree sexual misconduct with a minor. I mean, this guy is gross.” She continued scanning as her face grew increasingly contorted as she went on.

“Drug charges, soliciting prostitution…”

“Nasty enough to die?” Wes questioned.

“He killed me.” August glared at him behind the counter, making his mouth clamp shut. Mandy nodded, continuing to read. Her nose was buried in the file until she pulled it away, curling her lip.

“This guy is more of a creep than Officer Wilson. He’s not allowed around kids because of that shit they found in his house a few years ago,” she said, practically holding back a gag.

“Maybe that’s why he fled when he hit you, August. He didn’t want to go back to prison.

” He glanced at her from the kitchen. When I looked at him, there was another knife in his hand.

He was wiping down the blade with a towel that had previously hung on the stove.

“It doesn’t matter why. It matters that he did it.”