Page 88 of Nightshades

I come closer. “Very.”

“I’m warning you!”

“Very.” Her fear slips down my throat, more bitter than what I prefer, but it will do.

She pulls the trigger, and I’m able to hear the bullet leave the chamber, regardless of the silencer. The bullet pierces my chest, black smoke drifting free.

“Bad,” the word is pure venom, mixed with all of my beasts.

Christina’s eyes round knowing she is up against something so much more. She empties the clip into me, firing one shot after another into my chest, shoulders, neck, and head.

“What the fuck?” Her entire body trembles, scurrying backwards until her back hits the wall, and the gun falls from her hand.

Becca is still screaming.

“What the fuck are you?”

The bullets are pushed from my body, clinking one after another after another onto the ground.

I step into her space until my shadow is suffocating her against the wall. My roots are quick, slithering up her body and pinning her to the wall.

Becca doesn’t even take a breath to continue screaming.

It’s driving me insane.

Urging the roots around the van, they creep inside and cover her mouth so I can finally have some fucking peace.

“Let me show you.” The stygian cloud infiltrates through her lips, nose, and ears, conquering her body.

She tries to scream, but it gets caught in her throat, choking her as she tries to call for help.

“You’re noticing that you can’t feel anything. You can’t see anything but the emptiness of your own mind. Don’t worry. I’ll be there soon,” I warn. “You are paralyzed, Christina. You can’t feel a thing. You can’t speak.” Another darkness fills my mind, and that’s when I turn to look at the van. I’m inside Becca’s mind too. The nightmare has taken her as well.

“Oh, this is going to be fun,” I whisper, diving into my two-for-one deal.

I’m standing in a typical room. Nothing special. There’s a couch against the wall. A lamp in the corner. A family photo hanging on the wall to my right. The floors are hardwood, not old or original hardwood, but new—looks cheap.

To my surprise, both ladies are sitting in chairs that look like they are from a dining table set, with a high back and big cushions to keep them comfortable. They are tied to the chairs with barbed wire, the sharp metal cutting into their skin. Blood drips from every wound, and Becca is still fucking screaming.

“Shut up or I’ll rip your fucking tongue out and shove it down Christina’s throat.”

Becca shuts her lips immediately.

“What are you?” Christina asks, her voice a discombobulated whisper.

“I’m…many things, but what I want to know is, why both of you are here.” I bend down, taking my time to stare at Christina before turning to look at Becca.

Their cheeks are wet with tears. Snot runs down their nose. Christina seems a little braver. Her lips tremble while she holds her head high to look at me, daring me to try anything, while Becca stares at the floor, accepting her fate.

“You must be very close if both of your fears are connected.” Being inside their mind, I can taste their pasts. “You are best friends. No. More like sisters. Your fear is to live without one another. There’s no specific death you are afraid of; you just don’t want to lose your best friend. Well, isn’t that fucking sweet.” I shove their chairs over, and they fall onto their sides, the wire digging deeper into their flesh.

Lifting Christina up by her hair, I set her chair on all fours, forcing her to stare at Becca. “Tell me, how do you want me to kill her?”

“What? No. No, please. Don’t hurt her. She is good! She didn’t do anything. She wouldn’t have done anything if it weren’t for me. I talked her into it. I’m the embezzler!”

I press my nose against her cheek, inhaling all that terror she’s trying to hide.

“Oh, but she did. She killed him. She had a choice.”