or thrown. Shade put her ear to the door hoping to make out
what he was saying, but his words were swallowed by a groan of
thunder and the crack of lightening. The only thing Shade noted was
that his voice seemed frantic. Emotional. Completely unlike the man
they met only a few hours ago.
Rikka made eye contact with her sister as she
laid a hand on the silver door knob. Shade nodded and held her gun
at the ready. On the silent count of three, Rikka threw the door
open and stepped back as Shade darted through.
Chapter 7: “I’ll see you soon.”
Daniel stood in the middle of the foyer
staring at Rikka and Shade, unarmed and with tears in his eyes. His
shoulders were slumped as if he suddenly had the weight of the
world dropped on him and wasn’t prepared for it. Mr. .44 Magnum sat
slumped on the stairs, his large frame resting between a broken
guardrail. His eyes were bloodshot, and slid from Shade to Rikka as
if he knew he was about to die but didn’t care enough to put up a
fight.
Pieces of a demolished bookshelf lay at his
feet while the rest was in a heap a foot from the front door.
Scattered around the foyer were shattered angel trinkets that once
found home on the shelves. Shade lifted her foot and kicked away
the angel wing she was stepping on. It clattered across the floor,
coming to rest at Daniel’s feet. He looked down at it, his eyes
hooded and his gaze far away.
“They’re all gone,” he whispered. “We’re the
only ones left.” He dropped to his knees and broke down as he
lowered his head to the floor. Massive sobs shook his chest as he
struggled to breathe through the weight of loneliness and sorrow
pressing against his lungs.
Shade looked to her sister who still had her
gun trained on Mr. .44 Magnum. Her eyes were dead and devoid of all
emotion. It was a wonder she hadn’t pulled the trigger yet.
“What are you waiting for?” Mr. .44 Magnum
bellowed, his eyes glistening with tears that had yet to fall. “Do
it.”
Shade tucked her weapon in her belt loop and
stepped in front of her sister’s line of fire. She knew that
wouldn’t do much to sway Rikka from pulling the trigger, but it was
the only thing she could think to do to keep the situation from
escalating to a point it didn’t need to go. Things had changed.
Rikka and Shade were now a bigger threat than the two before
them.
“What happened?” Shade asked, trying to make
her voice as soothing and non-threatening as possible.
“What does it matter? You’re here to kill us
right. Just get it over with.”
“We’re not here to kill you.” Shade turned to
her sister. “Rikka, lower your gun.”
“Not a chance,” she hissed.
Shade noted Rikka’s weapon was still aimed at
her. If Mr. .44 Magnum made a move, there was no doubt that she
would shoot through Shade if it meant putting him down.
“Then how about you go make sure Lou’s all
right. Or is shooting him more important than your little
sister?”
Rikka’s jaw tightened as she considered her
options. Shade expected the light to rekindle in her sister’s eyes
as it always had when she mentioned Lou, but she had no such luck
this time. They were still…
Shade furrowed her brows as she took a step
closer. Rikka instantly raised her gun in defense. As a show of
good faith, the younger sister lifted her hands out to her side,
fingers spread. “Rikka, there’s… There’s something wrong with your
eyes.” Shade took another step forward, more slowly this time.
After one more step, she could see it clearly. Rikka’s light brown
eyes were slowly turning black. The darkness floated through her
iris like ink through water, metastasizing and stretching like the
twisted arms of the dead trees surrounding the house.
Shade stepped back just as the blackness
blotted out every hint of the old hue. She was tempted to reach for
her gun but had to stop herself. Rikka’s gun was still aimed at her
chest.
“I’m going to clear the house, then I’ll
check on Lou,”
what he was saying, but his words were swallowed by a groan of
thunder and the crack of lightening. The only thing Shade noted was
that his voice seemed frantic. Emotional. Completely unlike the man
they met only a few hours ago.
Rikka made eye contact with her sister as she
laid a hand on the silver door knob. Shade nodded and held her gun
at the ready. On the silent count of three, Rikka threw the door
open and stepped back as Shade darted through.
Chapter 7: “I’ll see you soon.”
Daniel stood in the middle of the foyer
staring at Rikka and Shade, unarmed and with tears in his eyes. His
shoulders were slumped as if he suddenly had the weight of the
world dropped on him and wasn’t prepared for it. Mr. .44 Magnum sat
slumped on the stairs, his large frame resting between a broken
guardrail. His eyes were bloodshot, and slid from Shade to Rikka as
if he knew he was about to die but didn’t care enough to put up a
fight.
Pieces of a demolished bookshelf lay at his
feet while the rest was in a heap a foot from the front door.
Scattered around the foyer were shattered angel trinkets that once
found home on the shelves. Shade lifted her foot and kicked away
the angel wing she was stepping on. It clattered across the floor,
coming to rest at Daniel’s feet. He looked down at it, his eyes
hooded and his gaze far away.
“They’re all gone,” he whispered. “We’re the
only ones left.” He dropped to his knees and broke down as he
lowered his head to the floor. Massive sobs shook his chest as he
struggled to breathe through the weight of loneliness and sorrow
pressing against his lungs.
Shade looked to her sister who still had her
gun trained on Mr. .44 Magnum. Her eyes were dead and devoid of all
emotion. It was a wonder she hadn’t pulled the trigger yet.
“What are you waiting for?” Mr. .44 Magnum
bellowed, his eyes glistening with tears that had yet to fall. “Do
it.”
Shade tucked her weapon in her belt loop and
stepped in front of her sister’s line of fire. She knew that
wouldn’t do much to sway Rikka from pulling the trigger, but it was
the only thing she could think to do to keep the situation from
escalating to a point it didn’t need to go. Things had changed.
Rikka and Shade were now a bigger threat than the two before
them.
“What happened?” Shade asked, trying to make
her voice as soothing and non-threatening as possible.
“What does it matter? You’re here to kill us
right. Just get it over with.”
“We’re not here to kill you.” Shade turned to
her sister. “Rikka, lower your gun.”
“Not a chance,” she hissed.
Shade noted Rikka’s weapon was still aimed at
her. If Mr. .44 Magnum made a move, there was no doubt that she
would shoot through Shade if it meant putting him down.
“Then how about you go make sure Lou’s all
right. Or is shooting him more important than your little
sister?”
Rikka’s jaw tightened as she considered her
options. Shade expected the light to rekindle in her sister’s eyes
as it always had when she mentioned Lou, but she had no such luck
this time. They were still…
Shade furrowed her brows as she took a step
closer. Rikka instantly raised her gun in defense. As a show of
good faith, the younger sister lifted her hands out to her side,
fingers spread. “Rikka, there’s… There’s something wrong with your
eyes.” Shade took another step forward, more slowly this time.
After one more step, she could see it clearly. Rikka’s light brown
eyes were slowly turning black. The darkness floated through her
iris like ink through water, metastasizing and stretching like the
twisted arms of the dead trees surrounding the house.
Shade stepped back just as the blackness
blotted out every hint of the old hue. She was tempted to reach for
her gun but had to stop herself. Rikka’s gun was still aimed at her
chest.
“I’m going to clear the house, then I’ll
check on Lou,”
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