“Are you cured?” I asked him. His eyes drifted to me and he shook his head somberly. “How are you human then?”
“After I… ate Ben, I shifted back. I think I can control it now but I feel it in there, my beast side. I feel its hunger. I don’t know what it means.” After that, we didn’t talk. Shock, I thought. Now that it was over I could feel my mind struggling to actually process it all. I felt a numbness grow around me, shielding me from the emotions.
Home, I thought, I just needed to get home first. I needed to see my family. I needed to sleep in my bed.
They carried me down the mountain until we found ourselves back at the property full of cabins. Lights were flashing as we approached, blues and reds strobing. There was so much noise too. All types of people talking, the bark of radios, the sounds of movement, cars doors opening and closing.
A crowd of people was swarming the place. People in uniforms going in and out of the buildings, pulling things out. I saw people holding microphones and talking. I saw a line of cars in the parking area. I saw body bags outside one of the buildings. There were six of them laying in a line. They didn’t look very full, certainly not enough for a full person.
“Ava,” someone cried, and I saw my mom, tears streaming down her face as Caspian let me down. She pulled us both in a tight embrace, wrapping her arms around us.
“Caspian,” she said. Pollux slunk back, his eyes darting to the woods. Caspian rushed over and grabbed him, pulling the cryptid behind him.
A girl with dark blonde hair came running over, flinging herself at Brandon with great sobs.
“Kelsie,” he gasped, pulling her away from his body and looking her over. He ground his teeth as tears leaked from his eyes. Caspian’s dad was there too, grabbing Caspian into a hug. He didn’t cry and neither did Caspian. They just held each other tightly until Amador’s eyes settled on Mothman and a look of confusion came over his face.
I buried myself into my mother’s hug, clinging to her, breathing in her familiar perfume.
“Mom,” I gasped, emotions trying to break through. My sister barreled into us, her arms wrapping around me. They held me, kissing my face all over, grabbing at the borrowed clothes in confusion, trying to ask questions but losing their words as they saw bloodstains. Bone-deep exhaustion filled me up until I felt I could barely stand on my feet. All the adrenaline and stress withering away until even keeping my eyes open felt like an effort.
Cameras began coming closer. I could almost hear the words in their thoughts. The questions, the demands to know. Know what happened, know where the others were, know what we did to survive, know who did this to us and what exactly had they done.
I felt the tidal wave of emotions swelling in the wave of people coming for us. Makwa felt my panic.
“Get us out of here,” Makwa murmured to my mother, mimicking my voice.
My mom pulled back and looked at the people coming for us.
“Get them to the car,” she told my sister. Mom’s eyes narrowed and her mouth tightened before she stomped over to the crowd, taking command and hurling whatever words she needed to get them away.
“Lizzy, ” I said, tugging on my sister’s shirt as I looked over at Pollux. His red eyes seared me. Her eyes followed my gaze and she gripped my forearms tightly. I felt her wobble and recalled how I felt the first time I saw him. I swallowed, concerned she might start screaming or running. She shook her head as her mouth twisted in displease.
“You really do get up to the strangest shit,” she remarked. “Come on.” Caspian reached out and snatched Mothman, dragging him along beside him.
“What is he?” Amador asked Caspian. It finally hit home that his dad wasn’t human either. Caspian didn’t answer and soon Lizzy was shoving us in the back of my mom’s SUV. Pollux scrambled in first, getting to the very back, third row. Brandon got in with him, then Caspian.
“I’ll follow,” Amador said, shooting Mothman another look before Lizzy dragged me into the second row and pulled me into her. She was smaller than me, five feet with pitch-black hair and eyes. I’d never once in my life seen her cry but she couldn’t seem to stop now as she gripped my blackened hand and looked at the severed finger.
“Ava,” she choked out. Then the front door opened and my mom climbed in. She snapped the door shut before locking the doors. Her hands pressed to the steering wheel as she looked at me in the rearview mirror. I waited for her to say something. Instead, she took a deep breath, started the car, and began driving off.
We all remained silent. There was tension in the air. My mom’s movements were jerky as she twisted the wheel.
She didn’t talk until we were on the highway.
“Why are you possessed?” She asked, her eyes once again staring at me in the rearview mirror. Lizzy sucked in a breath and her grip on my arms tightened.
“Ava?” Lizzy asked as if unsure that was who she was really dealing with. My mom ground her jaw as she sped down the highway. I didn’t know how to respond to her. Why was I possessed? How could I explain that in a few sentences? How could I explain the entire thing? How could I talk about any of it without the numbness around me shattering on impact from the first few words?
“We’ll get it out, baby. Don’t worry,” Mom said.
“No!” I yelled and Lizzy jerked in shock. “You can’t,” I said.
“Why not?” Mom asked tightly.
“Because I’m part of the team,” Makwa said, sliding to the surface. “I saved her, you know?” Lizzy shot away from me. Makwa sent her an entertained smile before crossing my legs and brushing invisible dirt from my shoulders.
“Give me one good reason not to rip you out?” My mom ground out.
