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Kieran only watched, knowing that this was the only way through to his plan. The ground gave one final pulse, and the shadows pulled Christian toward a dark infinity. His body pushed upward then down and through the tear, snapping out of sight within seconds.

The rupture pulsed with a deafening crack mirroring the storm. Kieran stepped forward, talisman heavy in his hand. “Ready to see below Devil’s Bay?”

Hunger glistened in their eyes.

TWENTY-TWO

September, 25 2010

“Saints and sinners, they are all the same.”

— VICTOR LAZARUS

The snow had let up overnight, trickling to a slow halt. Sleep was far and few. Between the slashing images of the thing and another adventure through the cimmerian pathways of my mind, my eyes had only finally shut at the break of dawn.

I push the blankets off my body and pad over to the window. Outside, the estate is drenched in snow. A murkiness dapples across the sky leaving a grungy feel to the new day.

The name Devil’s Bay was such a…choice. A choice that had to mean something to the townsfolk. It was beautiful in a way that abandoned towns are. The land was lush and cold, yet inviting. I study the cliff faces curved along this inlet. I would have to venture there someday, maybe that could be today.

I turn to Misty, who in the bright light showcases her missing eye. I walk over to her and run my fingers through her midnight fur. She yawns and stretches. “When I find whoever did this to you, I will gouge their eyes out.” She tilts her head at me and with a sudden burst, jumps onto my chest, knocking me over. A flurry of giggles escapes my lips as my dog nuzzles into my face with licks and soft huffs. “Come on, let’s go for a walk. I can use you as an excuse to snoop around the grounds.” Her ears perk up and she bounds for the door, then stands ramrod straight, waiting for me like a soldier.

I clean up and get dressed, donning another wool dress that I tug free from a messy drawer. I tug on a coat coupled with a hat and scarf, slide my newly acquired knife into my pocket, then make my way out the door.

We make our way outside with relative ease. The markers of the house’s ins and outs imprinted in my mind over the last few days of mindless wandering. Though, I really need to get more information on the where and why of this place. But as I let Misty outside once again, I’m met with a canvas of white, and all those ideas escape with the wind. I underestimated just how much snow had fallen overnight.

Unease prickles my skin as I glance around the isolated land. Maybe I hadn’t seen anything last night and my mind was meandering through past information and projecting them into reality through a series of strange imagery. Maybe. I glance up at the house to the window I’d peered out of yesterday. Shadows blur its panes. I glance away, feeling dread climb up my throat. I grip the knife in my pocket. The visions were simply conjectures of my mind, nothing more. Plus hallucinations could be possible with my amnesia. What if I suffered from a mental health disease before this? The possibilities are endless.

Though one thing was true: something wasn’t right with the owner of this house. Or something was wrong with me and I’m displacing all negative emotions onto someone else.

A warmth cascades across my skin as I think of him; the shadow of his body last night across from me; the way he confidently walked us through the forest, a sense of eerie calm radiating from him. Then there is the Sheriff. Why hadn’t he visited the estate yet? Why was he just lingering? Am I safe with him watching over me like he claims?

Then Kieran swarms my thoughts. I don’t know if I’m truly safe with him either, he was withholding information.

Despite the sickening attraction I feel blooming in my chest toward this enigmatic man, my self preservation matters more.

The lake. Was it real? Did I imagine those hands in the water? To visit the lake or to wait? There are so many physical places to investigate, my head starts to hurt.

Misty watches me carefully, her majestic black fur glinting against the stark white snow. The morning sheds a cadaverous light on the house’s exterior with its craggy bushes and cracks. As I walk with Misty through the forest trail, I shield my eyes against the overcast as I study the crowns and the newly perched birds that linger in their branches. They all speak to one another in their intricate secret songs. They don’t even look like birds, really more like a child had traced a drawing of a bird and colored them poorly.

However, peace doesn’t last long as I’ve come to learn. In the periphery, something hurries by, shifting between the thick trees and keeping low to the ground.

Misty stops in her tracks, ears trained on the sound. Not again. I grip my knife, steering close to Misty. “What do you hear, girl?” I ask, training my ear to the silent forest. In the distance—a blur, gliding and fast like last night. It darts between the pines as I keep my gaze focused, lowering myself to Misty’s height and following her line of sight. Ahead, clumps of snow tumbles from a singular tree, the branches rebounding like an animal had catapulted from it.

Narrowing my eyes, I catch sight of something dark, peering around the corner, its fingers curled around the bark. It has hands. It has hands. Not an animal. A human?

A growl trails from Misty’s chest as the hands curl further around the bark and two glowing eyes cut through the bright snow. Not a human then. I rise quickly, tugging on Misty.

“Run,” I whisper the command. She listens to me this time and turns back to the trail. So much for visiting the lake. I poise to sprint but my boots slip in the snow and I fall flat against my face. I groan at the impact, a throb beginning to form behind my eyes.

Behind us, I can hear the quiet shuffle of leaves and snow falling from its undisturbed places. Whatever this creature is, it had decided to follow. I push off the ground and pick up the pace in my unequipped outfit and push myself to keep up with Misty. I keep my eyes trained forward, ignoring the blooming apprehension that prickles at my nape.

Ignore it.

I glance down for a moment to see long fingernails try to reach for my legs. A gasp dies in my throat as I think quickly and reach for my knife. Ready for whatever animal this was. My focus falters as Misty swerves around an imposing shadow. I’m running so fast, I prepare to brace for impact but as I near I notice the long end of a rifle pointed at me. My breath stutters, brain churning to mush. “What the fuck?”

“Don’t look back.” A click of a chamber follows and I crouch out of sheer survival instinct. A loud bang reverberates through the forest. I wrap my hands around my head, cradling against the noise. Snow melts against my coat. The sound of metal meets liquid, followed by a cracking sound fills the air. Silence ensues and all I can hear is the beating of my heart. I glance up at the dark silhouette blotting light. It’s Kieran. Is that anger in his eyes? Annoyance? His gaze slides to mine, bloodshot. He raises his hands again, raising a black rifle aimed at me, and fires a shot. The earsplitting blast startles me and my hands fly up to cover my ears. Shock riddles my expression as I dare to look back. A figure drops from a low branch along with the snow and thumps heavily onto the forest floor.

I turn away, not willing to wrap my mind around another creature I have to be aware of. “Where the hell am I?” My shock is a mere whisper.