The omen

August 21st, 2020. (Present day)

San Francisco, California.

Naomi woke up with a start in her dark, luxury apartment, her heart pounding feverishly against her ribcage. She didn't know what to make of the dream she just had. 

Did she see all those events and imagine all the conversations because of how much she had been reading her favorite novel? She couldn't be sure. 

She inhaled the lingering sweet scent of sandalwood from the burned out candles on her nightstand and stretched out her body. The time on her alarm clock read six a.m. If she didn't leave soon, she would be late for work. 

Rubbing her face and pushing the weird, fantastical dream, she got out of bed and started getting ready. 

... 

"Breathe. Hit. Breathe. Hit. Breathe. Hit."

At the Olympic gym on a sunny afternoon after closing early from work, those were the words Naomi Walker kept repeating in her head, over and over as she delivered blow after blow to the punching bag, in front of her. 

Sweat dripped from her forehead and down her neck to disappear into her sports bra.

She still couldn't get the dream out of her mind and it made her anxious. Having dreams or nightmares were not a new occurrence, after all, they had plagued her ever since her parents died eight years ago. They had become less frequent after she moved in with her aunt and sought therapy. 

However, two years ago, the nightmares returned with its full intensity to the point where it was a miracle if she slept for more than four hours. Every night, she relived the gruesome death of her parents.

She tried the therapy route again but her problems persisted. Boxing and getting lost in the novel, Heart of the continent, which she had shared a passion for with her late father, helped her cope and it became her lifeline.

Naomi had expected to have the same dream/nightmare again, instead she dreamt of sex, love, promises, and blood.

During her work hours as an investigative reporter for the San Francisco chronicle, she tried to remember the face of the man she had never seen before but somehow felt a connection to. Maybe it was because she had hot, ardent sex with the strange man. 

Yet, even now, she couldn't remember his face or the face of the woman with the blood on her lips. The whole thing made her punch the bag harder than ever. 

All she could fully recall was the sex, the words he said to her and the intense way he stared at her with his obsidian eyes. 

"I would burn down the continent before letting anyone harm you."

His words still rang in her ears as she attacked the punching bag in front of her. 

"Aah!" She let out a scream as she landed a mighty hit at the punching bag that made the heavy sand-filled leather bag swing back from the sheer force of her punch.

Instinctively, she hurriedly took two steps to the left, away from the path of the bag before it could complete its pendulum motion and slam her in the face.

Drained from the hour she had spent in the boxing arena of the private gym, she plopped onto a padded bench by the boxing ring.

Her chest moved up and down as she took in a deep breath and let it out. 

Taking off the boxing gloves and cotton wraps that protected her knuckles, she flexed and extended her long, slender fingers till they stopped shaking, then took a large gulp of water from the water bottle next to her.

"Damn, I thought you would never stop. Don't tell me you imagined the bag to be Mr. Dalton's face," a tall, athletic woman with a head of full, brown curls tied in a bun quipped as she strode into the arena, crossed a leg over the bench, and sat facing Naomi.

Naomi laughed humorlessly at her work colleague and best friend with occasional benefits before taking a sip from her bottle.

"Not this time," she replied as she rested her head on Victoria's shoulder. 

Judging from Naomi's countenance, she picked up on what was wrong.

"You had a nightmare again, didn't you?" Victoria asked.

Naomi sighed heavily, not wanting to explain the strange dream.

She had met Victoria in her last year of college during a shared class. 

Her pale skin, green eyes, and hourglass figure were what attracted Naomi to her at first glance but over time, her persistence and playful attitude were what earned her a place in Naomi's life as not just a casual friend or acquaintance like many of the other people Naomi had in her corner, but as a constant and reliable presence.

Victoria on the other hand had known Naomi ever since their junior year but was a bit too intimidated and awed by her sharp, dark beauty and air of mystery to say a word to her until their senior year when she finally gathered morale.

Throughout their relationship, Victoria came to know about Naomi's turbulent life, and one night when she slept over at Naomi's apartment after a long day at the office two years ago, she found out about the nightmares but Naomi held back on telling her just how frequent they were.

Victoria put her hands around her shoulders and drew her closer. She hated seeing the woman she loved suffer so much.

"We are going to find them, okay? We have been pursuing this lead for two years and I am sure we are going to find the people that killed your parents," Victoria said.

"But what if this lead ends up at a dead end like all the other ones I've been pursuing throughout my college days? What if—"

Victoria placed her index finger on Naomi's lips, shushing her before she could second-guess herself further.

"Naomi! You are the most brilliant woman I know and one of the most skilled investigative reporters I've had the fortune of meeting. You climbed the ladders to the position of a senior reporter in such a short time and cemented your name as one of the finest journalists in California! 

"Moreover, you have been following this lead religiously so why are you doubting it now? You're so close already," Victoria gave an encouraging smile that managed to ease a bit of the tension from Naomi's shoulders.

Naomi returned her smile and leaned in, placing a soft kiss on her lips.

"Thank you."

A moment of comfortable silence passed.

"Do you want to spar for a bit before we leave?" Victoria suggested, breaking the silence. 

"Sure, why not? I think I'll feel even better."

They both stood and assumed fighting stances, Naomi's more firm and grounded than Victoria's. 

In a flash, Naomi lunged towards Victoria, striking the first blow which caught Victoria in her belly causing her to wheeze out in pain. 

"Damn, go easy!" She breathed heavily, clutching the spot Naomi had hit. 

"Sorry!"

On and on they went, Naomi attacking with a flurry of quick punches; some of which Victoria managed to dodge. Later on, she landed a few punches of her own. 

A half-hour later, Victoria fell dramatically to the floor. 

"I yield! I yield," she panted, clutching her waist and abdomen as she rolled from side to side. 

Naomi squatted beside her, a worried look overcoming her features. 

"Are you alright? I'm sorry if I went too hard on you."

"It's fine. Just need a moment to catch my breath," Victoria replied, wheezing and moaning dramatically which drew a chuckle from Naomi's lips. 

"Alright, Weakling. Get up. We have to be at The Curran Theater in an hour," Naomi said urgently, then stood upright and held out a hand to Victoria. 

"Wait, I thought we were going to Silicon Valley to meet up with the person who has the information regarding your parents, so…" Victoria trailed off, raising an eyebrow as she took Naomi's outstretched hand, using it to pull herself up. 

"Did you seriously forget about the launch of the two sequels to the Heart of the continent?" Naomi asked, her face falling in disappointment.

"Oh! No, no, Of course, I remembered. I mean, I was only trying to see if you did," Victoria replied sheepishly, scratching the back of her neck.

Naomi chuckled dryly. "Nice save."

 

After taking a quick shower together, Naomi dressed up in a black jumpsuit and freed her thick, dark curls from the bun it was tied up in, letting it fall to her exposed shoulders, and lent one of her flowing gowns to Victoria.

A short drive later, they arrived at The Curran Theater just in time to meet the author, purchase signed copies of the sequels, and get her copy of the first book signed by him.

"Can you believe I just met E.J Smith?" Naomi squealed happily, kissing her autographed novel as she drove on the road to Silicon Valley.

"You look so beautiful when you're excited," Victoria said as she stared at Naomi with eyes full of love, longing, and desire.

Naomi glanced over at Victoria, catching the way she stared at her. And the grin bled from her face. She knew that Victoria loved her and she loved her too but not in the way that Victoria wanted and needed to be loved.

Till she found out the truth behind her parent's death, she didn't know if she would be able to ever love someone wholly and fiercely, the way she had seen her parents love each other.

"Victoria…" Naomi trailed off.

"Don't say anything, okay? I understand. It's fine," She said, a sad smile on her lips instead of the happy grin that she usually sported.

Choosing to listen instead of trying to pacify Victoria in which she might end up saying the wrong thing, Naomi pushed down the ache in her chest as she pressed down on the accelerator.

Night fell as they sped along the road en route to Silicone Valley, and with the night came a total lunar eclipse, the first to be seen in ten years.

"Can you pull into the gas station up ahead? I haven't seen a blood moon since I was a kid," Victoria asked as she looked up at the blood-red moon in wonder.

"Plus, I need to pee."

"Okay."

A short while later, she pulled into the gas station and parked. "Tell you what, I'll just go to the bathroom, then go into the store and get us drinks, non-alcoholic of course, and we'll enjoy the view of the moon for a while before we continue our journey. Sounds good, yeah?" Victoria suggested with a hopeful smile on her face.

"You know we're supposed to focus on finding out what happened to my parents, and as you said, we've been chasing this particular lead for a long time! 

"You of all people know how long it took to set up this meeting and you're telling me to risk being late and enjoy the view?" Naomi glowered, her temper rising, but as she saw the hurt expression on Victoria's face, she calmed herself.

"Fine. Just please hurry up. We aren't spending more than five minutes staring at this… incredibly calming view of the moon…" Naomi trailed off as she finally took a good look at the blood-red moon, stark against the pitch-black sky.

There was something both ominous and serene about the moon that would not let her tear her eyes off of it. 

Victoria shook her head and headed off to the bathroom, leaving Naomi standing beside the passenger door, fixated on the moon. 

It seemed to draw her in, almost to the point of hypnosis. The moon seemed to pulsate, growing larger till she felt she could hold it in her hands.

She didn't notice that she had begun to stretch her hands forward in a bid to hold the pulsating moon in her hands until the sharp sound of her ringtone pierced the quiet night, abruptly tearing Naomi away from her hypnotic state.

Startled, her hands fell to her sides. Glancing around in confusion, she patted her body till she found her ringing phone. Clearing her throat to compose herself, she picked up the call from the unknown number on her screen.

"Hello?"

 That was the last thing she remembered before her car exploded.

.......... 

The booming sound of an explosion threw Victoria into a state of panic. She leaped from the toilet seat she was on, hurriedly pushed down her long dress, and dashed out of the mini mart's grimy toilet not even bothering to wash her hands which was something she had never failed to do before that evening.

"What the hell is going on out there?" she wondered as she burst through the doors of the toilet and into the shopping area of the mart where she was supposed to get drinks for herself and Naomi after relieving her bladder.

The mini mart's manager who had directed her to the toilets was nowhere to be seen. She didn't waste any time figuring out his whereabouts but instead rushed through the glass doors of the mart in a frenzy. The unmistakable smell of gasoline and smoke filled her nostrils and lungs causing her to cough painfully into her palms.

She took tentative steps forward, her hands covering her nose and mouth as she searched for the source of the smoke; till she saw the gory sight ahead.

The car, Naomi's car was ablaze. It was completely engulfed in hot flames licking every part of the car. She could hardly believe her eyes. she had only been gone for a few minutes so how could this have happened?

Suddenly, she remembered that she had left Naomi standing by the side of the passenger door and the knowledge gave her a bit of hope and relief that she wasn't in the car at least, perhaps she had stepped away from the car before it exploded.

A part of her knew hope might be futile as Naomi was so transfixed on the moon that she might have still been standing by the car as it exploded, but she pushed the gnawing voice inside of her aside and held on to the hopes that she wasn't caught in the explosion. 

She rushed forward in the direction of the car which was parked in the parking space of the gas station, ignoring the growing heat around her caused by the fire. Her entire focus was making sure that Naomi was safe and unharmed, maybe a little shaken from witnessing an explosion, but unharmed nonetheless.

However, the gnawing voice of fear and doubt in her head was right as she came across a badly misshapen and charred body a few feet from the car.

She stopped short, her eyes refusing to believe the scene right in front of her, and she crashed to her knees in front of the body in shock.

"No, it's not my Naomi. It can't be. Someone else must have been caught in the blast. It's not her, Victoria," she muttered, choking back a sob.

As she knelt there in front of Naomi's corpse, something strange happened. Naomi's eyelids fluttered as if they were trying to open and her fingers moved slightly, but just as it happened, it was over before Victoria could notice it.

The mini mart's manager, a short, squat man in his late forties came in from the main road and approached Victoria, his steps uncertain as he made his way toward her.

"Miss?" he called softly but received no response. Swallowing nervously, he loosened the tie on his neck a bit, reached out, and shook the shoulder of the distraught woman softly.

She jerked from his touch, causing him to take a step back.

"What?" Victoria asked, her voice a hoarse version of itself.

"I assume you know the victim, yes? I have called 911 and they should be here any minute now," He said softly, his heart going out to the woman in front of him who looked young enough to be his daughter.

"I don't know this person. This person is not my Naomi. She must have gotten impatient and gone for a walk or something. She's going to be back any minute, you'll see." She nodded, resolute in her belief.

"Pardon me, but from the window at my counter, I saw the two of you come in with your car and when you came in to use the toilet, she was still standing outside. I know this must be hard for you, but she's gone, my dear. She is," he said, trying to offer her some comfort.

"No." That was all Victoria said before she turned her attention away from the manager and the corpse to the burning car ahead.

She didn't move an inch when an ambulance and a fire truck pulled into the parking lot and didn't pay attention even when they began loading the body onto a stretcher until a slightly charred bracelet fell from the wrist of the body.

The metallic glint of the bracelet caught her eye as it fell. It was unmistakable. She could recognize the bracelet anywhere even in its charred state as she wore a similar one on her wrist.

Her eyes snapped up to the paramedics in the process of putting the body, Naomi's body, into the ambulance.

She sprang to her feet, surprising the manager who still stood behind her, as she rushed to the ambulance.

"Naomi! Naomi!" she cried out, wailing in anguish as tears poured in torrents from her eyes. 

"Please, Miss, you can't touch the body," a female paramedic said but her words fell on deaf ears as she stretched her hands to touch Naomi's body which caused the manager and a male paramedic to hold her back as the female paramedic and a second male paramedic loaded the body into the ambulance fully.

"No! Let me go! Let go of me!" She thrashed and struggled against the people holding her back, managing to get out of the grip of the manager but the male paramedic who was stronger than she was, managed to hold her in place.

"Naomi!" she yelled a painful cry that pierced the evening, drowning out the combined wail of the ambulance and fire truck.

Drained, she sank to the ground, her shoulders shaking as she sobbed bitterly. Seeing that she had no will to struggle anymore, the male paramedic let go of her and nodded to the manager, a signal for him to watch over her as he left with the ambulance.

"It'll be alright, Miss. It will," the manager said, rubbing her shoulders as he tried his best to offer solace to her.

His words did nothing to soothe her though as she succumbed to grief. Just then, her phone rang from the hidden pocket in the folds of her dress.

She let it ring, making no move to answer but as it kept ringing, she fished it out of her pocket and answered shakily.

"Hello?" 

"You must have seen what happened to your friend or should I say, your lover?" a deep, masculine voice chuckled maliciously.

"Who the hell is this?" She asked coldly, her grief momentarily replaced by annoyance.

"That is not important. What is important though, is you not being as foolish as Naomi to try finding out the truth behind Gabriel and Marilyn Walker's death," he paused and then continued after a moment. "Unless you want to end up as she did," he threatened and hung up before Victoria could respond.

Victoria lowered the phone to her thighs, shaking with unbridled fury. Someone somewhere had killed Naomi all because she wanted to find out what had happened to her parents, and now, she was being threatened.

Wiping the tears from her eyes and cheeks, she rose to her feet, ignoring the manager's questions as her eyes hardened with cold anger and resolve.

She was going to find out who had killed her Naomi and had taken her parents away from her as a teenager, even if her life would be in danger because of it.

... 

In a sky-rise building in Los Angeles, a man dressed in a tailored black suit sat back in his chair with a smoking cigar in his mouth and a dangerous smirk on his face as he drew an 'X' over a photo of a smiling Naomi Walker, set it inside a file with photos of two other people, each struck across with an X.

Satisfied, he closed the file which had 'The Walkers' written at the top in red ink.