Ch. 3

CHAPTER THREE:

~Avery:

The piece of sh** in a human body marched forward, straight into the river. He sank in further and further, as he trudged to the deepest part of the current, dunking his whole body below. My power felt like pure ecstasy, flowing through my veins. I wanted more. More obedience. More death. MORE. I stood at the shore, eyes wide, an evil grin on my face as I took it all in. The bubbles coming from the water stopped after some moments and I saw his body rise to the surface to get carried away by the current. I soaked it in, his life force. The darkness of his soul had me shivering in delight. My god, nothing could feel this good. I felt energized, and in desperate need for another. I pulled my hood back, freeing my hair and inhaled the pine scent, feeling incredibly alive. Turning on my heel to march back towards civilization, I was ready to hunt.

My boots crunched through the leaves. I could smell a bonfire up ahead and slowed my pace to quiet my movements. My magic coursed through me and I was still riding the high. As I continued forward I heard a woman’s voice squeal in delight. A wave of control moved through my skin, trying to rein everything in. But I fought it and continued forward. I creeped closer, feeling two people by the tent behind the trees. Male, and female. Touches of darkness in them both. I shivered in anticipation, imagining the air leaving their lungs for the last time, light fading from their eyes, sins seeping into me, making me stronger. 

I was now behind their tent and I could make out their outlines on the other side, shadows flickering in the firelight. My power flared and I could feel the bits of darkness in them. The woman had a little more darkness than the man, and I shivered in anticipation. I inched forward and stepped around the corner. Before they could see me, I began my orders.

“Stay in your seats,” I hissed.

I could feel their heartbeats quickening and smell the fear in their skin. Delight creeped up my spine. I revealed myself, grin and all. 

“What’s happening?!” the woman screamed at me, “Who are you?” She started to shake.

The anticipation before these kills had me on the edge. Maybe I could play a little this time.

“Silence, both of you,” I commanded.

The man tried speaking and no sound left him. The woman desperately tried to scream. 

I walked closer, I wanted to see the terror in their eyes.

“You,” I said, pointing to the man, “Stand up.” He obeyed. 

Not that he had a choice. They were both still trying to yell or beg, or something. How unoriginal. 

“Grab that knife,” I commanded, motioning to the knife on the table.

He walked over, rigidly. His fear rose and it brought goosebumps to my arms. Oh yes, this was going to be fantastic.

“Walk over to her and press the knife to her throat,” I barked.

The woman urinated, I could smell it. How pathetic. The man was thrashing his head trying to stop himself. But he couldn’t help but obey. They never could. The knife pressed to her throat and she stilled at the contact. Metal against flesh.

“Angle it just a tad deeper,” I hissed and stepped closer to get the best view.

A sound startled me before I could continue. It was a phone on the table in front of them. Someone was calling. Something made me answer, accepting the call, without breaking eye contact with the woman.

“Dad?” called a child’s voice. I faltered. “Dad? Are you there? Grandma says I can’t go to Andrew’s house tomorrow but I told her that you and Mom said I could. Can you tell her?... Dad? Hello?” I blinked, turned my head and hit ‘end.’

Oh my god. The magic in me sputtered.

I had let it get away from me again. I had my magic under control for years, and now that I had let go for Amelia and her family - oh my god. I looked at these poor people in front of me and felt my magic cooling off.

But don’t they deserve it? A small voice in my mind said, my magic flaring back up. I fought it back down. I looked behind me at the forest ahead and closed my eyes trying to separate myself from the magic. It kept bubbling up before I could push it down, like a dam filled with cracks, water rushing through. I trembled, fisting my hands at my sides trying to pull back. I breathed out, opened my eyes and tried looking around for anything that could help ground me. I spotted the moon, almost full, and its light gave me pause. I focused my vision on it and continued to breathe. In and out. I started to feel the chill in the wind. I could hear an owl hoot far off. I started simmering down. My hair fell limp again, and my eyes returned to their normal green. I didn’t feel on fire anymore. My magic sank back down into my chest and I focused on letting it drain lower until it hit my abdomen. Control. I had control back.

I was me again. Turning around, I saw the couple still frozen where I had left them. Tears misted my eyes. But I couldn’t break down yet, I needed to fix this. I had one good shot at fixing this. I took another large steading breath and let a little of my power back up, inch by inch I held steady, keeping careful control. At last it was in my throat and I held it there until I was pretty confident it wouldn’t go higher.

“Step away from her and drop the knife,” I shakily told the man. I was pushing just a little power in my words, as little as I could. He obeyed. 

“Sit back in your seat,” I added.

I shook. My power was rising up to my mouth and I gasped, trying to push it back down again. I needed to calm down or I would never finish this. I turned back around and used the moon again to help me. After a few minutes I felt back in control, magic returning to a comfortable level. 

I walked back to the couple. They had fear and confusion in their eyes.

“I’m so sorry,” I said to them in a whisper.

“Both of you forget you ever saw me, you never experienced what I made you do,” I said in a rush then jogged off back into the woods to regain my composure. I watched them from a tree for about half an hour, just making sure they were okay. They spent that time assembling s’mores and pointing up at the stars. I cried watching them. I cried because of what I had almost done. I cried because I could never have what they had.

I made it back to my apartment before dawn and packed a few things along with my go-bag that held some emergency cash and my next three identities. I felt so empty inside after a good cry all the way home, and I had felt lighter letting some of it go. I took out some cash for my landlord and put it in an envelope along with my keys. I kept the place pretty clean so all they would have to deal with was my furniture and stuff. I stopped in Amelia’s apartment and cleaned it up a little. I left a note. I hope she and her family will only be happy from now on, and I wished that for them in the note. Lugging my suitcase and bag down the stairs I stopped at the mailboxes and put the envelope for my landlord in his mailslot before continuing down to my car. 

I had been prepared for this day since I had first come out here but I wasn’t honestly expecting to burn through the Emma identity this fast. I sent a quick resignation email into work and loaded my bags in the car. I drove. I wasn’t sure at first where I was going. The gas light went on and I pulled over to fill up and grab a snack. It was early in the morning and the sun was clearing the trees. After pumping gas I walked into the store and grabbed a few things before walking back to the car. I filed through the IDs and settled on my next name - Amy Ryan. Now to figure out where to go. I got back into my car and took off, still heading west. 

The sun followed me as I drove and I played several songs on my phone before pulling into a run down pharmacy to buy new hair dye somewhere in Utah. I grabbed a dark chestnut this time around, a nice break from the reds I had been sticking with. I could barely remember my real color at this point. Hitting the road again I continued on for another few hours until it got dark enough to start looking for a motel.

I checked in, used a little magic to get him to forget me in advance, and got to work in my room. I dyed my hair and showered then gave myself a cut, shoulder length. I rifled through my go bag for brown contacts to match my new identity. Next I would need to ditch the car. 

The next morning I left, wiping everything down and taking my own trash with me. I junked my current ride and phone, switching it for another beater at the junkyard, and using my magic very carefully to get the junkyard guy to forget me. Back on the road with a new phone. This may all be overkill every time, but I was far more concerned with getting this right every time than I was with taking chances. Not with my life. Not with others. Who knew what I could do to someone if they tried to come after me?

Twenty-six deaths now. I ruined my no-murder streak. At least it wasn’t twenty-eight.

Something in me guided me further west and I spent half the day going through Nevada. I stayed over in another motel and by the next morning I was in Reno. I scoped the town out as my next place of residence, but something made itch for a place a little more remote. I opened my phone and played around on Maps, seeing Lake Tahoe. I got in my car and continued until I got to Truckee. Something here felt right.

I spent the night camping at a site and went on my phone looking for places to rent. The bad thing about picking a place like this was the limited options. Especially when I am starting fresh with a brand new identity and don’t have a credit score or prior paychecks, or - anything. I expanded my search to include in-law apartments and… I found a good lead. Maybe this place could work.