Caitlin gripped the wheel so hard that her hands ached as she tore down the street. She reached for her cell phone, only to remember it was in her absconded purse. She cursed under her breath and pressed the accelerator. She had to distance herself from all this; if she could just see Fiona, everything would be okay. The high speed almost caused her to lose control of the small car, but she somehow managed to keep it on the road. She tapped the brakes and slowed down, but no matter how many miles passed, the feeling of dread wouldn’t abate.
After what seemed like a century, she skidded to a stop in her driveway and leapt out almost before the car had stopped. She started to push her key in the house’s lock, but the front door was open.
Caitlin fought to ignore the knot in her stomach as she stepped into the living room.
The place was quiet and still. She looked around. “Fiona? Kris?”
No answer.
She spotted Kris lying on the floor behind the coffee table. Caitlin ran to her friend and knelt down beside her. She found no obvious injuries, but Kris was unconscious.
“Fiona?” Caitlin called as loud as she could manage.
“Mommy!” Fiona yelled from upstairs, and the tone of her voice froze Caitlin’s blood.
Before the sound faded, Caitlin was on her feet and running up the stairs. As she reached the second floor, Fiona’s door flew open and the little girl ran out. Before she could reach Caitlin, white hands and arms sheathed in black fabric grabbed her.
“Mommy!”
“No!” Caitlin roared and charged into the room.
Amid the bright colors and stuffed animals, the boy who had attacked Caitlin was placing a stump of wood in Fiona’s bed and muttering over it. It shimmered and almost looked like Fiona, but the body was pale and lifeless.
Caitlin tore her eyes away from the simulacrum and saw a second boy, almost a twin of the first but without the black streak on his cheek, struggling to keep hold of Fiona, who was kicking and punching him.
Caitlin lunged for her child’s outstretched hand.
The boy trying to restrain Fiona muttered something and a cold shiver passed over Caitlin.
Fiona’s tear-streaked face went quiet and her body went limp.
“No! My baby!” Caitlin screamed.
The boy on the bed, who’d just turned around, said something Caitlin couldn’t hear. She felt another wave of cold, but it vanished in an instant, and she drove her fist into the faerie’s face.
“Son of a bitch, I’ll kill you!” she said. Bone cracked under her knuckles and the oíche released Fiona as he spun and fell to the floor.
Caitlin grabbed Fiona and turned to run from the room.
“Codail!” a soft voice said into her ear as the voice’s owner threw dust into her eyes.
Caitlin shook away a wave of dizziness and drove an elbow into the ribs of whoever was behind her. She heard the person grunt, stumble back, and hit the wall outside the room.
“Sleep!” the one on the bed shouted, and threw more dust at her.
As Caitlin took a step forward, her leg went out from under her. She drew Fiona close and turned so the child fell on her rather than the other way around.
Sprawled on the hardwood floor, her body wasn’t responding to her commands, and her eyes grew heavy as she watched the boy casually climb off the bed. He smirked as he pulled Fiona from her arms.
Inside her mind, Caitlin screamed that he was supposed to be taking her, not Fiona. She willed her body to grip her child and pull her back, to stand and fight. No sound came from her and her body didn’t answer.
The boy snickered as he lifted one of Fiona’s arms and waved it at Caitlin. “Bye-bye, Mommy,” he said, his words soaked with derision.
“No,” Caitlin managed to say. In a final push of will, she reached with one arm for her child.
The oíche slapped her hand away and it fell to the ground.
Tears poured from her eyes.
The oíche she’d punched gave her one last look before picking up a pink blanket from the bed and stepping over her. The one holding Fiona kicked Caitlin in the stomach before following his compatriot out of the room.
Her eyes closed and darkness overtook her.