––––––––
“No locks,” Liam grunted, twisting the knob in his hand. He stuck his head inside the door and swiveled it both ways, holding his breath. No sounds came from the belly of the house. All I could hear was my harsh breathing. Just because I’d recently become a badass (complete with boots!) didn’t mean I wasn’t terrified. Nevin or Liam or Gavyn could be lurking beyond every corner.
We were adding another felony to my list of recent criminal acts, though breaking and entering was child’s play compared to murder. I didn’t have time to dwell on it though, because Liam grabbed my hand and we disappeared inside. He shut the door silently behind us. It was my neighbor’s house. Well, it was my neighbor’s house in this world.
The inside looked familiar, just like Mrs. Johnson’s at home. The scent of lavender and jasmine permeated the overly decorated rooms. There were flower prints on every surface that would hold them—the wallpaper, the curtains, the furniture. Fresh flowers were scattered throughout the house in vases or glass cups or whatever she’d found to stick them in. Lots of them were wilted and dry.
“Why are we here?” I whispered, feeling like I was disturbing a tomb, though Mrs. Johnson was probably at work.
“We’re not going back to your house.”
I nodded. Of course we weren’t. Liam didn’t want me seeing Mom again, though I could feel the pull to her through the walls. I knew she was over there. Maybe she’d called the phone number I left. Maybe she was on her way to getting help. Or maybe she was still in bed and praying she’d see her “ghost” daughter again.
I pushed her to the back of my mind. I needed to get my own life in order before I started worrying about my mom in another world.
A hissing growl erupted from behind the paisley couch and I jumped, slamming into Liam. He caught me. “Jeez, Gavyn, it’s just a cat.” He held on a second longer before releasing me, visibly shaken by my jumpiness.
“Sorry, sorry,” I mumbled, trying to calm my racing heart. Everything about this place had me on edge. Maybe because it looked so similar to my home dimension, with subtle but unsettling differences. A short-haired tabby darted between us with an angry hiss and disappeared into the kitchen. Liam crept toward the stairs. “Are you sure we should be shifting during the day?” I asked, following him, my fingers extended and just brushing the edge of his shirt sleeve. “Isn’t it dangerous?”
He stopped and grinned sardonically at me. “Does anything about our situation scream safe to you?” He turned back toward the steps before I could reply. I knew what he’d say anyway. It was a rhetorical question, Gavyn. I rolled my eyes and trudged up the stairs after him.
The second floor was an eerie replica of the first, with more ugly flowers—big surprise. The Mrs. Johnson in my dimension wasn’t obsessed with flowers; for her it was plaid, which was somehow worse because plaid was downright hideous. The flowers just made the house resemble a funeral home. It was an apt description, but a disturbing one nonetheless. The last place I needed to think about was a funeral parlor.
I trailed Liam into the bedroom. More flowers. Ugh. But at least it was empty of people. He crossed to the nightstand and picked up a pair of reading glasses. “Ready?” I nodded, still creeped out. The hairs on the back of my neck were raised and I swore someone was breathing down my neck.
I whirled, but there was no one behind me, just ridiculous flowers and the hallway. I turned back to Liam. He watched me impatiently. I swallowed, trying to pinpoint the source of my unease. Maybe it was just the flowers. Liam reached out his hand but I hesitated to take it, paranoia getting the best of me.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, pulling his hand back and shoving it in his pocket.
I shook my head. I didn’t know what was wrong. I was probably crazy. “Are you sure we can’t go check on her?” I hated to ask. I knew it wasn’t safe or moral or any of those other things that Liam would preach at me—like he had any right to preach. He was way more involved in all of these ripples than me. “I have a really bad feeling.”
Liam nodded, seeming to debate with himself. His eyes raked over me and then he said, “Okay, but we’re not going inside. Just a quick peek in the windows and then we’re out of here.” He stared hard at me, driving his point home. We needed to leave, and fast.
“Okay, great,” I agreed, already retreating into the hallway. I didn’t want to cause more trouble with Mom; I just needed to know she was all right. Then I could move on, I told myself. She was not my responsibility. She was a grown woman, for Pete’s sake.
Liam followed me this time, hand protectively on my hip. I didn’t have to look at him to know that his eyes would be dark and watchful, his body tense. Maybe I wasn’t the only one feeling weird. A bad case of nerves knitted the two of us together.
It took less than a minute for us to creep onto the porch and peer in the windows like peeping Toms. Mom was there, all right. Her silky dark hair was pulled into a ponytail and her face was scrubbed free of makeup. She opened her mouth, speaking quickly and then laughing. My eyes crossed the living room and landed on the other person just an instant before Liam jerked me down the steps, nearly ripping my arm out of the socket.
“Stay here,” he growled, already brandishing the switchblade and depositing me around the side of the house.
“Nevin,” I cried, my voice hoarse.
“I know.” And then he was gone, disappeared the way we’d come. I waited two seconds and ran after him. When was he going to learn that I wouldn’t just stay like a golden retriever? I was a person! He couldn’t just boss me around and expect me to listen, not when Mom was involved.
A scream pierced the air, slicing the afternoon sky in two. I doubled my speed, barreling through the front door just behind Liam. Nevin had Mom by the hair. Her head was yanked back and the milky white of her throat exposed. Her dark eyes were huge as they darted back and forth between Nevin, Liam, and me.
Nevin held a knife, the blade pressed into the hollow of her neck.
“Mom!” I gasped, unable to stop myself. Nevin’s gaze landed on me. It was so scary and evil that I took an instinctive step backwards, pressing myself against the open door.
“Let her go, Nevin. She’s not the one you want.” Liam had his arms loose at his sides but the knife was ready. I wondered if he had any experience with throwing it.
Nevin laughed. And though it was malevolent and sounded like something a maniacal and demented scientist would use, it changed his face. He was tall and handsome, his looks marred only by the darkness. He could’ve been attractive once, if I didn’t know him. If he didn’t want to kill me. If he wasn’t holding my mom at knife point.
“Gavyn,” my mom choked through her tears. They ran freely down her cheeks, which were red now. “Run, baby. You gotta run.” I could hear the fear in her voice and the effort it took to keep steady. Her eyes pleaded with me.
“Let her go,” I growled at Nevin. “You want me?” I took a step toward him and Liam’s arm shot out to stop me from walking straight to Nevin. I crashed into it, still pushing forward. “Come and get me, you bastard.” I tried to fill my voice with ice, but it came out a little breathy and scared anyway.
“Gavyn, don’t.” Liam said the words very quietly.
“Let me go!” I pushed on his arm, trying to get to Nevin. My mom continued to cry but she wasn’t fighting Nevin at all. Why didn’t she just scratch out his eyes and get it over with?
“I’ll kill her, and him.” He glared at Liam before smiling at me. “And then, Gavyn, I’ll slice your throat, too.”
I shivered. It wasn’t just a threat that he flung at me; it was a promise of things to come. I tried to find my strength somewhere in the shaking shell I’d become. All the blood in my body rushed to my ears and my haggard breathing was audible over it. The edges of my vision were tinged black with anger. The room swayed before my eyes. Before I could take another step, Liam pushed me out of the way.
“You’re right,” Liam said, forcing me behind him with one arm. “You’ll have to kill me if you want a chance at her. I’ll die before you ever lay a hand on her.” I poked my head around Liam’s arm, but Nevin wasn’t looking at Liam, he was staring at Mom.
“So be it,” Nevin said.
And then he cut her throat. The knife slid through her flesh like it was nothing more than butter. A giant smile opened in her neck and Nevin let her slide to the floor. The gush of blood was instantaneous, spraying the floor, the walls, Mom, and Nevin. It dripped and splattered, creating a horror movie before my very eyes.
“NO!” I rushed forward, but Liam was already there. With one swift motion Liam disarmed Nevin. The knife clattered to the wood floor, landing right in the middle of a growing puddle of crimson. Liam jammed his switchblade deep into Nevin’s chest. He pulled back and stabbed Nevin again.
And again.
And again.
Nevin slumped against him, but Liam didn’t stop the mechanical movement.
Pull back, stab. Pull back, stab. Pull back, stab.
There was blood everywhere. It flung from the tip of Liam’s knife with every plunge; warm droplets clung to my face, my hand. They dripped like tears off my chin.
“Stop,” I begged. “Please, stop...” I dropped to my knees and pulled Mom’s head into my lap. Somehow, though only seconds had passed, the flow of blood was slowing. I held my hand against her neck, trying to close the gaping wound, but there was no point. My hand slipped and slid against the wet, torn flesh, unable to gain enough purchase.
There was no familiar warm pulse pounding at her throat.
She was already gone.
“Mommy...” I pressed my face to hers. “Please...” A loud sound shattered my ears and I wanted to cover them. I squeezed my eyes shut, praying that everything would just disappear.
The sound, I realized, was me. It burst from my lips, a great keening wail. It broke off and I snapped my mouth shut before it could start again. Mom...oh no, please no... I took a deep breath, in through my nose and out through my mouth. I felt nothing close to calm. In through my nose, out through my mouth. The smell of blood was overwhelming and bile rose in my throat. Steeling myself, I swallowed it down.
I opened my eyes to find Liam standing in the same spot, his knife still buried in a very dead Nevin. Disgusted, he shoved the body away from him and Nevin’s dead weight shattered the glass of the coffee table on the way down.
“We have to go,” he said, deadness creeping into his voice.
I nodded. “I know.”
“Now,” he added when I made no move to stand.
“I’m coming,” I spat, running my fingers over Mom’s hair one last time. My fingers were sticky with blood and tangled in her brown tresses. “I love you,” I whispered, so quietly that Liam wouldn’t hear.
“Gavyn...” Liam’s voice softened and he knelt beside me.
“Do not speak to me.” I jabbed a finger at him. “This is your fault!” A sob hiccupped out of my chest even though I tried to force it down. I never would’ve known about any of this if he hadn’t come gallivanting into my bedroom on my day off. I would’ve been blissfully oblivious.
Or dead.
Liam flinched and licked his lips. He looked tired and very, very sad. Vulnerable in a way I’d never seen before. “She’s with her daughter now.”
I covered my mouth, smearing blood across my face. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that,” I said. I looked down at his red-stained hands. They twitched, restless. “And thank you for saying that.” Some modicum of sanity returned to my brain.
Gently, Liam lifted Mom’s head from my legs and set it on the hardwood floor. Her sightless eyes stared up at us and he closed them just as gently. He stood and extended his hand to me. I took his fingers and let him pull me upright. Silently, he led me to the first floor bathroom. I sat on the toilet while he started the shower. Steam filled the small room, heightening the scent of copper.
I felt numb, except for the gaping hole inside of me.
I missed my mom. Not the one lying on the living room floor, though I mourned her, too. I missed my mom. The one at home, probably worrying herself sick over me. I wanted to go home, curl up on the couch in a blanket and let her play with my hair. I wanted to watch stupid reality shows and eat popcorn and drink Mountain Dew until three a.m.
Abruptly, I burst into tears.
Liam stopped rummaging through the linen closet and pulled me into his arms. Our clothes made a squelching sound as our torsos pressed together. “I’m sorry,” he murmured into my hair. “So sorry.” I curled my fingers into his shirt and pressed my face into his neck. His stubble scratched my cheek. Underneath the gore, I could feel Liam’s pulse pounding beneath my lips.
“Tell me that I’ll see her again,” I begged, not lifting my head.
He leaned away until his eyes were trained on mine. “You will see your mother again. I give you my word.”
I nodded and felt tears dot my face. My nose was running, too. I’m not a pretty crier and I didn’t want Liam to see me. Usually my face turns all red and blotchy and I snot all over myself. Gallantly, Liam handed me a wad of tissues. I mopped up the worst of it; the tissues came away soaked with red.
“I know you don’t want to hear this, but we need to hurry. Someone’s going to catch up to us, whether it’s another Nevin or the police.” Liam took my tissues and threw them in the garbage. He helped me up once again and turned to leave the bathroom.
I stepped into the shower fully clothed.
“Liam,” I called before the door shut. I hesitated, watching the blood turn the water red and then swirl down the drain. “Can you just...stay here,” I swallowed, “until I’m done?”
There was a long pause.
“Whatever you need, Princess.”
***
Liam handed me a stack of clothes; they were folded but smelled musty. “Where did these come from?” I asked, shaking out the green t-shirt.
“I found them in the basement.” Oh. They belonged to the dead Gavyn.
“Thanks.” I stood there, staring at Liam, feeling dumb. He stared back at me, but he didn’t look dumb at all. He looked worried as his eyes moved from my dripping hair all the way down to my bare feet with my chipped pink toenail polish.
“I’ll just let you change,” he said finally before retreating from the bathroom. I looked down at the purple towel I’d wound around myself. At least I wasn’t bloody anymore.
The t-shirt fit me but the jeans were a little snug and I couldn’t get them buttoned on my own. I wondered how old Gavyn had been when she died. I left my hair down to air dry; there wasn’t any hope for it.
Liam waited for me in the hallway when I emerged. I couldn’t stop my eyes from wandering to the spot where my mother had died. No, that wasn’t right. I had to stop thinking of her as my mother. It freaked me out too much.
Anyway, the bodies were gone as was the blood. Liam was really good at making bodies and blood stains disappear. When I wasn’t feeling so out-of-control, I was gonna have to ask him about that.
“Can you button these?” I asked, pointing to the offensive jeans. Liam didn’t even flinch, just leaned over efficiently and buttoned them. “Thanks,” I mumbled when he stood up.
Liam had showered too, his hair still damp and curling around his ears. His clothes were too big and hung off of him, but they were clean and not blood-spattered.
“Ready?” he asked, reaching down and wrapping his fingers around mine.
I nodded. What choice did I have? We had to leave this world; we had to keep shifting. We had to find Gavyn and stop the Nevins. I was personally invested now. They had killed a Gavyn and my mother. They were all going to pay.
I grabbed my backpack from the kitchen and followed Liam upstairs. “I wish I could see my mom,” I whispered.
I didn’t think that Liam heard me, but he said, “I know.”
It didn’t matter if we shifted from this house now that Mom was dead. He found the first personal item we came to—a book of poetry—and we fled the reality.
Per usual, life did not get any easier.