'Til Death Do Us Part - Part 40

The gravel under Aura's shoes crunched softly as she approached the white, mud specked SUV. A steady sprinkle of mist pelted the side of the vehicle, coalescing into large droplets which carved out thin estuaries through the mud caked door. Her eyes darted from one end of the vehicle to the other, looking for any sign of the driver and passenger, but she saw neither. She crept up to the side of the vehicle and peered through the rain spattered window. A crystal charm gently swung back and forth from the rear view mirror as though it was a metronome keeping its own version of time. Sarah and Roger could not be far away.

Aura turned her attention to the multi-colored flashes of light emanating from the nearby building's window. She glided up to the house and peered inside. There she saw four figures sitting on couches and chairs, two of whom were Sarah and Roger. She could hear the faint murmurs of their voices intermingled with the television as she watched them, but could not discern any of their words. She would need to find a way into the house.

She scanned the front yard. Her eyes fell upon a wooden sandbox, painted red. On the side of the box, written in bold, white letters was the name 'Rachel.' She walked over to the box and peered inside. An assortment of colorful toys were littered across the golden grains. Aura reached down and scooped up a handful of sand. The rain from earlier turned the grains into a shapable, cohesive mass. Using her left index finger, she drew something that looked like a tuning fork with a dot in the middle of the sand and closed her fingers around the mass.

Aura took a deep breath. “Aedificare pupa,” she said, breathing out the words at a near whisper. As she spoke, she waved her left hand over her closed right hand. A deep indigo light emanated from her fist for a moment and quickly faded into darkness. She opened her hand once more and in the place of the sand was a tiny doll with straight black hair.

She smiled to herself. Not bad. Now to find the little girl.

'Til Death Do Us Part - Part 39

Buck felt his heart thunder in his chest like the time he and his brother had been caught by the sheriff smoking weed in the woods. The logical part of his mind knew that it was probably just Roger walking through the door, but the irrational part of his mind, the part that jumped at shadows in the dark, envisioned Emma's stocky figure bursting through her bedroom door, yelling at him and Shirley Sue for sharing the couch past midnight. He felt his pulse slowly dial back when he looked in the direction of the noise and saw no sign of Emma's writhing bathrobe nor her wild, sleep twisted hair.

Buck realized that he was watching the adjacent room with the intensity of an owl tracking its prey. He heard the front door creak shut, followed by the clomping of shoes working their way down the wooden floor of the mudroom. Shortly thereafter, Roger passed into the arch which connected the living room and mudroom, with Sarah on his heels. Under his eyes were bags of exhaustion, illuminated by the dim light generated by the flashing cathode-ray tube across the room. Roger and Sarah's movements were stiff and mechanical as they walked as though they had spent the last hour doing squats or running on the treadmill. Buck wasn't sure if it was just the light, but he though they both looked a little pale.

“Hey Roger. Hey Sarah,” Buck said in a voice that hovered above a whisper. “Welcome back.” Buck studied his brother's face. Behind Roger's eyes he caught a glimpse of something. Fear. His pupils were dilated and his face was indeed pallid. “Somethin' the matter?”

“We ran into our old friend Aura,” Roger said. “And she tried to kill us.”

Sarah and Roger walked into the room. Sarah sat down in Emma's recliner, and Roger plopped down on the loveseat on the other side of the living room.

Roger and Sarah launched into their alleyway encounter. Buck sat rapt, eyes wide with disbelief.

'Til Death Do Us Part - Part 38

Buck was starting to regret coming on this vacation. Nothing was working out like he had hoped. First the hotel, then the truck, and now Shirley Sue wasn't talking to him. His earlier attempt to reconcile with her had been met with a cold stony silence, but maybe now he would have better luck.

Buck gripped the wooden rail as he walked down the stairs. He froze as one of the steps creaked under his weight. The sound dragged out for what seemed minutes, drowning out the faint babble of the television. Why did even the slightest noise seem to become amplified to an ear popping volume in the darkness? He lifted his foot from stair and it creaked once again. Just what he needed, a landmine in every step. It's a wonder anyone could move up or down these stairs without waking the entire house. He carefully crept the remainder of the distance. As he went, he tested each step with only a fraction of his weight and avoided any stair which threatened to cry out.

A deep sigh left his lips as his heel connected with the hardwood floor of the mud room. To his left, bright flashes of colored light reflected off the white walls from the living room. He peered around the doorway to the living room. The gray upholstered couch created a barrier between him and the television. The space behind it provided a path to the empty dining room. The nearby windowpane rattled as a gust of wind tried to gain entry. The sound of gunfire playing from the television drew his eyes back to the couch. A pair of feet poked out over one arm of the couch, pointing toward the unadorned ceiling.

Go on Buck, tell her what happened. She can't stay mad at you forever. Buck shook his head. He knew it wouldn't be that easy. What was he supposed to say to her? Sorry about talking with Aura and not telling you about it? No, that would certainly not get him out of the dog house. She would glower at him with those baby blue eyes and he would shrink away from her gaze, like a leaf caught in bonfire.

Buck's heart raced as the chime of the grandfather clock sitting in the back corner reverberated through the living room. He counted along in his head as the chimes signaled the time: nine, ten, eleven, twelve. The sound of the clock reminded Buck that the night was wearing on and that he would have to say something to her eventually. He wished for some kind of inspiration to strike, but instead was cornered by nagging voices telling him that anything he said would be wrong and that there was no way to fix what was broken. After what seemed like forever, but couldn't have been more than three minutes, he took a deep breath. He felt words vibrating his vocal cords as they left his mouth. “Can we talk for a minute?” He listened to the voice. It sounded strange, like he had a bubble in his throat which distorted his voice.

The feet withdrew from the arm of the couch. A moment later a head popped up over the back of the couch. He tried to find something in her eyes that would reassure him in his mission, but all he saw was a dim reflection of light. The darkness smoothed out her face and masked her expression. For all he knew, there could be a look of bloodlust in those eyes and he would never be able to see it. The television light blazed behind her head like a halo, simultaneously illuminating her hair and masking her face. Little stray hairs at the top of her head danced in the light, waving back and forth as though they were unaware of the tense air which filled the room.

Buck was on the verge of breaking the silence which hung between them when Shirley Sue spoke. “What do you want to talk about?” she said. The cold edge which had attached itself to her words earlier had evaporated, leaving soft, but tired tones.

“I know I should have told you about Aura. I'm really sorry you found out that way,” Buck said. “It was just that, well, after what happened at breakfast I was worried that you'd get jealous or hurt. I talked with her long enough to find out her name and got away from her as quick as possible.”

“A part of me wants to stay mad at you. I feel betrayed. The worst case came to my mind, that you really did know her when we were at the diner, that you'd been hiding something with her all along. I hope I'm not making a mistake by trusting you.”

A few notes to an old song popped into Buck's head as he stood there staring at Shirley Sue. “I only have eyes for you, Shirley Sue.” It sounded cheesy to him, and he wasn't exactly sure what had motivated him to say it.

“Come on you goofball,” she said. “A few more cheesy lines like that and you might just win me back over.”

Shirley Sue motioned for him to sit down beside him. Her expression broke and he could see her white teeth reflecting what little light they caught. He took a seat next to her. Shirley Sue leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder. Buck felt the warmth of her body seeping into his. A sigh of contentment escaped his lungs as he huddled closely to his partner.

Shirley Sue yawned. “Just promise me you'll try and be more open with me in the future, Buck,” she said.

“I promise.”

“Seal it with a kiss?”

Buck leaned over and gave her a quick peck on the lips. “That good?” he said.

“Maybe you should try another just to make sure.”

Buck smiled. “I think I can do that,” he said. He leaned down more slowly this time. The moments stretched out as he drew closer to her. He could feel the heat of her breaths as his lips drew nearer to hers. There was a feeling on his lips, like electricity was radiating out from her mouth.

The front door creaked open and Buck and Shirley Sue jerked apart.

'Til Death Do Us Part - Part 37

The night was quiet, except for the echo of Sarah and Roger's footsteps and the huffs of Roger's ragged breaths. Sarah paused and glanced over her shoulder. No sign of Aura.

“I think we're safe,” Sarah said.

Roger rested his hands on his thighs as he gulped down deep breaths. After a moment, he wiped beads of sweat from his brow and straightened up. “She didn't seem happy with us at all,” he said and looked around.

“Did you really have to tell her that we thought she was the killer?”

“Well, at least we got a confession out of her.”

Sarah sighed. “That won't do us much good if we're dead.”

The pair continued their journey in silence. As they walked, a drizzle of rain began to fall from the sky. The fine mist clung to Sarah's skin and pelted her face. The smell of petrichor permeated the atmosphere as the cool air soothed her aching lungs. She looked around the street and realized that she and Roger were the only two people traveling down the road. A distant traffic light turned from green to red, bidding spectral cars to come to a halt.

Sarah looked at the faded crosswalk. She glanced from one side of the road to the other and began to cross, with Roger close on her heels. Halfway across the street, she caught a glimpse of yellow light in her peripheral vision. She stopped and turned in the direction of the light. “Did you see that?” she whispered.

Roger stopped and looked. “See what?” he whispered back.

Sarah scanned the empty road but saw no sign of the light.

“Nothing,” she said. “I guess I'm still a little spooked from earlier.”

As the duo walked the remainder of the distance to Sarah's vehicle, she periodically glanced over her shoulder. She couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching them. Finally, after what seemed like forever, she and Roger arrived in the parking lot where her car was located. The pair opened the doors and climbed into the vehicle. Sarah turned the key in the ignition. She let out a sigh of relief as the car hummed away. She put her car into reverse and pulled out of the parking spot.

Her windshield wipers smeared a long streak across her window. Her heart froze as she saw in the distance a pair of two yellow floating orbs of light. She blinked and they were gone. She put her car into drive and pulled out of the parking lot. She couldn't wait for this vacation to be over.

'Til Death Do Us Part - Part 36

Sarah felt her stomach knot as she watched Aura dive away from the streetlight's glow, into the surrounding darkness. A panic seeped up from her stomach and filled her heart. She could almost feel the cool steel blade against her throat. Her eyes caught the dim outline of one of the trashcans she had seen earlier. Her hand flew to the canister. The sound of metal scraping across the ground echoed through the alley as she pulled the can from its resting position. She felt as though she was caught in a slow motion video as she played through the motions: gripping the handle, pulling it from the ground, and thrusting it into Aura's path. Her gaze connected with Aura's for a moment before the air was filled with trash. Aura's eyes seemed to glow in the dark, like an owl's.

Sarah watched in horror as Aura's feet wove past the canister, moving with the fluidity of a drop of water navigating around oil. As Aura glided around the mound of muck, her foot caught on Roger's outstretched leg. She flailed her arms as her body toppled forward. A glint of silver flashed in the light. The dagger clattered to the ground as Aura collided with the nearby dumpster.

Sarah grabbed Roger's arm as she took off toward the street. “Run!” she shouted, pulling him into motion. Roger tugged away from her grip and swooped down to pick up the weapon. In her peripheral vision, Sarah saw Aura pull herself to her feet.  She grabbed Roger's hand and shot forward.

An ear-piercing shriek followed the duo as they hurried away from the alley. Sarah glanced back and saw Aura's menacing silhouette standing in front of the dumpster. A chill raced down her spine as she gazed at the woman, who now seemed larger than before. Her golden eyes glimmered in the darkness. Sarah's unease deepened as she realized that the woman was not giving chase to them. She felt a torrent of rage wash past her, as though Aura's anger had become a wave of radiation.

“You'll pay for this. Mark my words,” Aura's cold voice penetrated the night air.

'Til Death Do Us Part - Part 35

Aura looked at the two faintly glowing figures standing in the back of the alleyway, huddled together as though they were a pair of mice cornered by a panther. Under different circumstances, she might have taken pleasure in the effect her performance seemed to have on them, but a wave of frustration welled up inside of her. There was always a person or two in every town who had to push her boundaries. Why couldn’t they leave well enough alone and mind their own business? She wouldn’t enjoy what she was about to do, but she had to put a stop to them before they ruined everything for her.

Her eyes focused in on the young man’s neck. She could see a dark red light of the blood coursing through his arteries. She could almost feel the warmth flowing down her throat as she drank from that fountain of youth. Her tongue slid across her top lip as the urge to feed nearly overwhelmed her. She took a deep breath. Perhaps these two had a good reason for following her. She would have to reserve her judgment for the time being.

Just a little ahead of her, a street lamp cast a circle of light. A mote of dust drifted down through the beam. It would be perfect for her grand entrance. There were few things in this life which gave her more pleasure than a grand entrance. She watched as a younger version of herself stepped into the spotlight on a stage and gazed out at the seats filled with patrons waiting for her performance. She shook her head. Those days were long gone. She would have to make do with this humble street lamp.

She felt the flutter of her clothes brush along her fingertips as she walked into the beam. “What’s the matter? Cat’s got your tongue?” she said, drawing the dagger from her purse. The blade weighed heavily in her hand as she griped its hilt. She watched as Sarah’s eyes darted to the knife. Sarah’s face remained stoic. Roger on the other hand, had his mouth open and his eyes had grown wide. Aura saw the pulse of his blood speed up. “I’m feeling charitable tonight. Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t free you from your mortal coil?”

“We know all about you, Aura,” Roger said, his voice shaking. “And our friends do too.”

Sarah rammed an elbow into Roger’s side. “Roger!”

Aura felt a ice cold lump of fear lodge itself in her chest. How could they possibly know? How could she have exposed herself like this? She usually fed only once per town to reduce the chance of being found out, but there was something intoxicating about Chester which kept her longing for more…

No, they couldn’t possibly know. Rob told her that they found and arrested the killer. She was in the clear. All the pieces had fallen into place and no one in the town was any the wiser. Had he been on her trail this entire time and used the arrest as a decoy?

Aura cleared her throat. “Whatever do you mean?”

“It’s awfully suspicious that all those men died in the same way, don’t you think Aura? The ones here in this town too.”

“I suppose I have grown a little sloppy,” Aura said. “No matter, I’ll just have to take care of you and your friends then.”

Aura lunged toward Roger and Sarah.

'Til Death Do Us Part - Part 34

Sarah and Roger trailed a dozen paces behind Aura. Her pale skin reflected the yellow street lights, casting twisted shadows, while her black, flowing gown melded her form with the inky darkness. Sarah heard every scrape from her and Roger’s shoes as they walked. The sound amplified in her ears as though it was being played through a bullhorn, yet Aura’s slow, graceful stride remained unperturbed.

Aura arrived at an intersection on a corner where a building with white siding resided and turned right. Sarah squinted in the darkness, trying to make out the street sign. After a few moments, she was able to read the green and white sign, which said ‘Oak St.’ A rush of unease rocked her body. Her stomach twisted into a sharp knot and her mouth felt dry. A dozen prickles rode in a wave down her spine. Why were they following Aura anyway? What did they hope to find out about her? Sarah searched Roger’s face for a sign of the uncertainty which she felt, but she could not read him in this darkness.

Sarah peeked around the corner and saw Aura moving down the street. Her pale white arms swung like pendulums. She stopped mid stride and turned her head as though she were looking around for something.

Sarah’s heart raced as she ducked behind the corner. The speed at which she recoiled caused her to stumble backward into Roger. He let out a grunt as she struck him. She felt his warm arms wrap around her around her waist, holding her upright.

After she regained her balance he let go of her. “Sorry,” he whispered. His apology was so quiet it almost escaped her ears.

Sarah took a deep breath and glanced around the corner. She saw Aura turn right down a road sandwiched between two tall, brick buildings. Sarah hurried toward the side street, with Roger close behind her. She reached the turn and strained her eyes as she gazed into the darkened alley. She could make out the silhouette of several trashcans and a dumpster which sat along a brick wall at the far end of the back street.

This was absurd. Aura couldn’t just vanish into thin air; she had to be somewhere. Sarah instinctively reached for her firearm, but her hand only found air. Her heart raced as she forced her feet to carry her down the alleyway. Her keys jangled as she pulled them out of her pocket, clasping her car key between her fingers as she had been instructed to do since girlhood. The sound of rustling made her blood freeze in her veins. A mouse squeaked as it scampered somewhere out of sight. Sarah let out a chuckle and clapped a hand over her mouth, but her ears were met with silence.

The pair moved down the alley toward the dumpster. Sarah froze at the sound of a drip which rang through the alleyway. Her hand began to shake, causing the keys hanging from the ring to clatter together. She closed the last couple of steps to the dumpster.

“Well I’ll be… Where’d she go?” she asked.

“I guess she gave us the slip,” Roger said.

Sarah whirled around when a voice thundered from behind them, “Fancy meeting you two in a place like this.”