THE FIRST TO FALL
1244 Words
The phone rang at 2 AM.
Declan was dreaming of nothing—just darkness and silence and the kind of rest he hadn't known in years. The sound pulled him up from the depths, his heart pounding, his hand reaching for the phone.
Reyes.
"Declan, I need you to come to the morgue."
"What happened?"
"One of them is dead. One of Elias's children. His name was Marcus. Not Marcus Webb. Different Marcus. He was at the gathering at the church."
Declan's blood ran cold. "How did he die?"
"We don't know yet. The body was found in his apartment. No signs of forced entry. No signs of struggle. But there was a note."
"What did it say?"
" 'The first of many.' "
---
Declan dressed in the dark and drove to the morgue.
The building was cold, sterile, smelling of bleach and formaldehyde. Reyes was waiting in the hallway, her face pale.
"Who found him?"
"His sister. She's one of the others. She came to check on him when he didn't answer his phone."
"Where is she now?"
"In the waiting room. She's in shock."
Declan walked to the waiting room.
A woman sat in a plastic chair, her hands folded in her lap, her eyes fixed on the floor. She looked like Marcus—dark hair, sharp features, the same empty eyes.
"Your name is Sarah?" Declan asked.
She nodded.
"I'm Declan. I'm so sorry for your loss."
"He was the only family I had. The only one who understood."
"Understood what?"
"What it's like. To be born wrong. To feel nothing when you should feel everything."
Declan sat beside her.
"Marcus felt nothing?"
"He tried. He went to therapy. Took medication. He wanted to be normal. But he couldn't. The drugs Elias gave our mother damaged something in him. Something that could never be fixed."
"Did he ever hurt anyone?"
"No. He was afraid of hurting someone. That's why he isolated himself. That's why he lived alone."
"Who would want to kill him?"
"I don't know. Someone who knew what he was. Someone who was afraid of him. Someone like—" She stopped.
"Someone like who?"
"Someone like us. One of the others. One of Elias's children who isn't afraid to feel. Who isn't afraid to kill."
---
Reyes pulled Declan aside.
"Sarah thinks one of the other children did this. Someone who's embraced their nature. Someone who's stopped trying to be normal."
"That's a lot of suspects."
"Forty-six, to be exact. Everyone who was at the gathering. Plus the ones who weren't."
"Where do we start?"
"With the ones who have criminal records. The ones who've been violent in the past."
Reyes handed him a list.
Six names.
Declan recognized one of them.
Julian Cross.
Still in prison.
"Julian couldn't have done this. He's locked up."
"He could have arranged it. He has connections. People on the outside who owe him favors."
"He's been cooperating. He's been trying to change."
"Maybe. Or maybe he's been playing us this whole time."
---
Declan visited Julian the next morning.
The prison was gray and cold and smelled like despair. Julian sat across from him in the visiting room, his hands cuffed, his face tired.
"I heard about Marcus," Julian said. "I didn't kill him."
"I didn't say you did."
"You're here. That means you suspect me."
"I'm here because I want to know who else might have done this. Who else has the means and the motive."
Julian was quiet for a moment.
"Daniel," he said. "Daniel's been in prison for months. But he has people on the outside. People who would kill for him."
"Daniel is in maximum security. No visitors. No phone calls. No mail."
"That's what they want you to think. But Daniel has always been good at hiding. Good at manipulating. Good at getting what he wants."
"You think he's behind this?"
"I think he's behind everything. He always has been. Even when Elias was alive, Daniel was the one pulling the strings."
---
Declan left the prison and called Reyes.
"We need to check on Daniel. Make sure he's still in his cell."
"He's in his cell. I checked this morning."
"Then he's using someone on the outside. Someone who visited him before he was transferred. Someone he trusts."
"We're pulling the visitor logs now. I'll call you when I find something."
---
The call came three hours later.
"Declan, we found something. A visitor. A woman. She visited Daniel three times before he was transferred. The name she used was fake. But we ran her face through facial recognition."
"Who is she?"
"Her name is Mira. Mira Webb. Marcus Webb's sister."
Declan's blood ran cold.
"Mira is in prison."
"She got out three months ago. Early release for good behavior. She's been in hiding ever since."
"Why would she kill Marcus? He was one of them. One of Elias's children."
"Mira wasn't one of them. She was Marcus Webb's sister. Marcus Webb was the one who stalked you. The one who threatened Finn. He wasn't one of Elias's biological children. He was just a victim."
"But Mira helped Lara. She helped Julian. She was part of the network."
"She was part of the network. And now she's killing off the loose ends."
---
Reyes mobilized a task force to find Mira.
But Mira was good at hiding. She'd learned from Elias. From Daniel. From years of living in the shadows.
Declan drove to Lara's house.
She was sitting on the porch, a cup of tea in her hands, a blanket over her knees.
"Mira is killing people," Declan said. "One of Elias's children is dead. There will be more."
Lara's face went pale.
"Why would she do that?"
"Because she's cleaning up. Getting rid of anyone who could testify against her. Anyone who knows too much."
"She knows I know too much."
"She knows. That's why you need to come with me. Somewhere safe."
Lara shook her head.
"I'm done hiding. If Mira wants to kill me, let her try."
"Lara—"
"I said no."
---
Declan stayed with Lara until nightfall.
They sat on the porch, watching the stars, talking about the past. About Elias. About the basement. About the people they'd lost.
"She was kind, once," Lara said. "Mira. Before everything. Before Elias got his hooks into her."
"People change."
"Some do. Some don't. Mira chose not to."
Declan looked at her.
"You chose to change."
"I had help. From you. From Claire. From people who believed in me."
"You did the work. Not me."
"We did it together."
---
Declan's phone buzzed.
Reyes.
"We found Mira. She's at the old hospital. The basement. She's barricaded herself inside."
"I'm on my way."
"Declan, wait—she's armed. She's dangerous."
"So am I."
He drove to the hospital.
The building was dark, abandoned, the demolition crew long gone. The hole in the basement wall was still there, the boards torn away.
He climbed through and walked into the darkness.
"Mira!" he called. "It's Declan! I'm here to talk!"
No answer.
"I know you're in here. I know you killed Marcus. I know you're scared."
A light flickered on.
Mira stood at the end of the corridor, a gun in her hand.
"You shouldn't have come," she said.
"Probably not. But I'm here anyway."
"Turn around. Walk away. Forget you saw me."
"I can't do that."
"Then you'll die."
She raised the gun.
- Writer
