SHADOWS

She Kills

GEORGIA

Vervain? Why did that word sound so familiar? I spat more black blood onto the ground as the burning spread through my mouth.

Hailey’s eyes widened. “She must be one of the Council members’ daughters.”

Reagan clamped both hands over her mouth. “Oh my God” she breathed. “What are we going to do?”

“Relax,” Jason said, trying to stay calm. “The vervain will wear off.” He said without paying attention to the actual reason Reagan gasped.

Before he could finish, Carson was already wrapping dragon steel chains around my wrists. This time, he even secured a dragon steel muzzle around my mouth.

Jason shot to his feet.“What do you think you’re doing?”

“The right thing,” Carson replied without looking at him.

Jason stepped closer. “Take that off.”

“No.” Before either of them could make another move, Hailey cut them off as she lifted the girl into her arms. “Compulsion won’t work on her,” she said. “I’ll have to use magic.”

She whispered a spell, placing two fingers against the girl’s forehead. A faint golden glow surrounded them before slowly disappearing. She gently laid the girl back on the ground. “Let’s go.”

Carson frowned.“Go where?” His eyes swept across the dark forest. “How do we know she actually came here alone?”

Before anyone could answer, Morgan emerged from the trees dragging the lifeless body of the boy I killed behind her. “Uh… guys,” she said nervously. “I think we might have a problem.”

Everyone stared at the corpse.

Carson slowly turned his head toward Jason and Hailey, giving them a look that practically screamed, this is your faults.

Reagan’s eyes was filled with horror as they landed on me. “Oh my God” she whispered. “Georgia killed him.”

Jason’s knees gave out beneath him, and he sank onto a fallen log, running both hands through his hair. “What are we going to do?.

Carson answered almost immediately. “Go back to the mansion.” Everyone looked at him. “Grab a shovel.” He paused “And start digging.” He then sighed. “It’s been eight years since we buried a body.” His eyes drifted toward Hailey. “Not exactly shocking.” He paused. “The last one we buried was because of her.”

FLASHBACK 2016 (2)

The cemetery was quiet as rain fell, Mourners dressed in black gathered around Adrian’s grave. Carson stood at the front, his eyes remained fixed on the coffin as it was slowly lowered into the ground.

Then he saw them. Georgia, Reagan and Morgan. All dressed in black walking towards him. His jaw tightened.“What is she doing here?” he whispered through gritted teeth as they approached.

“It’s not her fault, Carson,” Morgan pleaded quietly.

Carson let out a bitter laugh. “Tell that to Adrian.” Morgan lowered her gaze. “You know very well Adrian was the only person in this school I actually cared about. The only one, I had a fight with her and you expect me to believe this was just a feeding gone wrong?”

He looked directly at Georgia. “I know Georgia.” His eyes shifted to Morgan. “We all know her.”

Georgia remained silent, unable to meet his eyes. For the first time since she became a vampire she looked ashamed.

PRESENT

The sounds of mental striking the dirt filled the woods, Jason and Carson kept digging in silence, neither looked at the other.

Once the grave was deep enough, they lowered the boy’s body inside. Jason picked up the shovel again, covering the body one scoop at a time. After several long minutes, he finally broke the silence. “Thanks.”

Carson didn’t even look up. “I’m not doing this for you.” he lifted another shovel of dirt. “Or for Georgia.”then another. “I’m doing this because I refuse to let Georgia coming back and ruin our lives again after eight years.”

Jason stopped digging. Carson finally looked at him. “You know exactly what will happen if this body is found.”

Jason said nothing while Carson drove the shovel into the ground one last time before handing it to him. “I hope you don’t regret bringing her back, Jason.” He looked at him. “I truly hope you won’t.” Without another word, Carson turned and disappeared, leaving Jason alone beside the freshly covered grave.

The fresh grave pulled Jason back to a memory.

FLASH BACK 2016. (3)

Georgia burst into Jason room, her hands were stained with blood, tears stream uncontrollably down her face.“Jason”

She could barely get the words out. “I —I killed Adrian.” She stammered.

Jason stared at her. “You what?” he almost screamed , unable to believe what he had just heard.

Georgia shook her head frantically. “It wasn’t supposed to happen. I lost control. It was my first human feeding and—“

“You killed Adrian?” Jason interrupted her. “Adrian!” He repeated.

Georgia nodded, sobbing.“I’m sorry.”

“Why?” Jason demanded. “Why would you feed on Adrian?”

“I didn’t mean to. I couldn’t stop myself. I’m sorry. M sorry.” Georgia voice kept enchoing.

Jason didn’t wait to hear another word. He rushed outside with super speed praying Georgia was playing a prank on him, instead his heart sank the moment he saw Carson. He was holding Adrian’s lifeless body in his arms, refusing to let anyone else touch him.

Jason stood frozen. It’s true. Adrian was dead.“Carson!” He called quietly. Carson stopped walking for a second. He never turned around without saying a word, he continued walking.

That day, Two people actually died. Adrian and Carson.

……….

SCENE

Jason blinked, forcing himself back to the present. He watched as Hailey and Reagan finished securing Georgia with the chains once again. She no longer struggled like before. The vervain had weakened her enough that she simply sat there, breathing heavily.

Reagan looked at her with worry. “Why is she acting like this?”

Hailey sighed. “It must be one of the side effects of the stone.”

“Maybe bringing her back wasn’t such a good idea. She just killed that poor boy. M afraid of what will happen to us.” Panic grew in Reagan’s voice.

Hailey remained silent for a moment before answering. “She was always going to come back.” Jason and Reagan looked at her. “I’ve seen it.”

“What do you mean?” Jason asked.

Hailey’s eyes darkened a bit. “I don’t understand it yet but every vision ends the same way.”

She glanced toward the unconscious Georgia. “No matter what we do” she paused.

“She comes back.”