Dead by Morning (Rituals of the Night Book 1) (7 page)

                                                                      Chapter Ten

Finally, the creepy trees surrounding Chance’s house came into view. He pulled the Honda Ridgeline slowly to a halt in his favorite place amongst them. It wouldn’t be seen there, which was fine since he’d draw unwanted attention if it was.

              The house was abandoned….had been for many years now. Realtors hadn’t bothered to try to fix it up and sell it because its rumored violent hauntings kept everyone away. Everyone but Chance because he was far scarier than any ghost could be. He was real, and he was a monster.

He had been forced to live there after the “mysterious” disappearances of his parents. The town hadn’t thought anything of it. People went missing all the time. He had killed them in cold blood; the town didn’t know that part. They merely thought grief-stricken popular boy Chance had gone off to live with a relative to avoid being put into an orphanage.

The town did know of course that his parents’ deaths had been no accident when they had been found hanging upside down from a tree (with a rope binding their feet to the branch) cut open from their chin down their torso with their wrists and throats cut staining the woods there crimson forever with their blood. They had never been able to trace the gruesome murders back to Chance, but rather they had kept them away from the public to prevent panic. That was fine by Chance.

Chance sighed and climbed out of his truck and began to cross the overgrown field towards the old rundown house. He stepped up onto the creaky porch and pushed his way inside. It was completely dark, the way he usually left it to prevent any suspicion. He crossed the dark room without stumbling once. He knew his route through there by heart. He kept going through the main room and over to his couch. He plopped down onto the fabric and closed his eyes.

Instantly his mind wandered to the thought of the tear running down Luna’s cheek. She had the ability, and he was sure she didn’t even know herself. He needed her bad and intuition welled in him that he couldn’t have her. In the back of his mind flashes brief memories of a roaring fire and a bloodstained gown. He bit his lip so hard that he drew a drop of blood-it was the only way to change his train of thought.

He focused again on the tear that had stained Luna’s face. Her ability would give him the chance to completely change his life around. She wouldn’t use it on him willingly. That was obvious. But he was used to getting his own way, and he would with this as well. He knew the rules of DreamWorld perfectly, and she didn’t. Most normal people didn’t have an understanding of the parallel world that he had learned to walk among perfectly.

In her dreams he could keep a steady eye on her and her ability and maybe channel it for himself. It would be difficult to stalk her in her dreams but definitely not impossible, he knew. He had a piece of her and a dark helper. That was more than what other people had. He could do tons of things to anyone he wanted, but he had to treat Luna different. He knew that to keep her in his dreams he’d have to be himself…the person he was when he was in That mind and that meant he was dangerous.

There was only one person that had ever witnessed it and lived.

If Luna knew it was him torturing her in her sleep then she’d wake scared of him and that wasn’t what he was going for either. He would have to hide his identity and go through with it no matter what. This needed to be done. She was the key…the missing element.

He got up from the couch, quickly running through the dark to find his way down the hall. He found his laundry room and rummaged through the dark pockets of the first few outfits that sat on the pile. Finally, he found what he had been looking for; Luna’s tooth. He rolled it between his fingers before he exited that room and walked down the hall a few more doors to the room he needed now more than ever. The door swung open easily and the room inside was nearly as dark as the hallway outside.

The only light in it was from two blood red candles in golden candle holders. They threw light up onto the wall where a red pentagram was drawn. It was made from blood, the blood of victims past. He dropped to his knees in front of it and crept closer pushing the bones that covered the floor out of the way in the progress.

He bowed his head to the symbol and rolled the tooth between his fingers again.

“All mighty, Lucifer,” he whispered, “I really need some supernatural help if I’m going to ever have her on my side.” He flicked the tooth into the pile of bones where it echoed a strange scraping sound.

Of course he didn’t get a response but inside he could
feel
it. He could feel information and power being given to him. His heart fluttered wildly with the feeling.

“Infect her dreams is what I’m planning,” he whispered. “But how can it be done?”

Once again the feeling inside his heart rumbled.

“By spilling the blood of her best friend…” he whispered. “Of course. That can be done in the dreams too. Thanks, Dark Father.”

He stood up and pulled his trusty dagger from his pocket. He pulled up his sleeve and made a single slit on his skin. His blood dripped to the place in his sacrificial “thank you”. When it dried on his arm, he pulled his sleeve down and turned for the door feeling fully aware of the mission ahead of him. In order to get Luna to help him, he needed to kill Violet next.

                                                                      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Luna was walking through a forest. She looked around her nervously, knowing instantly that she was lost. She didn’t know, however, why she was here. She stopped walking and looked around again. She tried to make sense of her surroundings as she stared up at the green leaves on the trees and the bright blue sky beyond. How was it daytime again? It seemed like she had just fallen asleep.

Eerie silence surrounded her. She knew there was something wrong. Luna started to walk again and in the distance the sound of a loud howl of a dog cut through the silence. It rang out ominously before the sound faded into the eerie quiet once again. She swallowed nervously and looked over her shoulder. After making sure her surroundings were clear, she began to walk again.

Suddenly, a twig snapped loudly behind her. She jumped as the sudden noise broke the silence and turned expecting to see an angry dog snarling at her. She calmed down when she realized it was only Violet. Luna walked up to her, glad to see that she wasn’t alone. Violet didn’t look right, she stood still and her usually rosy face was as pale as the moon. She didn’t acknowledge Luna at first.

“What is this place? Where are we?” Luna asked her. “I don’t even know how I got here. Do you?”

“I don’t know,” Violet said in a quiet voice. She looked over her shoulder quickly, and Luna narrowed her eyes at her friend. Was Violet actually scared for the first time in her life? 

“Maybe we should try to find someone who can explain what’s going on,” Luna suggested. “I’m sure there has to be somebody around that knows.”

Violet nodded in agreement, but still didn’t speak.

They walked side by side in silence. Time passed and kept passing as they continued to travel silently through the woods. They seemed no closer to the edge of the strange forest then when they had first started walking. Overhead the sun hadn’t moved from its position high in the sky. It was like time was frozen. The only sound was the scuffling of their shoes as they traveled. The trees were beginning to grow closer and closer together. Luna guessed they were at the heart of the forest…or close to it.

“This is getting us nowhere,” she said finally and stopped walking.

“That’s the truth,” Violet replied looking at her through exhausted eyes. “I think we’re even more lost now.”

Suddenly, the pair heard the sound of a gun being loaded close by. The sound was loud in the eerie quiet. They turned slowly as a black cloaked figure with a gun stepped out of a nearby bramble thicket. Luna stared at it horrified and unable to move or speak as her eyes focused on the gun. The fear intensified as a minute passed and the figure didn’t say a word. Luna looked at it and noticed the hood was up over the head of the figure casting a shadow over the face. The size of the frame denoted it as a male.

“That’s about far enough,” he said sharply. They gasped at the sound of his voice.

The figure wasted no time as he aimed the gun at Violet. He took a step forward, not breaking the threatening stance. Violet took a step backward and looked at him pleadingly. Luna stared at the whole scene unfolding in front of her in quiet disbelief.

“Please don’t kill me,” Violet said softly as a tear ran down the side of her face.

Luna heard him snicker at her words. “You know why I’m doing this.”

To that Violet only whispered, “Sorry.”

“I gotta do what I gotta do,” he said before he pulled the trigger.

The scene seemed to move in slow motion as she found herself hoping that the bullet would miss her friend. Luna watched in pure-horror as Violet fell to the ground, dead from the wound in her forehead. It was a kill-shot and a pool of blood quickly surrounded her. Finally, Luna turned away from Violet to look at the strange hooded figure that had ended her life. He hadn’t moved from where he stood by the bramble thicket as he stared at the body in careful admiration.

“How could you do that to her?” Luna whispered. “You’re a monster.”

He turned the gun towards her as if he just remembered that she was there. She flinched as she waited to feel the metal pierce through her skin at any minute. She was sure he wouldn’t let her live-she was a witness to this murder-but after a long minute he still hadn’t shot the gun.

“Aren’t you going to shoot me too?” Luna asked him finally as her body began to tremble in fear.

“Not if you be a good girl and follow me,” he snarled and it was obvious to Luna the murder he just committed didn’t faze him at all. He could do the same to her and easily leave her body in the woods.

“Why did you kill Violet, huh?” she said frowning at him.

He sighed. “I told you she’s worthless.”

“Who are you and what do you want me for?” she asked bitterly. “I am of no use to you. I promise that.”

“It’s none of your concern. Now follow me,” he said angrily.

“I’m not going anywhere,” Luna said trying to sound brave as she faced her best friend’s killer.

She stood up taller and stared at him through flashing eyes though inside she was far from feeling brave. She had watched him murder her best friend in cold blood and her heart thumped against her ribs like a caged bird at the thought that she could be next.

He stepped up to her so that his figure loomed over her. She wanted to run, she tried to with every muscle in her body, but she was paralyzed in fear. She cowered away from him as the gun hovered an inch from her face. With one hand, he grasped her arm and pain instantly shot through it from his vice-grip.

“Come on,” he growled. ”I’m not gonna ask again.”

Suddenly he looked up, away from Luna and into the forest like he had heard something. He tilted the gun with the hand that didn’t clutch her and aimed it at something before he shot it into the woods. The sound rung through the eerily calm forest and she looked at him nervously. Suddenly his attention snapped back to her before she could question him and he started to drag her across the clearing.

Luna fought with all of her might, but there was no escaping the fact that she was scrawny and weak compared to the build of her enemy. She felt herself being drug away. She screamed out hoping that someone could rescue her from him before it was too late. To her disappointment no one came.

He turned to her. “Don’t waste your breath, there’s no one else here.”

Luna stared back at his shadowy face feeling her hope slide away. She blinked trying to block out her surroundings. When she opened her eyes, the forest disappeared from sight and she was staring at her green bedroom walls. She blinked again and realized it had been a dream…all of it had only been a dream. She felt relief instantly wash over her.

“That’s odd,” Luna whispered to herself in the dark solitude of her room. She had never had a dream so violent before in her life.

                                                                      Chapter Eleven

Luna frowned as she tried to figure out her dream, and finally, she decided that Chance killing that bird had upset her a lot. She wiped the sweat off of her forehead and sighed trying to clear her mind.

It was then she realized her alarm clock was going off. She had already overslept fifteen minutes. She hurried out of bed and changed out of her nightgown before she hurried to the bathroom to brush her teeth. She grabbed her backpack off of the couch and hurried out the door.

Luna ran two blocks (without stopping once) to where Violet met her every day before school started. The dream had shaken her to the core and she really hoped that Violet was there today. Luna saw her within the next few minutes and instantly felt relief as she saw that Violet really was okay.

“Sorry I was late,” Luna breathed as she wheezed to catch her breath.

“Don’t worry about it.”

“Okay.”

“So what kept you? Chance come over to visit before you left?” Violet asked.

That’s enough with the Chance jokes already,
Luna thought bitterly.

“Well, I dreamt that you and I were walking through some forest and then this guy in all black came out of nowhere,” she replied.

“That was your whole dream?” Violet asked sounding bored.

“No, that’s not it,” Luna said. “It was really long and horrible.”

“Then who was he?” Violet asked scrunching up her face. “You didn’t tell me.”

“That’s because I don’t know. I never saw his face…he kept it hidden the whole time and pulled out a gun. You told him that you were sorry and he shot you in the head before he made me go with him.”

“Where’d he take you?”

“I woke up before I found out.”

Violet was silent for a long minute before she spoke. “That’s a weird dream,” she said finally.

“Did you have the same dream last night?” Luna asked her.

Violet scrunched up her face and it looked like she had just taken a bite out of something unpleasant. “No, no I didn’t get to sleep. That’s your own unique weird dream. Congratulations.”

“Yeah, I guess,” Luna replied to her as she felt not really sure what to say. “It was the weirdest dream I ever had. What kept you from sleeping?”

“A headache.”

“He shot you in-“

“Don’t say it, Luna, please don’t finish that sentence.”

Luna frowned, not feeling joyful with her friend’s rude attitude but suddenly felt a strange feeling overtake her as she thought about what she was actually saying. It
had
been a weird dream…maybe a bit too weird to have been made from her. Could it be that maybe it was something more than just a dream even if she couldn’t quite figure it out?

                                                                                    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On the opposite side of town, Chance awoke at the same time as Luna. A sheen of sweat covered his skin making him feel hot and sticky. The dream was working to perfection so far. He had Luna in his clutches and Violet…well, Violet was finally where she belonged. Life was sweet.

It had been a bit easier than he had expected, but maybe that was because he was more skilled than he had imagined. He groaned feeling groggy and climbed out of bed. He had no clocks in his house but his internal one was so set he didn’t need one.

He knew it was morning once again (he could see the light seeping through the black and dusty curtain hung over the window) and again it was time to be the prestigious Chance Welfrey of Shawnee High School. He needed a lot of mental preparation for that every morning. Especially since last night’s dream had been so exhausting on him.

He rushed through his morning routine feeling determined to get there a bit early. Luna would be upset over her best friend’s absence he was sure. Maybe an upset Luna would be an easier to control Luna. If he could control her, he could get her to listen. That was his motivation for the day. He threw on his clothes and checked for his trusty dagger (securing it in his blackened pocket) before he was out the door.

Chance walked across the spooky, unkempt lawn and climbed into his Honda Ridgeline to drive to Shawnee High School and park in his usual spot towards the end of the lot. He cut off the engine and just stayed in the seat waiting…any minute, Luna would be there.

Eventually, a tiny figure appeared in the distance. His eyes gleamed triumph as he spotted it, then he realized that she was flanked by someone else, someone bigger than her by far. As the pair got closer, he realized it was Violet…she was safe and sound. He stared at her in wide-eyed shock…he had killed her, how was she still here? Realization struck…he wasn’t strong enough in that other realm yet. He couldn’t kill her like that…he would have to do it for real if he wanted to get the job done.

The important thing was that he had Luna. He could keep an eye on her while he “sorted out” her best friend. Mentally, he kicked himself, things were all wrong! She shouldn’t be alive and Luna should be alone. He had been told what to do yet he had failed…maybe he needed to be his own person for a while and that meant following the advice he created in That mind.

It took Chance a while to decide he was over his shock so that he could safely get out of his car without toppling over. He wondered if the dreams had no effect on Luna either. When she passed his car, he took the time to carefully look at him and noticed the faint bags under her green eyes. She looked terrified and exhausted…obviously his dream had worked on her. What had he done wrong with Violet?

He frowned and pushed it away. Luna was a victory-he’d sort out the Violet problem later.

                                                        ~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When Luna parted from Violet upon arrival at Shawnee High School, she wasn’t surprised to find an overly annoying Chance. She had been hoping that after spending a night with him he’d want some time away from her but he only seemed to cling even tighter. She tried to stay silent (thoughts of last night’s dinner made all the more vivid at the sight of his face) but he aggravated her.

Luna was trying to study but Chance seemed to hover more than usual (if that was possible).

“Aren’t dogs just the greatest to have around?” Chance asked Luna again for the third time that hour.

              She gritted her teeth and flexed her fist as she tried to ignore him. Her tongue ran absently across the hole her missing tooth had left.

It seemed like the eerie calm that she had felt around him the night before was gone. Chance wasn’t acting strange anymore. In a way, it was like last night had never happened.

“I hate dogs,” Luna replied finally whipping around to look at him. “You know I’m scared of them. I don’t want one around me.”

Chance rolled his eyes. “But aren’t you pro-life for everything?”

“Everything but you,” Luna snapped.

Chance looked back at her like he couldn’t believe that she could still manage to be mad at him after last night.

“You’re such a lady,” he said finally.

Luna snorted as her anger flooded back in an instant. “Yeah, I should hope so.”

“Dogs are great hunters, did you know that? Did I tell you that my dog helped me hunt?” he asked.

“Yes,” she replied through gritted teeth. “You’ve told me that over and over again.” She was surprised that he wasn’t bragging about the bird he had killed last night.

“Just thought you should know,” Chance said. “It’s so interesting.”

“To you it is,” Luna said as she rolled her eyes and looked away from the annoying kid. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the slight smirk appear on his face.

                                                                                    ~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chance tugged on the edges of his bowtie to fix it again as he stared at his reflection in the mirror. It was the night of the dance and he was carefully preparing himself to go see Luna later. He slicked back his blond hair again knowing that he looked ravishing. He didn’t understand why Luna never seemed to fall for his boyish charm.

He was carefully dressed up. He was wearing a new suit that he had bought with the money he had gotten selling Kate’s jewelry. He found the most beautiful rose that he could manage and he planned to give it to Luna. He doubted she’d take it willingly but he wanted to seem classy and romantic, maybe she would fall for that.

His friend, Bryce, patted him on the shoulder pulling him out of his thoughts. “Don’t worry about it, man, you’ll do great.” Obviously he thought Chance was nervous.

“I still don’t understand why in the world you’re taking such a loser,” his other friend, Randy, said.

Chance narrowed his eyes at his reflection. He hated repeating himself.

His two big friends could sense his anger. “It’s okay though,” Randy said. “You hate when we ask but a lot of people at the dance will be thinking the same thing, you know.”

“I don’t care,” Chance said turning away from the mirror and stalking a few feet away.

He guessed the pair of idiots were exchanging a confused glance.

“I got to go pick her up, okay?” he said heading out the front door without looking back at them.

As Chance drove away from Bryce’s house, he had had an idea. Violet would probably be at the dance, and if he guessed correctly, she’d be alone. It’d be easy for him to lure her out of the dance and away from people. He could kill her before he picked up Luna and then she’d be gone forever. It was so simple! He patted his pocket for his knife and turned his car around to head for the school.

He parked a block away to avoid the confines and stares of the parking lot. He got out and walked the small distance to the school. When he got there only a few other people were present. It was early yet but he could see instantly that Violet wasn’t there.

He gritted his teeth in aggravation. He could wait for her he knew but it was already 7:40 and he promised that he’d pick up Luna at 8:00. He turned to leave when a small girl blocked his path.

“Hi, Chance, wanna dance with me?” she asked brightly.

“I can’t,” he said shrugging. “Sorry.”

“Why can’t you?” she demanded.

“Because I have to go get my date in a few minutes,” he replied feeling as if he shouldn’t have to explain a thing to her.

She scrunched up her face in disbelief. “Why would you come here without her in the first place?”

“I helped decorate so I’ve been here almost all day,” he lied pushing past her before she could speak again.

He rushed away from the school and back into his truck which was nearly invisible in the night. Sighing deeply, he began to drive towards Luna’s. That hadn’t gone like he had planned at all. But he could be patient because he knew that eventually it
would
go right. He had Luna and that meant Violet would fall into the trap sooner or later.