The Reaping (43 page)

Right then, deep down, I just
knew
that Leah had killed her parents.  She was not just lost to the police now, she was lost to me, too.  Whether or not a soul could ever recover from such horrific deeds I didn’t know, but for Leah I was pretty sure there was no coming back.  Not for her.  It would be too hard, too much of a fight.  And Leah wasn’t strong, she wasn’t a fighter.  She was just gone—long gone. 

Another thing I was certain of was that my role in her life was over.  She was playing for the other team now and we were all playing for keeps.  I couldn’t afford to let my guard down around her again. 

As I stood there in the kitchen, phone in hand, considering the implications of what I’d heard, I was startled when I saw an image of Derek appear in the middle of the floor.  His hair was a little shorter, but his handsome face was unmistakable, even with eyes the same dark, hollow black as Grey’s.  He hovered like a transparent, malevolent spirit over a young girl who was sleeping peacefully beneath a frilly, pink canopy. 

I put my hand over my mouth to stifle a gasp when I saw his face and body transform into some kind of creature, some demonic looking
thing
.  My mind struggled to grasp what was going on when I saw Leah enter the picture.  She walked to the side of the girl’s bed and leaned over her, trailing her fingers down the girl’s neck.  It was then that I knew what was going to happen. 

The urge to look away was nearly as powerful as my fixation on the couple as they descended on the young girl.  At first they seemed to be almost playing with her, nipping at her with their teeth, tearing at her skin with their claws.  She screamed and fought, to no avail. 

When her struggles had lessened and puddles of her blood were shed, however, playtime was over.  That’s when they began to cut deep into her flesh, tearing out large chunks.  They chewed and ravaged her, licking up trickles of blood as it spilled. 

My heart broke as I stood helplessly by and watched them do unspeakable things to her, things she had no hope of surviving. 

When the image disappeared and I was once more alone in my kitchen, something inside me reminded me that there was always hope.  I just had to find her first.