The sound of my heaves bounced off the tile walls, smacking against my body to force more burning vomit out of it. Clenching my eyes shut, I turned to the sink to splash my face with cold water. It gushed down the drain as I gripped the bench, seething. It wasn’t enough. I needed a shower. The tap squealed as I used too much force to wrench it shut. In the mirror, my eyes were blood shot, and surrounded by small, red spots where I’d broken the capillaries. Those fuckers were going to have black eyes and their balls shoved down their throats when I’d finished with them. I twisted the heels of my hands into my eye sockets. Fuck me. I had to get a grip.
The shower was scorching hot, pummelling my skin. The heat was supposed to loosen the tension, but I was stretched too tight. Time warped until the space inside my head, fuelled by anger and hurt, remembered an early morning bike ride down Mount Glorious. When I’d considered following my sister’s fate. But I couldn’t give in to desperation and lose control again … because of Veronica. She’d filled a space inside me that nothing could touch before. I had to find her, and apologise for going all ogre on her.
So many things made sense now. The nightmares. The way she’d freaked out in the city. My train of thought froze. That didn’t make sense. I slapped my palm against the wall, spraying water everywhere. How did she know about that house if she only just found the diary? She hadn’t told me everything. Shit. I ripped the curtain open, and choked on my own spit when I saw the mirror. Scrawled into the film of steam, in my sister’s handwriting, was the message, ‘They have her.’
My gut plummeted with the thought of losing her. Fear dried my mouth as I skidded through the house, throwing on clothes. The drive seemed to drag on for eternity. I made two calls on the way there.
Sometimes you need a little insurance.
Ronnie
I had nowhere to go.
Out of habit, I aimed the car towards St Lucia. Blindly driving through the quiet streets until I found where I used to run along the river. The sun hung low behind the thick trees, throwing long shadows over the river, and dropping the temperature to just chilly.
Ruby followed me along the path as I ran in my bare feet, jarring my ankles. The clicking of claws on concrete, and the friction of denim on denim added a soundtrack in the absence of music.
He hated me. I was the messenger who was damned to be shot every time. Who wanted to hear news like that? Who would believe a story like that? Now he knew I was a freak, he couldn’t stand to be near me at all. I knew it would happen. A bitter laugh pinched my throat and I stopped running. It wasn’t helping.
I lowered my body to sit cross-legged on the path, and Ruby plonked herself in my lap, panting heavily. She twisted her neck to lick my cheek, and we sat watching the flow of the water and the movement of breeze through the trees. The scene around us was totally peaceful, while inside I was fracturing. I ran my hand along Ruby’s fur, drawing some solace from her presence and her innocence, and closed my eyes.
Concentrate on your breath. Clear your thoughts. Call on your guides to protect you, and let the messages come. Granny’s lessons came back to me. I followed the steps, holding onto Ruby to keep me grounded, as my mind drifted to another place.
The dark room surrounded me. There was no source of light, other than a dull lamp in one corner beside a wall of shelves.
Concentrate on your breath. “Show me more.”
The room appeared to spin, and I saw where the stairs descended into the room. A table sat in the centre. My arms tightened around Ruby and my breath quickened at the image in my mind. Felicity lay on the table, arms and legs tied to each corner with coarse ropes. She was half naked. Bloody welts covered her bare, motionless legs. I watched closely for the rise and fall of her chest, holding my own breath until I saw a slight movement.
My body slumped as the vision faded. Whoa. The darkening sky spun overhead as I slowly came back to awareness How long was I out? Ruby sniffed around my face, checking that I was okay. I was so far from okay. Felicity’s in trouble!
“Let’s go, Ruby.” I jumped up, stumbling a few steps before dashing back to the car with the dog barking at my heels.
I needed a plan. My mind raced through all the information I’d learned from Tish and Felicity, as my fingers gripped the steering wheel. I couldn’t break into the house. They would have tight security for sure.
The alleyway. I parked down a side street, debating whether or not to take the dog. I loathed the idea of leaving her here, but I didn’t want to put her in danger either. And she’d give away our position if we needed to hide.
She also had sharp teeth. She’s coming. I needed all the help I could get.
The sun had just dipped below the horizon, gracing the sky with a layer of orange under blue. It’d be dark in there.
The ropes. I searched through the glove box for my pocket knife, and slipped it in
