Chapter Three: Midnight Visitor
For the first time in her life Wynter felt uneasy about going home. Something had upset the balance between worlds and now she could see the fey in places that they had never ventured to before or rather dared to venture to before on her property....
Glancing at the supplies on her front passenger seat she wondered if she had enough to protect what was hers. Iron horse shoe nails poked out of the paper bag and on her back seat a kitten mewed pitifully in its pet carrier. She would take other precautions as well of course but this at least would be a start. Pulling into her driveway she was annoyed to see a police cruiser parked next to her stone walkway and her brother seated on the porch swing a mug in hand and a relaxed look about him.
Three days had passed since their fight and she was in no mood to bury the hatchet at the moment. She wanted solitude and a chance to mull things over. He remained on the porch as she removed the other supplies she had for the kitten out of the trunk and said nothing as she dumped them down by his feet, not bothering to offer her a hand he just sat and waited for her to finish.
So she ignored him. It was childish of her but she was in the type of mind frame to be immature and petty and she’d be damned before she would say the first word. Collecting the kitten she breezed past Rayne and let the wooden screen door slam behind her. A few minutes later she heard it slam again as Rayne followed her inside.
She let the kitten out to roam free and familiarize itself with its new home while she washed the pretty new red dishes she had picked up from work for it. She had washed, dried and filled them with food and water before Rayne said anything to her.
“Stubborn ain’t ya?” he said in annoyance. Wynter gave him a withering look and turned to pour the kitty litter in the shiny new box. Rayne sighed. “Sorry bout the other day but you shouldn’t have pushed me...”
“Why did you tell Tanner about the call?” she demanded.
“What?” said Rayne mystified.
“He came to the shop and asked me all sorts of questions.....” she roamed about the kitchen in agitation. “I thought you understood to keep that sort of thing to just between us......”
“I never...” he began to protest but then he stopped and the look on his face changed “Jesus...I’m sorry Wyn...”
“How much did you tell him?” she demanded.
“Not all dat much...sure just the bit bout your phoning before hand is all” he answered.
“Ray” she said and gave him the look which made him quake when they were younger but now only made him wince.
“You know how I gits...I don’t remember what all I said! I was pissed at ya!” he exclaimed defensivly.
The similarity of his argument to that of Neil Driscoll’s reasoning for killing Sarah made her want to puke. “This is serious Ray! Did you let it slip bout Neil?”
“I may’ve been pissed but I’m not stupid Wyn” said Rayne with a shake of his head. “Speaking of...didn’t Nan say to never bring a cat home? That it scares them away?”
“I hope so” she shivered and glanced at the woods out the window and saw several sets of eyes looking back at her. Pulling the blind down she turned back to her brother “You’re being careful right?”she asked .
“I turn my pockets inside out when we go in if that’s what you mean...” he said. The kitten galloped past him to hide under the table cloth gaining his attention. “You seem....scared” he turned his grey eyes on hers and searched her face for confirmation. As she frowned he took note of the purplish bruises under her eyes and the utter lack of colour in her skin. She was always pale due to her red hair but she was whiter than usual.
“I am scared, Ray” she answered earnestly “There is something...wrong; and I have no clue what it is or how to fix it. I really wish Nan was here to help me.....They’ve been in the house” she blurted the last part out startling them both.
“What?” said Rayne in disbelief “But dey never comes past the tree line!”
“They do now.....” said Wynter miserably as her head began to throb.
“You think it was Neil? When he fell? “ he asked after a moment of contemplation. Wynter nodded her head and fiercely swiped away a tear that ran down her cheek while trying hard to blink the others away that were threatening to spill. The phone began to ring but Wynter made no move to answer it. As Rayne got to his feet she shook her head at him and indicated for him to sit back down.
“Don’t bother...its Tanner again” she sniffed and reached for a tissue to blow her nose. All she wanted to do was soak in a hot tub and drink a glass of wine before turning in for the night. Unfortunately she could do none of those things until the house was secure....
“Yeahhhhhh...he’s sort of the reason why I came over...” said Rayne scratching his head and mussing up his black curls. “For some odd reason he thinks that yer avoiding him....Is he bothering you?”
“Well yes” said Wynter in a tone that implied that it was an obvious answer “He just doesn’t understand that I’m not in the mood to explain to him how I know things....he figures that I know who killed Sarah and is determined to make me tell him....”
“So tell him” said Rayne.
This was not the answer Wynter expected nor was it the one she wanted to hear. “Are you on crack?”
“No” laughed Rayne “But I think he might surprise you is all....”
“You hardly know him” said Wynter defensively.
“Neither do you... But I’ll say dis much; I trusts him”
“Well I don’t” said Wynter jutting her chin out and crossing her arms across her chest at the same time.
“Or is yerself that you don’t trusts? I saw the way you was looking at him....” he said slyly.
“He’s new! Of course I’m gonna look!” exclaimed Wynter. The kitten mewed from under the table and Wynter shot Rayne a disgusted look “See what you’ve done? You upset my new kitten!”
“Me? It was your yelling dat made it cry!” said Rayne.
“I wasn’t yelling and even if I was it’s because of you. So any way you look at it it’s your fault!” reasoned Wynter as she scooped the kitten up and cuddled it against her shoulder murmuring softly in order to calm it.
Rayne opened his mouth to argue with her but a sharp rap came at the door making the siblings exchange a look. “Tell him to go away” said Wynter her eyes flashing in temper “never mind I’ll do it!” Passing the kitten to him she marched to the door and flung it open. “Go away” she stated and started to shut the door in his face but Tanner was too quick for her and managed to grab it before she could do so.
“We have to talk” he said firmly even as his eyes betrayed the anger he felt.
“What are you stupid? I told you to leave. I don’t want to talk...”
“Good then you can shut up and listen then” said Tanner pushing his way past her and into the hall way where Rayne stood unabashedly listening in on their conversation. “Do you have a problem with my speaking with your sister?” he asked making Wynter fume.
“I have a problem with it! How dense are you?” she exclaimed throwing her arms above her head in frustration. Her headache was a screamer now and she just wanted to be alone to do what she needed to do and lay down. Why was that such a difficult thing to accomplish?
“I’m just going to head on now” said Rayne sensing that he didn’t want to be caught in the middle of these two he made a quick exit.
“Ray! Get your arse back here you bastard!” shouted Wynter from the doorway but Rayne started his car and backed out the driveway fast enough to send the dirt up in clouds. Turning on her heel Wynter glared at Tanner and went back to the kitchen.
He strode in behind her. “Are you a witch?” he asked while studying her fluid movements as she started to pull ingredients out of the fridge and cupboards. “Or Wiccan I mean......”
Wynter raised an eyebrow at him but remained silent as she chopped vegetables and threw them into a big mixing bowl. Tanner nodded his head “Just thought I’d check. So you never asked me why I didn’t question your claims about your so called abilities the other day....”
She chopped a turnip in half making a loud thunk as the two halves fell on the wooden cutting board. He watched her as she then peeled away the waxy rind and proceeded to cut it into smaller chunks. Every move she made made him think of a dancer; which was saying something as how chopping vegetables could be graceful he couldn’t explain but Wynter made it seem so. “What are you making?” he asked as she drizzled olive oil over the veggies and added sea salt and freshly ground pepper over top.
“Food” she said shortly.
“Wow” he exclaimed “Food. That truly is amazing....I never would have guessed that”
“Dinner” she amended and slapped a thick piece of steak on another board and began to hit it with a small kitchen mallet.
“No need to fuss I like pretty much everything...except peas and lima beans” he smiled at her but she wasn’t looking at him. He sighed loudly “You’re not going to make this easy for me are you?”
“Nope” she said and picked a large knife from the set sitting on her counter. Holding it in her hands she stared at him expectantly.
“What?” he asked not even flinching as she played with it; expertly twirling the blade while passing it from one hand to the other.
“You tell me...I’m the one who’s supposed to keep her mouth shut; remember?” she said with a glint in her green eyes as sharp as the blade in her hands.
He cringed at her words. “Sorry about that. I was frustrated with you...”
“That seems to be a popular excuse these days” said Wynter with a frown.
“Hunh?” said Tanner in confusion.
“Never mind. You were saying?” she prompted.
“I was trying to tell you that....” he began but a scream, long and bone chilling in pitch, sounded just outside her kitchen window. “What the fuck was that?” he asked fearfully.
“Oh no! No, please no!” repeated Wynter dropping the knife as she ran to the front door and flung it open and sprinted out. “Rayne! RAYNE!” she cried as she continued to run down the drive way and out onto the road. Tears flowed down her face. Behind her she could hear Tanner calling her name but she ignored him. Heart pounding she reached the bend and saw the fresh tire marks leading off the road and into the ditch and the woods just beyond....
“RAYANE!!!!!!!!” she screamed and scrambled down into the ditch. The car was smoking in the front as it was bent around the trunk of a large pine. The windshield was cracked and her brother was slumped over the steering wheel his face barely visible from the blood covering it.
As panic seized her she tried to open the driver’s door but Tanner stopped her. “Wynter” he said as she struggled against his grip “Wynter, I’ve called for help. You have to leave him alone; you could hurt him further....” He tried to reason with her but to no avail as she brought her fist up and decked him in the jaw sending him reeling back.
He had to physically lift her up and drag her up to the road. She bit and clawed at him but he wouldn’t let her go. Even as her anger turned to pleas he held fast. For what seemed like an eternity they waited for the ambulance and the fire department to arrive. As he held her he looked at the skid marks and frowned...it seemed like Rayne had been trying to avoid hitting something....
Hours later the memory of the scream and Wynter’s face ran through Tanners mind as he worked with the others; for after they had safely seen Rayne and his sister off to the hospital they had discovered Neil Driscoll’s car on an atv trail a few feet from Ray’s cruiser. It was such an odd coincidence but Tanner kept his speculations to himself as the other men seemed especially edgy and weary of the woods. A few even had their pockets turned out he noticed.
The sun had barely begun to sink when they called it a night.
With nothing else to do Tanner headed back to Wynter’s house to check on the kitten for her and to lock up the doors. As he walked he could feel the hairs on the back of his neck start to prickle and stand on end. Glancing around he saw nothing to account for it. Speeding up his gait he didn’t look back until he was inside.
Even indoors he felt as if he was being watched. Shaking the sensation off he walked into the kitchen, turning lights on as he went. There sitting at the table was Wynter staring off into space; the kitten on her lap and a half bottle of wine sitting in front of her.
“Wynter; what are you doing here?” he asked with concern.
She turned her blood shot eyes upon him “I can’t stay there” she answered and then looked away from him.
“You mean they wouldn’t let you?” he asked in outrage.
“No. I just can’t stay there...too many voices.....” she pointed to her head and tapped her temple. “Up here...they whisper to me....so many of them....psstpsstpsst” she said before bringing the bottle to her lips and taking a deep pull from it.
“Ookay. I think that you have had enough of the wine...C’mon let’s get you to bed so you can sleep this off” he said taking the bottle from her limp hand. Placing it on the counter he noticed that the blinds were open when he was certain that they had been closed a few moments before. Deciding to investigate it later he turned back to see Wynter had gotten up and wandered away.
Cursing he searched for her and found her standing outside on her porch. “Wynter? Why don’t you come on in now?” he asked her.
She smiled at him and shook her head “I have to let them know that I’m not afraid....”
Tanner scratched his head and was about to take her inside when a wind blasted them with its icy breath. Blinking against it Tanner caught a glimpse of something wraith like moving through the woods. Fear in its most primal form clawed at him. Grabbing Wynter by the arm he dragged her inside and slammed the door shut. Peering out he saw it standing on the lawn.
Its hair was long and white, Leaves and flowers were mixed through it and a crown of twigs rested on top. Her dress was also long and white...old...like something one would see from a fairy tale book. But this was no Disney princess. Blood stained the front and crimson tears fell from its red eyes. Its mouth moved but he couldn’t hear what it was saying...then it was gone. Tanner stared out at the creeping darkness and trembled.
Wynter woke at precisely eleven fifty nine pm. The house was quiet and still. For a few disorienting moments she had no clue where she was or how she got there. Then through the wine soaked haze she recalled Tanner picking her up and tucking her into bed. Letting out a groan of embarrassment she pulled the covers up and over her head.
As she lay there she wondered if anyone would answer the phone at the hospital.....she should never have had the wine....In the midst of berating herself she suddenly became aware of the change in atmosphere. The temperature dropped dramatically and her whole body began to quake. Dreading what she would see she lowered her covers and peeked.
Standing at the foot of her bed was Rayne.
Except it wasn’t really him for he looked like he did at the accident scene; pale and covered in blood. He stared at her and then flickered before disappearing all together. The clock flipped to twelve oh one and the phone began to ring. Wynter curled up and sobbed as her heart was breaking.
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