Page 45 of Dark Visions

Fear and pain filled his eyes as he attempted to scream.

Aislinn, don’t look, baby! Aislinn, come back to me! Aislinn!

I have to see this through. I have to…

She lifted her other leg and jabbed the stiletto into his neck, blood spurting over the table. Deborah laughed a hideous laugh, rubbing her hands through the puddles of blood. She spread it over her body, pinching her own nipples with excitement.

The terror on the wife’s face transformed into anger as she struggled against the restraints. Deborah’s head whipped around, staring at the woman. She said something to her, but Aislinn couldn’t hear her. From her purse, she pulled a large butcher knife and ran the back of the blade along the woman’s stomach, nicking her skin.

Deborah kissed the woman’s face and neck, squeezing her breast as she did. Without warning, she drew back the blade, slid it deep into her stomach, and pulled. There was no sound, no noise at all, only red. Only blood. Deborah turned in the room, looking around as if looking for something. Then she just stared straight at Aislinn, straight into her face. She wasn’t there, but somehow Deborah sensed her in the room.

Aislinn! Wake up now! Aislinn!

She was drowning, gasping for air. She needed to get to the surface. She needed to breathe.

“Holy fuck, what’s happening?” asked Spook, standing over the bed. Flip and Adam were on the other side, closest to Aislinn.

“She was watching her. Deborah. She killed again, or she will kill again.”

“I felt it,” said Flip.

“I did too,” said Adam. “I couldn’t see it, but I felt her fear, her sheer terror. It was suffocating.” Kane looked over at Spook. His face was ashen.

“I don’t know what that was, but it was enough to wake me.”

“Aislinn, baby, are you okay?” he asked, pulling her close.

“It was the worst. She was angry because Dr. Krauss wasn’t there. She wanted to really inflict harm, and she did. Did you see?”

“I saw, baby, and they felt it.”

“You felt it? You felt the anger?” she asked.

“I felt the violence,” said Flip. “It was as if I were having a violent dream but couldn’t see it.”

“I felt your terror,” said Adam. “I wish I could explain it, but I was lying there peacefully on the sofa and suddenly felt your terror. I’ve never…” He stopped and looked at Spook.

“I don’t know what I felt, but you’re all going to explain this to me.”

“We will, but first, let me get Aislinn showered and fed. She’ll sometimes get headaches after these episodes, but it seems less when I’m near her.”

“What do we do about the murders she saw?” asked Adam.

“I don’t know. We don’t know anything right now. They could have happened last night, or they might be yet to happen. Just let me get her showered and dressed.” He lifted Aislinn into his arms. She was limp as a rag doll, falling against his chest.

“I’ll make us some breakfast,” said Flip.

Kane carried Aislinn into the shower, stripping her clothes from her body and holding her securely until she found her legs once more. At first, she shook with shock and fear, and then, as the water heated against her body, she found her balance once more and held tightly to Kane.

“I called for you,” he whispered against her hair. “Why wouldn’t you come to me?”

“I needed to see all of it, to see where she was, what she would do. She felt me. She knew someone else was there,” she said. “It was so awful, so deliberate. The hate was so powerful within her.”

“I know, baby, I know. I felt it too.” He lathered her hair and soaped her body, careful to wash every part of her body. His own body reacted in its traitorous way, stiffening to an uncomfortable stance. She lightly touched her fingers to him, but he stilled her hand.

“We have company, baby,” he said quietly.

“I’ll be quiet,” she said, staring into his eyes. “Please, Kane, I need this. I need to forget the evil and feel the good… feel you.”

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