Page 8 of Remnants: Disruption
I turn to see Mara’s face. Her wide eyes are full of the power that Livy had mentioned, but they only radiate fear. Fear that I can almost feel through the communion. The kind of fear that settles in your soul.
Ropes appear, as if out of reality itself. They wrap themselves around Mara’s hands and ankles, tying her securely to thebed. The figure moves into my line of sight, their body almost hovering as hands move out from the dark cloak. They extend out fully, black gloves hiding any visible skin.
Mara’s mouth drops open as her entire body goes rigid. Dark red liquid begins to seep from every orifice—her ears, her nose, her mouth. The towel soaks itself in the same color as the liquid seems to be pulled directly from the woman.
But it isn’t blood. Or, at least, it doesn’t look to beonlyblood. It’s almost the color of Affliction-tinged with hints of blood and gore.
The entire event takes only a short few seconds, but then Mara is gone. Her corpse withered and broken.
The room flashes into full, horrific color as sound explodes into my senses. My head throbs as lights and shadow dance around my eyes.
“Fuck,” I gasp out as I stumble forward, barely catching myself on the banister of the bed.
“Shit, Arya,” Percy is beside me. Her bionic hand closes lightly over my shoulder, steadying me.
I turn in place, blinking the vision out of my eyes. The room is how I left it; dark, dreary, and bathed in odd shadows from the Affliction outside.
But at least Percy is here.
“What happened?” Percy asks, her voice soft despite the fear that had been there moments ago.
Twice now. Twice in the same day my powers have backfired so tremendously.
I relay what little the vision told me. The odd, feminine suspect. The fear in Mara’s eyes. The gruesome death that almost makes me feel bad for a terrorist like Fyre.
“Is it the same person as the last victim?” Percy asks, her eyes returning to Mara’s corpse.
I suck in a breath through clenched teeth.
“With the way my powers are backfiring today, it’s hard to tell. Usually, I can at least see a face or hear a voice,” I glance at Mara’s corpse before returning my attention to Percy’s face. “I’d say it’s not unlikely. I’d like to have a look at the other corpse again.”
“We can make that happen,” Percy says, her eyes softening as she meets my look. “But first you go home and sleep.”
I glance at her as we slip past the techs and other officers on scene. She quirks one of her dark, thin eyebrows.
“You’re no use to me half conscious and power fluctuating,” she gives me a pointed look.
I chew on my lower lip as we take the stairs, giving Livy a wave as we pass by before pushing the door open to the brisk early morning air.
“Fine,” I say finally, tucking my hands into my peacoat. “I’ll see you in a few hours.”
Percy turns to me; an eyebrow again quirked. “You don’t want a ride?”
“No,” I shake my head, trying to give her a genuine smile despite the pit in my gut. “If I walk off my jitters, I’ll probably actually sleep.”
“Alright,” she says, the look of worry not at all lessened. “I’ll see you at noon, then.”
I watch her climb into her cruiser, giving her a weak thumbs up as she looks back. Her brake lights disappear around the corner before I take off in the other direction.
This side of New Chicago is what most people experience. The crumbling stone, the rusting metal, Affliction dripping haphazardly from piping meant to keep it from human touch.
Yet, this is the side of this city-state that I actually like. Maybe it’s also the side that I find most charming because it’s real to me. It’s not a flashy industrial facade like the other districts. This is where people live. Where they die.
Where they’re murdered.
Dark thoughts. Those are dark thoughts. We don’t entertain dark thoughts. That’s what the therapist said—before I stopped going, at least.
I take a deep, shuddering breath as I make for the nearest alley, out of sight of the officers still meandering around the motel.
