Of the Shadows

Chapter 7: Hopeless Devotion

"Poor girl, poor thing, no skin, no skin." My mom muttered those words repetitively between incomprehensible whispers. Angie returned to the living room and nodded towards Mum.
"What got her started?" She asked, familiar with my moms 'spells.'
"Our waitress we had yesterday morning died." I stated plainly. Angie creased her brows in confusion.
"Thats terrible! We just saw her."
"Yeah news is saying foul play."
"What if there's a maniac or something out there? Like whoever killed Gran!" Panic rose in Angie's throat and glistened in her eyes. I placed my hand softly on her shoulder and she gripped it tight with her other hand.
"The cops don't even know if what happened to Gran was caused by a person, Ange. They said it was more like an animal attack." I assured her.
"They said they weren't sure." Angie glared at me and pushed my hand away.
I nodded. "You're right, that's what I understood." A shrill ring erupted from Angie's phone. It was Chris. Angie answered quickly and took a few steps away from me.
"Not really. I mean Gran..." Angie was crying again. I stepped towards her and she inched further away. So I sat on the couch and listened to her cry to her abusive girlfriend, feeding off of the intoxicating part of Chris that always lured her back in. "...I love you too. Yeah. At Maura's... No, you know it's not like that... she was with me when we found her... okay... love you bye." Angie hung up and sat beside me tip of her nose pink with anxiety.
"Don't be mad." She said; it was more of a demand than a request.
"You're going back to Chris's?" I sighed.
"Technically it's our place. Plus Chris is strong she can protect me if some crazy person is on the loose."
"She is the crazy person."
"I'm going back, Maura. My life, my decision. I know we were fighting but there's bigger stuff going on and I need someone who loves me right now. I need someone who can hold me and get me through this."
"Really?" I scoffed. "What happens the next time you piss her off? Huh? I care about you, Mum cares about you. You don't need her. You need to love yourself."
"I'll walk." Angie threatened and slipped on her shoes. She strapped her purse across her torso. The strap hung on her right shoulder and the bag itself rested on her left hip. She resembled a toddler trying to make a point.
"Or you could just stay. You can have my bed I'll take the couch. It's safe here." I was on the verge of begging. I did not like myself vulnerable.
"Or you could take me home. I promise I will call you if she acts up, okay? Please just take me home. Please?" Angie pleaded.
"Whatever." I grabbed my shoes and keys and stomped out of the door. I barely let Angie close her door before I peeled off to their quaint little couples stater home.

Chris wasn't home as far as I could tell. Her car wasn't in the driveway. She worked construction, so it made sense that she wouldn't be home yet.
"Once again she had you rush home just to not be here." I stated a coldness in my tone.
"She called me on her break. She said she can't wait to see me when she gets off." Angie stretched rubbed her bruised back wincing at the touch.
"See. The bruises she left aren't even healed yet." I pulled her shirt collar over to look at the now green bruises on her back and shoulders. Angie sat back in her seat and stared off for a while before she replied.
"Fine. Let me grab some of my things." Angie got out of the car. I kept myself from grinning with the excitement buzzing within me. Maybe my friend was finally going to take care of herself and leave that asshole. The house was like most of the ones out in the country. Small with a big yard. The one bedroom house, flaking white paint stood out against the surrounding lawn and woods further back. Ferns hung from the roof of the porch. They were one of the few plants Angie could keep alive. She did not get her granny's green thumb.
"Let me help." I requested and also got out of the vehicle. Angie stared at the house but kept her hand on the car door handle.
"No I got it. I'll be quick." Angie finally let go and hurried inside. I grabbed a joint from my box and sat on the hood of my beat up car. I lit up and watched the trees. They were too far away for me to see more than blurs of birds and other critters hopping from branch to branch and scurrying along the forrest floor. The buzz of cicadas was loud for this time of day; they were usually loud in the afternoon and evening. I sat straight up and choked on the hit of thick smoke I was drawing in. It was still morning. In my coughing fit I swore I saw several pinpoints if yellow eyes gleaming in the woods.
"Ange." I called and went into the house. I went straight to the bedroom where Angie sat crying on the bed with tye dye rainbow sheets. She was gazing at a picture of her and Christina. I passed her the joint and she took it with a trembling hand.
"Its gotta be over, right? I have to end this." Angie asked already knowing the answer.
"You gotta love yourself Angie. Love yourself first then find someone who loves you the right way. Loves everything you are." I replied. "Let's get out of here."
Angie gathered a few trinkets and stuffed clothes into a couple of bags. She packed almost aggressively, as if a single pause could make her change her mind. She handed me a couple things to carry and marched out of the house. Before I could follow she came back in the room and grabbed a jar from the top of the closet marked 'Vacation.' It was full of cash and change. She shook it and grinned then motioned for me to follow her out. We got in the car and I put my key in the ignition to roll down the windows.
"Angie" a voice called from the forrest. I couldn't see anything from the driveway. Angie must have heard it too. Her ears perked and she sat on the edge of her seat.
You hear that, Maura?" Angie already had her hand on the handle of the car door. I grabbed her shoulder to keep her in the car.
"Ange! Over here!" The labored voice belonged to Chris. Angie looked at me, an uneasiness in her eyes.
"She sounds worn out, Mar, she's breathing hard. What if somethings wrong?"
"She just fucked you up Angie. You're almost home free. What the hell is wrong with you. Stay in the car.
"My legs stuck! Can you help me?" The voice beckoned my friend from the woods.
"I knew she was hurt! I have to check on her."
"No you don't. We will call an ambulance or something. You don't need to go in there." The hair on my arms stood on end. Something was off about Chris's voice. I couldn't pinpoint it exactly. Her breath was uneven and the vulnerability in her plea seemed far from genuine. After seeing the little ones there earlier I knew it couldn't be safe to go into the woods. My necklace burned hot on my skin and my grip in Angie's shoulder grew a little too tight.
"You're hurting me." Angie said and jerked her shoulder from my hand. In the same motion she swiftly leapt from the car. Despite everything in me telling me to stay in my car and let my friend reap the consequences of her own stupidity I ran after her. I was at her heels just as she reached the edge of the woods. I still couldn't see Chris.
"Angie. Love. Help me." We were further in the woods now. A couple dozen trees deep. Chris's voice was loud enough she should have been in sight. Something was wrong.
"Listen, Angie. I don't see her. Let's go before we get lost. We will send a rescue team." I trailed behind my swift friend and begged her to turn back. A deer was in sight now. It had its back to us. Its blood red tail twitched. Angie was running towards it and it wasn't running away like deer tend to do.
"Angie STOP!" I commanded fear washing over me. The deer whipped its head around at the noise and Chris's voice came from its mouth.
"Angie! Help me!" The voice was angry. Angie's stopped in her tracks and her phone rang. She answered with a shakey hand and started backing up.
"Are... Are you okay?" Angie asked before putting the phone on speaker.
"Angie, help me." The deer repeated and snapped its head to an ungodly angle. I forced my heavy feet towards Angie and the creature as she backed up to me. I had to get her out of there but she was still several feet from where I stood.
"I was gonna ask you the same thing baby doll. I'm so sorry I lost my temper. I'm a bitch. I'll do better." Chris promised from the phone.
"Chris. Are you... in the woods?" Angie interrupted visibly unable to process what was happening before her eyes.
"Woods? No, honey I'm on my way home." Angie dropped her phone as the deer continued to contort. It's bones cracked like dry branches under marching feet.
"Angie help me." The voice was monstrous now, like several people gasping for air or drowning on their own fluids. The deer's mouth opened too wide and snapped in two, revealing rows of sharp teeth and a forked tongue. Its skull bubbled as it changed shape. Claws burst from its hooves and its hide ripped in places, blood oozing from the tears. The beast grew to tower above us, ever crackling as it repeated the words.
"Angie. HELP ME."