Bruja

⠀↳⠀2.2

( E i g h t )

"You wanted to talk to me?"

Sam held a tablet in his hands with knitted brows, almost like he was unsure what he was looking at. He said he wanted to talk to her, so whatever it was definitely related to her.

Tapping on an image to enlarge it, he turned his attention to her. "Is this you?"

She reached for the device to see it was the beginning of a slideshow. The first few photos were enough to bring her back to what happened that night.

It was a cool night during Day of the Dead in Oaxaca, Mexico. Darkness covered the sky with shining stars and a full moon while fireworks decorated the stretched sheet. The setting was the most captivating—the streets full of life and color for a holiday celebrating the opposite: death.

Her targets were occupied in a two-story building on the street where a parade was held. She blended in easily thanks to the many people sporting sugar skulls and dressed in beautiful colors and fabrics varying from darks to lights and simple to complex patterns.

Sparklers surrounded her while marigold flowers sprinkled the air and ground. Vibrant papel picado showcased intricate designs and gigantic parade floats made their way down the street, all to let people know a celebration was happening in their city.

She remembered dancing with the others, using them as an excuse to parade while proudly displaying their art and culture to locals and visitors. She used her bladed fans to guide her fluid movements, her feet never missing a step as she opened them to warn that she was coming. The tourists weren't aware of what they were seeing, but the locals were. They were very tight-lipped about it.

The two-story building was warmer from the many religious candles burning simultaneously. With the curtains open, light from outside was invited in, making the illuminated rooms clash between cool white and warm yellow.

She specifically remembered passing by an ofrenda that held three pictures of men ranging from salt-and-pepper hair to a full head of milky brown—the oldest to the youngest. She knew she would make history for the family by adding a few more faces to the altar if they decided to honor their deaths.

Sliding her finger across the screen to the next, she spotted herself from the second-floor hallway window. The white base face paint made her look like a ghost creeping in in search of her next victims. The grand finale of the fireworks began at that point, and she took the opportunity of their loud booms and distracting colors to strike.

Picture after picture, she went back and forth between appearing and not appearing in them like flashes. It wasn't until she reached one where she was looking out the window and into the camera lens of the person taking those shots that she paused. Some of her paint was rubbed off and specks of blood were on her forehead and cheek. Even though she was looking at herself, chills ran down her spine at the ghostly image of a faint gold hue glowing from her eyes alone.

Those pictures were just the beginning.

She went through the slideshow to see newspaper clippings and news coverage of the killings she was responsible for. All pointed to her persona, noting the singular item she would leave behind to make her mark.

"Where did you get these?" she finally asked.

"So that is you?"

She answered in silence.

Sam took the tablet from her and handed it to Torres. "Maria, I'm gonna need you to be honest with me..." With one step forward, he crossed his arms and asked, "Who are you?"