The person stood in front of me didn’t have strawberry blond hair like Ember, or didn’t have some form of weapon in their belt, like a knife or a gun or some handmade wooden spear. This person was holding something completely different: A dummy.
A tiny toddler stared up at me, curiosity on his face. He had to be about 3, and all I could do was stare back.
“Who aw you?” the toddler asked. I took a step back, up to my neck in confusion.
I my complete surprise the next thing this small did was scrunch up his face and bawl his eyes out. I jumped back as the cried of attention and frustration left his mouth.
“What the hell is going on,” I muttered under my breath. I had so many questions. Who was he? How could he see me? Why was he at Ember’s treehouse? If he was here, where was Ember? Which brought me right to the ultimate question. Did Ember die?
“Stop, stop now, sshuush,” I hissed at the small kid, kneeling down on one leg and leaning forward. “Stop crying.”
A second figure appeared from around the corner. This one was fully grown, and was a woman. I jumped backwards as I spotted a gun held tightly in her right hand. The boy stopped crying immediately, his eyes now wide and curious.
“Who are you?” the woman growled, lifting the gun. Although her facial express was solid, I could tell that she was shaking like a tiny helpless animal inside because her eyes were soft and weak, flickering all over the place. She held the gun steady, and I was torn about what to do.
“I should be asking you the same question,” I spat back. She stared at me in astonishment for a second.
“You can see me?” she questioned. “How can you see me? Were you in the fire?”
“W-What?” I breathed, hardly able to comprehend.
“Are you…” The woman stiffened, her bottom lip shaking violently. She lowered her voice, as if what she was just about to whisper was top secret. “Are you dead too?”
“I – I… I asked you a question. Who are you?”
“I asked you first,” the woman hissed, her gun still in her hand. She wouldn’t shoot. I could see it in her eyes.
The small by was sucking his thumb now, looking curiously between me and the woman.
“You won’t shoot,” I hissed at her, ready to attack if I had to. “You and me both know that.”
The woman’s arm went limp, and she dropped the gun. Sighing, she rushed forward to collect the child and, scooping him up into her arms, she stooped backwards out of my way, as if she was surrendering.
“Elsie?” a voice called out, as its owner immerged slowly from round the corner.
“Ember?” I questioned in shock, as I saw her familiar face. I got an even bigger shock when I saw a big large dark burn down the side of her face and around her left hand and arm. “Whoa! What happened?”
“Do you know this girl?” the woman asked Ember with signs of uncertainty on her face. Ember looked tired as she nodded.
“Yeah,” she replied slowly. “She’s my mate.”
“Oh,” the woman said, looking embarrassing. “Is she like… us?”
“Yeah, she is,” Ember said.
“What happened to you?” I repeated. “And can you please explain what’s going on?”
“Right Skylar,” Ember replied formally. “These are Elsie Smith and Finley Smith. There’s mother and son.”
YOU ARE READING
Dead Connections
Mystery / ThrillerDeath was the beginning for Skylar, although she didn’t realise until it was too late. Skylar Una Stone was 14 when she was kidnapped and murdered by a masked man wearing entirely black who went by the name of Unseen. Now, she is desperate to find...
