Thirty-Five
September 2004
I ran my hands over the firebird's bonnet, feeling it heat up as the engine purred quietly.
'Why're we here, Dad?' I asked, dragging my eyes off its blackness.
'Happy birthday, Bellatrix.' He smiled slightly, and it took me a second to register what he meant.
'Wait, you mean that....that the car's mine?'
He nodded, and waited for that to click through for me.
I wasn't slow. I graduated after missing the majority of school years, so I wasn't too bad.
But the fact that the Pontiac firebird, practically one of dad's children, was MINE...it was too much to register.
September 2013
I shot Dexter a death look, then turned my gaze out the windshield.
After a second he sighed, and said, 'What?'
'Nothing.' I said, clenching my jaw.
'Just tell me, Trix.'
'It's MY car!' I cried, bouncing in my seat. 'Why can't I drive?'
'Because you're still regaining control of your hand and we just got out of the hospital. I don't want to go back into one for the next month or so until you die.' Dexter pointed out.
I clenched my jaw. 'So?'
'So no.'
Staring out the window again, I saw the cop car start their siren and speed up to us.
'Don't stop.' I muttered, catching the cop's face in the rear view mirror.
'What?'
'Keep driving.' I ordered.
'Just because you hate all authority figures doesn't mean I want to lose a couple points. Just keep your mouth shut and it'll be fine.' Dexter said.
'No, Dex, you don't under-'
But he pulled over anyway, and after a second the cop pulled up behind us and got out. I rolled down my window, trying not to look at his twisting disfigured face.
That wasn't a normal human cop. It was a...
'Is there a problem?' Dexter called over me as I rolled down my window and the cop leant against the frame.
'One of your tail lights are busted.'
'No way!' I cried, then quickly looked away again.
'Can I see your licence and registration, please.' He said, and Dexter went through the glove box.
I slammed the door open suddenly, smashing it into the cop's legs and sending him over.
'Drive!' I yelled.
'Bellatrix!' Dexter snapped.
'Go!' I screamed, slamming my foot over his and powering off.
Once we had levelled out and I could no longer see the cop, I sighed and fell back into my chair.
'What the Hell, Bellatrix?' Dexter said angrily as he kept driving.
'Dude, you don't get it. I'm not sure what that cop was, but it sure as Hell wasn't a cop.'
'Then what was it?'
'I... I dunno but there was something...under its face?' I tried.
'Right. OK. Were you on some medication that we didn't know about?' He asked in all seriousness.
'I'm not hallucinating or anything!' I cried. 'I know what I saw!'
He shook his head and mumbled something to himself.
'You're not crazy, Trix.' Johnny said once we arrived at the RoadHouse. We sat at a wooden booth, me, him and Dexter.
'Told you so.' I muttered to Dexter.
'Shut up.' He hissed back.
'Trix your time's coming, and it's coming fast. How much longer do you have?' Johnny asked.
'It's...October now, isn't it?' I asked.
'November.' Johnny said. We had filed him in on my being stuck in hospital for just over a month.
'Then I have until the end of December.' I said, feeling chills go down my spine at how close I was.
Johnny nodded. 'They'll be Hell Hounds after you soon. You're almost to your end- what you were seeing was the demon, even after it had possessed someone.'
'So what, I have, like, super powers now or something?' I asked happily.
'In preparation for your death, yeah.' He said, and my smile fell.
'That's...not so awesome.'
'No. So if you're gonna do one last thing before you go- I think you should go after that Gloria demon.' Johnny said.
'And the Medicus bastard.' I muttered to myself.
'Wait, what?' Johnny got my attention again. 'What was that last part?'
'I should get back at the Medicus too. He took Dexter and cut part of my arm out.' I explained. 'Didn't...didn't Dexter tell you that?'
Johnny shook his head slowly.
'No, uh, I forgot to mention that particular part.' Dexter mumbled.
'You stay away from the Medicus, Trix.' Johnny ordered. 'He's dangerous- more dangerous than anything else anyone's ever faced.'
'He's just some mismatched human!' I cried. 'Why not?'
'Because, I said no, and your father would agree. No.' He stood and trudged off.
'If no Hunter ever goes after him, then how is he supposed to be stopped?' I asked Dexter.
'I don't know.' Dexter shrugged. 'But if we wanna go after Gloria, we're gonna have to go now.'
'I'm going after that doctor son of a bitch.' I said, following him out.
'You heard Johnny- we can't. Besides, we already know where Gloria is.'
'We do?'
'Yeah, so come on.'
Following him out, I stopped on the edge of the porch when I saw the two bodies swinging on the water tower on the edge of the parking lot.
'Trixie, what- oh.' Watching my line of sight, he saw the man and woman hanging by their throats, holding hands even in death.
'Is that...?'
'No.' I swallowed hard.
'Trixie...'
'No.' I snapped, running forward. 'It's not, it can't be...' I faltered, standing below my mother and father and scanning through the note written below them:
'Your time will come to an end.
The Cursed One is falling.
-The Medicus.'
