Shai Soi

Chapter 29

Three things happened over the next week. I got a job at Café LaFleur, my nightmares got worse, and Derek finally sent me Nathaniel's address.

Good, I thought after reading the text. Then I deleted his contact. I was still infuriated at Derek's selfishness. If my brother had been hospitalized for six months, I would have just been relieved that he made it out. I wouldn't have held such a grudge that I would sentence a shai  to experimentation. Would I? No. I wouldn't be that cold hearted. I promised that I wouldn't leave someone to die.

I wrote the address on my hand and plugged in my phone. (I'd been checking it every five seconds for a text from Derek, so it was on two percent.) On my palm was a bulleted list of things I had to bring up to Nathaniel. Why was he being so distant? How was he fairing? Did he know anything about the attackers? Did he and why would he hurt Riley, Derek's brother? I had thought about telling him about Derek calling the Namuhi, but I was afraid of what might happen to him if I did. I may be mad at Derek, but I didn't want him to get hurt.

I opened the kitchen window. I figured it would be safer if I shifted without being seen before hand so there were less questions. Crazy Cat Lady Loretta asked two days ago about why I went in the woods so much. I couldn't say 'Oh, because I turn into a bird to get places faster', so I muttered that my mom liked the smell of pine and it helped her with the pink eye.

Without any hesitation, I turned into a hawk and flew out of the dusty house.

1108 White Valley Lane-  that's what it said in the text Derek sent me. 1108 White Valley Lane.

It was a big surburban sized house at the end of the street. Made of clean white wood with a wrap around porch and three upper windows- it looked like the classic three story Southern Family house. The welcome mat read 'Walker.' I rang the doorbell three times. When no one answered, I opened the screen door and knocked. It wasn't locked, and it swung open. Feeling very much like a trespasser, I called, "Nathaniel, are you here?"

"Come here!-" A little child's shrieks came from the floor upstairs. The male voice kept calling for the child all the while the shrieks were becoming more and more panicked.

"Hello?" The voices didn't stop. I couldn't hear any footsteps, but what I'd thought was child's play was becoming frantic chasing. The child started screaming to be let go, and I lost all reluctance. I bounded up the steps to the second floor. Multiple doors appeared locked but one at the end of the hall was cracked open. Behind it was another set of stairs. Were people taking the kid to the attic?

"Let go of me!" screamed the young boy.

I raced up the steps to find... an empty room. I could still hear the wails of the child. My first thought was "Is this place haunted?" But then I took note of the light flashing across the carpeted floor. A plain white laptop sat on a small glass desk. Playing on the screen was a video. Whoever held the camera had a shaky hand. The picture shook and shivered making it hard to see what was going on.

The little boy I'd heard scream was running about dancing out of a man's reach. The man, a lean but commanding figure, finally cornered the boy. The child's green eyes glistened with tears. The camera was finally held steady. The man knelt next to the boy, which would've looked like he was submitting himself to the kid's level, but he had blocked the boy's only way out. The man had the start of various patches of white hair around his head. He couldn't be that old, maybe mid-thirties.

"Come here, son." The man held out his arms only making the child shrink inward. I searched the child for signs of abuse, but he looked to be in perfect health. So, what was happening? Did the man want the boy to do something?