Don't Open That Door - GoM 1

Anniversary - 9

Alex turned to Claire with her face sprayed on dark blood. The girl was hardly able to control her instinctive rejection when she came to her side. Alex cut the ropes tying Claire to the chair and helped her up, guiding her to the backdoor.

As soon as they walked out of the house, Claire pushed Alex away, rested a hand on the wall and bent over. Alex waited without a world while the girl threw up, moaning, crying, shaking. When Claire was able to straighten up, Alex helped her across the yard to sit down on the grass, wet with dew, her back against an old tree stump. When she tried to brush the hair off Claire's face, the girl shrank at her touch.

Alex swallowed hard at the shocked rejection in her niece's eyes, and smiled as she used to do, warm and confident.

"It's okay, kiddo, it's over. You just wait here."

To give Claire some room, Alex went back into the house to retrieve her weapons, ignoring the brunette's cry when she yanked the blade off the creature's flesh. Back outside, she didn't try to approach Claire. The girl had curled up, arms around her knees to hide her face, crying her heart out. Alex let out a sigh and produced her phone.

"Evening, Dave, it's Alex Corban," she said, her eyes on Claire. "Sorry to bother you so late on a Sunday, but you need to come over to Will Murray's place. And bring an ambulance."

She disconnected and texted Ollie: "Claire needs you. Murray's asap." That would be enough to get the boy there in a few minutes. But she couldn't see Claire cry without trying to comfort her, so she went back to the girl's side.

"Easy, Claire. You're safe now," she whispered, resting her hand on the girl's shoulder.

But Claire cried harder and shook her hand off, turning to the side to move away from her.

Alex set her jaw and straightened up, a silent tear rolling down her pale sprayed in blood.

Graham parked his Jeep behind the Hilux on the shoulder of the road and walked down Murray's driveway, looking around. The old C10 was right outside the house and the lights inside were on. Too many lights, and the silence was ominous. He found the Corbans at the backyard, sitting on the grass.

Alex was holding Claire in her arms. The girl had curled up against her aunt's side, hiding her face. Graham noticed what seemed blood on Alex's face and hands, and it looked oddly dark.

She met his eyes with a curt nod. Graham nodded back and walked through the open backdoor. To stumble back out right away.

"What the fuck!" he gasped.

"Those are the ones who killed my folks ten years ago," Alex said with a dull voice.

"What?"

Something about Alex made Graham snap out of his shock, enough to crouch down before them with a concerned glance at Claire.

"She's fine," Alex said, still dull and curt. "They caught Murray first. I'm sorry I wasn't in time to save him."

Graham managed a tight smile, pressing Alex's arm. "It's okay, Al. You did well."

"We have to burn the bodies."

Things started making sense to Graham. "Not real women, right?"

A chill ran down his back when Alex shook her head. The ambulance siren wailing closer made them look up.

"Don't worry, Al. I've got this."

Ollie parked across the road from Murray's house, on the lake side, and hurried toward the driveway, just in time to see the paramedics bring a loaded body back to the ambulance. One of them spotted him and pointed a thumb over his shoulder.

"Claire's in her truck," he said.

Ollie sprinted to the Hilux. Claire was sitting behind the wheel, open door, legs hanging out, wrapped in a blanket, under Alex's vigilant watch. She stepped back to give him room to throw his arms around Claire, holding her tight as she broke down in tears once more, clinging to his shoulders.

"Stay!" Claire sobbed. "Please, don't leave me!"

"I'm right here, baby. I'm with you always," he replied with a shaky voice.

Alex saw Graham standing at the end of the driveway, hands to his hips, and approached him.

"Cleaning up this mess is gonna take all night," the sheriff grunted.

She patted his shoulder, nodding to the house. "C'mon, I'll help you out."

"You gotta take Claire to the hospital!"

"Ollie will." Alex walked past him toward the house, muttering to herself, "She's better off without me right now."

Graham saw her head back to the house, head down, burdened shoulders. Covered in the blood of the creatures that had butchered her family, after saving Claire from the same fate. Yet, there she was, about to burn those bodies nobody else could see. Just like Bootter back in his day. Never seeking understanding or backup. Just doing what they had to do because they were the only ones who knew how to do it.

He would've liked to ask what had happened in Murray's kitchen, but he'd seen enough to get a good idea. Alex's black gear, carrying all those blades, the creatures' bodies, and especially the way Claire avoided eye contact with her, even though she'd just saved the girl's life. Actually, he didn't need to ask. He knew what had happened alright. In the end, Alex was Bootter's true heir.