How to Slay a Beast (Book 1)

Chapter 6 - Violet

I don't remember much from that horrible morning. Except that police were there. Not missing person's police. Police who wore white suits. So they could pick up evidence. And there were ambulances. With no sirens.

"Where is he??? Let me see my boy!!" I sobbed. Like six people were holding me back, from crossing all the caution tape. "If he's dead then you have to let me see him---you have to let me see him."

"Ma'am, you need to stay back, now," they were all stopping me, holding me back from going to find my little boy. Lost in the woods.

"Mom," Merry was standing on the porch of that terrible old house. Just sobbing.

"Baby," I said, going up and hugging her.

"Did you know he was going to sneak out?" Matthew was leaning against the porch. Staring blankly. He hadn't said anything all day.

"No," Merry said, sobbing.

"He wasn't supposed to go out in the woods without you. Did you know?" Matthew asked.

"No, no I didn't---"

"Matthew stop it it's not her fault," I said, hugging Merry tightly against me.

"He wasn't supposed to go out," Matthew said, flatly.

"Why won't they let us see him?" Merry asked.

"I don't know sweety I don't' know, " I said.

It was because he was in too many pieces. That was what they told us when they finally took us down to the police station. They kept trying to give me sedatives. I did not appreciate that. In retrospect I think Matthew accepted the sedatives because he was very quiet.

"He was mauled, it appears, by a large animal, probably a bear," the person who was tasked with telling us said.

Jade hugged Enoch. Merry and I clung to each other. Matthew just stared blankly ahead.

"Let me see him," I whispered.

"That wouldn't be a good idea---right now---the remains were not---easy to identify. However the DNA samples do match those you provided from his things," the person said.

"You mean it tore him apart," I said, my voice shaking.

"The attack was brutal---we have officers looking for what could have caused it---"

"They need to kill it," Merry said, looking up, "They need to kill it."

**

"Del," I was standing in the woods. Off the road from where I saw him. "Del---are you there?" I walked, looking around. like I expected to see him. in my head I knew he wasn't there, that I couldn't have seen what I saw last night. but I did see it. he was there. he was still here. somewhere.

"Del---I'm going to find you," I said, walking deeper into the trees, "Where are you?"

I looked down at the leaves beneath me. there was blood on one of the branches. Bright red, fresh blood.

I looked up. Del was standing in front of me, his sweatshirt was bloody and his face had mud on it.  there were tears stains on his cheek.

"Del---it's okay," I said, stepping forward, holding out a hand.

"They wouldn't wake up," he said, his voice shaking. "They couldn't hear me."

"What happened?" I asked.

"It got me," he said, his voice trembling.

"What did?" I asked, "It's okay---come home with me, now, we'll go back to your mom."

"I can't leave," he said, taking a step back, "It's keeping me here."

"What? Where are you?---Del?" I stepped forward but he was getting farther away.

"I died," he said, looking over his shoulder. Then he started running.

**

"Merry? Do you want something to eat?" Jade asked, leaning in my room. We were all at the old house. For some reason it made the most sense for all of us to come back there.

"No," I said. I was lying face down on my bed. The sadness was filling up inside me. So much I couldn't breath. Like nothing was okay and nothing would ever be okay again. and every time I closed my eyes. every time I took a breath. All I could see was him being torn apart.

"Why don't you come downstairs with us?" she asked.

"I need to think," I said, quietly.

"Okay," she said, closing the door, a little.

"All the way," I said.

"Okay," she said.

It didn't stay closed all the way for long.

"Is Del really dead?" Enoch asked, coming in my room.

"Go away," I said, not looking up.

"Answer me---nobody answers me," he cried, standing in the doorway, "It's not fair---he's my brother too. What happened to him?"

"He was killed," I said, sitting up.

"How?" he asked, there were tears in his eyes.

"By something out there in the woods," I said, "So I need you to go."

"Why?" he asked.

"Because I need to think," I said.

"About what?" he asked.

"About how I'm gonna kill it," I said.