Before Your Eyes

Chapter 4 {Aitu}

“Don't!” Avery screamed.

She grabbed for Byron's hand, pushing past Arete to get to the door. The knocking continued, this time much louder. She fumbled at the lock for a second before finally hearing the click. The doorknob turned, rattled as the thing outside tried to get in. An owl crashed against the window, causing both Avery and Arete to scream. It thrashed its large wings against the window as if trying to break them, it's golden eyes glowing against the morning darkness.

“Let me in, you retards.”

Byron sighed, swinging open the door. “Dixie, you fucker.”

Dixie smiled at him, leaning against the door frame with her arms crossed. Her hair was now cut to her shoulder in layers, dyed a bright pink color that drew attention from miles away. She wore a dark leather jacket and black jeans that Avery could have sworn had a bloodstain on them.

“Scared you, did I? The big, bad bitten got scared of little old Dixie, did he? That's gold.”

“Close the door,” Avery said.

Avery was rubbing her arms up and down, trying to get rid of the goosebumps she felt. Byron and Dixie shared a quick look before the vampire walked into the room and closed the door. A wave of cold air suddenly hit Dixie's back. She glanced over her shoulder at the door as soon, looking it up and down, then she looked at Avery who was shivering.

“Calm down, buttercup. It's not that cold in here. The heat not working or something?”

Arete swatted her hand. “My shitty daughter doesn't pay for heat, so the only thing we've got is a giant fireplace that only heats the first fucking floor. She should be used to it. I'm not saying anything, her fancy city life's got her spoiled.”

“That's not it,” Avery said.

Her eyes were shades darker than they normally would, and her stare brought goosebumps down Arete's arm. She would have made a fine witch, Arete thought as she looked at her granddaughter. Avery was shivering now, even with the blanket that Byron brought over.

“It feels like I'm standing in snow in the middle of winter. I don't like this feeling. Something's wrong here, and I feel like it has to do with that door.”

Before Arete could tell Avery that she was crazy, the knocking on the door started again. Dixie took another step away from the door, throwing her hands defensively up in front of her, denying that it was her. The knocking continued as all three of them stared at the door. Arete sighed, shaking her head in frustration. She walked towards the door, reaching out her hand. Once again, Avery lunged forward to try to stop her, but Arete was fast for her old age. She didn't fall for the same trick twice, pushing Avery back into Byron who caught her with ease.

“You damned fool,” Arete yelled.

The hairs on the back of both vampire's necks shot up, a wave of goosebumps shooting up their arms. Both Byron and Dixie shouted for Arete to stop, but were too late. She twisted the doorknob, throwing open the door, but there was no one outside the hallway like she had suspected. There was a cold draft circulating through the corridor, a smell looming in the air that Arete couldn't quite name as it briefly passed her nose. No lights had been turned on, though from a distance, Byron could make out the downstairs lights flickering. Dixie was already at the door, midway to closing it when a strong gust of icy wind ripped through the room, sending her and Arete flying backwards. Arete was thrown into her rocking chair. The arm had hit her in between her shoulder blades causing her to cough out blood. Her hands were shaking as she reached for her chest, trying desperately to inhale, managing to cough up a few more splotches of blood before she was able to take in a breath. Dixie was thrown against the window, her back crashing against the glass, shattering it as she flew through the air to the ground. She pushed her legs over her head, flipping to land on all four. Another gust of wind flew out from the hallway and through the window, hitting Dixie again. The gust pushed her to her back. She struggled, but the it felt like the wind was holding her in place, like it had developed a straight jacket around her. Her head slammed into the ground, snapping her neck and fracturing her skull as her body tumbled over her.