The Hunter Chronicles - The Beginning

Chapter 23

Three girls are playing truth or dare, one of the girls dares her friend to say Bloody Mary in the bathroom mirror three times., another girl asks who Bloody Mary is, and the girl being dared says she heard Bloody Mary was a lady who was killed in a car crash. The little blonde girl says that it doesn't matter who she was and that the point is that if someone says her name three times in the mirror she appears and scratches your eyes out, the other two girls jump and then giggle. The black haired girl asks them why would anyone say it and the blonde girl replies it was because it isn't real, the brunette girl that was dared stands up and the blonde girl tells her that she isn;t allowed to turn on the light and to remember to say it three times, the brunette girl rolls her eyes and says she knows, she reaches the bathroom and closes the door. She stands in front of the mirror and says Bloody Mary twice slowly then she pauses and inhales and says Bloody Mary a third time, there is a loud bang on the door and she screams. Her friends open the door and laugh, the brunette's father walks up to them and tells them to keep it down. There is a reflection of a girl in the mirror as he walks past it. He goes into his bathroom and takes some pills from his medicine cabinet, he closes the door, A teenager comes through the front door and walks upstairs without acknowledging the little girls. The teenager sees blood pooling under the door and lets out a terrifying scream as she pushes open the door a few inches. The man's face is bloody and his eyes are missing.

I wake up gripping the sheets, the sun is out and I don't know what time it is. I get up and walk through the house all evidence from last night's insane events are gone. I can't find Jared anywhere and I start to panic. I noticed a newspaper on the counter in the kitchen. Mr. Schoemaker died a few towns over, the paper says his eyes were missing. I walk around aimlessly having no idea where Jared could be. I go outside and see the truck is still parked out in the driveway. I feel lost. Where could he be?'

I hear a crash at the back door and run to see what it is. Jared staggers in and falls to the floor. "Get out of here." He says, I can barely make out his words. I can see he is in a lot of pain. I'm filled with worry and anger.

"What happened to you?" He is full of cuts and bruises but before I can complete my inspection of his injuries I am thrown back. I look up to see the same man that I fought before in the parking lot of the twenty four grocer. He pulls out a gun and fires. I dive out the way and the bullet hits the wall. "What do you want from me?"

"You are evil. You must die."

"What makes me so evil?" I ask him, growing more angry by the second.

"You have powers. Humans don't have powers." He spits, aiming the gun at me.

"It's not like I asked for this! Besides, we are helping people."

"Liar!"

"It is true. I've dealt with spirits and even killed a wendigo. I have these dreams and we go and help people." I tell him. I need him to stop so I can help Jared.

The man looks confused and lowers his weapon, "What about the vampire? How can he go out in the sun?"

"He is not a vampire anymore."

"What?"

"We don't know how it happened but it did." I reply, hoping I'm getting through to him and wanting nothing more than to go over and check on Jared.

"So if you don't mind I need to check on him; you can keep pointing your gun at me."

The man nods and I walk over to Jared, I kneel beside him and turn him over, he coughs up blood and I turn his head, "Was this really necessary?" I ask the man angrily, he just shrugs and that upsets me more. I put my hand on Jared's forehead, wishing he would just open his eyes, I moved and the man jumps aiming the gun at my head.