Protective Shadows (The Protective Series, Book 2)

Chapter Twenty-Two

I stood outside the front of the Jukarainen family house, hands dug deeply into my pockets. The wind created a gentle, steady pattern around me, flicking and playing with my dark blonde shoulder-length hair, craftily dropping a strand across my eyes, as if wanting to play a game of Marco Polo.

Everything about the house gave me the creeps. It looked substantially different to the last time I'd seen it, whether for better or worse, I wasn't one hundred percent sure. The front wooden porch was covered by shadows from the nearby overhanging oak tree, its branches scraping against the windows like bony fingers, causing my heart to accelerate inside my chest. The wooden supports that lined the front of the flimsy, run-down structure were splintered and flaking, creaking in the silent night.

Inhaling a brave breath, I ascended the front steps, padding along the porch until I was standing a foot away from the front wire door. The scent of cinnamon pancakes caught my nostrils, making my mouth water, and I reached forward, pulling the door open.

The foyer was surprisingly bare. There were no indications of life anywhere. Furniture was upturned and shoved across the dirty old synthetic wool carpet, and shattered picture frames lay against the bottom of the cobwebbed brown walls, sharp fragments from their glass littering the floor.

A muffled noise instantly caused my ears to perk up. I tracked the strange, unknown sound along the narrow hallway, planting my hand firmly against the wood panelled wall, gently skimming my fingers over the worn, blistering material. As I approached closer towards the end of the hallway, the sound changed and became more distinguished. I recognised the muffled scream as Janne, instantly lurching forward towards the round, silver knob and taking it in my hand, pulling the door open as fast as I could.

"Janne!" I yelled out, glancing around desperately at the four black walls. "Where are you?!"

A muffled groan answered me from the corner of the room, making my heart pang with apprehension. A flash of lightning illuminated the space however briefly, lighting up Janne in the corner, being held against his will in a headlock by his father. Mikko's intimidating green eyes shifted up to my face, piercing straight through me like a sharpened long sword. A smirk quirked up at the side of his mouth, and he pulled the pocket knife in his free hand across Janne's throat.

Thick, crimson blood flowed from his jugular in a heavy, endless river. Janne's eyes rolled back into his head, his body falling limply to the wooden floor in front of Mikko's feet. I felt my entire world shatter and crash around me, flinging me into complete darkness all over again.

"NO!" I screamed, throwing my weight against Mikko and pummelling my fists into his chest. "You asshole! I hate you! How could you murder your own son?!"

Mikko broke out into cold laughter, sending shivers of intense hatred down my spine. I lunged straight at him, knocking him off his feet. Punch after punch, my fist connected with his face, his blood splattering across the walls and floors, until he ceased moving altogether.

"JANNE!" I screamed, breaking down into a pile of shattered emotions and tears, pulling his lifeless into my arms. "No, no, please, come back to me baby. Please come back to me."

Someone shook me roughly by the shoulder, pulling me from the seemingly endless nightmare. I gasped, bolting upright on the rock hard mattress, my eyes scanning my all-too-familiar surroundings.

Four bare, white walls closed in on me. Beside me, to my right, water dripped inside a transparent, circular plastic tube, feeding my veins with hydration. To my left, a foreign white machine beeped, and I suddenly felt like I was weightless, drifting through the air. Exhaling a relieved sigh, my back fell against the bed once more, and my eyelids slowly closed, plunging me back into darkness.