"Ow! Ease it up, Wyn!" Evan said, wincing as Wynter dabbed a little too hard in his wounds with the antibiotic ointment.
"Sorry," she murmured, though it did not hide the sharpness of her tone. Evan rolled his eyes in exasperation. They've been through this already. He had to or else it would have been little Mandy wincing in pain.
They sat on his threadbare bed that creaked loudly with every movement. Looking around you could tell that Evan liked things neat and orderly. The bed stood against the only window, though pitiful, it was well-made with crisp white sheets. In the left corner was his stout dresser, its baby blue paint already peeling from the redwood and next to it, his rickety shoe rack with only three pairs of shoes stacked on it. In the right corner was the door leading to the hallway, and beside a stand displaying his violin. Its crisp white paint was a stark contrast to the grey walls, the bow stick leaning against the wall. The violin was the only thing his absent parents had left them and since Wynter had no interest in it, it was his for a long time.
The violin was, obviously, confiscated by the Nuns but that didn't stop him from stealing it back. There was only so much he could stomach from them and taking away his violin was not one of them.
"OW! Wynter!" he yelled, flinching away from the scratchy bandages she was placing on his back.
Wynter frowned, her dark eyes blazing furiously, "Will you quit it already! You need to stop moving so I can strap you."
"How about just not strapping me? Those things are itchy."
"Then how will you wear your shirt because I'm sure as hell not going to wash them all bloody like that."
He sighed and gave her his back, bracing in himself. A few minutes later, Evan's chest was covered in a thick layer of white bandages that he knew was already seeping blood and ointment.
He stood gingerly and put on his shirt. Wynter moved to pack the bandages and ointments back in the First Aid kit.
His door creaked open and a head of red-gold curls poked through. Evan turned and smirked as Mandy, Peter and Mark stepped in.
"Evan, you good?" Peter asked concerned, his gaze fixed at the bandages that peeked through his shirt. Evan tagged it closed and nodded.
"Yeah, Pete. I'm good." The kids shared a glance then Peter shoved Mandy forward.
Mandy sighed, her proud head bowed. She shuffled forward and looked up at him.
With a start, Evan noticed the redness in her eyes. She'd been crying.
"Evan. I-I'm s-sorry," she stuttered. Evan smiled and knelt, ignoring the way his wounds twinged angrily.
"Amanda Blight. Never apologise for standing up for yourself," he pulled her into a hug. "You understand, kid?"
"Yes," came her quiet reply and he released her.
Standing up, he eyed them then laughed, "Relax you guys! I haven't died! Now scam, I'm sure it's dinner time."
The kids smiled hesitantly then turned to go but Mark lingered, he was staring at Evan with those keen dark eyes. He was taller than the others even though he was ten.
"You sure you're good, Evan?" Mark asked.
"Yeah. I'm sure," Evan replied.
Mark seemed unconvinced but then he smiled, "You're stronger than I thought you were, bro."
Evan frowned in confusion, "Oh, yeah?'
"Yeah...you didn't scream," and with that, he left, closing the door behind him.
Deliveries for Nona Daiz was hardly the only job Evan did. He did plenty of others and one of them included washing dishes for Mr Norman's fancy restaurant uptown. So after dinner, he threw on his old leather coat and his worn boots and opened the doors to the relentless cold.
"You're going out, again?" asked a stern voice from behind him. Evan turned and spotted Wynter at the table, piling up some of the dirty dinner plates.
"Yes," he replied, bending down to tie up his shoelaces.
"Evander!" Wynter raged. She placed her hands on her hips, a gesture she'd been doing more often lately.
Here we go, he thought grimly.
"Look, Wyn, what I do is important. Simon and Keith need new pants, Mark needs a comb and Mandy needs a toothbrush...or was a dress? Whatever! That kind of money is not gonna come from nowhere."
"That doesn't matter! You're hurt, it's freezing outside and I know you haven't been sleeping properly in days!"
Evan rolled his eyes and turned away, "Look, Wynter. Just lay off!" He stomped his way through the climbing snow towards the shed. His temper peaked when he heard Wynter follow.
"What is your problem, Wynter?!"
"Me?! I'm not the one with a problem! You've been running yourself ragged for weeks!"
It was true. The holidays was always the time of the year when Evan felt the most restless, especially this holiday with the Nuns' arrival and the rumours of a plague running through the country, Evan had never felt this restless in his life.
"If you don't stop now, you'll drop. Please, Evan. You need rest," Wynter pleaded and Evan hesitated.
He turned and sighed, "Wyn, I know you mean well but I'm going. I'm not gonna let what happened last time happen again."
He grabbed his bike from the shed and pushed it through the gates and onto the street.
"I'll be back. I promise."
Wynter watched her brother ride down the street until he turned the corner out of sight.Then she growled loudly in frustration, "Boys are so stupid!" she yelled. She ran back indoors to retrieve her coat and as she locked the dorm doors, she heard a small sound.
"Meow?"
Wynter looked up to see a black and white cat sitting precariously on a stone gargoyle. She smiled, "Hey, Cat. You're back, huh?"
"Meow," the cat replied and jumped onto her shoulder, settling around her neck like a furry scarf.
"You wanna come with me? Evan went out. Again. Gotta make sure he doesn't sleep in a dirty alley."
She tagged her coat closed, flinching from the cold breeze and stomped her way through the snow to the streets. At the gate, she turned back to see the last light go out from within and sighed. Her booted feet were the only sound in the silent night, the church loomed behind her, keeping her from the light of the crescent moon. There were parked cars lining the street, the street lamps flicked from their posts. Her breath puffed out but she was grateful for the added warmth of Cat whose keen brown eyes searched the darkness from her shoulder.
It was strange how Cat always seemed to come whenever Wynter had one of her weird dreams. It was almost like she knew somehow, knew that something was coming. Though that was ridiculous. Wynter shook her head and scratched the watchful cat between the ears.
An unwanted intrusion flooded her mind as she took in the gathering darkness between the buildings of the street. She recalled the shadows solidifying, red angry eyes glaring at her from the darkness, razor-sharp claws reaching out to swipe at her neck, her brother laying on the ground, his bright blue eyes wide with fear. "Wynter! RUN!"
With a startled gasp, she was back to reality. The street stayed the same. The shadows didn't move. All was well.
There's nothing to worry about, Wyn, she reassured herself.
She really hoped so because her dreams had to be wrong. Nothing was coming for them...right?
Evan knew his sister was following him. It was a 'knowing' he'd had his whole life, one he was sure she also possessed. Her presence felt like a gentle pressure in the back of his mind if that made sense, like...well he wasn't sure what it was like but he was sure that other siblings did this too, right?
Anyway, he didn't mind it. As long as she didn't stop him from doing his job. He rode his bike through the noisy streets of Arizona to the Centre. Cars hooted at each other as he passed. The last rush of traffic heading home to their families for Christmas. Evan maneuvered around the pedestrians on the pavements, narrowly missing a drunk man bare chested, stumbling with a bottle of booze in his hand.
"Hey! Watch it, numb nuts!" he raged.
"Sorry!" he called and crossed the road. He entered a space thrumming with the spirit of Christmas. Central Square.
The noise and lights nearly blindsided him. The stores selling all manners of Christmas items from Christmas tree decorations to fifty percent off all electronics were wide open. The people rushed about with bags of presents. Children laughed and shrieked, tagging at their parents in the direction to the stores selling the things they wanted. There were street vendors there as well, taking advantage of the joyous season, luring the brainless to emptying their pockets.
Evan's lips twitched as he wheeled his bike past where a lovey-dovey couple stood before a misty-face fortune-teller woman in a robe of sequins and beads.
"This pendant will seal the love between you two, a protection charm to keep evil spirits from your home. You will need it this season," the woman said with wispy tones.
Evan, out of curiosity, took a close look at what she held out and nearly scoffed. It was a necklace with an emerald green rock hanging from its clasp. He knew that rock couldn't do toot. He wouldn't be surprised if that rock was really the old crackhead's nose booger coated in resin.
Evan nearly chuckled at the thought.
"Honey? How about we buy it? It would go great with my earrings," the lady in a fancy white coat asked her husband. And, good heavens, the dumb-dumb looked like he was considering it.
"Don't do it," he said and was surprised, he wasn't expecting himself to speak.
The couple turned to him in surprise and so did the fortune-teller with a dark look of warning.
Evan shrugged, "Don't do it. Obviously, the woman is conning you, dude."
The man looked offended but it was nothing compared to the look the woman was giving him, though of course, he didn't notice.
"What did you say, boy?" the man asked, his dark eyes flashing.
"Look, man. You're better off buying your girl a better looking necklace than that. Look at it! It looks like something she dug out of her nose," he said with a chuckle.
The woman's eyes widened and she turned to her husband, "You know what? The kid's right. I don't need it. We can buy something else, hun."
The man looked down at her, "You sure?" The woman nodded and turned to Evan, "Thanks, kid. For the advice."
Evan smirked, "No problem, miss. Merry Christmas." The woman returned the greeting and tagged her husband away.
Evan shook his head and turned then flinched back. The woman was standing right behind him, her head bowed so her curly mane of black curls was in his face. She had her hand clasped tightly on his arm and it was starting to hurt.
"Seraphim! Too long have we searched for your kin!" she rasped out, her voice deep and guttural and then she lifted her head and Evan gasped.
Her eyes were solid black orbs, reflecting his terrified face and he pulled away hurriedly. He trapped over his bike, the ruckus drawing many curious looks.
Evan stood up and ran. Faster than he thought possible. Much too fast to be exact but that didn't matter. His senses were turning and so he slowed to a jog then finally stopped, looking around to see how far he'd gone. When he noted unfamiliar landmarks, he swore loudly and ran his hand through his hair.
He stood before iron gates keeping him from a graveyard beyond. He looked to the high stone walls where iron welded letters spelled out the name of the place. Evergreen Cemetery. He frowned in confusion. How did I get here so fast?
He reached into his mind for Wynter but her presence had faded; she was too far away. He had no idea where he was so he turned back the way he came, staying alert for any sign of familiar landmarks.
He walked through the labyrinth that was the alleys of the closed buildings, the moonlight reflecting off the strands of his hair so it seemed to glow.
The night was eerily quiet compared to the bustle of Central Square and there were subtle scratching noises coming from the darker corners of the alley though he assumed it was just raccoons foraging in the trash.
He went on, crossing the streets from one dank smelling alley to another but as he looked around to grasp his bearing, he saw that he was more lost than he started.
"What the hell?"
The scratchy noises he'd heard earlier was back but this time loudly...and very close.
He turned and let out a yell. There. In the shadows was a towering being of pure darkness. It gave a vague form of a winged wolf but with canines the length of his arm. It stood inches from his face, panting out the putrid stench of death. It's blood-red eyes glared at him from the shadows and it leered.
"Nightlark."
A cold shiver ran up his spine as the thing said his name and he stumbled back. A noise came from behind and he turned. There were two of them, the other the exact same as the first. They prowled around him, grunted under their breath in what he thought was a laugh.
"Look at him, brother," the first shadow monster grunted, "All this fuss and he's just a scared little human. HA!" it lunged at him, one massive paw the size of his face extended and before Evan could escape, it thumped hard in the stomach, sending him soaring through the air.
Evan came down onto the street with an ungraceful thump, the impact knocking the wind out of his lunges. His vision blurred and he feared he'd lose consciousness when he spotted a familiar figure standing further down the street.
She looked out of breath, her face almost as pale as her hair, her dark eyes wide, "Evan?"
The monsters had followed behind him and when they spotted her, he could feel their hunger.
"No! Wynter! RUN!"
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