5: HAUNTING OF THE PAST.

XAVIERA

Fire roared through the night's sky, heating up the cold night. The large house before me spat flames, heavily clothed in thick black smoke. Heart wrenching screams could be heard from the house, filling it and overflowing through every outlet of the burning house. I tried to move, but my legs wouldn't obey. I was stuck—stuck in a way I couldn't decipher. Sweat trickled down my face as I fought to free my legs, loud screams from the house sent slithering chills down my spine.

I shook like a leaf under the merciless assault of the wind. “Run! Run! Run!” The voices began to chant “Save yourself!” I was no coward, and I've never backed down on a fight, but I felt my body take up that command. 

Run! Escape!

I tried, but my legs just wouldn't budge.

While I struggled to flee as commanded, a figure emerged from the fire. It was in the form of a man, but his body was covered in an unending black smoke that wrapped around him in large circles, twirling continuously. His eyes blazed in uniformity to the flames that burned the house and its occupants. In his right hand, he held a limp body by the neckline of its clothes, dragging the body along as he trudged towards me.

He advanced until he was just a few metres away from me, then he dropped the body, his nostrils snorting out gases. I struggled to make out any significant features, but all I got were shadows. The body moved slightly, raising its head slowly. My heart dropped to my stomach as I recognised the person that was held captive.

God no!

“Xaviera" He groaned, blood spluttering from his mouth. The smoky shadow raised his sword.

No! No! No!

"Please don't!"  I screamed. 

Slurrp! In a powerful cut, he decapitated the head from his body. Blood gushed from the neck splattering about in a spray of death, moist and red. Suddenly, I felt my limbs loose, and my first thought was to lurch at the murderous creature before me, but before I could, four hands; two on each side of my  arms, clamped around me in restraint, pressing me to the earth.

The Smoky being  kicked the head forward so it rolled to where I knelt. The head turned to me, life still in it, then the eyes fluttered open, and began to blink rapidly.

“Run, Xaviera. Run!" It whispered eerily, I felt my heart stop momentarily.  Slowly the  lips curled into a sinister smirk.

What the—

“Run!” it thundered. 

A deafening shrill erupted from behind me, jutting me up suddenly, my eyes tore open as reality came crashing through the roof. I was covered in sweat, and my heart raced erratically. I rested against the headboard of my bed, struggling to calm my racing pulse. 

I turned on my bedside lamp, trying to make sense of what I had just seen as several thoughts clouded my already hazy mind. It wasn't the first time I dreamt about our burning house and gut wrenching screams of my family, but this was the first time anything emerged from the smoke. It was the first time he was slain before my eyes—the first time his head was actually severed.

Although, this time it was quite different. In reality, I had seen the sword take a swipe at him, I had seen him fall. I saw him being murdered, then I watched those monsters drag his body away after he had breathed his last. But his head was intact. 

The digital clock beside my bed began to blink, 6:30am the blinking lights indicated. I threw the sheets off my feet, wringing them to confirm they still had life in them, they wringed just fine. 

Letting out a sigh of relief, I swung both legs, the floor creaked slightly underneath me. Struggling to push away the memories of that accursed night, I made for the kitchen.

 It had been six years since the unfortunate event at Red Moon and all I had were fragments of the memory of it, mostly about what happened before. I couldn't shake off the fact that something had actually emerged from that smoke. That I was beginning to get an inkling of who the enemy was, what he looked like. 

The house was quiet, Anna didn't return home last night. I was grateful she wasn't home to witness another of my early morning fits. She'd seen enough of it since I moved in with her. I was halfway to the cabinet when I slipped, and fell hard on my ass. The impact knocked the air out of my lungs, I gasped for breath.

"Fuck!" The room swirled, and noisy tweets drummed in my head. Luckily, my tailbone wasn't affected, or I might have been howling on the floor. 

When was the last time you fell this hard?

You tell me.

Oh, I will. After the attack. One minute you were a Delta, fast approaching the beta rank, and the next you were racing into another pack naked, now an Omega. 

Talk about epic falls.

Lunch rush at Moondrops was hell, and my feet were a testament to that fact. The last of our afternoon lunch rush customers had just exited the restaurant, a group of noisy teenagers with the most clamorous laughter

I sighed at the peace their absence brought, three to four customers sat scattered around the restaurant. I grabbed several trays, neatly stacking  them on the trolley. My break was in five minutes, but before that, I had to deliver these glasswares to Milligan. 

I pushed the stocked trolley, traipsing to Milligan and his stack of dirty kitchen wares. He released a resigned sigh at the sight of the trolley, his curly hair thick like a cotton upon his head. 

“Tell me this is the last of them” 

“It is the last of them,” I replied with a smile.

“There is a God!” He exclaimed. I chuckled at this. It was basically his first rush hour shift. He had never washed so many plates in one shift. Moondrops seemed to buzz during afternoon rush hours and the evenings . The food was exquisite, the designs were comely, it simply beckoned on you, and they did come—with tall orders. 

“My shift is almost over. I'll just take out the trash” I informed him, then turned to the trash can that was filled to the brim.

“I will be here till dusk. Took two shifts” Milligan said “Extra cash and all. Now I regret it” 

I laughed at this. “You'd forget it once you feel the weight of your paycheck” I lifted the bag out of the can, then wrapped it.  The weight pulled at my shoulders. “Woah! This shit is quite heavy” 

“Need help?” He said over his shoulders.

“Nah. I'm good. Thank you” I lifted the heavy bag, taking it outside. The afternoon weather was calm and a bit dull. 

The moment I dropped the trash into the dump, a swooshing sound swept past me, causing a cold to slither down my spine. I felt the hairs on my body rise, a prickling sensation shot up to the back of my neck. The air around me chilled suddenly. Storm rose to this, growling within.

What's going on? 

Someone is here

A scent I couldn't really fathom caught my attention. I turned from the dump, searching for the source of my discomfort. Slowly my gaze lifted as though summoned, resting upon a figure that stood a few meters away from me. It stood still, watching me. 

It was so dark even in the afternoon sun, plastered like a shadow against the wall. There was something about it that I couldn't just ignore. It seemed to beckon on me. The prickling sensation around my neck heightened, pulling at my senses. 

“Hello?” I called, taking a step towards it. 

Nothing. Not even a budge. It just stood there, watching me approach it, slowly disperse. 

Go back, Xaviera!

“Do you need something?” I called again, ignoring Storm. The closer I got, the more distorted it became. My vision began to blur as I tried to focus on what it was I was really seeing. 

“Xaviera!” 

I jumped as though pulled out of a trance. I turned to the direction my name was called. Adeline stood at the backdoor of the restaurant, staring at me weirdly. “Where are you going?” she asked, her left brow curved in question. 

I turned to the direction I was headed a few seconds ago. The figure was no longer there. I felt my brows wing in confusion.

Strange. 

“I thought I saw someone,” I muttered.

Someone was definitely there. 

“What?” She asked. 

“Nothing” I said, going to meet her. 

“You good?” She asked, watching me curiously. I nodded, brushing off the feeling. My mind must be playing tricks on me. 

It wasn't.

Stress then. That must be it. I barely slept these days. 

“Leesa is waiting for us” She said, walking back into the kitchen. I nodded, then made to join her when the pricking sensation shot through my neck again. Storm growled. I turned back, and there it was, like it never left—the figure.