Blacken Read online

  “Hey, are you feeling okay? I made you some tea.”

  Sitting on the couch, Avie slumped into its comfort, “I’m exhausted, the vibrating is back, it’s draining me, but I’m alright. Thank you, that’s exactly what I need.”

  “I put your clothes just on the recliner here, did you want me to wash them?” He adjusted to come and sit next to her, bringing the steaming cups to sit on the table in front of the pair.

  “Burn them. I just need to rest for a moment.” She leaned the damp curls on his shoulder, feeling as though she may pass out at any second.

  “Avie, why would I do that?”

  “You’ve got the fire going anyway. Please? It’s important.”

  He nodded, the scruff of his beard scratching on the top of her head. Hesitantly, Owen spoke quietly, “Did you find something with your vibrating?”

  Her eyes opened up, looking down into her lap, “… Yes and no. It came back in the middle of the night, but it’s much worse. It felt like I couldn’t even breathe, and I knew that it was trying to guide me to find something else. So, I followed the call—kind of like how I first came into town, you know? I ended up in the forest where this old abandoned manor was.”

  He bristled at hearing that, but still waited for her to continue as she sat up, “And… Someone else was there, I think. Two men were, actually. One of them chased me out and I was terrified they were following me, so I tried to lose them in the woods. I couldn’t see what they looked like or anything. It was so dark there, and I was unbelievably frazzled.”

  “I understand. I’ve seen that place a few times; it has an intimidating atmosphere. I’m not very impressed you went out there alone in the middle of the night, that’s idiotic. I would have preferred you call me at least so I could have gone with you. I mean, look at you, you’re shaken up. Frozen to the bone and collapsing on my doorstep!”

  Avie sighed, “I know, I wasn’t really thinking straight. I just wanted answers to make the pain stop.”

  “It’s painful now?”

  “Like someone turned the intensity way up, I had a hard time moving at first. I’m sure it is trying to get me to find something else in town.” She reached out, picking up the tea, slurping at the seeping liquid as it cooled down enough for her to drink comfortably.

  “There may be something in that area, we should do some investigative exploring once you’re feeling better.” Owen drank from his mug as well, eyes sparkling with a possible lead behind his concerned features.

  Avie spun the ring with the side of her finger, “Perhaps, but it didn’t feel better once I was there. It may be further in the forest.”

  Damn. She just lied again, why did she continue to lie to Owen of all people?

  Deep down, she knew she was scared. Avie feared what could happen to her or Owen if they went there. Even talking about the creature made her worry of repercussions. She didn’t want to end up dying in the pursuit of knowledge. But then people would keep dying if she didn’t intervene…

  She sighed heavily, questioning her cowardice.

  His arm wrapped around the back of her body, having her embrace further into him, Owen nodded slightly, making a small noise in confirmation, “Let’s get you upstairs, you’re exhausted. You should sleep in the bed instead and we can talk more tomorrow.”

  A dreamless sleep was gifted to her, sleeping heavily in a few hours grace. That was until warbling from a bird outside roused her from her slumber.

  Avie awoke to gentle sunlight streaming in from the parted drapes, seeing a little brown bird perched on a branch outside the window. She stretched out, feeling the muscles in her legs giving protest due to how much strain they were in earlier.

  Oh… Something very out of the ordinary happened last night, yet the woman questioned if any of it had been a dream. It couldn’t all have been real, right? The experience feeling all too surreal the more her memories came through.

  Still, the feeling she had last night stayed in the forefront of her mind, Avie didn’t want to tell anyone about it. Not yet at least, the thought of Owen rushing headstrong to the manor giving her hesitation. However, if that man escaped from the manor as well, the blond would find out eventually. He would also want to know why she didn’t tell the truth…

  Of course, they speculated about aliens, but could she really confirm that entity was as such? Avie had no idea about how to approach the subject with Owen. She owed him the proper explanation, at least, even through her worry… Dragging her hands over her face, she got up to just get her confession out of the way.

  Walking down the staircase, she found him already awake, sipping on a mug of coffee and watching the news. He turned upon hearing her, “You’re awake! Did you end up sleeping alright?”

  She nodded and smiled, “Yeah, it was decent. You?” Avie sat next to him on the love seat, taking in it was still early in the day from the television in front of them.

  “The same. Here, I’ve made you coffee,” he stood to retrieve the drink from the kitchen, bringing it back to her. She sipped, careful not to burn her lips on the steaming liquid, humming at the comfort of having a warm drink made just the way she liked.

  “I wanted to apologize for scaring you last night. I really am okay.”

  “Hell of a night for you, you shouldn’t be worried about me. If you remember any more about the mystery men though, I’ll take that as an apology!”

  Avie smiled, shaking her head, her words coming out before she even thought of them… “I’ve got nothing…” Damn it, she was supposed to have told Owen the truth! She was only digging herself further down, now frustrated by her own inaction…

  “Well, feel free to stay as long as you’d like. I’ve got today off, and so do you.”

  She looked at him puzzled, “What do you mean? I’m scheduled in a few hours.”

  “I called in for you, you shouldn’t be under that stress and then have to deal with work stress. It’s just one day, I figured you might need the rest.”

  His heart was in the right place, and she did appreciate the time to rest and figure some things out, but it shouldn’t have been his call.

  “That does sound nice, but next time, I’ll be the one to call in.”

  “Yeah, yeah of course. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean…”

  She waved a dismissive hand, “No, don’t worry about it, I know you just wanted to help. I think I’d like to stay and inconvenience you to make up for it.”

  “It’s only fair,” he laughed, “want any breakfast?”

  She nodded vehemently; her stomach not satisfied with only coffee.

  After spending the day with Owen, Avie started on her walk back home, the sun beginning to set with the shorter autumn months as she walked; sky illuminating in a soft pink tone for her.

  The thoughts of what she was going to do still plagued her. The redhead didn’t know how to continue forward with the information she accidentally stumbled upon. She certainly didn’t want anyone else to die, but she didn’t want to either. It was incredibly risky to even enter the woods now that she knew what lurked within them. That creature was more than likely on the defensive.

  There was also the fact she still had questions that needed answers—Owen’s safety lurking in her mind with how to proceed. She had to steer him away from wanting to explore the space until she could figure something out. First things first, she had to find what became of the man called there too.

  With her key in the lock, Avie opened the door to her place, the small space seeming darker after being surrounded by Owen’s larger and brighter house. She threw her keys on the counter beside the door and made her way into her bedroom, intent on finding a start in her own investigation.

  Flicking on the light to her room, she quickly realized she was not alone.

  The creature from the woods the night before came out of the shadows once she had entered and flooded the room with light. It dropped down behind her, talons unceremoniously clattering on the hardwood, effectively blocking her ex
it. Avie jumped, spinning around to the source of the noise and inhaled a scream at what she saw. She had a feeling that this thing might track her down, despite her best efforts to avoid it.

  Her brain almost couldn’t process the situation, she didn’t know what to do in the circumstances that she was trapped in. Reacting without thinking, she started to smile nervously in her odd tick and breathlessly let out a laugh, speaking to the creature.

  “You must be quite upset with me…”

  She spoke while backing up, trying to put more distance between them as it matched her step, bridging the gap, snarl wearing on its face. Avie got to take in the creature’s appearance for the first time: it looked male, towering over her with chestnut feathers covering up and down his body, those wings that blacked out the sky last night were instead curled around him as he was confined in a small space. Longer feathers even caressed around his head, coiffed around his cranium and nape, practically giving the appearance of hair swooped back. Small quills drew around, surrounding and outlining his long and angular face and even covering down the bridge of a nose—skin pale over the rest of his face. The eyes that she saw burning red, cooled into an amber with dark vertical slits for pupils.

  One of the massive wings unraveled itself and crashed into the light overhead, causing sparks to fly, and bathed the room once again in darkness; keeping secret from any prying eyes while he blocked any escape.

  Avie hit a wall, still gazing into those amber eyes, pulse drumming in her head and hands shaking. He leaned down and she clenched her eyes, certain he would attack at any moment.

  “Understatement.”

  CHAPTER 6

  To her surprise, he talked. And hell, he even understood her. His voice was low and seeped with irritation but held a softness in the lilt of his pronunciation.

  Avie’s eyelids snapped open in astonishment, looking up to meet his gaze once more at hearing him speak. Why would he bother coming to communicate if he was just going to kill her? She couldn’t take her eyes off of him now that she was locked in his vision, danger emanating from her every nerve.

  Finally, the words stumbled out, matching her shaking body.

  “Are you here to silence me?”

  “It is not in my best interest to kill for the sake of killing, nor be discovered. You had the opportunity to speak of my existence yet have not. Why?”

  He stood upright, using his full height to loom over her in an intimidating fashion. His eyelids lowered, the light casting small shadows onto his face as he leaned away, studying her and awaiting a response.

  The creature had followed her out of the woods. He saw her at Owen’s and overheard their conversation. Avie’s blood turned cold. This being now knew whom she was closest with. She mentally kicked herself for even going out to that manor in the first place.

  The woman was sure that he was the cause of the vibrations. He was the thing that led people into town… To do what exactly? Use them as a food source? If he wasn’t here to kill her, then he must have already fed on that man before her at the manor…

  “I d-don’t know. I was s-s-scared.” She never stuttered in her life, but this being brought out true terror.

  A smirk lit up on his face, the action frightening in the darkness, “Scared? Are you scared now?”

  He was having fun at her expense.

  Avie’s breath was drawing heavy through her nose, every part of her screaming to leave the situation. The wall pressed cold on her back, and the dark figure stood before her, she was akin to a mouse before a lion.

  “ARE YOU?” his voice boomed, wings cast off of his body and opening to expand his size. She startled, seeing claws curling at his sides before squeezing her eyes shut.

  “Y-yes!” she squeaked out.

  The creature laughed in an undertone, amused.

  “What even brought a lowly human like you to snoop around my domain? I have never had two show up at the same time before.” She watched as he regained his posture, the enormous wings wrapping around his body once more. It reminded her of a cloak, draping over his torso and the majority of his legs.

  Avie’s eyes flicked back up to his, quiet with her answer, “I-I thought you were the one that called me there.”

  An eye ridge lifted at her comment. She didn’t sound as afraid as she had been, clearly upsetting the cryptid.

  “And how was I to do that?” he drew out the words, unimpressed.

  “The… The blood, the bodies. You’re the one that causes them to vibrate, right?”

  He chuckled again, “I do not control blood, I just drain it. Bodies come to me. You are lucky I have already fed; I am not liking your tone.”

  That comment made Avie wince, head spinning with mental visuals of how this supernatural being fed on its victims, the ginger man seen at the manor center of said scenario.

  Her eyes fell from his, darting as she thought the obvious; what was he here for? If he already ate and he wasn’t going to kill her, then what was his angle?

  “What do you want?” she could only whisper, unable to raise her head.

  A hand reached out through the mass of feathers, the appendage dark and featherless, only having three attached fingers and thumb with equally dark talons protruding. Avie watched as it connected with the bottom of her chin, drawing her face up. “I am just ensuring my safety. You have not outed my being and I expect you to continue to do so. You made it so easy to find you when you left something trying to escape, remember I can easily find you again, and I know those close to you.”

  She flinched and then cringed… Her jacket… She left it in the woods. That’s how he found her. That’s how he had followed her to Owen’s.

  Fuck… Owen, he’s wrapped into this now. She had to switch the conversation, keep him safe.

  “For what it’s worth… I’m sorry.”

  He looked irked; her words unexpected, the hand on her jaw retracted as though it burned.

  “What did you say?”

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t intend on telling anyone, but I made you come all the way out here.”

  His eyebrows knit together in confusion. He was definitely caught off guard. Perhaps he was only used to others fearing him, begging for their life once they met him. Those people were drawn to him, just as Avie was. She was sure of it. This creature was attached to the mystery of Blacken in some way. If she wanted to find some answers, then she needed to be on his good side. She needed to be alive and she needed his help.

  He took a faltering step back, before catching himself in the action. His demeanour quickly changing back to his previous haughty manner with a frustrated huff and a quick bite of bottom lip—exposing too sharp of teeth even in the darkness. The being stared down at her with scorn, the silence heavy between them. It looked like he wanted to say a plethora of things, yet nothing was uttered, trapped in the back of his throat.

  Instead, he shook his head with a scoff, leaving in a flurry of feathers through her window.

  All Avie could do was blink. Confused at his actions, and at her own. Just as fast as he was in her vision, he left. She let out a breath holding in her lungs for some time, the adrenaline tapering off, causing her legs to shake and give out, hitting the floor with a thump. This bird-man hybrid was intriguing to say the least. And it didn’t kill her, which was further interesting.

  The woman couldn’t imagine he had much conversation with people beforehand; there would have been something in reports and newspapers if so, or even tall tales and urban legends spreading through the town.

  She didn’t sleep very well that night. Too many questions raced through her mind at what just happened.

  “I figured you may need a coffee.”

  Owen waltzed into Flora Adora, a blue and white foam cup in his grasp. Avie lit up at the mention of caffeine, needing the energy boost from her uneasy slumber.

  “Thank you, god yes, it’s been a long shift.” She took the cup, eagerly gulping down its contents.

  “So, is the boss in?”
He looked around nervously.

  “No, he went out for banking purposes, I take it you’re not here for official flower business?” Her green eyes amused as she smirked.

  He leaned on the counter, “Well, here I was thinking, I’ve been to that building you were at a few times. I didn’t find anything out of the ordinary when I was there, but that was before I met you. I think you could have some sort of superpower with your vibrations to bring out the supernatural there. I was hoping you and I could scope it out?”

  She scribbled down a finishing sentence in the company workbook, “I think it was just a vagabond that was there in the middle of the night. I don’t think it’s safe to be lurking around there just yet.”

  “True, hardly anybody knows about it since it’s kinda way out there. But in the weather here, they’re probably taking up the place until it’s warm again,” he sighed and hung his head, “maybe when it warms up, they would move on?”

  “Who knows, but we want to solve a mystery, not wind up as one of the missing statistics.”

  “We can figure a way around it for a later time then, for now we’ll focus on the data!”

  The welcome bell chimed, signalling Gerald returning to the store.

  “Any messages, Avie?” the boss called out, distracted in an envelope.

  She stood upright and professional, “No, Sir.”

  “Good, continue on then.”

  Owen coughed awkwardly, “Yes, just the salmon rose bouquet. That is everything,” his voice lowered an octave. She wondered if he was disguising his voice as to not be recognized as the person who called her in. He even handed her a few bills, committing to the part, Avie ringing the purchase and bouquet up for him.

  After the workday, all she wanted to do was slump into the green cushion of her couch and not move for the rest of the night. Working in the mornings and evenings reminded her of the old routine of her teenage years, however she did not retain the same stamina.