Illustration by Tanya Jain
Two weeks ago, the Goldsteins were murdered. Six days ago, the Hudsons and the Hostermans met the same cruel fate. I’d known them well, and the news was devastating. But then, tragedy struck a little too close to home.
Two hours and thirty-seven minutes ago, Mother died. One hour and forty-six minutes ago, Father ran away. Twenty-three minutes ago, the devil came to me. Eight minutes ago, I signed his book with my blood.
The wind howled in protest as I glanced down at my finger. It was covered in blood, but I barely felt the pain. The devil grabbed my hand, and my wound healed immediately.
He bent down and whispered, “What do you want, Raven Darkstar? I can give you everything you’ve ever wished for.”
I didn’t flinch. “Name your price.”
He smiled. “Smart girl.”
My heart beat faster as he stood up and started to circle me, examining his claws and licking his fangs as he did. His tail whipped through the cold darkness of the forest. Everything about him seemed evil, and I liked it. He was the only one who truly understood me.
“You will serve me for life, Raven. You will carry out every command without fail. Disobey me, and you will find yourself in your worst nightmare.”
“You talk as if you know me.”
The devil shrugged. “That is not your concern. Catch the killer, and we’ll talk more.”
“Who? What killer?” I asked, but he was already gone.
~ ~ ~
Trees whistled behind me as I exited the forest. The night was warm, but I shivered nonetheless. The words of the devil rang clear in my brain. Catch the killer. It had to be Austin Nightwalker. Who else could it be? All the recent killings had been by him. Besides, he was Father’s brother-in-law, and he’d had his eyes on Mother from the beginning. Then again, most men had. No one could ignore the deadly beauty that Mother had.
I felt my breath quicken as I neared the house. The bright yellow exterior was a stark contrast to the dark souls that roamed the halls. The roses in the front yard were mostly dead, and their thorns stood up like gravestones. This was where I grew up, but I never considered a home. It was just…there. It was a place that I often tried to run away from. All my problems seemed to have spawn within those walls. The last time I’d been in there was two years ago, on my sixteenth birthday. I swallowed hard, not wanting to remember.
The front steps creaked when I climbed up to the porch. The old rocking chair was just as Mother had left it, covered in books and magazines. It was a careful disguise, a perfect public image, all to keep the secrets hidden. The furniture was meticulously placed so that the whole room was aesthetically pleasing. Pictures hung on the walls, filled with smiling faces and cotton candy. Fake smiles and 50 cent cotton candy. Fake. All of it.
The inside of the house was no different from what you’d expect. It was small but packed. The air had a cozy feel, but I had too many memories of this place to like it here. More books and magazines littered the floor, and clothes and other belongings were piled up in corners. On the couch was–
I ran to her—or what used to be her. Mother still had her makeup on, but her ring was missing. I could only assume that Father took it before he ran. Her white dress was soaked with blood, so much so that it was almost black. There was a gaping hole in her chest, but there was no knife. Her hands lay softly beside her as if she were merely sleeping. She looked so ironically innocent at death; it almost made me laugh. A blood-stained note, folded in half, lay on her stomach. I picked it up.
“I’m sorry, Lilith. I wish I had more time to explain, but I don’t. You never seemed to have time for me, anyway. It was about time someone gave you a taste of revenge.”
Now, I knew for a fact that it wasn’t Austin. Austin had hated Mother, but they hadn’t really talked much to get to the revenge stage. Then, my heart stopped. Could it be… Father? He had taken the ring, after all. And when I checked the drawers, he’d also taken the marriage documents with him. Both would’ve been incriminating pieces of evidence. He didn’t want anyone to discover he had ties to Lilith Darkstar.
I ran upstairs and opened Mother’s closet. In the right corner was the box where she kept all her legal documents. Taking a deep breath, I lifted the lid and sifted through the pile. As I’d guessed, Father had changed the name on Mother’s birth certificate and stolen her passport. He had erased all evidence of them being a couple. Mother was now Lilith Chainrose.
Everything was gone. My family had been ripped apart. But why? Why even take the pictures of the three of us? Why not just burn the house down? We lived in the middle of nowhere, so no one was around to care if there was a fire.
No. He wanted me to see. Father wanted me to see this.
I was so sure it was Father now that I ignored one crucial piece of evidence. As I was about to leave the house, I saw something on the floor by the back door. It was an ID, probably dropped there after it fell out of someone’s pocket. I picked it up and read the name on the card. My blood froze. Could this be the killer?
~ ~ ~
The wind blew through my hair as I flew down the deserted road on my motorcycle. The motorcycle was one of my only possessions, and I treasured it. On it, I could be free. I could go wherever I wanted, and no one could stop me.
I slowed down as I entered the city. There were more cars here, filling the air with exhaust fumes. I coughed and looked on in disgust as happy families strolled down the sidewalk without a care. The parents led their precious little children into candy shops and toy stores. Noises and lights filled the air as dozens of cars flew past dozens of restaurants. Did nothing ever end here?
The chaos made me dizzy, but I also felt my blood boil. These people knew nothing about hardship. They had everything they wanted, whenever they wanted, all the time. They lived in their own little world and only knew this stupid paradise of a city. Not one of them had ever suffered before.
My eyes narrowed as I thought of everything that had happened to me and my family. My twin sister had died in a car crash when I was eight because of a reckless teenage driver. My grandparents caught a deadly virus and passed shortly after. My aunt and uncle were robbed of everything in the middle of the night. My cousins were kidnapped, and my uncle had to get a huge loan to scrape up enough for the ransom. He was still trying to pay off the crippling debt he was in. And then…
I shuddered slightly, remembering what I had seen last night: Mother lying dead on the couch, the note written by the killer, the missing marriage papers, the modified birth certificate, the stolen passport, and the ID on the floor. The ID–the only evidence I had–was still in my pocket. Just thinking of the name and picture on the card made my blood run cold.
Name: Azrael Deathheart
Sex: Male
DOB: 10/13/1989
Nationality: Italian
Place of Birth: Portofino, Italy
Azrael Deathheart. I knew exactly who he was. Mother’s ex-boyfriend from college. The one who had never gotten over the ugly truth. The one who hated my parents with a burning passion. My cousin-in-law.
There was a message on the back of the card, one addressed to me. It read, “You’re too late, Raven. You always are. When will you ever learn? He will not be happy with you.” The other person mentioned in the note was most likely the devil. Was Azrael working with him as well? And why did the devil set us up like this? What was his goal?
My mind swirled with such questions, but one of them floated to the surface and blocked out all the others. Who was going to make it out alive, Azrael or me?
~ ~ ~
“Give me a reason why I shouldn’t kill you right now.” A voice from the shadows whispered.
“Austin Nightwalker, is it?” I asked, raising my head high.
“And who might you be?” A tall, lean figure snaked out from the shadows.
“Raven Darkstar. I’m here to make a deal with you.”
Austin laughed coldly. “And what do you have that would make me interested in a deal?”
“If you work with me, you can have the revenge you’ve always wanted.” I shivered as Austin moved closer.
His shadow stretched out at his feet as he examined me. “Revenge?”
I opened my hand to show him Azrael’s ID. Austin took it in two fingers, examining it in the moonlight. I saw his teeth grind together silently. But when his razor-sharp gaze met mine, I knew I had his attention.
Austin cocked his head to one side and mouthed, “Where. Is. He?”
The Roar 