Recap:
“If you work with me, you can have the revenge you’ve always wanted.” I shivered a little 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 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?”
~ ~ ~
“Azrael, Azrael. Whatever will we do with you?” the Devil circled Mother’s killer, licking his lips in thought.
“I have killed Lilith.”
“What of Sephtis and Raven Darkstar?”
“They have eluded the blade of my knife thus far.”
“You realize, boy, that the deadline is tomorrow at sundown?”
“Of course. Friday the 13th. What a fitting day.”
“Yes, yes, I do understand the poetry of it.” the Devil waved his clawed hand dismissively. “Azrael, you must be here for a reason. Please do speak it before I lose my patience with you.”
“Austin Nightwalker.”
“He knows?”
“Raven Darkstar has enlisted his help in killing me.”
“Well, that adds to your list of targets.”
“But I can’t kill Austin Nightwalker.”
“Do you forget our deal, boy?”
“No. I cannot kill Austin because he is The One. I swore to God that I would not kill him–”
The Devil laughed coldly, “You dare speak of God in my presence? I do not care who you swore to, boy; you are loyal to me now.”
“But–”
“Remember our deal, Azrael. Tread carefully.”
Azrael nodded, “Nightwalker and the Darkstars will all be dead by sundown tomorrow.”
“Good. Now, I advise you to take your leave. The sun is beginning to set.” And with that, the Devil disappeared in a plume of black smoke.
~ ~ ~
“A killer always returns to the crime scene a few days later to witness the public’s reaction,” Austin argued for the tenth time.
“We’ve gone to the house every day ever since last Friday! Can’t we just stay in the alley this one time?” I begged.
“I’m a killer. You’re just the daughter of the victim,” Austin pointed out.
“Fine. But if Azrael’s still not there, then we’re never going back there again.”
“Deal.”
~ ~ ~
Azrael made his way through the dark forest as stealthily as a wolf hunting its prey. The wind blew through his curly brown hair, which fell into his rich, hazel eyes. He brushed them aside, cursing as he did. The only reason he hadn’t cut it yet was girls–they seemed to be attracted to guys with long, curly hair. Girls had proved to be quite a valuable connection to have, especially when you worked for the Devil. Their gossiping was equivalent to fountains of blackmail just waiting to be used. But alas, perhaps Azrael had gotten too carried away for the past few months. No matter. The task at hand was most important.
His black Nikes crunched softly on the dry ground as Azrael arrived at the forest’s edge. Suddenly, Azrael felt something squish under his feet, accompanied by a nauseating noise he could only compare to the compression of a human brain. Upon glancing down, Azrael saw it was a raspberry. As he’d expected, the juice had stained the bottom of his shoes red, causing him to leave behind a trail of the liquid as he walked.
Perhaps it was for the better. Maybe this way, he would get caught and be sent to prison. Perhaps then he could finally escape the grasp of the Devil. Suddenly, Azrael was eighteen again, when he had signed the book. He had been a child, young and naive but in no way innocent. He had just witnessed his father die at his uncle’s hands. His mother had wept for days, but Azrael sought a different kind of therapy–revenge.
The chirping of birds jerked Azrael back to the present. He doubled over, trying not to throw up as memories washed over him. The structure of time was a cruel one; it never allowed you to forget. Azrael’s vision was clouded by grey spots; his head spun, and his legs shook.
As if right next to him, he heard a scream, a crash, and frantic running. This sudden chaos was accompanied by a high-pitched feminine voice screaming incomprehensibly. Then, there was silence–creepy and utter silence, as if nothing had happened. This must be the place.
Azrael swallowed down all his memories and tracked the source of the scream. As he made his way down the hill, Azrael could see a house through the foliage—the Darkstalker’s residence. He had been here only a few days prior while completing part of his task: killing Lilith. It had been laughably easy. Lilith was home alone that day, and all Azrael had to do to frame Sephtis was leave a note, take the marriage documents, and change some legal documents. It wasn’t until the day after the crime, however, that Azrael realized he had lost his ID in the house. Raven probably saw it, but that was all the better. It meant that she would come looking for him, and that would certainly make his job a whole lot easier.
~ ~ ~
I do not have a crush on Austin. Let me say that again. I, Raven Darkstar, do not, and I mean do not, have a crush on Austin Nightwalker. No way, no how, just no. Austin was ten years older than me and a literal serial killer. He was only working with me so he could get revenge on Azrael. Why would I have a crush on someone like that? I don’t. And I never will.
But none of that mattered now; the more important task was standing before me—the house. Somehow, Austin had convinced me to return to this dreaded place for five days. And he’d done it again this morning. I really needed to develop a resistance to persuasion.
I stood on the porch steps as Austin opened the door gingerly. We didn’t speak while we conducted the same search we’d done for the past five days. I took the second floor, and Austin took the first floor. The house had no basement, which was probably a good thing.
Whenever I entered the home of my past, I was attacked by memories. Usually, I could push them aside, but they were especially powerful today, too strong for me to handle.
My mind whirled as I climbed up the stairs.
Father blew up yellow balloons as Mother set a pink cake before me. The only people at my birthday party were my family, which was how I liked it.
The memory bombarded me in waves of paralyzing melancholy and nostalgia.
Two brightly wrapped presents were on the table, and I clapped with joy when I saw them. Father held my hand, leading me towards the boxes, when suddenly, a third figure appeared.
My legs were stuck to the landing, my eyes unable to adjust to the sudden, painful burst of bright spots in my vision.
The figure was that of a teenage boy. I didn’t recognize him, but Mother told me he was her stepbrother. The boy squatted down and smiled at me, introducing himself as…
My stomach churned, and my knees buckled.
Azrael Deatheart.
I screamed.
~ ~ ~
The house was empty, which was precisely what Azrael had expected. In the five minutes he had taken to move down the hill and into the house, even the most amateur burglars could escape easily. But in this case, it wasn’t a petty criminal. It could have been only one person—Azrael’s second target: Raven Darkstar.
So what if Raven was his step-niece? He had already killed his step-sister. It didn’t matter; they weren’t family by blood. But Azrael knew killing Raven wouldn’t be easy. Austin Nightwalker was in the way.
Oh, the memories. Austin had hated Lilith, although Azrael never found out why. But because of Lilith’s beauty and popularity, Austin took his hatred out on Azrael, Lilith’s step-brother. There were times when Azrael wanted to kill Austin, but he held back. After all, he’d had his own reasons to hate Lilith.
Azrael had been an only child before his father married Lilith’s mother. He had always been the favorite despite not being a bright student and instead focusing his time on athletics. After the marriage, however, Lilith was the favorite. She was dazzling, had the highest grades, and always knew exactly what to say. In the eyes of Azrael’s stepmother and even his father, Lilith was perfect. And Azrael was always in the shadows: the forgotten one–the boy that was left behind. Out of sight, out of mind.
But Azrael digressed. Where would Raven hide? Knowing her, she’d followed Austin to some hideout only he knew about. And where would a killer hide? As far as Azrael knew, there was only one place Austin would go. After all, a wolf in distress always seeks familiar territory.
~ ~ ~
I followed Austin through the woods, moving as quietly as I could. I had no idea where we were going, but Austin knew what he was doing. I couldn’t help noticing how birds and squirrels fled when they saw him, but there were bigger things on my mind. How close was Azrael to completing his tasks? If he’d already killed Father, I would be the only one left. He was hunting me, and I’d just given him the biggest clue possible. I cursed myself for letting my memories take control.
Soon, the trees gave way to a cliff edge. My heart leaped in my throat, but Austin seemed calm. He’d never looked so tranquil before. Without uttering a word, he motioned for me to step closer to the cliff. Perhaps my brain hadn’t recovered fully from the barrage of memories I’d experienced back at the house, or perhaps I simply trusted him too much.
I should’ve known that a killer will always be a killer. The next thing I knew, Austin was reaching out and placing his palms firmly on my shoulders. I glanced at him, my hair billowing in the wind. He smiled slightly and took a step forward. My heart thumped louder. His face was coming closer and closer until our lips were almost touching. Was he going to–
Suddenly, I felt a sharp pressure in my shoulder blades. Yelping, I stared down at the source of the pain. My eyes found a pair of knives, and I slowly traced them up the blade, to the handle, and then to the hands that held them. Austin. I stumbled backward, arms pinwheeling. My shoulders burned as my arms spun, but I couldn’t stop the seemingly endless motion. Blood seeped through my shirt as I stared back at Austin, shocked by his betrayal.
My last thoughts were: “I loved you.” Then, I fell.
The Roar 