Whatever they’re saying isn’t what’s important.
Instead, they stop talking, making their way around the side of the building, only to stumble back. A man—if you can call him that—surges forward. His clothes are tattered and his skin is falling from his face as if he’s seen the better side of death and should be sent back there. STAT.
The woman screams and the man takes her hand, trying to direct her away from the zombie-like creature, only to be faced with another one. This one was a woman at one point and has scary-fast reflexes for a dead chick.
I lunge forward, my arms extended. Yet, as soon as I make a move to react, I’m pulled from the scene and shoved into the middle of a bedroom.
The lights are low, but in the center of the room is a young man with cropped black hair and dark skin. He’s sitting on the edge of a bed, his elbows on his knees as he clutches at a photograph.
From this angle, it’s hard to make out, but the tears streaming down his cheek are enough to endear me to him. He’s hurting, that much is certain, but I don’t know why. It’s like his feelings aren’t clear, even to him.
Stepping forward, I reach out, placing an ethereal hand on his shoulder. As soon as I do, I’m thrust from the bedroom and into a cavern of some sort.
The lights are dim, but the energy is insanely malevolent. Something is not right and there’s a power rising that could level the whole area if it’s released.
All the hairs on my body rise—even though I’m acutely aware this is a vision and my body isn’t actually here.
The word “Fetch” comes to mind, though I have absolutely no context for it.
Am I supposed to play a game? Like a dog?
“What is this?” I call out, trying to pull the threads of whatever is sending me this insight. “Apollo, if this is you, I need more to go on. It’s too cryptic.”
Suddenly, I’m consumed by an overwhelming sense of dread. It’s soul-crushing—like the end is inevitable.
Again, the scene shifts, and I’m left in a vehicle with two kids. Blake is at the wheel but in the backseat is the same boy from the bedroom and a young woman of about the same age.
His…sister?
The knowing comes to be without searching for it.
They’re twins. And not just any kind, either.
Gemini Twins.
I’ve heard of Gemini Twins through passing, but even in all my years, never had the opportunity to cross their paths.
“Help them,” the words rise into my consciousness before I see who speaks them.
The vision of the car ride gives way to the mountainside of Parnassus. It’s his favorite, after all.
Apollo walks into view, his dark curls tousling in the wind. “Help them,” he repeats.
“Who are they? How do I help them?” I say, exhaling the dread from moments before.
“Prepare for an extended leave. Go to Windhaven Connecticut when the time is right. You’ll see the signs,” he says. “It’s imperative they get reeled in. The future of everything depends on it.”
“Are they a danger? Is that what I’m sensing?” I ask.
“Only if left unchecked. They need your guidance and protection. Help them, Diana. You’re the only one who can,” he says, vanishing into the breeze that tousled his hair.
Then, once again, I’m back in the coffee shop, still in the booth besides Blake. His arms are wrapped around me and the teenager behind the coffee bar is screaming.
“What was that? Did you see that?” she wails.
I don’t have the strength to even acknowledge her. Instead, I lean into Blake, taking a deep breath through my nose to center myself.
Something terrible is coming...
“What is it? What did you see?” Blake says, his voice wavering.
Swallowing hard, I open my eyes and sit up. “I saw…” I shake my head, still fighting back the absolute terror that permeated every cell of my body when I was in the cavern. “Something dreadful is coming and I need to…”
My words cut off as I try to recall the two kids in my mind, burning them into my memory.
They’re so young—maybe Aidan’s age. Maybe less.
How can they possibly be a threat to everyone?
And what does that have to do with the zombies?
“Diana?” Blake says, urging me on.
“Why does everything have to be so cryptic? You’d think with as powerful as my gifts are, I’d have more of the answers,” I say, shaking my head.
“Maybe Apollo knows you still need a bit of a mystery to get you moving?” he offers.
I lean back in my seat. “Huh, never thought of it that way.”
“So, what’s going on? Fill me in.” Blake’s eyes are haunted as he watches me.
Here we are, on our first date, and already we can’t be left alone.
I turn to the side, looking him in the eye. “We’re going to be taking a road trip up north. I have our next mission from Apollo.”
“Okay,” Blake says, concern still painting his features. “Where?”
Shuddering from the dread still lingering at the back of my mind, I whisper, “Windhaven.”
To be continued…
Up Next: Immortals: Book 3 in the Diana Hawthorne Supernatural Mysteries Series.
Coming December 2021
PREORDER NOW!
Can’t Wait for More Diana?
Diana Hawthorne seems to get around. (No, not like that. Get your mind out of the gutter.)
If you’re waiting for Diana’s supernatural mystery series to continue, here are a few additional places you can get your fix:
The Final Five
Awakening
The Windhaven Witches
Also by Carissa Andrews
The Windhaven Witches
Secret Legacy
Soul Legacy
Haunted Legacy
Cursed Legacy
The Pendomus Chronicles
Trajectory: A Pendomus Chronicles Prequel
Pendomus: Book 1 of the Pendomus Chronicles
Polarities: Book 2 of the Pendomus Chronicles
Revolutions: Book 3 of the Pendomus Chronicles
The 8th Dimension Novels
The Final Five: An Oracle & Awakening Bridge Novelette
Awakening: Rise as the Fall Unfolds
Love is a Merciless God
About the Author
Carissa Andrews
Sci-fi/Fantasy is my pen of choice.
Carissa Andrews is an international bestselling indie author from central Minnesota who writes a combination of science fiction, fantasy, and dystopia. Her plans for 2021 include continuation of her Diana Hawthorne Supernatural Mysteries. As a publishing powerhouse, she keeps sane by chilling with her husband, five kids, and their two insane husky pups, Aztec and Pharaoh.
For a free ebook and to find out what Carissa’s up to, head over to her website and sign up for her newsletter:
www.carissaandrews.com
Amends: A Paranormal Women's Fiction Series (A Diana Hawthorne Supernatural Mystery Book 2) Page 18
