Butcherbird

by Cassie Hart

  But he’d try. He’d be there, support her however she needed. He’d see this through to the end, just like he knew she would.

  ‘So, what comes next?’ he asked. ‘What do you need me to do?’

  Jena placed her hands on the counter, spreading her fingers out. ‘Just be you?’ Her voice wobbled a little then. ‘I can’t do this alone. Just, be there. Do what you do best.’

  He wasn’t sure what that was, but it didn’t feel like the right time to lack confidence. She didn’t need that from him now.

  ‘And we’re going to call Ca—the Dark Man. I know just what to say.’ She pulled her phone out and found Cade’s number, started the call, put it on speaker and then placed it on the bench between them.

  ‘Little Bird, I thought I’d put you in the ground.’ The Dark Man’s voice was part Cade, part something else.

  ‘You’ll have to try harder than that to kill me. In fact, why don’t you?’ Jena pushed her fingers into the bench; they turned white with the pressure. Will moved his over hers, dark against white, and she turned her palms, gripping on to him instead.

  The Dark Man laughed. ‘And what might that mean?’

  ‘Oh, don’t be coy. You didn’t get my light, and I know you didn’t get all of Rose’s, because I’ve got that too.’ Jena flicked her gaze up to his, and he nodded, encouraging her. He could feel the tremor in her fingers, but her voice was firm. Strong.

  There was a rough intake of breath over the phone. ‘You little bitch. I’m going to take everything. You’ll get what’s coming to you.’

  ‘And so will you,’ Will added. He let go of Jena’s hand and swiped the call to end it, then he turned the phone upside down so that he couldn’t see the screen.

  ‘You shouldn’t have let him know you were here,’ Jena said softly, though her words were without blame.

  Will’s gut clenched, realising that she was right. But he was angry too. Angry at Cade, and the Dark Man. At himself. He shook his head. ‘It doesn’t matter. We’re bruised and battered. Even if he knows I’m here he’s not going to consider me a threat.’

  ‘More fool him, right?’ Jena took a deep breath, licked her lip, her faux confidence bleeding away. ‘I guess now we wait.’

  Will gave a short nod, and then moved into the kitchen. ‘I’ll make coffee,’ he said.

  Maybe that was the thing he was best at.

  CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

  JENA

  Dusk was falling. They’d had a sparse meal, picking at the range of dishes Mr Mertens had left for them, but neither had much of an appetite. They were sitting on the front steps of the house watching the light fade.

  It felt like months ago that she’d arrived here, but it had been what, a few weeks?

  ‘Do you think he’ll actually come?’ Will asked.

  Jena took a long breath, considering that. She could feel the flutter of the birds, could sense them sending a shiver of warning to her now. ‘I do. He wants to finish what he started.’ She gripped the pounamu around her neck, feeling its warmth on her palm. He had unfinished business. And that was fine; she needed to finish what she’d started as well.

  She’d brought Cade to this place, been integral in his change, and now she’d make sure that he was put to rest. Whatever was left of him.

  Would he become a shadow bird too?

  Jena shuddered, not wanting to think about that.

  ‘And we’re just going to sit here and wait until he shows?’ Will got to his feet and paced the porch. ‘Do we actually think he’s just going to drive on up to the house?’

  Jena smiled. She could already hear the low rumble of an engine. Or the birds could, at least.

  He was here.

  Will heard it too.

  ‘Are we doing this right here?’ he asked, pointing at the front steps.

  Jena’s heart was tripping faster now, stumbling like she suddenly wasn’t ready, despite knowing that this would happen. The car came into sight – the old truck that had sat unregistered in the back shed for use on the farm.

  She’d figured out that he’d taken it, but hadn’t mentioned it to the police or anyone else. This was between them, and no outside force was going to do it right.

  ‘Better outside the house than in. But you’re right, we should get out of view in case anyone else swings by.’ She stood up and headed for the barn, jogging lightly so as not to use up much energy. She was going to need every ounce of it that she had.

  She was infused with a weird sense of calm, like everything that happened now was inevitable. There was no stopping Cade and the thing inside him, so she’d somehow found a way to accept it.

  The door to the barn creaked when she pushed it open, and she stepped inside, glad of the skylights above, and especially the broken one. A faint breeze stirred the air. Will came in behind her and looked around.

  ‘Here?’

  ‘Yes. Seems kind of fitting, right?’ She looked around the space, her brain trying to figure out the best way to use it. ‘I think you should hide, and come out when I need you. Kind of, stealth attack?’ Her brow furrowed. She’d never been a fighter; always run from her problems rather than facing them. ‘He knows you’re here, but if he doesn’t know where, that gives us a slight advantage.’

  ‘You’ve got the knife?’ Will headed for a stack of hay.

  ‘Got it.’ Jena exhaled slowly, shaking out her hands and arms, trying to loosen them up as Will hid. She had to make sure she didn’t focus there; if anything, she should glance somewhere else regularly to mislead the Dark Man. And she had to try and think of him like that, because he was. It wasn’t Cade any more.

  The door banged opened and he sauntered into the barn.

  ‘You know,’ he said, ‘that if you hadn’t called me, I’d have thought you died.’ He grinned. ‘I bet you’re regretting that now, aren’t you?’ He cocked an eyebrow as he came to a stop just a few feet from her.

  Jena could smell something putrid rolling off him in waves. His eyes were entirely black, and she couldn’t see anything of Cade in this body; it was all the Dark Man now. Cade could never have pulled off that level of swagger and arrogance.

  ‘No, I don’t regret it at all,’ Jena said, proud that she managed to keep the quiver from her voice.

  ‘I told you on the phone. I’m going to kill you and take what’s inside you. And then I’m going to visit your aunt. I found the address book by the phone. Rose made it too easy. Pat might not have a light inside her, she might not glow like you, but I’ll take her life anyway.’

  Jena felt her muscles tense up, pushing down the questions she had about this interior light. Any sliver of fear she had evaporated at the threat in his voice.

  ‘Rose was just trying to have a life, one that you took from her. Not this life, not this week, but all those years ago when you wouldn’t let her go. What right did you have to lay claim to her? Who the hell do you think you are that you get to come in here and ruin my family’s life, my life? You just hop into someone else’s body as though you’re the king—’

  He swung out, his hand smacking her across the face and knocking her to her butt. Her chest constricted, her body tight with the muscle memory of the way he’d bowled her over, beaten her. She couldn’t let it take over, though. Jena pushed herself away from his slow, steady approach. He knew she was weaker than him, knew he had the upper hand, but he had no idea how furious she was at him right now. Furious and frightened.

  Her back slammed against the wall of the barn and she pushed herself up to her feet.

  He was almost on her now, his fetid breath making her gag. He swung again, but she ducked to one side, propelling herself off the wall and across the barn. She heard the splinter when his fist slammed into the wood where her head had been. She scanned the room as she ran, trying to think of her next move. The steps up to the loft loomed on the right but she moved behind them instead of up, using them to shield her body. She would not fall prey to the old horror trope.

  They circled e
ach other, the ragged pant of her breathing the only sound.

  ‘You know I won’t stop until you’re dead,’ he said simply.

  ‘But why? Why does it matter?’

  He sneered. ‘You taste like her, only sweeter. You’re a part of her, but … more. Somehow. I can smell it properly now.’ He narrowed his eyes as he sniffed the air. ‘You belong to me.’

  ‘And you kill all your belongings?’ She spat the words out with distaste. ‘You don’t deserve life, and you don’t deserve to have that body. He doesn’t belong to you.’

  ‘He does now.’ He lunged, grabbing Jena’s arm and twisting it behind her back, spinning her so that she was pressed against him, his mouth near her neck. He traced her artery with his tongue and she shuddered. It would be so easy to fall down, to collapse in a ball and let him win. Every muscle in her body fought against that urge. She was no hedgehog. No deer in the spotlights. No one was going to save her but herself.

  With that thought, she swung back with her foot, catching his shin. His grip on her slipped and she butted back with her skull, cracking him on the forehead.

  ‘You bitch,’ he swore, his voice a hiss in the air. He swung his fist, catching her on the shoulder as she ducked, knocking her backwards. She landed on her butt again but got up faster this time, moving in a circle away from him. He was stronger, yes, but she was smaller, more agile. She just had to stay out of reach.

  Except that wasn’t going to solve this problem. She was acting like a victim, not like an aggressor. She couldn’t just wait for him to tire out, because he was possessed with the soul of a dark entity and she was only human.

  Well, mostly only human.

  Where were those birds?

  Perhaps her need wasn’t great enough yet. She would have to work harder, get closer. Suffer more.

  But it was him she wanted to make suffer. For everything he’d done.

  With a deep breath, she charged towards him. His eyes went wide in shock; he hadn’t anticipated that. She put her head down and rammed into his chest, shoving him with all her might. He stumbled backwards, and this time she was on top. She went for his eyes, scratching at them with both hands. She wanted to claw them out, to demolish the blackness from them, to make him stop looking at her with those eyes in Cade’s face.

  She screamed as she scraped at his skin but he grabbed her wrists, twisting them so that they couldn’t find purchase. She pulled her arm towards her, biting at the flesh of his wrist, making him let her go. She tried to lay into him then, her small fists doing next to no damage to his muscled frame. She grabbed his nipple through his shirt and tugged it, pulling on the ring there until it came loose. The Dark Man choked out a scream and then punched her.

  All the fight went out of her; there was a sharp pain in her chest. Her rib. He must have broken her rib. She winced as she tried to move.

  Was this still not enough?

  She pushed herself backwards, the pain eating at the edges of her vision as the Dark Man strode towards her.

  Movement caught her eye and she spotted Will coming out from his hiding spot. He crept towards them, the dirt floor making his steps quiet, but not quiet enough. The Dark Man spun towards him, aiming a fist at the arm he’d damaged yesterday. Will cried out and went down, and the Dark Man leapt at him before Will could find his feet.

  She had to do something. Jena touched the knife in her pocket. It was still folded, still safe, but her fingers touched the metal of the blade and she gripped it.

  Could she really do it? Really kill the body of her boyfriend? She took a step towards the two men rolling on the ground. She couldn’t do it now, not like this when she could barely tell one from the other, when they moved so quickly.

  ‘Help me!’ Jena yelled. She held her breath, waiting, and then she heard the beat of wings, hundreds of wings. A tide of black and white streamed through the hole in the roof, filling the place with sound, with feathers.

  Jena took a deep breath, moving forward with a little less fear now. They were here and they would help.

  She caught a glimpse of Will on the ground. He wasn’t moving, and the Dark Man was beside him, his hands around Will’s throat.

  ‘No!’ Jena cried, furious to think he might take another life. That she might have led someone else to their doom.

  The Dark Man spun to look, his hands coming free. He stood and moved towards her, one step, another, and then the birds, the birds swarmed him, their bodies pressing against his face, tangling in his hair, pecking at his eyes. The Dark Man roared, grabbing a bird and twisting its neck, dropping it before he grabbed another and flung it across the room.

  They were dying. For her. These birds who only wanted to protect her.

  No. No, she couldn’t let that happen. She pulled the knife out and flicked it open. The blade caught a sliver of moonlight coming through the skylight and the gleam reassured her. The Dark Man’s steps faltered; his face was obscured by the magpies. Their screeches filled the air, jarring her ears.

  Jena moved through them, each soft touch of their wings adding fuel to her rage, adding strength to her steps. She reached inside for all the anger, the sorrow, the guilt.

  So much guilt.

  And then she closed the distance.

  Her arm was rigid, locked by her side with the blade out. The Dark Man roared as he batted birds aside and Jena stepped in. She moved her arm up towards his jugular, using the force of momentum to jam the knife home. She knew she’d never forget the way the blade resisted at first, the relief she felt when it sank into his throat, the warmth of his thick red blood as it spilled over her fingers.

  The Dark Man’s mouth opened and a guttural noise filled the space between them. Jena tried to pull the knife out but it was stuck. The Dark Man’s hands found hers and shoved them away, gripping the knife himself, tugging at it as he choked on his blood. His head bobbed, his lips moved, as if he were trying to tell her something.

  The black left his eyes then, his pupils returning to a normal size as he fell to his knees.

  ‘Oh my god, Cade.’ Jena dropped beside him, her hands at his neck. Now, she was trying to keep the blood inside his body but it wouldn’t stop coming out.

  Thick black smoke poured from his mouth, clouding the air. The magpies shrieked in warning, and Jena looked up to see a shadow looming over her in the shape of a man. She screamed, the terror and grief overwhelming her.

  She felt the flutter of wings, and then the birds inside her were trying to get out, trying to break free. The shadow birds pushed through her skin, their feathers making her shudder as she screamed, her sound adding weight to their bodies as they tore free of her and sped towards the dark shape. The Dark Man. Their beaks opened in silent caws, they tore into the spirit like light into darkness, shredding its form, banishing it from the world.

  And then there was silence.

  Everything was quiet and still. The magpies had landed on the ground and were watching her as she knelt over Cade. She felt, rather than heard, the soft flutter of the shadow birds’ wings as they came to ground.

  ‘Jena, are you okay?’ Will asked. He was sitting up, a few feet away. His face was pale and his eyes wide.

  ‘I’m not sure,’ she said softly. ‘He’s dying.’ She looked back at Cade, whose face was slack now. He wasn’t dying, he was dead. Maybe he’d died when the Dark Man left him, maybe just when she wasn’t looking, but she felt exhausted to be sitting by another corpse, another person she cared about. She had no tears though; her eyes were dry, her mouth too. ‘What are we going to do?’

  She moved away from the body and sat down, her fingers sticky with blood. The knife was still wedged in his neck. She couldn’t stop looking at it. At Cade.

  I did that, I put it there, I made him bleed. I killed him.

  I killed Cade.

  Will got on his knees and crawled to her side, turning her face from the body.

  ‘First, look at me. Jena? Look.’

  She looked into his face, into hi
s eyes. They mirrored her own, she imagined; pools of horror. But there was a spark there too, one she didn’t feel.

  ‘Jena, I know you feel like shit right now. I do too. I was next to no help, and I’m sorry. I’m sorry it had to be you. But you did it. He’s gone now and he’s never going to hurt you or your family again. You saved your aunt’s life, and your uncle’s. Do you see?’

  ‘But he’s dead.’

  Will pressed his lips together as though he were holding back a few choice words about Cade, and she appreciated that.

  Will was a good man.

  ‘What are we going to do with the body?’ She tried to turn back to Cade, but Will’s hand shot up, preventing her.

  ‘Don’t. Don’t look.’ His jaw clenched. His eyes were fixated on the corpse, and then she heard it, the tear of flesh, the soft sucking noises of things entering open wounds. Beaks.

  ‘Oh my god ….’ Jena froze, horrified. She fought against the urge to look, knowing she’d never be able to un-see it, but she had to know. She pressed Will’s wrist, and he dropped his arm.

  The birds were eating Cade.

  Not the shadow birds, the actual birds. There were so many of them, covering him, many more forming a carpet around his corpse, waiting patiently for their turn. Jena caught a glimpse of blood-slick skin, of torn flesh, before it disappeared down one magpie’s throat.

  Jena’s stomach roiled at the sight and she let out a hoarse cry. Will pulled her away, tried to get her to turn, but when she did all she saw was shadows. The other birds were back. Her family. She opened her mouth to scream and they came at her, their passage not so gentle this time as they were absorbed back into her body, bringing the filth of the Dark Man with them.

  Jena moved onto her hands and knees, retching uncontrollably. She could taste it. Taste him in her throat, and she heaved, bringing up thick black bile that pooled on the ground in front of her.

  ‘Oh my god, Jena.’