Shadow of Nevermore

by Lilly Black

  Shadow of Nevermore

  by Lilly Black

  Book II of

  Lilly Black's Gods of Earth Series

  © 2020 by Lilly Black

  Cover Design by Lilly Black

  Photo by Inara Prusakova

  www.lillyblackauthor.com

  All rights reserved

  2020 Amazon Edition

  Warning: This book contains adult situations and graphic sex.

  All characters in The Shadow of Nevermore are fictional, and any resemblance to real persons is coincidental.

  This book remains the sole copyrighted property of the author and may not be redistributed to others for commercial or non-commercial use. If you enjoyed this book, please encourage others to download their own copy, and please don't forget to add your review!

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  Your support is greatly appreciated!

  Acknowledgements:

  For my husband.

  Finishing this book without you has been hell, though really no different than what finishing life without you will be like I imagine.

  Special Thanks:

  to Amy Napier, as always, for all of your help,

  and

  to Darja Drakšič for catching all those comma splices and reading about my zombies even though you're not a zombie fan.

  Lilly Black's Books

  Gods of Earth Series

  Book I: The Deadfall

  Book II: Shadow of Nevermore

  Book III: Coming in 2021

  Jaded Series

  Book I: A Jade's Trick

  Book II: A Deeper Shade of Jade

  Book III: Precious Jade

  Book IV: Unjaded

  Shadows of Nevermore

  by Lilly Black

  Day 0

  "What happened? Is everything okay?" Amina's mother asked frantically. "You were supposed to be on the ground half an hour ago!"

  "Don't worry, Mama," Amina whispered as she sat curled up beneath a blanket to hide the fact that she was using her phone in the first class cabin of flight 1468 from Atlanta to Charleston, WV. "We're circling the airport waiting for a runway. Everyone's saying they had to divert some flights here from Pittsburgh, so it's taking longer. That's all."

  "Are you sure they have enough fuel for that?"

  "Mama, of course they do. Come on," Amina said, amused.

  "I just worry. You've been away for so long," her mother said. "I was expecting you home tonight, and now you're gone again."

  "I know, Mama, but this is a great opportunity for me," she said, feeling guilty. She had been away for months working on a film in Florida, and the day she was set to fly back to L.A., her agent called with a chance to replace a much more famous actor in a small but prominent role on a project in West Virginia. "This is a cameo. I'll be here a week at the most."

  "A week in a place that probably has bad cell phone coverage," her mother lamented. "Are you leaving straight for the mountains when you land?"

  "I'm spending tonight in Charleston, then they're taking me to the set in a place called Hawk's Nest in the morning," she said, then she felt a tap on her shoulder and looked up to see a flight attendant looking down at her with an impatient glare. "Mama, I have to turn off the phone so we can land. I'll call you when I get to the hotel, okay?"

  "Of course, moja omiljena. I love you."

  "I love you, too, Mama," she said, then she hit the power button.

  It was almost an hour later before she was finally on the ground with her luggage, looking for her driver. Her research had told her that Yeager Airport would be virtually deserted by this time on a Sunday night, but because of all the rerouted flights, it was packed with irritated people trying to snap up the few remaining decent hotel rooms available in the small city. When she finally located the man holding the sign that said Vašilić, she was so relieved, she wasn't even bothered that he began gushing about what a huge fan he was. She just wanted to get the hell out of there.

  His town car was parked right outside, and despite that there was a sea of taxis and ubers hoping to get the fares of stranded travelers who were once bound for Pittsburgh, they were able to make their way off airport property without much hassle. The Marriott was only a few miles away, and Amina was looking forward to a hot shower and some room service.

  "My name's Kenny, by the way," the driver said. He was an average looking man about ten years older than Amina, who was twenty-four, and though chatty, he seemed harmless. "I've been doing pickups at Yeager for years and never met anyone as famous as you before, no one as beautiful either. Nobody interesting ever comes to Charleston. What are you here for?"

  "The set of the film I'm working on is somewhere in the mountains," she said curtly, hoping he would take the hint that she didn't want to talk.

  "Somebody's actually making a movie with A list actors in West, by God, Virginia? What's it called? Who all's in it?"

  "I can't really say."

  "Oh, yeah, of course. You're probably under contract to keep it hush hush," he said, and for a few seconds, it looked like he might keep himself hushed as well. No such luck. "You know, if you all are looking for any extras, I did a little acting in the local theatre."

  "I'll mention it to the director," she lied.

  "Let me get you my card. I know I have one somewhere," he said, leaning over and opening the glove box as he took exit 60 to head toward Lee Street.

  "Or you could just tell me your number," Amina said with gritted teeth when the car swerved, and Kenny looked up just in time to slam on the brakes to avoid hitting a man standing in the middle of his lane at the bottom of the off ramp. The car screeched to a halt.

  "What the hell?!" Kenny cried as the man just stood there staring blankly into the car. Then suddenly, he rushed them, climbing onto the hood, beating on the windshield, and growling like an animal, his eyes glassy, his face bloodied. Amina screamed, and with a green light ahead, Kenny hit the gas, speeding through the intersection before stomping hard on the brakes to send the man sliding off the car. He wove around him, but he missed his turn.

  "What was that?" Amina asked, shaken.

  "I don't know, but we have a lot of bums around here and a big heroin problem," he said, and when he glanced in the rearview and noticed how distressed she looked, he felt compelled to comfort her. "Don't worry, Miss Vašilić. He's gone now, and I'll get you safely to your hotel."

  "Thank you," she said, but as they waited for the green light so he could turn left onto Kanawha Boulevard, Amina looked around to find that the strange man was not an anomaly. Under the interstate were several people chasing after a woman, and to their right, another wild man like the first was heading straight toward the car.

  "Go! Now!" she shouted at Kenny, and when he saw the man out of the corner of his eye, he hit the gas, running the red light, fishtailing onto the boulevard, and nearly getting T-boned by an SUV. He waited for the green arrow then quickly made the next left, turning back down the street on the other side of the I-64, but when he looked toward downtown and saw more of the same mayhem, he put on his blinker again to make a full circle back to the interstate entrance ramp. Instantly, Amina began to panic. She had seen the Marriott sign from the interstate, and it was in the opposite direction.

  "Where are you taking me?" she demanded.

  "This place is crawling with junkies and methheads. Something crazy is going on here, and we need to get somewhere safe
."

  "I need to get to my hotel," she argued. "I'll be safe there."

  "Look around you!" he shouted, incredulous as he made one more left and waited at the next light to pull onto I-64 West. Before responding, Amina did look around, and she realized that the small group of possibly-escaped-mental-patients they had encountered was just the tip of iceberg. In only the time it had taken to go around the block, there were now cars sitting unattended in the streets and people running everywhere - chasing after and tackling others. It had all escalated so quickly.

  "So, where are we going?" she asked, calmer now as the car began to climb up the entrance ramp.

  "We'll go to my place in South Charleston. I have some guns, and we can watch the news and see what's going on. If it's safe, I'll bring you back to the hotel later, okay?"

  "Okay," she acquiesced. She had a bad feeling about this, but as she rode along I-64 and stared down at the chaos they were leaving behind, she didn't have any better ideas.

  Kenny drove Amina toward his house in South Charleston, and once they were on the quiet neighborhood streets, the terror they had witnessed downtown seemed almost like it had happened in a dream. Since they started up the hill on Montrose Drive, they had only seen a couple of teenagers chasing after a third, but there was nothing to indicate that they were crazed like the people in the city. They just seemed like kids playing.

  Kenny stopped the car in front of the plain, brick, three bedroom ranch he had inherited after his mother's death, and though the homes around it were well-kept, his seemed rundown and neglected. An uneasy feeling came over Amina as he opened the door for her, and after she got out, she stood in the street by the car and pulled out her cell phone.

  "You can use the landline in the house," Kenny suggested, reaching for her phone, but she clung to it, giving him an impatient look.

  "I have to call my agent so she can let the director know where to find me," she said.

  "You need to come inside first. There could be crazy people here, too," he insisted, taking her arm and urging her toward the sidewalk.

  "In a minute," she said, pulling away, and when she heard her agent's voice come out of her phone, she tried to bring it to her ear.

  "Goddamn it!" Kenny growled as he slapped it out of her hand. It landed on the concrete, and he stomped on it, shattering the glass. The screen went dark.

  "What the hell are you doing?" Amina shouted, scared and hoping someone would overhear.

  "It was an accident," Kenny said. "Come on. Let's get inside."

  "I'm not going anywhere with you!" she cried, turning and hurrying off down the street, wishing she'd picked more comfortable shoes to travel in, especially when he caught up to her, grabbing her by the arm and dragging her back toward his house. In his mind, a very different scenario was playing out. He was the hero in a romantic novel, protecting the helpless heroine, and he believed that she would eventually react like he thought she should, falling into his arms because she realized how much she needed and wanted him.

  "I don't know why you keep resisting me! I'm just trying to keep you safe!" he ranted. He had one hand over her mouth and the other around the back of her neck as he forced her up the sidewalk. Her cries muffled, she fought him, but he was much stronger, easily controlling her, taking her inability to overpower him as the acquiescence he sought right up until she managed to get one of his fingers between her teeth. Instantly, his fantasy dissolved, replaced by fury that only grew as she screamed for help after he withdrew his wounded hand. Then his fist struck her hard across the jaw.

  "Shut your fucking hole!" he demanded as he punched her again, but even though they seemed to be all alone on this sleepy neighborhood street in the middle of the night, someone heard her cry.

  Reid Anders was walking down Rustling Road in his mother's neighborhood in South Charleston, frantically looking for her. Addled by Alzheimer's, she had been sneaking out of the home she shared with his sister, Liza, for months, and though Reid had stayed in town tonight to give Liza a break, he still harbored a great deal of resentment toward her for allowing a frail, 68-year-old woman to continually slip through her grasp. But tonight, he was learning firsthand how quickly and stealthily their mother could disappear.

  Based on the last time he looked in on her, he surmised that she had to be within a quarter-mile radius, so he had set out on foot, but every minute he spent searching was another minute she could have been wandering farther away. He was about to go back and get the car when he heard someone scream for help. He rushed toward the sound, and just around a bend in the road, he saw a man trying to drag a woman into a house.

  "Hey!" Reid shouted as he ran toward them. "What's going on?"

  "Help me!" Amina cried from behind Kenny's hand as hearing another voice gave her the strength to fight harder even when he tightened his grip. Kenny didn't want to let her go because he'd never have an opportunity like this again, so when Reid caught up to him, he did the only thing he could think of. He took a calculated risk.

  "It's okay. I've got this," he said, speaking over Amina's smothered pleas as she continued to struggle.

  "What's going on here?" Reid demanded.

  "I know this looks crazy, man, but she's my sister. She's a fucking junkie, and I'm bringing her here to detox because our family can't afford to pay for rehab again."

  Reid gave Amina a quick onceover. Though he couldn't see her face as Kenny held her against his chest, what he could see was a well dressed woman with long, healthy black hair and a deep olive skin tone. There was nothing about her that made her appear to be a heroin addict or the sister of this doughy, white man with light eyes and fair hair.

  "Alright," Reid said, reaching for Amina as she squirmed, and with her back to him, he was able to slip his arms under hers from behind and get a firm hold. "You grab her feet, and I'll help you carry her in."

  "Thanks, man," Kenny said, surprised that it had worked, hesitating only a second before he uncovered Amina's mouth so he could grab her legs, but as soon as he did, Reid brought his lips to her ear.

  "Kick the shit out of him," he whispered, and with every ounce of strength she had left, Amina thrust the heels of her shoes at Kenny, hitting him in the chest, mouth, and even the groin before Reid set her on her feet and tackled her would-be kidnapper.

  "That woman is not your junkie sister," he growled as he held Kenny down with one hand, reaching in his back pocket with the other. Then he tossed his phone on the grass in Amina's direction.

  "Call 9-1-1," he instructed, and as he said it, he realized that he could hear sirens in the distance - police, ambulance, fire - coming from all directions.

  "I was just trying to save her," Kenny shouted, his words muffled now as the stronger man shoved his face into the ground.

  "What did you say?" Reid asked, lifting his head up by his hair.

  "I was trying to save her. Downtown there were crazy people attacking cars. Something bad's going on, and I was trying to keep her safe."

  "What's he talking about?" he asked Amina.

  "He was my driver, taking me from the airport to my hotel," she explained, and her voice and subtle accent finally registered as he looked up at her in the pale moonlight and realized with a rush of excitement that he had just rescued a woman he considered to be one of the most beautiful on the planet. But given the circumstances, the thrill was dispelled as quickly as it formed.

  "So, he tried to kidnap you instead of taking you to the hotel?" Reid asked, wondering how stupid this guy could be. If he was hired as her driver, once she was reported missing, there would be a trail leading the police straight to him.

  "Not exactly," Amina said. "When we got off interstate, there was a man who jumped on the car, and we saw others chasing and attacking people, so he decided to come here instead. I thought maybe it would be okay, but when I tried to call my agent, he smashed my phone and assaulted me."

  "Get on your feet," he growled at Kenny as Amina continued to try to get through to 9-1-1. />
  "There's no answer. It just rings off the hook," she said.

  "Because all the cops are probably dealing with the crazy people downtown," Kenny spat as Reid held his arm twisted behind his back to control him. Then he froze, staring at a fixed spot down the street. "Oh, my God! There's one of them!"

  When Reid and Amina followed his gaze, they could see a thin woman walking in circles like she was confused.

  "That's my mother. She has Alzheimer's, and she sneaked out of the house," Reid said. "Hey, Mom! Over here!"

  When he called out to her, she snapped her head around, her face not showing the slightest confusion as she suddenly began running at them faster than Reid had seen her move since he was a kid. Though it was odd, he was relieved because he had been afraid of what might happen to her while he was preoccupied with Kenny, but as she got closer, he could see that she was covered in blood from her mouth to her waist.

  "She's one of them!" Kenny screamed. "Let me go!" He struggled against Reid, who was so taken aback by his mother, he let the smaller man slip out of his grasp. Kenny ran toward his front door, and drawn by his screams, the old woman followed close behind. She wasn't fast enough to catch up to him, but when she tripped over a crack in his sidewalk and fell forward, she managed to grab Kenny by the ankle and take him down with her. He hit his head on the first concrete stair and lost consciousness, and though Reid's mother crawled on top of him as if the fall had no effect on her, her son still held out hope that there was a logical explanation.

  "Mom!" he called out. "Mom, are you okay?" She whipped her head around to look at him, and when he saw that she had taken a bite out of Kenny, he had to acknowledge that this went beyond her Alzheimer's.

  "Get in the car," he ordered Amina, and terrified, she obeyed.