Vision of Sacrifices

by Vincent Morrone

  Nobody asked questions about what had happened outside. It was an unspoken rule to leave the weird alone. Even the police officers, who were less accustomed to the crazy things that happened to Blackburns and McKnights, held their tongues.

  Varick suggested that we reconvene at his place, which was bigger and more fortified than our house. We all packed quickly and were escorted into a black car that was waiting by the door step.

  Upon arriving, Aunt Breanne had ushered all three boys into one of the bedrooms. Simon and Zack had both protested, but Seth hadn’t uttered a single word since I’d come back.

  Simon wanted to come into the meeting, convinced he could help. Zack thought everything that was happening was one big adventure. Seth was simply terrified. He’d become withdrawn and unresponsive. Uncle Mark told me when Seth had his vision of Agent Williams being killed, Seth had urinated in his pants.

  I wanted to be with him. His unwillingness to talk had me more concerned than his being afraid to be away from me ever did.

  We were now sitting in one of Varick’s dining rooms. The lights were low, and the curtains were drawn, but there was light coming from a majestic crystal chandelier above. Varick sat at the head of the table, with the rest of use on either side. Grandpa sat at the other end.

  The five of us who had gone out to see the creatures had just finished explaining what had happened to those in the room who hadn’t been there. Archer was still avoiding his father, but I wasn’t sure I felt the same anger coming off of him. Payne’s face had been a mask of fury, but he’d been silent the entire time. I think he was still a little angry with me for not taking him. Phillip, who had insisted on staying, listened quietly.

  Grandpa had to most to say throughout the tale, most of which wasn’t helpful. He made some rather rude but colorful remarks and had also named the creatures.

  “Two days?” Patton asked. “That doesn’t give us much time.”

  “That’s assuming we can trust anything good old Moe, Larry, or Curly says.”

  “I didn’t detect any lies,” Hunter told my grandpa. “But with the way they spoke—all that hissing and that creepy echo, I can’t be sure.”

  “What choice do we have but to believe them?” Uncle Mark said. “We have to try and get ready for a fight.”

  “I refuse to let them hurt that child,” Varick said. “He has been through enough to last a hundred lifetimes.”

  “I think your grandfather is on to something,” Archer added. “I don’t trust them. I don’t even understand why they care? What’s in it for them?”

  Everyone stared blankly back at him—everyone except Ian.

  “I have a theory.” He fiddled with a notepad on the table in front of him. “Um. It may sound a little weird, but it’s the only thing that seems to make sense.”

  We waited as he continued to make notes. Finally Hunter nudged him. When he looked up, and realized everyone was waiting for him to keep talking, his face went red.

  “Oh,” Ian said. “Sorry. You want me to explain it?”

  Reassuring glances, stifled laughs and eye rolls of impatience were exchanged.

  “Please,” Varick said.

  “Okay,” Ian said. With an encouraging smile from Hunter, Ian managed to find his backbone. “Um. It’s about food.”

  Patton rolled his eyes again.

  “Typical,” I said. “Just like a guy, thinking with his stomach.”

  Ian looked around and realized that we didn’t understand his point. “No, I’m not hungry. I’m sure the last thing on anyone’s mind here is eating—”

  “I could eat,” Payne interrupted.

  “When is that not true?” I asked. “Go on, Ian.”

  Ian nodded.

  “What I mean is that they’re worried about their food. The people that held Seth for so long—the Shadow Creatures are afraid that they may come in here and kill everyone. The McKnights and the Blackburns. Killing off their food supply.”

  “Wait?” I said. “Food supply? They aren’t eating us.”

  Ian shook his head as he looked down at his notes.

  “Well, not literally,” Ian said. “Look, these things are here for a reason. Ask yourself why they wanted Bristol dead to begin with.”

  “That’s easy,” Uncle Mark said. “She can hear them.”

  Ian nodded. By this point, Ian had been brought up to speed on my abilities.

  “That’s part of it, sure, but not the whole of it. How long have most of you known about these things?”

  “A little over a year now,” Uncle Mark said. “Since Bristol first came to town.”

  “And how many people know about them who aren’t here?”

  “A few,” Varick said. “On each side of the family.”

  “So,” Ian said. “So, their secret is already out, but they still want her dead, right?”

  I nodded. They had made that perfectly clear. I gave Ian a quick, condensed version of everything they’d done so far. Trying to kill me through Jasper when I’d first arrived, sending in my long lost cousin Scarlett to play with everyone’s emotions and hurt themselves. Siccing Balthazar on me. Ian jotted down a few important points as I spoke.

  “Okay,” he said eventually. “So there’s something about you that threatens them. I think it’s Payne.”

  “Me?” Payne said, looking surprised, and glancing around to see if any of us understood what Ian was saying. “I don’t understand.”

  “It’s the two of you,” Ian explained. “Your relationship with Bristol. They don’t want you two together. Look at what happened. You two start to see each other. Next thing you know, Hunter and Bristol are friends. Then Archer, and even Bryan.” He paused and looked at Phillip.

  Phillip nodded at the mention of his brother.

  “Yeah, he mentioned that,” Phillip said. “Bryan talked with me when I was deployed. He said it was so strange. He never thought he’d ever be friends with McKnights, but he thought very highly of both Hunter and Payne.”

  “And after he—well, after the accident, tensions returned,” Ian said. “At least for a little while. It didn’t keep, but I think that’s what they wanted. They don’t want the two of you together.”

  “Why not?” I asked.

  “Food,” Ian said again, like we were missing the point. “They feed off of the anger, hate, and misery that’s generated by the feud between your families. They need you to keep fighting. The last thing they need is both families united by a common enemy, let alone slaughtered. And then there’s the curse you mentioned. What did it say again?”

  Ian started to flip through pages on his notepad, like he had this written down somewhere.

  “As long as both families exist,” Varick supplied, “neither will know peace.”

  Those words hung in the air for a few moments.

  “Ian, how does this help us with Seth?” I asked.

  “Because,” Ian answered. “It explains their interests. It explains the appearance of the fourth one. The sick one...um...”

  “Shemp,” Grandpa said.

  “Right,” Ian said, snapping his fingers and smiling.

  We all looked at each other. Nobody seemed to know what Ian was talking about except Ian. Finally, Ian seemed to pick up on our ignorance.

  “Look.” He held his hands up as he started to elaborate. “We know that Shemp was at the house with Seth, but Shemp is dying. Why? I’d wager that it’s because he was being starved. If my information’s correct, the hate that Seth’s kidnappers felt for him, and the hate he had for them, wasn’t enough to keep them alive and healthy. If they come here and slaughter both families, then they’re in the same boat.”

  There were a few nods as people tried to digest what he was saying.

  After a second, Phillip spoke. “Why don’t they ever try and kill Payne? I remember him before I shipped out. He was pretty wild back then.”

  Payne laughed a little at the memory. “Well, I guess in my case it would be a little hard.”


  Phillip still looked confused.

  “What are you?” he asked. “Invulnerable?”

  Payne smiled, but shook his head. “No, I can be hurt. I just get better. Real fast.”

  Ian smacked his hand down on the table and pointed at Payne.

  “I knew it!” It was cute, how Ian looked so proud of himself. “All those crazy stories I’d heard. I knew you were probably able to heal from anything.”

  Phillip gave Payne a once over.

  “Really?” Phillip asked. When Payne nodded, Phillip grinned. “Cool.”

  “Very,” Patton said sharply, clearly uncomfortable that McKnight powers were being discussed aloud with Blackburns. “Could we return to the matter at hand? With the exception of this Jack, who seems to share my son’s ability, we have no idea what the others can do. For that matter, we don’t even know if Seth is a Blackburn or McKnight. Personally, I’m leaning towards him being a McKnight and these ‘others’ being Blackburns.”

  I felt the tension in the room rise. Nobody seemed to want to make eye contact with Patton. It was as if he had said a rude word that everyone was trying to pretend they hadn’t heard it.

  “You may disagree,” Patton said. “But he’s got to be one or the other, doesn’t he? And we all seem to believe that whatever family Seth belongs to is the opposite of the others who were holding him. It seems to me that of the two family members we’ve encountered so far, each person has, or had, abilities like other McKnights. And since Seth’s ability is similar to Bristol’s, I think it’s logical to conclude that more than likely, he’s a McKnight and they’re Blackburns.” Patton offered us all a thin smile as he looked towards Ian. “Does that make sense?”

  Ian nodded, looking mildly impressed. “Yes, sir.”

  “So,” Patton continued, “you agree Seth is most likely a McKnight?”

  Ian shook his head. “No, sir.”

  Patton’s smile faded into a scowl. I noticed Archer was grinning.

  “I understand your logic,” Ian said quickly. “And if that were all the information we had to go on, then I’d say you were probably right.”

  Patton looked confused, which matched how I felt.

  “What else do we have to go on?” he asked. “Am I missing something? The DNA tests haven’t come back yet, have they?”

  Varick shook his head. “Not for another two weeks.”

  Patton nodded, glancing back at Ian.

  “So?” Patton asked. “What else do we know?”

  “For one thing,” Ian began, “I’ve already traced the lines of all McKnights and Blackburns who left Spirit. There’s no possible way to account for all of those people in the other family. I don’t think they’re all siblings. Based on the description that Bristol gave, and the few reports that Sheriff Blackburns came up with, they’re too close in age. We’re probably dealing with cousins or other distant relatives.

  “And then there’s Shemp. The fourth creature Bristol saw at the house where Seth was rescued. Seth also has seen him. He’s the one dying.”

  Ian looked to me for confirmation.

  “My first impression was that he was weak. Seth thought he was dying. I’m guessing that means he’s gotten frailer. Those who saw him tonight could see that he had problems holding his form.”

  There were nods from those who had been there tonight.

  “All right,” Grandpa said. “So Shemp is on his way out. Exit stage left. We’re still left with the original three stooges. What’s the point?”

  We all looked at Ian.

  “The point,” Ian told us, “is that I don’t think Seth is a McKnight or a Blackburn.”

  There was a long pause, followed by an explosion of conversation. Everyone was talking over each other. Patton accused me of trying to pull a fast one. Archer and Payne leapt to my defense. Uncle Mark was trying to talk about the shadow creatures, while Varick and Grandpa were agreeing that just because Ian had a theory didn’t mean that it was true. Hunter was yelling that if Ian believed it, then he was right.

  “Enough!”

  The yell came from the doorway. It was Aunt Breanne.

  “I could hear you from the boys’ room,” she said. “What in the world is going on?”

  Patton stood up, fury etched on his face.

  “I’ll tell you what’s going on.” He shot into a standing position, pointing at me with an accusatory finger. “According to this young man, of whom Bristol seems to think very highly, our boy isn’t a member of either family. We’ve all been deceived.”

  “Watch yourself, Patton,” Uncle Mark warned.

  Patton sent my uncle a dirty look. “Your niece just told us—”

  “Bristol told us what she saw in her vision,” Uncle Mark kept his voice low and calm, but you’d have to be a blind fool not to see the anger in his eyes. “She said there was a boy out there with her abilities, and the idea that he was a member of one of our families seemed logical. I’m not sure how Ian came to his conclusion, and I’m sure he’ll be happy to explain it, but Bristol did not mislead anyone. Let’s be crystal clear on that.”

  “Indeed,” Varick agreed. “Patton, I have no doubt that Bristol told us everything she knew about Seth. If you cannot accept that, you know where you may find the door.”

  Patton looked like he was ready to get up and storm out, but Aunt Breanne gave him a look that made him sit down and settle into his chair.

  “What I would like to understand,” she said slowly, “is why that fact matters? Seth may not be a part of either of our families by blood, but he’s a part of both of our families in the only way that counts. We can’t allow anything to happen to him.”

  Patton looked taken aback, and looked around the long, dark wood table to see how many of us agreed with Breanne. Everyone wore similar expressions of distaste.

  “I just feel as if I’ve been deceived,” Patton said in a low voice. “If the boy knows he’s not part of our families, how has he not said anything?”

  “Seth may not remember,” Varick said. “I’ve spoken to Mrs. Carter about his reluctance to speak of the past, and the fact that he refuses to address any of us as family members. She feels he’s avoiding those memories as a defense mechanism. It may be best to give him time and not try to force the issue. He will remember when he’s ready.”

  There were murmurs of agreement.

  “That might not be possible,” Ian said, surprising me. “At least, not anymore.”

  Aunt Breanne put her hands on her hips and sent Ian the same look she had given Patton a few moments ago. “And why not?”

  “Because we need his help,” Ian explained. “We heard what Shemp said. Seth has what we need. Seth knows these people better than we do. Under normal circumstances, I would agree that we need to let Seth remember at his own pace. But his mental health isn’t going to be served by letting his captors take him back—which is clearly what they want and need.”

  “Why?” I asked.

  “If I’m right,” Ian continued, “what we have here is another creature like the ones here in Spirit. In California, there probably were two families just like yours. Cursed to be at each other’s throats. In their case, one family did wipe out the other, something the Shadow Creatures never wanted or anticipated. That’s why Shemp is dying, while Moe, Larry and Curly are still alive. What happens if Seth is killed, and there’s only one family left?”

  Everyone looked at each other for a moment.

  “The curse would be broken,” Varick said.

  That hung in the air as we all considered what it meant.

  “This may seem callous,” Patton said. “But why would that be a bad thing? Why wouldn’t the living family want the curse broken?”

  I shuddered at hearing Patton talk about Seth’s death as winning for this family was disgusting, but I understood his question.

  “Well,” Ian said. “At the very least, it could mean the end to their supernatural abilities. Maybe they don’t want to part with those. Who knows what else it
would mean. Or for that matter, what Shemp convinced them might happen once the curse was broken. I don’t think I’d put it above the Shadow Creatures to lie.”

  There was some back and forth chatter as the possibilities were discussed. Was there a reason to fear killing the family who was coming for Seth off? Was it possible to really stop them all? Are we prepared to kill them or was capturing them still on the table? How could we even hope to contain them?

  As they continued to talk, I saw a sudden flash of movement by the doorway: Jared. He stood near his mother, but looked at me.

  “You need to go. Seth needs you. Now.”

  Without warning, I got up and ran to the door. I could hear Payne and the others calling to me as I ran down the stairs, but I didn’t stop. I ran down the hall and was close to another set of stairs when I heard Jared call me again.

  “Bristol, this way!”

  I slid to a stop on the hardwood and ran past the stairs, towards the door where Jared stood. I could hear Payne and the others thundering behind me, but I didn’t stop to look.

  “Go through to the back door,” Jared urged. “Hurry!”

  I burst through the kitchen, passed several of Varick’s security detail having a late night snack, and smashed through the back door.

  Once in the yard, I spun in all directions, looking for whatever it was I was supposed to find.

  A loud thump sounded from the roof, followed by a high pitched scream. I turned and looked up.

  “Seth!”

  The boy clung to part of an overhang from the roof. Looking up, it was clear he’d been trying to escape. He must have climbed out of the third floor window and lost his footing.

  “Seth,” I called. “It’s okay. You’re going to be all right.”

  His frightened eyes found mine. Payne came out, looked up and then ran back into the house. Everyone else was by my side.

  “Just hold on,” I said. “Payne’s coming to get you.”