Her speed had improved over the years. She reached the trees before the minion knew she had turned back around. Her hands went to its wrists and pinned them above its head against the tree trunk. It looked exactly like Peg remembered, dressed in the same kind of clothes Peg had warned Zoey to watch for. It struggled against her, but this one didn’t have anything near the strengths of its predecessors. Peg had some guesses as to why that might be, but she didn’t want to assume.
“Now you listen here,” Peg said, her words strong and confident and annoyed-sounding despite the deep penetrating fear coursing through her. “I know you can hear me, wherever the fuck you are now. And I know that I’m probably getting close to ripe by now. You probably think I’m all ready for picking.”
With no effort whatsoever she ripped off the minion’s left arm, casually throwing it behind her into the creek.
“But this is the last time you are going to come after me. Or my family. Because I’m not afraid.” It was a lie, but hopefully one she was hiding well. And if she was lucky it was capable of feeling just as much fear.
She ripped off its right arm. It didn’t scream. It didn’t show any emotion. It didn’t even move. She grabbed it by what passed for its throat and held it high against the tree.
“And if I ever do see any of your walking eyes ever again, I will come after you. I’m stronger now. And I know how to hurt you. You may be my daughter’s boogeyman, but never forget: I’m yours.”
Sticking her hand through its chest and crushing its heart took no more effort than pressing her thumb through a warm stick of butter. It lost integrity immediately, faster than any of the others had all those years ago. All that remained were its clothes, an odd-colored smear against the tree, and a mess of unidentifiable matter at the base. Peg calmly washed the gore off her arm in the creek, although her sleeve was stained and she would have to change. That was okay. She always kept an extra jacket in her car just in case she was out and the sun caught her off guard anyway.
She gathered up the clothes and threw them in the nearest trashcan, then went back to Zoey. For once she had obeyed her mother and hadn’t turned around.
“Is it gone?” Zoey asked.
“Yes sweetie,” Peg said.
“So it can’t hurt me?”
“No. I would never let that happen, understand. You remember why?”
Zoey recited the answer from memory after years of hearing it over and over. “Because when something happens you made a promise that you would save me.”
“That’s right. I did.” She smoothed Zoey’s tousled hair and kissed her head. “Now what do you say we go back and watch the rest of your brother’s game, huh?”
She agreed, and Peg and Zoey walked hand in hand back to the rest of their family.
Blood Harvest (Book 1): Blood Fruit Page 18
