The Healer's Hellion - Miranda Bridges Page 0,1

now. With each passing moment, my dread grows. It’s like a fog, swirling and becoming denser with every step I take.

I want to call out for my parents, to pretend that nothing is wrong, but I don’t. Instead, I push from the wall and slink toward the kitchen. I’ve chosen that destination for two reasons. The first being that it is the most likely place to find my mother. And the second being that I have the strongest urge to grab a knife.

The sound of footsteps has me halting in my tracks. The shuffling is heavy and unfamiliar to me. Everyone knows the smells and sounds that emit from their household, and that does not belong to mine. Fear swells in my chest, making it difficult for me to breathe, but I channel my adrenaline. With my knees bent and my hands balled into fists, I creep forward.

“I ssscent another.”

“Yesss.”

“Ssshe is the one we ssseek.”

The voices of the intruders almost cause me to stumble. Whoever these people are, they are not normal by any stretch of the imagination. Their tones are gravelly and unnatural as if it’s difficult for them to speak. As much as I want to dismiss the lisps as nothing more than speech impediments, I can’t.

I peek around the corner, just the barest of glances, and almost scream. Two alligators are standing in my kitchen. One carries a spear and the other a sword, and they are dressed in leather pants with matching leather straps crisscrossing their torsos. I blink several times, bringing my gaze into focus in order to make sure my vision isn’t skewed.

This has to be a dream. That’s the only explanation.

And then I notice the splatter of red droplets on the cabinets above the stove and across the curtains over the sink. I follow the trail with my gaze, my horror growing with each millisecond. When I catch sight of my parents lying on the floor in a pool of blood, my world tilts.

This is no dream. It is a nightmare.

I open my mouth, and a scream builds within me, starting in the deep recess of my soul and then working its way up my chest and past my shattered heart. It pours from my lips, a lament of sorrow too severe for words. The monsters turn to me, speaking to one another, but I can’t hear them over my torment.

One takes a step toward me, its intent to silence me very clear. A burning in my gut churns and heats, expanding and then filling my veins. It’s as if lava has entered my bloodstream, and even though I want to run or attack, I can do neither as this inferno builds inside me. I’m completely powerless against it, yet it’s as if I’m the source. The dichotomy of what’s happening to me is too difficult to process, so I give in to my body’s demands, shaking uncontrollably as I struggle to stay upright.

My scream changes, becoming louder and more high-pitched. One of the creatures shakes its head as if the scream pains him, but that doesn’t stop it from advancing on me. The fire inside rips through me, and I feel as if I am going to die. I lift my hands, palms facing out, to ward off the reptile even though I know it’s a pathetic gesture and won’t keep it from coming.

The heat within me grows to an unbearable level, making me clench my teeth until it pains me. And then all this foreign sensation gathers before streaking through every nerve ending and exiting my fingertips. It seems to zip through me, an unstoppable current, and I can only stare as the two creatures freeze and then split into tiny pieces, spraying the entire kitchen with gore.

I fall to my knees as the fire inside me slowly subsides, like the dull burning of embers. Without it to sustain me, I feel weak and light-headed. It’s as if the rush from the power is gone, leaving in its place a withdrawal with which I’m unfamiliar. Immediately I wish for it to return, to strengthen me, but it does not. I crumple to the floor and lie on my back, staring at the ceiling in a daze. There are flecks of the creatures’ remains there, and I find that I cannot muster one ounce of sympathy.

Footsteps reach my ears, and I turn my head in that direction, unable to do anything else. I am completely and totally depleted of energy, and it’s