Page 43 of Haunted Nightmares
“Stomachs? As in, more than one?”Oh, there’s the other half of the foot.
Lorna nods. “They were a nomadic people, wanderers who would make their homes anywhere they wanted and that meant there were times they couldn’t find food, or stop to hunt for days, sometimes weeks. Evolution of the species gave them two stomachs for more consumption, and pockets to store food so they could keep both bellies full.”
Huh, I had no idea.“Lots of places to store body parts.” Since they also typically ate anyone they killed or conquered. I remove my hand and give it a shake, bits of blood and flesh splatting everywhere as I do. “Let’s take a look at these two stomachs and see who else our friend met on its travels.”
Deciding on the classic Y incision, I point the scalpel at the right shoulder and begin carving a line toward the center of its chest, the raven still sitting silently on my shoulder, watching and waiting as I repeat the line on the left side, methodically dissecting the creature now quickly dying before me.
The blade cuts through the softer tissue in the middle of its body easier than the rest and just when I’m elbows deep in the troll’s blood and guts to find the first stomach, my goddamn doorbell goes off.
I didn’t even think the fucker still worked.
Declan meets my eyes as it rings again. “Who is it?”
“I don’t bloody know, I didn’t invite anyone but you and Lorna to this shitshow.”
“Lyddy?”
He looks to his sister who shakes her head emphatically as she whispers, “No way, I didn’t tell anyone.”
All three of us turn to Lorna, who just scowls before rolling her eyes. “Anyone could have seen Lydia or any of the rest of you arrive and considering the strange activity that keeps happening here, it wouldn’t be a huge surprise if someone decided to check it out.”
“I like it better when you speak in riddles.” My gaze swings back to Declan as the doorbell blastsagain. “Are you going to get that?”
My friend goes stone faced as he crosses his arms against his chest, the surgical probe smoking behind his giant bicep. “Last I knew, I didn’t work for your crabby ass anymore, just a friend helping out a friend.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“As a heart attack.” Declan’s spine stiffens. “Answer your own damn door.”
Growling, I yank my hands free from the troll’s torso, ignoring the bits of muscle and tissue that go flying then grit my teeth. “Consider yourself back on the payroll after this.”
I spin away from the arseholes snickering to themselves and stomp toward my front door mumbling to myself as the doorbell ringsyet again.
“What!” I bark as I whip it open, my jaw dropping in surprise at what I see. “Iris? What the hell are you doing here?”
The petite little female wrings her hands in front of her, her unnaturally blue eyes wide as they dart around the sidewalk before searching the house behind me.
She looks relatively healed up from the other night; no obvious marks or bruises, no burns or reddened flesh. We don’tstay injured long, especially when the wounds are superficial at best but it almost appears there is no evidence of her time here at all.
Which is another red flag.
“If you’re here about the other?—“
“No,” Iris blurts nervously. “Not really.”
I arch a brow and wait for her to explain, but she doesn’t.
Instead, the female continues looking around the street, my yard, every which way but up until she finally settles on me again.
“Aslovelyas it is to see you again, I was in the middle of something rather pressing. And since the sun is rising soon…” I motion toward the sliver of orange starting to crack through the night sky on the horizon. “Maybe you’d like to explain what the hell you’re doing here?”
Iris looks behind her, first to the all black sedan idling in the street then toward the sunrise looming in the background. “I, uh…. Well…”
“Go on.”
“I…” She faces me again but when her unblinking stare connects with mine, Iris glitches harder than she has before then suddenly starts tofadein and out of existence. “Forgive me.”
I frown as the raven pecks the side of my head. “Forgive you? For what? What have you done?”
