Chapter Twenty: The Eyepatch Lady

(Prayers By Night, Part 3)

***

Silence.

That was all that filled the pool house after Nick's and Sarah's terrifying transformations aside from the rain and thunder of the storm outside and the near-quiet drip of Hayden's blood from the three, long claw marks on her left arm onto the pool house floor, everyone too stunned and frozen to say or do anything for several long minutes, trying to comprehend what had just happened, what Nick and Sarah had turned into.

What they'd become.

Until Nora breathed, "I killed Sarah. I killed..."

Nora clapped a bloody hand over her mouth, horror stark in her face, letting out a pained noise.

"I shot him," Hayden whispered through numb lips, body shaking. "I shot Nick. I shot my brother. I shot Nick and he... he turned into that. Nick turned into a..."

A sob silenced her words, Hayden pressing the knuckles of her non-injured hand against her mouth, horror and despair trembling through her. Nick was gone, he'd turned into a monster and had disappeared, her brother, her twin, her other half, was gone.

He was gone.

Hayden felt arms wrap around—Allison—and Hayden clung onto her, shaking as she felt Allison trembling under her, heard her stifle her tears, her grief, over Nick, as behind her Abi pulled Nora into a hug as the curly-haired girl sobbed.

Soon, too soon, Allison pulled away as she tore off a strip of her shirt, exposing her midriff as she wrapped it around Hayden's injured arm, Hayden wincing in pain when the fabric made contact with the diagonal wounds striped across her flesh—wounds Nick had left, wounds the monster her brother had turned into left her. Never in any world would Hayden or Nick himself ever imagine he'd hurt her, but that creature her brother had become had, and that rattled Hayden more than anything.

That the monster was stronger than Nick's love for her.

When Allison was done, Hayden decided to stand up, Allison helping her, before something grabbed her, the wrapped-up stump telling Hayden it was Dylan, holding her as he whispered quietly so only she could hear, "I'm sorry, Hayden. That was... fuck. I'm sorry."

Hayden swallowed, her non-injured hand clutching Dylan's arm tightly.

"I killed her. I killed the woman I love," Nora sobbed at the same Hayden whispered hoarsely, "I nearly killed him. I... I would have killed him, and it was me or him, and I would have killed my brother, my twin brother, if he hadn't.."

A shuddering breath cut off her words as she clutched Dylan's arm tighter, despair yawning wide inside her.

"I mean... dead people don't usually jump out of windows and run into the forest," Kaitlyn said, trying to be assuring.

"Not helping, Kaitlyn," Hayden muttered as Dylan let her go, moving to Allison's side.

"Sorry," Kaitlyn apologised as Nora gave Kaitlyn a glare, also moving away from Abi.

"Hayden... he was gonna hurt you—he did hurt you. You were defending yourself and Allison," Ryan reminded.

"I know. God, I know," Hayden said, holding herself as Allison told Ryan, "We don't know that for sure."

"I do."

Hayden took in a shaking breath, feeling her whole body shudder as Allison rested a comforting hand on her.

"It was you or him. And, well... that definitely wasn't him," Ryan said.

"I know!" Hayden snapped, rounding on him. "I know, Ryan! I knew that from the moment I grabbed the gun that wasn't my brother! Nick would have never hurt me if that had been him! I just... I..."

Hayden paused, swallowing back the rage, the despair as Allison murmured, "He's right. That... that wasn't Nick. He wouldn't... that wasn't him. It wasn't him."

"Same with Sarah, Nora—she told you to do it," Ryan pointed out to her. "It wasn't her."

Nora let out a shuddering breath, shoulders slumping. "Yeah, you're right. You're right."

"Man, this is so fucked," Dylan muttered, pacing behind Hayden.

"Something did this to them—something changed them," Allison murmured, a hardness coming onto her face. 

Hayden nodded. Ever since they were bitten, Nick and Sarah had changed until they physically did. And what Sarah said to her...

Full moon, bite. Monster.

What did that mean? Unless...

No. It couldn't. But what else explained it? And if it was what she was thinking, then maybe—

A loud knock disrupted Hayden's thoughts as the seven of them turned to the door.

Ryan looked out the window, before yelling, "Hey!", as he raised the gun.

"Oh shit," Dylan muttered as Allison drew her bow and Nora picked up her bloody axe, Hayden snatching her knife back out from her packet as a muffled female voice demanded, "Where the fuck is Chris Hackett!?"

Hayden, Dylan, Kaitlyn and Allison exchanged wary looks before turning back to the door as Ryan demanded, "Who's there?"

"I need your help. Please," the woman answered.

"Who are you?" Ryan demanded again.

A pause, then the voice replied, "My name is Laura Kearney."

"So?"

"Laura Kearney... why is that name familiar?" Nora muttered.

"So, let me in. It's not safe out here," the woman, Laura, replied.

Allison barked out a harsh laugh. "No shit, Sherlock! We kinda figured that out a few hours ago when literal monsters started attacking us and turned our friends into monsters!"

"Uh, yeah, and there's a crazy woman with a gun killing people!" Ryan yelled in agreement.

"Laura Kea..." Dylan muttered, pacing around them.

"I'm not killing people," Laura replied irritably as Hayden's eyes widened.

The eyepatch lady.

"Holy shit, you... Laura Kearney. You're Laura Kearney?" Dylan asked, causing the six of them to look at Dylan in confusion.

How did he know eyepatch lady?

"Yes?" Laura replied, sounding just as confused.

"You were supposed to be working—uh... helping out in the nurse's office, right? And you never showed up. You and the guy... what's his name?" Dylan continued, now on a roll.

"Max."

"Yes, Max, yeah yeah yeah. Uh... Mr. Hackett said that you had changed your mind last minute," Dylan finished, revealing Laura's identity to them as Hayden's eyes widened—the counsellors that never showed up. That's who eyepatch lady was?

"That's why!" Nora exclaimed. "I remember seeing her name the first day and asking Mr. H why she and Max never showed up. He said you'd changed your mind last minute, like Dylan said."

"Oh Jesus Christ," Laura muttered angrily.

"I think that we should... I think that we should listen to her. Inside," Dylan suggested.

"I'm with Dylan. She might have some answers on what's been happening all night," Hayden agreed.

"What if she doesn't and we just bring in more danger?" Allison argued.

"She's a counsellor, isn't she? Or, well, supposed to be. That means she's one of us. Right?" Hayden debated. "We should at least give her a chance. And then if she is dangerous, I guess you and Ryan can shoot her all you like, Allie, and I'll... stab her and Nora will chop her head off."

Nora didn't say anything, but the look in her eyes told Hayden she was on Hayden's and Dylan's side.

Allison frowned, but turned to Ryan and simply said, "Do it."

Ryan nodded, turning back to the door as he said, "Okay. I'm gonna open the door. Slowly. Just... keep your hands up, okay?"

"Okay," Laura responded.

With that, Dylan opened the door, letting it swing open as it revealed Laura Kearney.

And she looked pretty badass.

She wore a leather jacket, tank top and fingerless gloves, jeans and combat boots—what was with Americans' obsession to wear jeans and jackets during summer?—and holding a gun. Rain plastered strands of blonde hair to her forehead while the rest was in a ponytail. An eyepatch covered her left eye and underneath were three long scars, old but still pink.

And identical to the wounds across Hayden's arm.

But at the look on her face, Hayden knew.

She knew what was going on, what had happened to Nick and Sarah. That, maybe, she knew how to bring them back and save them. That, finally, they would all have answers for what the fuck was happening.

It all depended on if they would choose to believe her.

Though, if it meant saving her brother, Hayden had one answer to that.

She would believe anything if it meant a chance in saving him.

***

LAURA'S HERE!!!!! SO EXCITED FOR HER TO APPEAR AT LAST!!!

Yeah, Hayden, Nora and Allison are just going through it. At least they all got comforted :( (also, because it was a scratch and not a bite, Hayden isn't infected!)

But Laura is now here!! I am so, so excited—especially since they're all FINALLY getting some answers and, especially for Hayden, Allison and Nora, know there is a way to save Nick and Sarah!! :D

Please read, comment and vote!

GhostWriterGirl out!