Circling Stars

🌟 Chapter 49 🌟

    "You look different. Something changed about you."

    Venom swished in my mouth. I had to restrain myself from grabbing him and throwing him into a wall.
    "Answer the question," I growled coldly.

    He got to his feet slowly and headed to the corner where the rifle sat. "My father gave me this gun." He picked it up and checked something. "I was gonna give it to Trent. Well maybe, he couldn't shoot for shit."

    "I don't care what Trent could do—I want to know if you killed them on purpose."

    "You killed my son on purpose."

    "He was trying to strangle me."

    Tim lifted his gun and took aim at me. He raised an eyebrow when I didn't flinch or show any sign of concern.

    "Yes, I knew!" he hissed while he pulled the trigger.

    I felt the impact of the gunshot and it was like someone pelting me with sand. I could have easily stopped it from hitting me but didn't. My coat and clothes were ruined but I was just fine. Tim fired again to the same result.

    "Wh—What are you?" he choked out while dropping the gun.

    I advanced on him and Tim ran for the door. I made it to the ATV before he did and crushed one of the wheels with a well placed stomp. Tim froze in place looking at me with a horrified expression. I took one step toward him and he booked it into the woods.

    I followed him as a clap of thunder sounded overhead. Torrential rain began to come down on us turning the dirt into mud. He ran for much longer than I expected someone in his condition could have. I didn't know this area of the woods, and it seemed like maybe he didn't either, because the path he'd chosen ended abruptly in a high cliff.

    I stood there on the edge and listened to him scream all the way down.

🌟

    "In other news the body of a man was found today at the bottom of Raven Point. A local hiker called in the forest service who alerted the police. The body was that of a male, age somewhere between 40 and 60. Due to animal scavengers and the fact that this man appeared to have been there for several weeks no identification has been made. Police ask anyone with information to come forward."

    The news lady then moved on to a story about public education. I'd began to religiously follow news coming out of Wendigo listening for this exact report. Maybe if I was a better person I would have phoned in an anonymous tip so Tim could be buried near his son. Sometimes the image of Tim weeping over the grave of his son would come back to me. But even that memory couldn't get me to make the call.

    Jasper had come with me later and we completely took apart Tim's camp and erased all evidence of his time there. I wasn't sure if I would have killed him if Tim hadn't accidentally flung himself from that cliff. Though sometimes I wondered if perhaps he'd done that on purpose. It had taken four months for someone to find him so maybe it wouldn't have mattered if we left the place alone.

    I kept the truth from Sean. Maybe I'd tell him someday but I didn't think he'd need to know the truth now. I wanted him to have as happy and normal a childhood as I could give him.

    And as for me there was one more thing I needed to do.

🌟

    "So you're a vampire." Shirley sat across from me arms folded over her chest. Brandon looked at me critically as if looking for fangs or wings or something. He took a swig of soda and ran a hand through his hair.