Under the Blood Moon

Chapter 6

          “Travis I can’t do it! We have been standing out here for hours and I haven’t got any closer to controlling my visions!” I am so frustrated with myself. I don’t understand how I cannot get control of this. Travis told me that if I fully accepted my gift and welcomed it that I would get control of it. We having been standing outside the lake house for so long that I am starting to lose faith in myself. The breeze whips around us swirling dirt and leaves around our feet. Travis can tell that I am losing my faith in this task and walks over to me, “Niki you have to believe in yourself. I think that you are trying too hard. Don’t force it you have to let it flow.” I know that he is trying to help but I cannot help but get angry and yell, “I have been letting it flow, for the last 2 hours. It’s not working!” I throw my hands in the air and stomp back to the lake house. After I get up the steps my heart sinks. I hate when I hurt his feelings just because I am angry. This really is not his fault that I cannot control my gift. I turn around and see him standing alone looking to the ground with one hand in his pocket. I let take a deep breath and say, “Travis I’m sorry. Why don’t we take a break for a little bit?” He nods his head yes and starts to walk towards me. Then I happens, a vision comes to me. A small brown dog runs from the shore towards Travis. It looks lost and harmless. It gets about 5 feet from his before Travis notices that it’s even there. It lunges into the air and shifts into a woman. She has long white hair, black shoes, shirt and pants. The vision begins to slow and I see that she is holding a dagger in her hand. He plunges it into Travis neck, dragging it to the back of his head separating his head from his body. His headless body collapses to the ground.

          I snap back into reality and rush down the stairs to Travis. Before I can tell him anything the small brown dog from my vision begins rushing towards us from the shore. Travis thinks nothing of it until I scream the only things that could come to mind, “It’s not a real dog! It’s a woman!” Travis grabs my arm and pushes me behind him. I fall to my back and land on a rake that breaks in half. The dog lunges to the air and Travis crouches down preparing for a fight. I look to my side and pick up the broken half of the rake. As soon as the woman shifts I jump forward and stab the broken rake into her stomach. She lets out a paralyzing scream of pain and hits the ground hard. Crimson blood begins to flow from her stomach and stain the ground around her. I expect for her body to turn to ash and float into the sky like all the other shifters have, but it doesn’t happen. Travis has been staring at me ever since I struck her with the broken rake. I look to him and say, “What? I had a vision. What was I supposed to do let her kill?” He gives me a half smile and shakes his head from side to side. Coughing breaks the silence between us. We both look down to the woman and she is coughing up blood. She opens her eyes and looks around. Travis rips the broken rake from her stomach and she lets out another scream grabbing her wound in pain. Travis jumps on top of her with his hand around her throat. He leans forward and screams into her face, “How many more are here!?” She turns her head to the side spitting out blood onto the dirt. She looks back to Travis with tears of pain streaming from her eyes, “I will tell you nothing.” Travis face becomes filled with anger and leans back punching her wound. Her scream rips through the quiet trees. He hits her again and again and again. My stomach begins to turn seeing all the blood flowing from her body. I look to my feet and its all around me. I don’t know how she is still alive. Travis grabs her blood soaked shirt and pulls her to his face, “You can either tell me now and I will save you or you can choose to have a painful death.” She looks to me and then back to Travis. There is a silence and she looks up to the sky and extends her hand as if she is reaching for something. Travis looks to where she is pointing and there is a large owl sitting on a branch staring down at bloody scene. Travis drops the shifter and stands never breaking eye contact with the owl. “You are going to hide like a coward behind that disguise.” The owl turns its head to the side as if he is intrigued by the question. It extends its large gray wings and floats down to the forest floor. Before his claws touch the dirt it turns into a man. I don’t know how Travis can tell which animal is a shifter. This man looks different than the others. He is tall, handsome and has slicked back black hair. His black suit makes him look almost approachable. He walks to Travis and there are no words spoken. He looks to me and says, “You must be the young Queen.” I don’t know if I should answer that or not. I look to Travis and he is holding his gaze on this strange man. I look back to him and he raises his eyebrows waiting for an answer. Finally I respond, “Who are you?” He gives me a half smile and responds, “Oh little Queen, I am your demise.” There is something that is familiar about his voice. I have heard it before but I can remember where. Travis takes a step forward anger pulsing through his veins, “I wouldn’t be too sure about that Ares.” Ares? The Greek God of War. How can that be true? I step forward and ask, “Ares? You are not the Greek God of War.” He lets out an evil chuckles and it clicks in my mind. He is the red eyes that have been haunting me. Fear surges through me and I take a few small steps back. This man has been tormenting me and I don’t want to be anywhere near him. Ares responds, “No I am not a Greek God you stupid little girl. I was gifted the name by King Khan for my exceptional skills.”