Life in Fae Valley

Chapter 5: Part 2

Natalie stared for a moment at her friend before taking a deep breath and nodding, gazing back at her friend group that was now staring at her and JD. "We'll be back. I promise... Shits getting weird and I don't want to risk anyone getting hurt" she said softly and gave Brandy a soft kiss on the cheek before hefting JD onto her shoulders.

"Show me where you found the body."

Natalie was silent as she followed the directions that JD had given her, her expression scrunched up in pure concentration and thought. If Eustass was only dead now, then why was he dead in the records? What the hell is going on?

The smell of blood hit her before anything else... Then the trail of blood itself, bloodied handprints along the trees as if someone had been running in a hurry. Carefully, she put JD down as she followed the trail before stopping as she looked up, her heart dropping to her stomach.

Pinned by a series of screws was a head... One eye bulging with the other hung loosely out of the head, broken jaw limp while the tongue was missing. There were scratch marks as if birds had already managed to get to the corpse, the rest of the bodies pieces strewn about.

The torso lay under the tree, intestines slung haphazardly over a branch. A piece of a finger there, heart over there... This had been no mercy killing.

It had been a blood bath, and whoever did it had fun. Like a cat with its prey it seemed, toying around with their helpless victim.

It was sickening and it made Natalie want to vomit.

Who the hell would take such pleasure in taking a life? In making someone suffer? Carefully, she treaded over to the remains and pulled off the note that had been pinned to the tree, her eyes narrowed as she stared at the message written across it in the dead mans blood.

TRY AGAIN.

Groaning in frustration, Natalie slammed her fist against the tree so hard it shook, a startled murder of crows screeching out their song as the flew from its branches. A song of death, a symbol of imminent danger...  "You wanna play games, huh?! You wanna fuck around and ruin peoples lives, making the weak and helpless fear you?! Life ain't no game buddy! If you fucking gods exist, I'll fucking kick your ass!" Natalie yelled up at the sky, glaring at the heavens above as dark clouds started to roll in...

JD stood for a moment and anxiously gazed at Natalie, running a shaking hand through his hair. He didn't like this... Not one bit... Clearly, Natalie was upset and he couldn't blame her. She'd moved to Fae Valley for peace after dealing with so much death, it wasn't fair on her to have to deal with more... Yet here she was. Fighting battles that were never intended for her.

"Natalie, come on... It looks like it's going to rain soon... We should get back somewhere where it's dry" he said softly and gently let his hand rest on her shoulder, her tense posture slowly relaxing a bit as she sighed and looked back at him, nodding a bit.

"Sorry, yeah... We can, it's just... Frustrating, you know? I keep on getting questions apon questions with no answers and nothing is adding up... Our supposed dead man has now been found dead AGAIN, and thanks to this stupid weather our evidence is going to get washed away or eaten by animals" she sighed and he gave her a small smile before hugging her.

They hugged for a moment, both of their rapidly beating hearts gradually relaxing... They couldn't explain it, but they felt like family to one another and they knew that you never abandon family, no matter what. Their moment however was short lived, a crack of thunder rolling through the sky, a split second later heavens gates opening up to release an unforgiving rain.

"Shit."

"Shit."

Grabbing hold of one another's hand, they laughed a bit as they sprinted through the forest while shielding their eyes against the onslaught of rain, shelter being granted by a small cave... It was hidden behind severe undergrowth but kept them safe from the rain, JD shaking water out if his hair as Natalie took off her shoes and rubbed her aching feet. "I love Missy but I want my old clothes back... I can't run in heels and as pretty as this dress is, it's not at all practical for day to day things" she groaned before looking around, resting her arms over her knees.