Chapter Nine

"Hey, man. I'm trying to show you the way out of this whirlwind of confusion you found yourself in." Jonathan couldn't look at Thomas. He was desperate for all of this to be over, desperate to know which was is up and swim to the surface. But the more his dead friend babbled, the deeper he sank.

"Go away." Jonathan pleaded.

"I can't." Jonathan eyed Thomas. "You know I didn't know I had died until Brenda came home that night. Yeah. I felt a weird pain in my chest and all of a sudden... it was gone and I was going about my day like it was any other. Then I heard Brenda screaming bloody murder. And there I was."

"Brenda thinks you were killed." Jonathan spoke low, so low he could barely hear himself.

"Makes sense."

"Why is that? Who was after you?" Thomas said nothing, only looked at Jonathan thoughtfully.

"What did you see when you went into my home, Jon?"

"It wasn't just a vision... this... this may just be a vision but what happened when I was at her house was something more. I was scared. So afraid that it was maddening. I couldn't move because I was tied up... and then I heard your voice. It brought a little comfort." Thomas kept the silence for a while. Jonathan waited for a response, praying that this out of everything he's seen was real.

But the closer he looks at his friend, the more he saw that nothing moved on him. He wasn't breathing, his eyes were searching Jonathan's face. He was frozen in time.

"Thomas." Jonathan came to his friend, reaching through the bars and touching his shoulder.....

....

...

..

.

Jonathan was knocked back rolling down a hill until he collided with a tree. Scraped up and bruised, Jonathan pulled himself off the ground. Sitting before him on a stone thrown was an impossibly tall woman draped in black, her face shield by a veil. But Jonathan could see her features all the same.

"Mrs. Gray... that's who you are right?" The corners of the woman's mouth flicked up.

"Madam Gray." She corrected. "I wanted to properly welcome you to my town." Jonathan watched as she drummed her sharp talons on the arms of her throne. "Though I couldn't do so with everyone's eye always on you." Madam Gray stood to her full height, she was as tall as a small building, fully eclipsing the brilliant sun that beamed down on them. The giant of a woman circled Jonathan sizing him up and down.

Being in this... woman's presence released a new kind of dread in Jonathan. Shadows, figures, strange voices were merely omens compared to the immense terror he faced when he looked up at Madam Gray. She stared down on him with hungry eyes, and regarded him like he was an insignificant crumb on a table.

"I see you want to ask me a question." Said Madam Gray.

"I had questions. Like who killed Thomas, but it's obvious it was you. I also wanted to know who killed my ex, but that's the same answer. I suppose I should ask you why did you kill them but I don't really care about that." Madam Gray's thin brows raised.

"Is that so?"

"Yeah... you see. I don't need to know why you killed them to know what I gotta do now."

"And what is that?" She moved closer, bringing her faces as close to him as possible. Jonathan's whole body trembled, though he willed himself to never break eye contact.

"I thought when I found out who killed Thomas I will bring his killer to justice. But now, all I want is to watch the light drain from your eyes." This made the giant woman laugh uproariously. She backed away in mock alarm.

"Brave man, speaking to me in such a way. Though your words are wasted. I had nothing to do with the deaths of these people." She sat back down on her throne crossing her legs. Wagging a long finger at him she said; "It's never wise to jump to conclusions. And here I am thinking you were a renowned detective. Or was that just an act?" Jonathan's silence made her laugh again.

"I-I don't understand."

"Well let me fix that. I did not bring you here to frighten you, nor threaten you. The moment you can into this town your mind was under attack. The forces that took your friend and wife, are working to take your daughter next." This was like a bullet.

"Wha- Why? She's just a little girl."

"Yes, a little girl with a marvelous gift like her father. She has a price on her head, Jonny boy, and it's high." Jonathan didn't want to believe her, but what other choice did he have other than to listen?

"The moment you started looking into his death everything was set in motion. Look at yourself." A mirror appeared in front of him. Jonathan didn't want to look in the mirror anymore. He kept his head down, bawling up his fists. "I've known about you for quite some time, Jonathan. And this isn't the man who piqued my interest. You've fallen for one trap after the other and allowed your mind to be weakened." She was right. It pained him how right she was.

"What am I supposed to do? Am I not supposed to figure out who put my friend and ex in the dirt? I'm a detective, I didn't have to rely on things fucking with my mind when I was on a case. It's not how things worked!"

"Well it is in Little Cove. And I suggest you adapt to that new reality quick before you end up like your friend and ex. It'd be a shame if you left that little girl all alone." Madam Gray looked Jonathan over thoughtfully. "When you were a detective, you used to ignore this gift you have. Now, it's the only thing you seem to rely on. Asking so many questions instead of seeking the answers out for yourself." Within moments, Madam Gray appeared merely a few inches taller than Jonathan. Her dark eyes and skin having the appearance of stone. "I will only give you one answer. The rest is up to you." She looked him deep in his eyes, her eyes were bluish black with white flecks like stars in them. They were quite beautiful. But the words that exited her mouth weren't. "Brenda is not your ally."