Sequel: Going to Hell ›
Devil's Backbone
Chapter Four
Aria was in a state of shock when the mysterious girl just vanished into thin are, after throwing Sam across the parking garage. Her hands shook as she flipped open her phone, scrolled down her contact list and found John's number.
She placed a trembling hand to her mouth as she heard his voice as she was dumped into his voice mail. “Hey, this is John, if you are trying to reach me, just leave me a message! If this is Aria, I love you baby.”
She turned from Sam who was slowing limping over to where she was and closed her eyes, listening to John's voice. “John, please. It's..it's me...it's been two days since I last heard from you, please...call me.”
“Aria.”
She didn't want to turn around and look at him, to see those men lying dead on the ground near her car. “Go away Sam.” Her breath hitched in her throat as she tried to control her sobs.”
“Aria, I need to get you out of here. There are more of them coming.”
“Them?” She finally turned around, but her gaze was on Sam and not the men lying dead at her feet. She didn't want to see her co-worker, Derek, lying there not moving. “NO Sam, I have to go see if my finance is still alive.”
Sam internally flinched at that word and nodded. “OK. I will come with you.”
“Sam...”
“No Aria,” Sam extended his hand to her, “Whatever did this to this two men, will do the same to you. OK?”
She wanted to tell him no, to tell him to just leave her alone, but she was scared. Having someone like Sam around, she felt was a good idea. Especially if she found John the way she feared he would be. Dead. “O..ok.”
She heard the porch door squeak open, but she didn't turn around to look. No, she was never going to be able to look at that house again without seeing that vision in her head. She wished she could just snap her fingers and that picture would be gone.
When they arrived at John's house, Sam had hung back as Aria ran up the porch steps and into the house. A few minutes later, he was inside the house when he had heard an ear piercing scream. A scream of terror and grief. That was a sound he didn't think he could ever get out of his head.
He had found her standing on the threshold of the stairs her blue scrubs stained with blood. A black tear streak was on both of her cheeks and her body was shaking. Sam pushed past her and followed the blood trail that Aria had left. The trail ended at the bedroom at the end of the hallway and when he walked inside, he let out a sigh.
The four poster bed had been placed in the middle of the room and the dark blue comforter and sheets were torn off the bed, the mattress hanging off th bed frame. A man was lying in the middle of the room, his face staring up at the ceiling. Where his eyes and mouth once were, now where just smoldering holes in his face. A long, ragged gash ran across his throat, his entire blood volume stained the carpet underneath him. This is where all the blood on Aria had come from. Sam could see her knee print in the blood and confirmed that she had desperately tried to see if her finance was alive or dead. He knew in her hysterics she failed to see he had bled out.
He took out his phone from the inside of his brown jacket and texted his brother. “Hey, meet me at Delia's Cafe.”” Sam wrote in the address and then made his way outside to see Aria sitting on the porch step, her knees up to her chest and she was slowly rocking back and forth.
“Aria....”
“You better tell me what the hell is going on here, Sam.” Aria turned her head around and looked up at him. He shivered against the anger on her face.
“I will..I promise,” He held out his hand. “There is someone else I want you to meet. Someone who will help explain all of this.”
He could see that she was struggling within herself and he couldn't blame her. In less than an hour, her world had been flipped upside down and she didn't know who to trust. He was about to take back his hand, when she slid her smaller one into his larger paw and stood up from the porch.
“OK.”
She placed a trembling hand to her mouth as she heard his voice as she was dumped into his voice mail. “Hey, this is John, if you are trying to reach me, just leave me a message! If this is Aria, I love you baby.”
She turned from Sam who was slowing limping over to where she was and closed her eyes, listening to John's voice. “John, please. It's..it's me...it's been two days since I last heard from you, please...call me.”
“Aria.”
She didn't want to turn around and look at him, to see those men lying dead on the ground near her car. “Go away Sam.” Her breath hitched in her throat as she tried to control her sobs.”
“Aria, I need to get you out of here. There are more of them coming.”
“Them?” She finally turned around, but her gaze was on Sam and not the men lying dead at her feet. She didn't want to see her co-worker, Derek, lying there not moving. “NO Sam, I have to go see if my finance is still alive.”
Sam internally flinched at that word and nodded. “OK. I will come with you.”
“Sam...”
“No Aria,” Sam extended his hand to her, “Whatever did this to this two men, will do the same to you. OK?”
She wanted to tell him no, to tell him to just leave her alone, but she was scared. Having someone like Sam around, she felt was a good idea. Especially if she found John the way she feared he would be. Dead. “O..ok.”
She heard the porch door squeak open, but she didn't turn around to look. No, she was never going to be able to look at that house again without seeing that vision in her head. She wished she could just snap her fingers and that picture would be gone.
When they arrived at John's house, Sam had hung back as Aria ran up the porch steps and into the house. A few minutes later, he was inside the house when he had heard an ear piercing scream. A scream of terror and grief. That was a sound he didn't think he could ever get out of his head.
He had found her standing on the threshold of the stairs her blue scrubs stained with blood. A black tear streak was on both of her cheeks and her body was shaking. Sam pushed past her and followed the blood trail that Aria had left. The trail ended at the bedroom at the end of the hallway and when he walked inside, he let out a sigh.
The four poster bed had been placed in the middle of the room and the dark blue comforter and sheets were torn off the bed, the mattress hanging off th bed frame. A man was lying in the middle of the room, his face staring up at the ceiling. Where his eyes and mouth once were, now where just smoldering holes in his face. A long, ragged gash ran across his throat, his entire blood volume stained the carpet underneath him. This is where all the blood on Aria had come from. Sam could see her knee print in the blood and confirmed that she had desperately tried to see if her finance was alive or dead. He knew in her hysterics she failed to see he had bled out.
He took out his phone from the inside of his brown jacket and texted his brother. “Hey, meet me at Delia's Cafe.”” Sam wrote in the address and then made his way outside to see Aria sitting on the porch step, her knees up to her chest and she was slowly rocking back and forth.
“Aria....”
“You better tell me what the hell is going on here, Sam.” Aria turned her head around and looked up at him. He shivered against the anger on her face.
“I will..I promise,” He held out his hand. “There is someone else I want you to meet. Someone who will help explain all of this.”
He could see that she was struggling within herself and he couldn't blame her. In less than an hour, her world had been flipped upside down and she didn't know who to trust. He was about to take back his hand, when she slid her smaller one into his larger paw and stood up from the porch.
“OK.”