Midnight Playground

Chapter 22

"How did this happen!" Cole bellowed, louder than the wintery winds that blew about wildly, out of control. The frost stung at his fingertips that glided carefully over the body that lay in shambles amidst the building blanket of snow. He clawed at the pink snow that encircled the bloody body. Thin streams of crimson flowed to his feet as he raised the body up into his arms, cradling her head with his shoulders. The cries of shock from the onlookers had become a sound similar to that of nails grating against a chalkboard. And the looks of his fellow demons brought him feelings of rage. Or well, what felt like rage anyway. In all honestly, he felt numb.

"Let me tend to her!" A voice called out after him, tracing to stop in the slush. Cole didn't even turn to look him. He continued to make his way into the house, trying to shield her from the chilling sleet. Blood trailed after him, confusing his senses even more.

"Cole!" Jace yelled, desperate to seek his attention. His face tight with the expression of dread, he continued to call after him until his voice would finally be heard. Still, he was ignored, at least until he had brought the body inside, returning to the garden mere moments later. At once, everyone stood to attention, stepping backwards together. Cole said nothing. He stood in the centre of the garden, his gaze wandering up to the high attic window and then down to the fragmented pieces of glass dotted on the ground. He stood upon the glass, smashing it decisively with his foot.

"She must have fallen." A timid voice spoke amongst the gathered clients, her head tilted downwards following the direction of her gaze.

Fallen? His sneer said it all. He bent down, the snow dampening the fabric on his knees. Scooping up the chilled blood that glazed over the snow like a thin layer of ice, he placed it in front of him, inhaling the bitter aroma. He bit out a curse, glowering at the gathered crowd as he began licking the snow in his hands as though it was a fruity beverage.

Bridget felt sick to her stomach. The sight of blood made her guts churn uneasily. The snow whipped roughly against her cheeks, the winds spiralling around them, wrapping them all in a thick blanket of white, burying them all from view from the raiding eyes of the neighbourhood houses. They had been warned not to take a step outside, especially after the attack with the scaled monsters. Not one had dared to try, not even Cassie and yet...

The wind was loud in their ears, booming and overwhelming. The frost grazed their already pinked noses and cheeks, creating a stinging sensation. Like glue, the snowflakes stuck to their eyelashes, almost forcing their eyes closed as they tried desperately to peer through the snowfall, to where a lone man stood, his shadow swept up high with the winds. Bridget tried to pry her eyelids open, Cole's outline blurring into nothingness. She couldn't feel Jace's presence near her anymore and she could hardly see the other clients that stood close to her, all huddled up, lost in the storm.

There was beauty in the madness. It robbed the breath of those that had become trapped, silencing the death curdling cries and the thud against the snow. Moments had gone by, stuck in the beauty of emptiness, before any one even noticed the way that the snow had cleared over the two patches of blood, buried in the cold.

No one gave much notice of the body beneath their feet, and as though they had forgotten it, they trod across Yuki's hair before the snow took full possession of the blood offering. By the time the snow had finally begun to ease, Bridget was sat in the living-room of their new house, sat in a fabric red armchair with her head tilted against the window. The quiet crackle of the fireplace lit a warmer feeling inside of her chest than that of the rising temperature of the room. She figured it was because she was staring at the snow, practically feeling the cold rubbing against her. Even with Jace in the room, her most important person, she couldn't be happy. Neither could she be sad. Yuki's death was not a tragedy, it was simply a matter of time. As were the lives of all clients. Her hand moved across the window as her fingertips lightly wiped away the condensation, revealing the image of Kayne knelt in the snow, Yuki pressed into his arms. The scene seemed to fall into slow motion until a thick wall of curtain moved in front of her face. In a startle, she jerked back to find Jace, uncurling the second curtain, bringing the room back into darkness.