Shadows of the Woods

Chapter 22

"But.. but... "

"But nothing." Raea was suddenly right in front of me, and up close, he looked like a skeleton version of his son, Helios. "Why do I torment you so, little girl?" He smiled darkly at me. "Is it because I was the first person you ever killed? I regret that you were distracted when you took my life. The high when you kill somebody is something you need to be paying attention to closely to feel correctly."

"Only sick people feel elated at murder." I snapped at him, glaring at him with all my might. "You were  terrible man, but I still felt horrible that I killed you."

"You feel guilt?" Raea rose his eyebrows incredulously. I watched as he threw his head back and began to laugh madly. "Of all the things you felt, you feel guilt? How impossibly archaic." He continued chuckling to himself, shaking his head. "So I haunt your thoughts because you felt bad for killing me, how pathetic."

"No, you were in my thoughts because I was afraid of you." I retorted. "You were a nightmare brought to life, and just because you died doesn't mean I was any less afraid of you."

"Honesty is becoming on you." Raea said smoothly. His dark eyes drank me in. "But you're really missing the point this mist is trying to make, Lilah Winters. You're supposed to be going mad with terror and anguish right now."

"Says who?" I glared at him. "This is the freaking magical world. The sight of you isn't so crazy, once I got over the shock. I felt bad I killed you, but I don't regret stopping you from getting the whole world to kill each other. The sight of you makes me feel better, of all things. It just reinforces the fact that your death was justified."

Raea tilted his head as he stared at me."You are a strange, strange girl." He mused dryly.

"Isn't she?" A new voice asked. I whipped around, and my heart jumped painfully in my chest.

A new figure was stalking towards me, his hands clasped casually behind his back. Ted Roscoe was exactly as I remembered; his dark hair was smooth to the point of oily, and his dark eyes were terrifying and bright with insanity. He was clad all in black, a bullet proof vest fitted over his chest. It was what he was wearing that night, when he came for me and stabbed Wei to death.

"She's crazy." Ted mused lightly, undressing me with his terrible eyes. "But she's sexy as hell."

I glanced back to see that Raea had disappeared, leaving me alone with Ted Roscoe. I turned to face him fully, trying to hide how much my hands shook. "You should be dead too." I told him tersely.

"Oh, I am, sweetheart." He grinned at me, beginning to pace leisurely. I turned as he moved, making sure I could see every movement he made. "I'm as dead as they come! In fact, right now, I'm rotting away under the ground somewhere in the woods by that damned house. Apollo Ambrosia tossed me in, and buried me under a ton of dirt. I guess I should be grateful he didn't leave me for the birds." He laughed loudly, and the sound grated at my ears. Ted's face abruptly sobered, and he scowled. "But I still hate that kid. He had the balls to stand up to me, when I ruled almost half of British Columbia."

"Well, he killed you." I told him. "I think we can agree who won out between the two of you."

Ted looked at me sharply, coming to an abrupt stop. "Where is that stupid kid anyways?" He growled. "I want to rip his throat out. Where is he?"

I didn't answer, trying not to think of Apollo lying in the cottage dying, but Ted grinned cruelly. "Oh yes, I forgot. He's dying right now. Gonna go head up the same highway that I did, isn't he? So, Lilah Winters." He winked at me. "I think neither of us drew the short straw. He's ending up the same place I did, except he's dying in a different forest. We're no different once he's cold and rotting."