Enemy Among Us

Chapter 8

Anaiya

I woke up to a dimly lit room, with bare walls. There was a sharp pain on the left side of my head as my blood dripped into my left eye so all I could see was red.  I looked around until my vision focused itself, I couldn’t recognize where I was. I tried to move but then a sharp pain shot through my leg causing me to wince and I quickly noticed my arms were tied behind me back when I went to hold my wounded leg. I looked down to see that there was a metal rod sticking through my leg keeping it pinned to the floor. I heard a rustle and quickly noticed a dark figure looming in the darkness in the far corner of the room. I opened my mouth to speak when the taste of iron scraped my tongue, burning it in the process. I winced and narrowed my eyes at the figure, as the movement made my head hurt more. My mouth was bleeding, whatever hit me factured the side of my jaw causing it to bleed. “Oh don't give me that look.” The all too familiar voice spoke in response. “Your mother is tired of you disobeying her orders.” I growled as Cameron stepped out of the shadows with my mother by his side, holding a pure iron dagger. I was just visiting my husband's grave when he jumped me and to think he'd be compelled into being possessed by one of my mother's demons.

I felt the dagger grave across the underside of my chin, wincing as it slightly made contact with my skin. I couldn't change because of the bindings on my arms being iron. “Cameron this isn’t you. Why are you letting my mother control you? I told you to stay away! You have to fight this!” I screamed at him but he didn’t flinch, not even when I mentioned his daughter and son. I couldn't save him anymore. He was no longer my friend anymore.  He's already passed the last stage of possession. I sighed as my head dropped in shame and disappointment, Cameron was my best friend. ‘Why? How?’ I felt the tears fight their way to the surface but I clenched my jaw, which hurt so much more than I thought, keeping them from falling. “You look so pathetic like this. I didn’t raise such a weak daughter. I raised you to be ruthless.” I practically felt the smirk on her face. My mother was enjoying this. I glared up at her and spat in her face the blood staining her cheek since my jaw was still bleeding immensely. I laughed sarcastically. “Oh you did and that’s why you’ll never win.” She frowned and walked over to a makeshift wooden throne and took her seat proudly. “We’ll see about that.” I glared up at Cameron as he stood over me with the iron blade, his shadow looming over me.

Eli

I searched the house for any evidence of a break in but no windows were broken. All security doors and entrances were intact, it was if they were already inside. “I got something!” I ran to where Laney was crouched in the living room, hovering over her sample kit and laptop. “I took a sample of the blood that was on the glass table, walls and stairs. They all belong to one person, Anaiya.” I was surprised. ‘Why would her blood be everywhere if she was trying to hide something? Then again she is the smartest out of all of us.’ I did a scan of the entire area, including the outside. There were signs of struggle but it all stopped at the basement. I looked at the door and noticed bloody handprints on the sides of the door along with black, dirty handprints. Laney and I searched the basement and found no trace of anyone but it was odd, it felt off. It seemed as if what we were seeing was just a cover like there was something hiding. That’s when I noticed, a small puddle of a rusty brown color on the concrete. I walked over to the spot and quickly realized that there was a curtain here.  I ripped it down and stumbled back. Laney and I stared at the gaping hole in the wall. We called my boss and had police along with more of our colleagues come and do a sweep of the entire house. They found hair that belonged to Anaiya and hair from an unknown component who wasn't in the system. I began to panic, knowing her she wouldn't do such a thing, especially since her husband's death. She became more sensitive to things like this and was very determined to solve any case. After his death she suffered from PTSD and it only gotten worse over the years. I walked outside and took a deep breath so I didn't lose my cool. Why was this happening all over again?

I heard the blare of a car horn, I looked up to see a red Honda pull up onto the grass. Out climbed a lady in a rainbow jumper and platform heels. The woman came rushing over to me with a distressed expression. “Are you Eli?” I nodded slowly, suddenly the woman hugged me tightly. “I'm Anaiya's trusted friend and counselor Emily, I came here as soon as I heard. Do they know where she is?” Upon closer inspection I realized that her hair was disheveled and her clothes were kind of tattered as if she had rushed here from her own house. I shook my head, looking down at the ground in sadness and anger at myself. She let out a groan like whine as if annoyed or stressed then rushed over to our boss. I took a seat on the curb looking down at my feet then at the glasses that were laying by them broken and shattered. They were Anaiya’s. I teared up and sat there crying to myself.