Matt Archer by Kendra C. Highley

Author:Kendra C. Highley
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: short stories, collection, teen horror, ya horror, ya short stories, matt archer
Publisher: Kendra C. Highley

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It took the full two days Carrie had given me—if that was even her real name—to find a forger, obtain two passports in new names, and rent a studio apartment downtown. The witches were looking for me in hotels. Something more permanent might trip them up for a little while. After I signed the lease, I dropped a message for my handler in an internet café, then went to the bank.

As soon as I arrived, I knew the message was successful. Two hundred thousand had been deposited in an account in my new name of Brock Aster. I bought a wardrobe that screamed “American Asshole Businessman” and a flashy watch. I also ordered, from Amazon, clothes suitable for long stints in the Outback: sturdy boots, khakis, long-sleeved shirts made of breathable materials…and yes, an Outback hat. If I needed to go to the interior, Brock’s wardrobe wouldn’t do.

Carrie said she’d find me, but I wasn’t ready to give up the apartment’s location to her super-secret ESP. Instead, I made it easy—I went back to the bar.

She was already there, and raised her eyebrow when I walked in. “You’re thirty seconds later than I guessed.”

I joined her at the little table, one hidden from the street and surrounded by patrons mingling about. “Really? Or are you pulling my leg.”

She shrugged, mysterious, and pushed a note card across the table, along with a match and an ash tray. “Read. Then burn it.”

Rolling my eyes at the attempt at spy games, I unfolded the card. Inside was a set of GPS coordinates. Written underneath them: For when it’s time. Come armed.

I committed the coordinates to memory, then struck the match and lit the corner of the paper and dropped it into the ash tray. “When?”

“You’ll know. But it’ll be a while.” She watched the paper burn, and the flames reflected an orange glow on her skin. “Do you believe in fate, Mr. Archer?”

“It’s Mr. Aster.”

Now she rolled her eyes. “Answer the question, Mr. Aster.”

“No.” I met her gaze and held it. “I believe things happen because we make it happen.”

“Hmm.” Her smile was small and coy. “I think you’ll change your mind before the end.”

“The end of what?”

She spread her hands. “This.”

I sat back in my chair. “What do you want from me, Carrie?”

She looked away and her shoulders sagged. “Redemption.”

“From what?”

“Do you know why Nocturna Maura wants children?” Her eyes blazed with sudden rage.

“No. I assumed…unsavory reasons.”

“It’s not for sex rituals, if that’s what you think. It’s worse than that.” Carrie downed her scotch in one gulp, then waved at the bartender for another. “They’re why I’m here, helping you. I had a dream about you. About…a lot of things. I knew you were the one who’d bring help. To stop Mother Smythe.”

I give her a sharp look. “Do you know her?”

“Not well. She left right after I came into the coven.” Carrie tossed back her second scotch. “She’s magnetic. A true believer and someone who draws people in. I always knew I was different.

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