A Circle of Crows by Kelsey Kingsley

Author:Kelsey Kingsley [Kingsley, Kelsey]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: UNKNOWN
Published: 2021-06-17T16:00:00+00:00

ROSIE

“Rosie,” she called, her voice echoing through the blackened night. “Rosie, I’m so cold.”

“Where are you?!” I called out, running through the woods, and dodging the branches that stretched out toward me. Clawing, scratching, grabbing with their finger-like branches. Pulling against my thin t-shirt and pants.

“I’m so cold, Rosie. Please, please, find me.”

“Gracie, I don’t see you!”

“I’m so cold—wait, no! No, stop! Please, stop, you’re hurting me! You’re—Rosie! Please hurry! Find me! Hurry!”

“Gracie!” I screamed, running now. Frantic. Crying. Tripping over roots and rocks and my own damn, stupid feet. “Gracie! Where are you?!”

The night was still and a chilling silence shrouded the forest. The call of the pitch black crows overhead could barely be heard over the quiet. It was as if I had now been submerged in water, while I continued to run, making my way through the thick of the woods, effortlessly dodging the branches that beckoned me into their foreboding arms. It was as if I knew this forest and its inhabitants, like I knew their every twist and turn and twig. I kept running, looking for her, and calling her name, with the fear that I would never find her again. But then, I came upon an abrupt clearing, and there she was. Grey and draped elegantly over the smooth, flat stone. The back of her head was visible to me, crushed and bloody; her hair, matted down against what was left of her scalp. Shards of bone splintered in jagged pieces, peeking out from between strands of hair and crusty, blackened blood. Then, in a state of paralyzing fear, I watched as her head slowly began to turn until her unblinking eyes stared out at me. She looked across the clearing, as if to figure out who had entered her open, natural tomb, and then, one hand lifted to point directly at me.

“You did this.”

I bolted upright in bed and felt my hair glued to my forehead with sticky sweat. I gasped for air, clutched at my chest, and frantically reminded myself how to breathe.

“It was a nightmare,” I said breathlessly. “It was just a nightmare. You’re okay, you’re okay …”

But was I, really? Lying was never going to convince me that was the truth, and I flopped back against the pillows as tears formed and fell into the pillow. Closing my eyes, I saw her again, my sister and her cold, lifeless stare. The blood congealed against her once beautiful hair and the pale, blue color of her cracked lips. Snapping my eyes back open, I returned to a seated position, knowing damn well I wasn’t sleeping anytime soon. I jumped out of bed to throw on a sweatshirt and hurried out the door, as if the ghost of my sister was inhabiting the room and not the woods several miles away.

I walked down the stairs and to the kitchen, not surprised to find Alec at the counter. The man never seemed to sleep. His button-down shirt was untucked from his pants, his shoes had been kicked off underneath his stool, and I noticed a hole in the heel of one sock.

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