The Dream Thief, Kari Kilgore [reading well TXT] 📗

its voice gaining clarity as Gemma made further adjustments. "Some want names."

"Oh, I'd be delighted to give you names," Gemma said, clapping her hands. "Can you bring the others so I can name them, too?"

"Don't tell it to bring others," Loretta said. Her flesh was cold and clammy with a growing dread she couldn't explain. George looked as bad as she felt. "Maybe you've said enough already."

"Not give names. Tell names. Tell names of their people?"

The question was clear, and George's face went pale. Gemma didn't notice.

"My name is Gemma. I live right here. You see me every day. Is that what you mean?"

"Gemma. Glad to see you. Tell people's names? For others?"

George grimaced. "Tell it we don't know. We hardly ever know, unless... We don't know."

Gemma looked at George with her eyebrows together, but she answered.

"I don't know what you mean by your person, but I live here. Do you have a person?"

"Gemma, do you have to speak out loud," Loretta said. "Or can it hear your thoughts? Can it hear all our thoughts?"

Gemma covered the speaking bell with her hand.

"It may very well hear our thoughts. I don't want to be rude to my guest." She moved her hand aside. "I see others outside sometimes. Do you know them?"

"Maybe Loretta's right," George said, increasing her unease. "Let's take a break."

"Know them," the scratchy voice said. "Some can't speak. Many can. Others with you?"

"Yes, two others," Gemma said. "They've been here before."

The voice drew the next word out into a hiss, making the hair on Loretta's arms stand on end.

"Ssssssseee them?"

Gemma turned to them, her eyes large and radiant.

"He wants to see you! George, can you help me carry this outside?"

"That might not be a good idea," he said, meeting Loretta's gaze and shaking his head. "That lets the smell in."

Loretta put her hand against the front door. Her heart was beating faster with every passing minute.

"George has a point," she said. "I'm not sure we should go out there. It might be looking for a meal."

Gemma stood, arms crossed, eyes furious.

"Loretta! I'm sure it wants no such thing. George, please help me take this outside. I don't want to drop anything."

"We have no way to know that," Loretta said. "Not after a few words. I'm just trying to keep you safe, Gemma."

George stepped forward to pick up the equipment when Gemma tried to.

"That one can't get through the fence," he said. "Stay close to the house anyway. I'll get these things if you'll get the door, Loretta."

"Ssssseeeeeeeee you."

"We'll be right there," Gemma said, motioning toward the door. "So sorry to keep you waiting."

Loretta wished Bess or Karl were out here to either help put a stop to this or keep it from getting too far out of hand.

The white monster was at the highest part of the cage, crouched beside the bell-ended device. It turned to watch them. George braced the heavy black box against the windowsill, held the talking bell up, and nodded.

"I'm Gemma. This is George and my granddaughter, Loretta. Isn't there anything we can call you?"

The monster tilted its head back and forth at her words.

"Death."

Loretta's stomach knotted, and she had to force herself not to run back inside.

"Your name is Death?" Gemma said.

"Not me. Not name. Sssseeeee death."

George looked around the yard, his face twisted with worry, then shrugged. Nothing was there but Gemma's thriving garden.

"Where do you see death?" Gemma said. "I don't understand."

The creature rustled its wings and shifted around to face them more directly.

"Death. Today. Death. Now. Sssseeeee death."

George seemed to shrink in on himself, nearly dropping Gemma's equipment.

"George?" Loretta walked to his side. "What is it?"

He shook his head, but she saw tears in his eyes.

"Where is other?" the monster said.

Now George tried to reach toward Gemma with his free hand, but she spoke quickly.

"Other?" she said. "You mean Karl?"

"Other death came to. Not here with you. Not now."

Loretta grabbed George's arm. Her heart contracted with worry over Karl, far more than she would have ever imagined or admitted.

"George, what the hell is that thing talking about?"

"I don't know where Karl is," Gemma said, sounding afraid for the first time. "What do you mean, death came to him?"

"Death here now. Sssseeeee death."

All three of them looked up at the monster. Loretta was frozen to the spot, afraid to even breathe. She would have sworn those blue eyes were locked onto hers.

"Here..." Gemma said. "I don't understand!"

Gemma was crying, but Loretta made no move to comfort her. Something she couldn't comprehend was going wrong all around her. Her heart pounded so hard her head pulsed with it, but she still couldn't move.

"Gemma, go inside," George said, tears streaming down his face. "We can't get into this, not out here. Karl is with his family. He's fine."

He pulled away from Loretta and tried to follow Gemma into the house. She stepped in front of him, ducking down to look into his eyes.

“Tell me what’s going on!”

He squeezed his eyes closed and turned away from her.

“Go back to Waldron’s Gate, Loretta. Just go. I’ll keep an eye on Gemma. He’ll find you when he’s ready.”

Loretta didn’t resist when he moved around her. The monster rustled its wings again, and Loretta turned on numb feet and legs. George had taken the equipment inside, but she could still hear the crackling speaker over Gemma’s crying. The creature leaned down until its face was nearly against the bars of the fence.

Now she knew it was staring at her.

"Death."

Chapter 51

When Karl walked into the family room on the second floor, Andy smiled and rolled his eyes at the same time. Seven kids ranging from their youngest niece in diapers to their younger sister Janie, twelve and looking put upon to be required to have an older brother watching her, took up almost the whole toy-and-book-cluttered space. Two of his aunts and one uncle sat in the adult area, deep in conversation.

Andy got up and hugged Karl.

"I'm so glad you're here, big Brother. Rotten situation, but