Changing the Rating for this story.

Twin Lakes, New Mexico (2018)

Haseya shivered when the wind picked up, causing goosebumps to pimple along her skin. It was going to be a cold night, making Haseya wish she had carried her fleece jacket to work. She hadn't expected to work overtime, not that she'd complain. She needed the extra money, and they were short staffed, so when her boss asked her if she'd be willing to work extra hours, Haseya gladly volunteered.

Walking home, Haseya regretted her decision. The thick clouds scudding across the sky seemed to swallow all remaining light, and the howling wind echoed across the plains, reminding Haseya of legends told in hushed tones by her people. Legends where fearsome spirits wandered the land.

She shook aside the fanciful thought and quickened her pace. It was nonsense; they were only legends, and legends only held power if you gave them influence. At least that's what her mother would say. Her father, on the other hand, was more traditional (as were most in the tribe), so he respected the warnings of the elders and listened to those old stories.

But Haseya only believed in what she could see and touch, and looked forward to the day, three months from now, when she could turn her back on her traditional upbringing and move on to bigger and better things at Stanford.

Haseya's steps faltered when she heard a branch snap from behind her. She whirled around, her long black braid stinging her face as it whipped against her skin. The night seemed to grow even colder, the wind stretching its icy fingers into her inadequate clothing. The stars and moon had been completely obliterated by the clouds overhead, and she strained her eyes to see any movement in the growing darkness.

Maybe the old legends were only that, but it didn't mean there weren't real-life human monsters willing to commit acts more horrible than any twisted spirit. Haseya hunched her shoulders into her shirt and sped up still further. She was aware that since the Pulse, America had become a more dangerous place to live. Yet despite this disaster, her people had thrived because of their traditions, their connection to nature, and their close-knit community. It had kept them strong, and unified, and alive, when others had stumbled.

She breathed a huge sigh of relief when the lights of her house came into view, and her rapid heartbeat began to slow despite her quick pace. At that moment, there was a scuffle of gravel coming from behind her, someone was behind her. Recognizing that she was being followed, she hurried forward, her eyes desperately fixed on the bright and cheerful porch light that was beckoning her onwards. No more than two hundred yards separated her from safety.

Another crunch of gravel, this time much closer. A hoarse gasp blew putrid cold air across her neck and she felt bony fingers trace along her back to tug gently on her braid.

Instinctively, she twitched her head forward and out of the grip of whatever it was behind her. Abandoning any pretense that not believing in the bogeyman meant that it wasn't there, she started to run, swallowing back a scream in favor of saving her breath for the mad dash to her front door. One hundred yards. Fifty.

Passing her street sign, the steps seemed to gain ground as a shrill and maniacal laugh sliced through the night. Her foot caught at the edge of her mother's carefully tended garden and she stumbled. Hauling herself to her feet she found her way blocked. This time, she did scream, though it came out strangled as long, icy fingers wrapped around her neck. The light from the porch dimmed in her eyes, until she saw her attacker "b-!"

Katie Hatathli grimaced when Adriel pulled back the sheet and revealed what remained of the body found earlier this morning. It lay face down, its head smashed in by a blunt object. The hands and feet had been removed, possibly torn from the body.

"Katie, I'll have to do a closer inspection to be certain, but her hands and feet were ripped off by what, I don't know. Something damn strong to pull that off." Adriel paused, gesturing with a pen to one of the ragged stumps. "As you can see, it happened at a different site and didn't kill her." The lack of blood confirmed Adriel's words, but how was that possible? Pulling off a person's limbs should kill the individual within seconds. "The dirt and other debris around the wounds suggest she was still alive and struggling until her skull was bashed in."

Katie swallowed her rising bile and moved closer to look at the body. She prayed that it wasn't James's little sister Haseya, who'd been missing since last Saturday. When Adriel looked over, she could see her friend had paled, but his gaze showed little otherwise.

Adriel leaned closer and rubbed one latex glove along the girl's naked back. He pulled the finger back to examine the tip "Look at that red soil," he paused, eyebrow rising in surprise before he schooled his features. "I could be wrong, but I'd bet my shitty pension this soil is specific to the Sonoran Desert." Katie's eyebrow lifted in question as she looked at the dirt smudged into the skin, well aware red soil was quite common. However, she also knew if there was a distinction to be made Adriel would the difference "I won't know for certain until I can look at the samples in my lab." The professional mask slipped, just a little, showing the sorrow that was hovering near the surface. He sighed, nodding towards a dark smudge on the victim's leg. "If Edith is correct on that birthmark, then this is Haseya."

Katie's head snapped up, and she found Adriel waiting on her before he leaned down and gently moved the leg, exposing the birthmark Edith Descheene described when she conveyed her daughter's description to tribal police. "Damn." She muttered as Adriel gently lowered Haseya's calf back onto the ground.

Adriel straightened, his features grim as he removed his latex gloves. "I'll have a definitive answer for you once I get her back to the lab."

Katie stood up. "You know what this could mean, Adriel?"

Her stalwart friend nodded. "A possible serial killer. How long has it been since the Cly boy went missing?"

Katie sighed, feeling old. "Roughly 49 hours." If it was the same person who kidnapped and murdered Haseya, they had less than five days before another mutilated body turned up.

"Adriel, find out what you can and keep me posted."

Her friend nodded. "Sure thing."

Dark eyes watched from a distance as Katie made her way back to her car. The other Navajo police carried on, unaware of the surveillance. He chuckled, laugh shrill and tinged with madness. Soon enough they would be little better than meat-suites. He laughed again, louder, before sliding off into the darkness.

Katie shivered as the temperature seemed to drop. She looked around. Had she heard laughter? The scene swarmed with her team, none of whom seemed to be bothered by the abrupt chill. She looked around, seeing nothing else out of the ordinary, and hurried for her car. She cranked the ignition, sighing in relief as the heater kicked in. As she pulled away, she couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched.

Thanks to my beta Eff-dot.

This chapter is a prelude to the twin's actual first case into the supernatural. Though they don't jump into this case immediately because they need to learn a few things, and I need to establish a bit more world-building, we will be getting back to this. I'm halfway through the next chapter, so the next update should take less time.