Filed to story: The Mindf*ck Series Read Online Free
I pull into the driveway, and I see a set of eyes immediately peer through a crack in the blinds. All these years later, she still feels jumpy. She likely has a gun in her hand right now.
I know the feeling.
She suffered one monster. I suffered a town full of them.
As I get out, the crack in the blinds disappears, and I gently open the door, stirring Laurel awake.
“Are we here?” she asks, her voice still scratchy.
Shit. I should have at least gotten her some water.
This is why I can’t take care of her myself. Well, that and I’m sure it’s not wise for a monster to raise a child.
Lindy will make her loving. I’ll turn her into a knife-throwing killer.
“Yes,” I tell her gently, reaching down and taking her frail, light body into my arms.
She wraps her arms around me without hesitation, adorning me with trust she shouldn’t give so freely after what she’s suffered.
She’ll survive.
She’ll overcome this.
I know that now more than ever, because only the strong could handle touch after what she’s suffered.
Lindy opens the door, peering out as I carry the child toward her.
“Who are you? What do you want?”
“It’s me, Lindy. And I’m here to see if you’re still as good as I remember.”
Just the sound of my voice has her stumbling through the door, her eyes widening in shock. She clutches the doorframe, trying to keep from sinking to the ground as her body shakes.
“You’re-“
“I know. I know. I’m dead,” I say, tired of hearing that line.
“You really are an angel,” Laurel says weakly, her head against my chest.
Lindy’s eyes swing to the child as she flips a light on, and the color drains from her face as she sees the torn clothing, the dirty skin, and the matted hair.
“This little girl has suffered too much. I told her she’d be safe here,” I say to Lindy, watching as her eyes slowly come back up to mine. “Don’t make me a liar.”
She gestures us in, and I let her take Lindy from my arms. Lindy flinches ever so slightly, but she recovers just as fast.? Lindy rushes her to the couch, putting her there and covering her with a blanket.
I watch as the maternal instincts I lacked kick in for my old friend. She runs to the fridge, grabbing a bottle of water, and she rushes back. Laurel practically rips the bottle from her hand, so thirsty that she drinks it too fast.
“Slow down. It’ll make you sick to drink too much,” Lindy says with a soothing voice, running her hand down Laurel’s cheek.
Laurel leans into the affectionate touch, already growing trusting of Lindy. This girl is making me want to cry. I’m too emotional. This is too risky. But she deserves a chance at being safe, loved, and happy.
“I bet you’re hungry.”
Laurel nods emphatically, and even though it’s closing in on three in the morning, Lindy rushes to the kitchen, grabbing the bread and peanut butter.
“You like PB&J?” Lindy asks.
Laurel nods, still drinking the water.
I watch patiently, a little in awe, as Lindy makes a sandwich and grabs another bottle of water.
As she hands to small girl her food, Lindy looks up to me.
“What happened to her?”
Before I can answer, Laurel answers for me. “The angel saved me from the monster. He won’t ever hurt me again. The angel will keep me safe.”
I nod toward Lindy as she covers her own mouth. Tears spring to her eyes. That’s all she needs to know.
Laurel digs into the sandwich, and I gesture for Lindy to join me in the kitchen.
As soon as we’re in there, I check to make sure Laurel hasn’t followed us.
With barely a whisper, I tell Lindy, “When this breaks the news, you come forward. Tell them a little girl showed up at your door, but you don’t know who brought her to you. The man’s name was Kenneth Ferguson. I’m sorry to ask this, but it’s the only way they may find the bodies he has buried without me giving them the information myself.”
I hand her a piece of paper, and she swallows thickly, as though she’s going to be sick.
“Is he still alive?”
I shake my head slowly.
“Good,” she says quietly, looking over at the little girl. She stares at her, and I remain silent, studying her, trying to figure out what’s in her head.
“You’re really here. Alive. Looking so different.”
“It’s really me.”
She nods, her eyes still lost and not on me.
“You’re going after them, aren’t you?” she asks in a hushed tone, her eyes coming back to meet mine.
I nod once.
“I’ve heard whispers and rumors that some of them had died, but I haven’t found it on the news. I was hoping it was true. I was wishing it was me who had the strength to do it.”
My lips twitch. “You’re strength comes from somewhere different. Somewhere more pure. Mine? Mine is hollowed out and filled with darkness, Lindy. I’m taking a huge risk by coming here.”
“But you needed that little girl to be safe,” she says, filling in the blanks. “And you trusted me.”
“You lost a lot trying to get me and my brother justice.”
Her face changes, a coldness washing over her. “That’s not your fault. I tried to tell everyone, but no one wanted to listen. Kyle tried to shut me up. He…He…”
Her voice breaks, and my lips tighten. “I know. He’ll have his day, Lindy. He’ll suffer the worst.”
She nods, her strength renewing as she angrily bats her tears away.
“Antonio left me when he believed Kyle. Kyle said I had sex with him. I told my husband I was…raped. He believed my rapist over me. Just left me.”
I nod, already knowing this. Antonio is on my list, but not for death. He’s marked for penance. Should be fun.
Jake has already started the process of ruining him, starting with bankruptcy. With any luck, the bastard will kill himself within the year when he’s homeless, penniless, and pointless.
“No one cared. No one wanted to listen. No one wanted to be bothered with something so horribly, inconceivably evil. They wanted to pretend it just didn’t exist.”
A dark smile takes over my lips. “They’ll never keep their silence again. They’ll quake in fear every time the lights go off. They’ll be the ones scared for a change. The town will burn, Lindy. It’ll burn to the ground. Trust me. I have a plan. And no one innocent will get caught in the crosshairs.”
She blows out a shaky breath. “I can’t believe you’re alive.”
She bats away fresh tears, looking over at the little girl, who is eating gratefully, oblivious to our conversation. “I’ll do whatever you need me to.”
“Make Laurel understand she can’t tell the cops I’m a woman. Make her understand she can’t tell them anything, or else I can’t stop other monsters.”
“I won’t tell them a thing,” Laurel says from the living room, proving she’s not as oblivious as I thought. She swivels her head, steely determination in her eyes. “I want you to catch all the monsters.”
Maybe she’s more like me than I thought.
As she turns back around, returning her attention to the sandwich, Lindy whispers to me, “I want you to catch all the monsters too. Your secret is safe with me, Victoria.”