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For the Murder There was good reason citizens were told not to venture into the far most eastern part of Clearbrook. It was believed there was something in the air there, that warned any who valued the natural state of their being to keep away. To leave the vast fields that were devoid of both life and color for the miraculous few who preferred to live amidst the stench of blood and mystery. Though, the town kids constantly got a rise out of speculating that these inhabitants were more monsters than miracles. Even the most generic traveler stood out like a vibrant splotch of color against the canvas of rustic browns and grey. Anywhere else, this traveler would not have been a noticeable presence, with his subdued nature and inexpensive attire indicating nothing short of plain. Here, however, his social influence (or lack thereof) paled in comparison to the environment overrun with the remains of decaying plants, discarded personal belongings of visitors before him, and the company of several wild crows, each perched high on the shoddy roof of a seemingly abandoned warehouse. He ventured toward the building cautiously, since the foreboding birds were the only indication of life in the area for miles. The beady eyes of the crows above glared as he crossed the threshold into their home, finding the interior was riddled with just as many deserted artifacts and faded plant life as the surrounding land outside. The visiting gentleman nearly stepped on one of the birds as he took in the sight of the spacious, single room. It startled him with its piercing shriek of fury before it fluttered off toward the far recesses of the warehouse. The gentleman followed the angry creature into the heart of the building, finding it settled atop the scarred remains of someone’s working desk. The neglected wood was now adorned with discarded trinkets, particularly what must have once been expensive pocket watches and coin purses, as well as a flurry of charcoal feathers. The bird that the
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gentleman had first encountered scurried to stand on the edge of the desk farthest from him, giving another high-pitched shriek in the direction of the tattered maroon curtain that shielded the rear of the warehouse from view. The gentleman waited patiently on his side of the desk as the bird continued to call out to the unnatural wall until it parted to reveal the host of the unsettling domain. At first sight, she was wild in response to her pet’s call, but upon finding the visitor that had disturbed it so, she straightened with a collected poise that could easily rival a wild cat spotting potential prey. Her apparel comprised entirely of rags and untamed mane of ebony hair only furthered the sense that she was something more feral than an ordinary woman. The gentleman dipped his head as a greeting. “You’re Miss Reyna, I presume?” The unmanaged keeper of the bizarre domain stalked closer to the desk, never once tearing her gaze from her unexpected guest even as she reached out for her pet. The bird hopped closer to her, meeting her awaiting fingers with its head. “We have so few guests come by, my pets,” she cooed in a manner meant for her animal companion. Although her hard, dark eyes remained fixed on her guest the whole while. “Did they offend with their welcome?” “Not at all,” the gentleman insisted, trying to appear polite despite the circumstances. “I don’t mean to be a bother for long. I just wanted to see if I could ask a simple favor of you.” His strange host drifted closer, shoving the dejected artifacts on her abused desk aside so she could half-sit on her side. “What an exciting prospect, my dear visitor!” she exclaimed with a sort of feral amusement. The gentleman’s paranoia insisted he heard an animalistic purr come from her. He shifted his weight uncomfortably at that. “Do you carry an interesting trade?” “Sort of,” her guest replied, avoiding her stare by reaching for the small, weathered photo in his coat pocket. He gazed at it as he explained further, still feeling Reyna’s eyes as if her
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stare were a physical burden. “I’ve heard you are adept at...well, making things disappear. And I have something that needs to do just that.” The tawny skin of Reyna’s hand eagerly snatched the photograph from his hands, tearing it in two. He didn’t outwardly react to her bluntness, knowing she’d taken enough of the image to see her next possible victim. As she did, he filled the silence with, “I regrettably don’t have much money on me to pay you for the trouble, but I can - ” “Oh, no sir.” Hunger sprouted over Reyna’s face, looking to the pet at her side with a dark grin. “The addition to our collection will be a satisfying repayment all its own.” The bird shrieked again, as if it was becoming as unnerved by the woman as their guest was. Reyna laughed at the creature’s expense, watching as it flew upward in retreat alongside its startled brethren within the rafters overhead, encompassing the building in an ominous mixture of thrashing wings and nonsensical mirth.
The part of town that neighbored the feared warehouse possessed a quietness rarely found within the clamorous heart of the community. It was a suburban neighborhood dedicated strictly to small families, each house modest in height and following a common color palette comprised of simplistic pastels. Reyna had hardly a stomach for the sickeningly sweet shades, but she masked her personal distaste for the time being. She had to play the role of a fellow, mundane citizen in order to reach her prey. She had even gone out of her way the night before to tame her thick hair, and locate the only nice sweater and matching black trousers she had, so as to seem unremarkable to the few others braving the chilled morning air. The particular house she was told to find was an easy discovery, its designated numbers presented in a faded green paint block on the curb directly in front of it. Reyna’s mask of
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collected composure fractured for a brief moment as she bounded up to the front door in excitement, smacking the sturdy wood with the palm of her hand instead of the traditional, restrained knock with one’s knuckles. Either way, her eager prompting was soon met with an answer. And what greeted Reyna was an image of her victim that was nearly identical to the one she had been given the previous evening. The woman at the door had a pretty face, shaped by a soft, youthful roundness and framed by long honey locks. Said hair had a meticulous curl to it, as if she had just been fixing it herself. Her simple floral dress could be deemed nice as well, if it weren’t currently burdened by the enormous grey mass of fur clinging to her shoulder like a stubborn toddler. Upon being struck with the chilly outdoor air, the animal meowed loudly in displeasure, regarding everything about the outside world with its yellow eyes narrowed with a distinct sense of hatred. Especially the stranger on its doorstep. Its owner, on the other hand, took in the sight of Reyna with less intensity, but still somewhat wary of the unfamiliar. “Is there something I can help you with?” “Audrey Parker?” Reyna tilted her head, pushing her most disarming smile forward. “I was sent by your husband. He said you would be expecting me.” The Parker woman’s wariness instantly melted, her fair cheeks coloring a bit for being so distrustful to begin with. “Oh, yes, that’s right. You’re the office secretary?” Reyna nodded, despite having never owned such a title before. “Right. Oh, here! Come in, you must be cold,” the other woman insisted, backing away from her open door so as to give her guest more space to slip herself through. Reyna did so immediately, making a show of how appreciative she was to be invited inside. The house’s internal features perfectly aligned with its exterior, being small in size and plain to look at. Its
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most distinguishable feature was the clutter of various books and journals on the coffee table in the center of the den, which Parker seemed slightly embarrassed of. “I’m afraid we weren’t expecting you until later,” she said, doing her best to move the mess to the bookshelf standing against the nearest wall. It proved to be quite the struggle with the bulky cat still curled against one of her arms. “You’ll have to forgive the state of the house.” With the ‘mess’ on the coffee table cleared away, Parker nodded toward the plushy sofa sitting near it. “Please, make yourself at home. Like I said, we weren’t expecting you until later, so James is out right now.” Reyna obliged, slowly sinking into the seat Parker had indicated. Now that they were safe behind private walls, she unabashedly studied her prey, mentally calculating the various parameters behind how she could make her kill. She soon settled on restraining herself for now, so the element of surprise could be of aid to her during the inevitable final struggle. Parker’s wife did not notice the sinister glint in her guest’s eye, for her back was turned to attempt setting her cat down on the loveseat on the opposite side of the table. The animal growled in protest, its claws peeking out to hold onto its owner every time she so much as touched his sides. “Halston, please,” she muttered in exasperation before giving him a final, firmer push. The cat begrudgingly scooted off her chest to stand on the smaller couch. His owner left him to his resulting ire, adjusting her dress and sweeping off the leftover strands of fur now that he wasn’t clinging to it. As she did so, her pet hopped up onto the armrest of its couch, as if trying to get better leverage to glare at the houseguest. Reyna thought she caught a hint of suspicion in the animal’s yellow eyes, as if he suspected her true intentions. She merely smirked back, silently challenging him to try and stop her.
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“Can I get you anything while you wait?” Parker offered. “I was just about to make tea.” “Oh, I’m perfectly content for now.” Parker nodded, fidgeting with the band on her left finger for a moment before sinking into the seat directly behind her. “I apologize, I’m not usually like this. I think I’m still getting over a rather...surprising weekend.” Reyna’s gaze followed the other woman’s hand, where it was gently gliding over her stomach. The sight prompted Reyna to her feet, wandering closer to her host. “Expecting someone else, are we?” Audrey breathed a slight laugh at that, eyeing the floor bashfully. “I hope. I almost asked James to arrange a doctor’s appointment while he’s out - just to be sure, but he was in such a hurry to go fetch that package you need, so I - oh!” Parker’s wife breathed a surprised gasp as her hefty pet leapt into her lap the moment Reyna got too close. The houseguest was undaunted, planting herself close to Audrey’s side. The blonde gathered the cat in her arms, looking disappointed with him as he growled at their company. “You’ll have to forgive Hal. He’s never been good with people. I’ve been hoping he’ll get better with it in time for...well.” She didn’t finish, looking at her stomach as best she could when the cat was in the process of pawing at her arm, seeking to possessively cling to her the same way he had when Reyna first saw him. Parker went on about how she didn’t think she could part with the animal even if his contentious behavior persisted, but Reyna barely listened. Now that she was closer to her prey, able to make more detailed observations, her mind was beset with imagining how appreciative her crows would be of such a large meal.
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When she noticed a silence had befallen the room, Reyna teased, “Well, if you are in delicate condition, I’d imagine I should be the one offering to get things for you.” Audrey uttered another breathy laugh, her face indeed bright with a certain glow. “Oh, no. I couldn’t ask a stranger to serve me in my own home.” “Even if it would help you fret less? Come now, you should let yourself be at ease while you still have a quiet house,” Reyna reached out to touch the set of honey locks beside her, stroking them as if it were one of her birds. Parker seemed disconcerted about the stranger’s forwardness, but didn’t speak of it. “Don’t worry over me. I am but any other modest, unmarried woman you know, who cares for nothing but her own skin tone.” Audrey laughed at that, this time sounding more than just a polite, breathy thing. After a brief thought, she began to shift to stretch over the back of the loveseat, reaching for the closest set of books she’d moved there. Her pet meowed in protest, irritably going to lay between the two women so she wouldn’t jostle him with her need to use both arms. Having gained a good grip on a set of three books, Parker’s wife turned back to her guest, offering them to her. “Here. James and I usually pass time together by reading to each other.” She leaned closer for her playful addition, “And making fun of the particularly lousy ones.” Reyna laughed alongside the other woman this time, taking the topmost book for herself. A collection dedicated to various short stories. Parker took the second book, setting the last one on the little table before them. “Care to hear from Gilman? The Yellow Wallpaper?” Reyna offered, solely because it was the first story she happened upon. “If you wish,” Parker answered, keeping her own novel open with one hand. She set her free hand on her cat’s head, stroking him with simple, repetitive nature that even such a resentful
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creature couldn’t palpably enjoy. Both pet and owner sat back, comfortably reclining as if Reyna were a lifelong friend they trusted without question. It was their fatal mistake. As Reyna recounted the tale of a woman slowly descending into madness from staring at the same boring walls for days on end, she happened to use a low, lulling voice that eased both of her companions into gradually nodding off. Reyna continued reading to the very end, ensuring her company was deep under the influence of their first peaceful rest since Parker initially noticed something was amiss with her body. Once she made certain that even the sound of returning books to their place on the edge of the bookshelf could arouse either one, Reyna loomed over them both. When the moment felt right, she struck swiftly, the way a viper does for its meal. The entire ordeal was over rather quickly, considering Reyna took the time to drag her victim to another room so as to disturb less furniture. Her rare act of consideration was successful, for when James Parker returned shortly afterward, he did not immediately notice something was awry in his house. He was startled when he finally did see Reyna appear in the doorway to his kitchen, with her prize slung over her shoulder. “Oh!” he remarked quietly, eyeing the unmoving body with poorly hidden disgust. “You’re still here?” “Well, I wanted to be gone sooner, but as you suspected, there was quite a struggle,” Reyna replied, sounding proud as she presented the battle scars forming on her arms. “I don’t deny it was worth the effort, though.” “Oh, you don’t have to…” James grimaced as Reyna held up her prize regardless of his attempts to object. He glanced worriedly at his wife, still curled up against the armrest of the loveseat, blissfully unaware her cat was being handled by his killer a mere few feet away.
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Reyna held the body up by the tail, radiating the confidence of a woman who wasn’t so close to being discovered. “My own pets will certainly be appreciative of a meal like this.” James nodded, still unnerved by Reyna’s nature, but no less grateful for her services. “And I appreciate your efficiency, ma’am. I know it was strange to ask - ” “I deem nothing strange, dear visitor,” Reyna reminded, busying herself with slinging the limp body over her shoulder once again. She purposefully arranged him to resemble the pose he had both when she first saw him and when she first met him. “Though I do find the label you had of ‘little terror’ was very precise.” The gentleman hummed his agreement, still mindful of just how close Audrey was to discovering the sordid favor her husband had asked for. Despite how fondly he’d referred to his wife, James sounded nervous over her reaction as he mused aloud, “I’ve yet to come up with a convincing excuse for the beast’s disappearance.” “You can tell her the truth,” Reyna said simply as she made her way towards the door, prepared to leave the small family for good. “He met his end because of a murder of crows.”