5
Chad shook his head, his voice full of hate. “I
was ready for that bitch!”
So, Chad remembered too.
But how did he resist Bethany’s mind control?
My parents and brother were on guard, but
they still got sucked in. How did Chad avoid it
this time?
Chad sped off, explaining as he drove. “After I
came back, the first thing I did was find a way
to protect myself from whatever voodoo
Bethany was using.”
“This is how I did it!”
He pulled open his shirt, revealing what he
was wearing underneath.
My eyes widened. “A burial shroud?”
Chad nodded. “Yep. The kind you buy from
the funeral home.”
“It’s been blessed with rooster blood and
black dog blood, so it can block Bethany’s
magic. I waited until today to come get your
because of this. Otherwise, I would have
come barging into your house yesterday!”
I asked, confused, “How did you know that
would work?”
Chad explained, “You told me that when you
were born, your mom almost died in
<
“Then, a weirdo saved you.”
As he said that, a strange feeling crept over
- me.
My parents had told me about that night.
I was born early, way before my due date.
They weren’t ready. My dad was panicking,
wanting to rush my mom to the hospital for a
C–section, but she was too weak.
Just then, a dirty old homeless man showed
- up.
He tapped my mom’s belly, and she instantly
felt better.
Then, the old man said, “A lucky baby has
been born. She’s going to be rich, but she’ll
have to face some tough times.”
“Since I’m here, I’ll give you a hand!”
The old man bit his finger and drew a weird
symbol on my mom’s belly with his blood.
Right after that, I was born.
The old man said I was destined to be rich,
and he was right. After I was born, our family
got richer and richer.
My parents told me that the old man had
opened a funeral home on the east side of
town, and whenever their friends lost
someone, they always recommended his
place.
7
When they told me, I thought it was kind of
weird and laughed about it with Chad.
But Chad actually found the old man and
figured out how to beat Bethany’s magic.
Chad’s voice was full of anger. “Bethany is a
monster.
“Riley, you don’t know the half of it!”
“She murdered her parents. Those mind-
control bracelets and stuff are made from
their ashes.”
I shuddered.
Bethany was insane.
As we raced to the funeral home, Chad’s
phone kept ringing. It was Bethany.
I answered.
Bethany’s voice came screaming through the
phone. “Chad, you son of a bitch! Where did
you take that slut Riley?”
Chad spat, “You don’t need to know!”
“You’re going to hell for what you’ve done.
You evil witch, you murdered your own
parents. You’ll get what’s coming to you!”
Bethany cackled. “Chad, don’t think you and Riley can escape. I’ll find you!”
“Riley, are you listening?”
<
niity, art you listeny:
“I’m going to make you suffer. You’ll find out
what despair really means.”
She hung up.
Right after that, Chad started itching like crazy. He was scratching himself like a
maniac, groaning in pain.
The burial shroud was starting to fall apart,
like invisible bugs were eating it. His skin was
turning red and blotchy.
Chad fought through the pain and drove us to
the edge of town.
It was deserted. The only thing open was the
funeral home. It was like the owner was
for
Just like my parents had said, the owner was a grungy old homeless man.
His clothes were torn, his hair was a mess,
and his eyebrows and beard were practically glued together.
Chad dragged me into the funeral home,
begging, “Please, help us!”
Then, Chad fell to the ground, convulsing. His
skin was getting worse.
The old man grabbed Chad, looked at me,
and sighed. “Come with me.”
He dragged Chad toward the back. I hurried
after them.
Looking at the old man. I couldn’t shake the
<
feeling that I knew him.
Even though I’d never met him, I felt like I’d
seen him before.
