15. Disturbed
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Disturbed
"We are gathered here today in memory of lives that were taken too soon..."
With his hands folded in front of him, Caleb respectfully kept his head lowered, listening to the priest who stood before three caskets, prepared to be buried. He rolled his shoulders for the sixth time, irritated by the stiff suit that hugged his muscles.
He hadn't worn a suit since the last funeral, which was years ago. Yet, he had worn it twice in the same week to attend four burials. Caleb's jaw clenched with frustration. His cousins were making fine work of getting under his skin.
He was willing to ignore their sabotage of Gerry.
They had interfered in the transfer of his body by leading Gerry to believe that Deja was the one who had attacked him, leaving Caleb no choice but to take Gerry’s life.
As if they were testing his loyalty. How far was he willing to forego all the work he had done in his city to protect Deja?
They hadn't the slightest clue just how far Caleb was willing to take it. He hadn't faced the Society in years. Hadn't faced his family for even longer. But as he looked at the three caskets, Caleb knew there would be more blood.
"I'm so glad you're here, Caleb," Mrs. Peters said, knocking Caleb out of his thoughts.
Caleb looked at the teary-eyed woman and smiled empathetically. "I'll always be here when you need me, Mrs. Peters." Her frail arms wrapped around him as he hugged her. "I'm glad he left the house for this at least,” Caleb said, glancing at Phil standing off to the side.
"He's been muttering about some conspiracy theories surrounding his sister's death. I'm worried about him," Mrs. Peters frowned.
"I'll talk to him," Caleb reassured her. Stuffing his hands into his pockets, Caleb casually crossed the grass until he stood next to Phil. "I'm glad to see you outside. Getting some sun for that pale skin of yours. You were starting to look like a vampire."
Caleb barely got a chuckle but was happy at least to see a small smile on Phil's face. "I miss her..." Phil muttered, wiping his tears. "She was such a bitch. But god, I-... I miss her..."
Caleb nodded. "It's gonna take some time-"
"And I know someone killed her," Phil cut him off. "Her and her friends. They were doing stupid shit that night. I remember her telling me she was gonna fuck around with Deja. Pull some pranks and shit."
Caleb's eyes lowered, his jaw clenching.
"She was just so jealous, you know? I mean, Lena hates it when she doesn't get what she wants. She's always been a bit of a mean girl. But she's harmless."
Caleb faced Phil. “You knew what she was planning… and you didn't stop her?”
Phil suddenly looked at Caleb. "She-she didn't give me details.
I didn't really care. I just thought she was being stupid.
But that's why I don't think their deaths were an accident,” Phil insisted.
Caleb breathed out through his nose as he looked away.
"I'm gonna find out who it was," Phil continued. "And get her justice."
Caleb watched Phil walk off before he spotted someone across the cemetery. A man in a suit leaning against a parked car, smoking, smirked at Caleb before flicking the cigarette and getting into the car.
Deja violently banged on the window, fear gripping her heart. "Get the fuck away from her!"
Donna breathed heavily in complete terror at Deja's hysterical reaction. Had her Lead Scientist lost her mind? "M-Ms. Louis, p-please!" Donna begged fearfully.
But a very pregnant Deja was already spinning inside the dome, looking for an object to smash the window with. She finally spotted a bucket of water. Emptying the bucket, she turned around to smash the window when Deja suddenly froze.
"...w-where… where did he go?" Deja asked frantically. "Where the fuck did he go?"
"Ms. Louis, th-there's n-no one here b-but me!" Donna sobbed.
"I saw him, Donna! I fucking saw him! He's going to kill you if you don't get out of here, do you hear me?! You have to get help before he comes back!" Deja shouted.
"Ms. L-Louis," Donna cried helplessly.
"He will cut your fucking throat! Smash your head in with a hammer! Do you wanna die, Donna?!" Deja blurted hysterically.
Donna was in complete shock at both the violence in Deja's words and the rage in her voice. It was like she had been possessed. "I'll-I'll get h-help. Okay, I'll g-get help!" Donna submitted.
"And find a weapon!" Deja said. "You have to defend yourself!" Deja leaned against the dome, watching Donna disappear through the emergency exit when the office lights started flickering. She stepped back as the lights flickered on and off.
Until she finally saw the hooded figure again, standing at the center of the room. Holding a hammer.
Deja scoffed in disbelief. "You're pathetic, you know that? You think you scare me? You don't fucking scare me!"
The figure tilted his head to the side, silently watching her before taking a step forward.
Deja instinctively took several steps back. "Stay the fuck away from me!"
The figure ceased moving before the lights flickered off. Panting heavily, Deja jumped, startled, as a loud squeaking vibrated the air. She looked around to see where it was coming from, but could only see light inside the dome, as the office was enshrouded in darkness.
Suddenly, the lights flickered back on… and the figure was pressed against the window. She screamed in terror. Her eyes widened to see bloody streaks on the glass, written in a pattern.
"...you're… mine..." she read as her voice cracked with fear.
Whose blood was that? "Fuck you!" she screamed angrily.
Deja turned to grab the bucket again when she heard the jingling of keys.
Her eyes widened in horror to see him holding up the keys to the dome before the lights abruptly switched off.
She heard the click of the lock before hastily running in the other direction, taking off further into the dome. Holding her belly, she looked around for another exit when she heard the door to the dome swing open.
Everything in her body told her to run. To find an escape. To save herself. Fear and adrenaline pumped in her veins as her eyes darted frantically around the forest. A whistle abruptly echoed in the dome around her. A melody so familiar that it shook her to her core, setting her nerves on fire.
She had only heard it from Jax.
"No," she shook her head. "N-no. No, he's… he's dead."
But the whistling only grew louder. Deja wanted to vomit.
When was she going to wake up from this nightmare?
"Wake up. He's not real! Just wake up!" she cried hysterically, running through the dome.
The whistling got louder.
And louder.
Until his voice echoed in her mind, and she couldn't tell if she was actually hearing him or if it was all in her head.
"Leave me alone!" she shouted angrily. She stopped short when she finally spotted a vent in the glass dome.
Pressing her fingers against it, she realized the pressure was more fragile than the rest of the dome.
Deja grabbed the bucket and swung, slamming it into the glass.
It cracked. And the whistling grew louder.
She swung again and again until the glass finally broke. Deja hastily stumbled through the opening, wincing in pain as the broken glass split open her forearm.
"Ah!" she gasped as glass shards embedded in her knees and palms. The whistling got louder.
Deja scrambled to her feet, heading for the other emergency exit. She swung the door open to the dark staircase and slipped on something wet. Her bleeding hands landed on the edge of the staircase before she could fall on her stomach, and her eyes widened.
She saw blood on the staircase.
Slowly looking to the side, she screamed at Donna's mangled body on the stairs. Her head was bashed in, brain matter leaking down the steps.
Deja cried hysterically, slipping on the blood as she tried to climb the stairs. A shocking pain coursed through her body that made her heave in agony. Her bloody hands dragged along the walls, trying to see through the darkness.
The whistling got louder—his footsteps behind her.
"...you're mine..." echoed like a haunting threat.
"Please, just leave me alone!" she sobbed. Deja stumbled out of the stairway and abruptly ran into someone. She screamed, terrified, flailing her arms in defense. "Leave me alone! Leave me the fuck alone!"
"Deja! Deja, baby, it's me! It's me!"
Deja blinked frantically, trying to adjust to the light when she spotted Caleb wearing the suit he had left in that morning to attend the funeral. "C-Caleb?"
"Holy shit, baby! What-oh, my god!" Caleb's face drained of color, looking at her bloody hands and knees. "What the hell happened?!"
"He's here! He's fucking here!" Deja cried hysterically. "And he k-killed her! He killed-Ah!" Deja doubled over in pain as Caleb caught her. She slid back against the wall in agony. "Wha-what's happening t-to me-?" she cried.
"Shit. Baby, I think you're going into labor!"
"What?! I c-can't! Not-he's here!" Deja cried.
"Baby, no one is here! It's just us!" Caleb said.
"No! No, I saw him! Her body! It's on the stairs!"
Caleb looked down the stairs but saw absolutely nothing. Just her own blood and the water that leaked from her body.
"I slipped on her blood! I saw her body!" Deja shouted.
"Baby," Caleb said, firmly grabbing her face. "Please listen to me. There is. No. Body. No one is dead. No one is hurt except you . This is your blood! You slipped because your water broke! You are going into labor!"
Deja looked at him with a mixture of terror and confusion. "What? N-no-no that's not true, Caleb! I saw-Ah!" She cried out as another contraction rocked her body. It was pain unlike anything Deja had ever felt.