For Nevermore Season 1

fell on top of him, gripping his face with his bare hands, as if he were squeezing his skull as tight as he could. The gunman’s body shook violently, like he was having an epileptic fit, as his flesh began to burn. The man in black held tight, his face hidden beneath long dark hair, his hands almost fused to Mets Hat’s face.
    And that’s when Noella realized what was happening. The man in black was somehow burning the man alive.
    She gasped, unable to turn away, watching as Mets Hat’s flesh blistered, turned black, then almost to ash.
    Noella opened her mouth to scream, but all that left was a gasp.
    The man in black heard her gasp, and looked up, intense gray eyes meeting hers. They weren’t the eyes of a stranger, though, but rather the eyes of the man from her dreams — Dante.
    No, he’s not real.
    You’re dreaming. This isn’t real.
    The doctors were wrong. I’m not better. Not if I’m seeing this.
    The man who wasn't real stood up, staring at her as if he’d known her all her life.
    No, this is just a dream.
    Just a dream.
    But it wasn't.
    He held their gaze for a full minute, neither of them saying a word, both of them barely breathing. She stared down at the burned corpse, wondering if she saw what she thought she saw — him sucking the life from the man with the gun.
    “How?” was all she could get out.
    When Dante finally spoke, all he said was, “You’re safe, Noella.”
    Those words were enough to blur her reality beyond reason.
    Her knees went to jelly and she fell to the floor.

    **

    Noella woke to a police officer’s voice several minutes later, asking her if she was okay.
    Her head was throbbing. She looked around. Tony still lay in a pool of blood, and Mets Hat was still a withered corpse.
    Dante was nowhere to be found.

    * * * *

CHAPTER SIX

    The sheriff’s deputies questioned Noella for more than 30 minutes before Randy showed on the scene. When he arrived, Noella was exhausted, eyes tired, and she just wanted to go home and collapse.
    Randy stood by for about 10 minutes, arms folded across his chest, before stepping in to save her from the questioning.
    Detective Avery said, “We’re not done yet,” then looked up at Randy.
    Randy pulled her from the chair where Sam had been sitting just a little over an hour before. “Yes, you are,” he said, “She’s already told you everything she knows. You have our number if you think of any more questions. You know where to find me. But for now, we’re outta here. She’s been through enough tonight.”
    Randy stared at Detective Avery until the man relented. Randy put an arm around Noella and led her from the coffee shop.
    As they walked to the car, Noella found herself surprised by Randy’s kindness. She wanted to cry at how kind he was when he told the detective, “She’s been through enough.”
    Maybe Josie wasn’t completely wrong about Randy after all.
    It seemed like the meaner he was when she expected it, the nicer he got when she didn’t. The radio was playing Adele’s “Someone Like You.” Randy shut it off, looked over at Noella, who was staring out the window into the darkness. Though she saw him out of the corner of her eye, and could tell that he wanted to talk, she continued staring out at the mocking moon above. All she wanted to do was go home, tell Josie what happened, and then go to bed.
    “I’m sorry you had to see what you did,” Randy said. “I mean, after seeing your dad murdered, this must’ve brought back a million memories. And on your birthday of all days.”
    He shook his head and brushed his hand across her shoulder, an awkward attempt by someone who was rarely physically affectionate.
    “Yeah,” she said.
    Noella was numb, shocked, and trying to pull sense from the senseless.
    She couldn’t believe that Tony was dead, couldn’t believe that it had happened right in front of her. Couldn’t believe that Dante had pulled her from the arms of certain death.
    He couldn’t have. It’s impossible.
    Worse than impossible . . . it’s crazy.
    You need to go back to Dr. Foster. Now! Tell Randy what happened. He and Josie will get you the help you need. You can’t let this get out of hand again.
    “I heard some of what you were saying to Avery,” Randy spoke slightly louder, as if to let Noella know he wanted an answer. “You say you passed out when the perp pulled the gun from his jacket, but that you don’t remember anything after that, right?”
    “Nothing,” she said. “Next