wrong?” Matthias asked.
“My door’s unlocked.”
Matthias moved her behind him. “Stay back.”
His tone was calm, but she heard the thread of steel behind it. Turning the knob with care, he opened the door at a snail’s pace, and his head tilted as though listening to the sound of it opening. When the door opened a crack, he paused and looked over his shoulder at her.
“Maybe you should go stand by my bike.”
Lilian shook her head. “No way.”
Matthias appeared as though about to argue. Instead, he looked back through the open door. His body blocked her view, and she knew he did it on purpose. She poked him in the back to remind him of her presence.
“Move. I need to see.”
“No, you don’t.” He lifted an arm to block the doorway, like a gate.
Before he could stop her, Lilian ducked beneath his arm and hurried into the house. She needed to see what he was trying to keep from her. This was her safe haven, and if something had happened to it, she needed to know. Plus, she wasn’t about to let him, a veritable stranger, dictate to her what she could and could not do on her own property.
Her eyes widened in horror as she took in the sight of what had been once an ordered and comfortable living room. Her furniture was broken, tossed about like trash. Tears rose up in her eyes and she had to blink them back, forcing herself to look around. Her pillows and cushions had been slashed, the stuffing spilling out. She switched on the lights, and the damage to her home became abruptly clear. As did the message on the wall, written in red.
Remember the pain, kitten.
As though in a stupor, she made her way closer to the wall, her mind not taking in the message as much as the red liquid used to write it.
Paint? Please, let it be paint.
She reached out with a shaky hand to touch the ink but Matthias grabbed her hand, pulled her away.
“No, Lilian. We have to call the police.”
She looked away from the wall and glanced around yet again at the destruction. It was then she saw the dead cat. If it hadn’t been for the blood, she would have thought it to be a stuffed animal, but in the bright light, the blood was a brilliant crimson.
Lilian stood rigidly. She could hear Matthias call her name, but couldn’t make herself move. She could only stare at the carcass of the poor cat, slaughtered for the message on her wall. Even when he threw her over his shoulder and carried her outside, she could not react, could not protest. When he set her down, her knees gave out and she fell to the ground, with a faint sob. He crouched over her.
“Look at me,” he said.
Lilian shook her head, refusing, and instead drew her knees up and wrapped her arms around her legs. She rocked back and forth, still sobbing.
“Lilian,” he snapped.
She looked at him, startled, expecting to see a raised hand to strike her, or an angry expression on his face. There were neither. “I’m going to call the police,” he said in a calm tone. “This has to be reported.”
Lilian nodded and he pulled out his cellphone. He kept his eyes on her even as he dialed 9-1-1.
“Yes, we need the police. There’s been a break in and vandalism at…”
His voice faded from her hearing as the reality set in. Someone had broken into her home and destroyed her sense of safety.
Run! Get away!
Lilian burst into motion, scrambled to her feet and ran into the woods as fast as she could, away from her home, and Matthias. She didn’t know why, where the feeling of urgency came from, she only knew she had to get away. Heart pounding, ragged breaths, mind foggy and unable to think clearly, she just ran.
“Lilian!” Matthias yelled.
She didn’t stop. Away from the road, deeper into the shadowy depths of the pine forest surrounding her home, she ran.
Her right palm began to burn, but she continued to run, not stopping to see what it was. Matthias caught up to her, wrapped his arms around her and jerked her to a stop. She screamed and fought him, struggling against his hold, but he refused to let her go and pulled her close to him. She had little leverage to struggle, to fight. Lilian fell into him and cried. She dragged deep, broken breaths as she sobbed. He held her close, rubbing her back.
After some time, when her sobs had died down and she could breathe without the ragged tearing of air into her lungs, Matthias leaned back a bit and tilted her chin up so he could look at her.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
She took mental stock of herself before she nodded. “I’m fine now.” Lilian lifted her right hand and rubbed at her burning palm.
Matthias took hold of her hand and turned it over. There, in the center was a mark, a symbol of some sort with four circles, overlapping in a way to create a four petaled flower in the center.
“How did I get that?” she asked.
“You didn’t know you had it?”
“I’ve never seen it before.”
Matthias studied the symbol, tracing it with a finger. “It’s familiar. I’m not sure why though.”
He pulled her close to him again and held her as she leaned against him, taking comfort. Neither said anything for some time until they heard the faint sounds of sirens in the distance.
“We need to get back,” he said.
* * * *
The next couple of hours went by in a hazy blur. If it hadn’t been for Matthias, she doubted she’d have made it through the questioning.
She was very careful about not mentioning the CS agents. However, she did give Stephan’s name to the police as a potential suspect.
After what seemed like forever, Lilian just couldn’t handle it anymore.
“Look, I’m tired, I’m scared, and I’m done with the questions. You know where to find me if you want to interrogate me further, but right now, I want to find someplace safe, curl up into a ball and cry. So, if you gentlemen will excuse me…” She turned and walked away.
Matthias rattled off his number to the officers where they could reach him, jogged after her until he caught up, and walked her toward his motorcycle.
“Do you need a place to stay?” he asked.
“I’ll get a room at the motel.”
“I have more than enough room at my place.”
Lilian glanced at him. “I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
“You’re afraid
