BK 4 - Chapter 40 - The Message
Travis gave Mindy a T-shirt and shorts for Bailey to put on and showed them to another room where she could shift in private. He was conflicted. They had been hunting shifters for months but had never interacted with them other than chasing and capturing them. After seeing Bailey in tears and her mother and father crying when reunited, he felt sick when he realized they'd been tearing families apart. He was sure the shifters they had killed had been somebody's parent, brother, sister, grandparent, daughter, or son. He looked at the other hunters, and they looked the way he felt.
"I'm sorry," Travis said quietly. He couldn't hold back the tears that fell when he thought about the lives he'd taken. The other men were just as tearful. It shouldn't have taken something this gruesome to have an impact on them, but it did.
"What are you sorry for?" Trey asked angrily. He couldn't care less about their tears. They're murderers.
"I'm sorry for everything we've done. All the shifters we've killed, the stress we caused your family, everything. We had it in our heads that you weren't people but monsters. We realized we were wrong when we saw that man with the girl. Everything that was given to us was a lie." Travis' last statement caught Trey's attention.
"What do you mean, everything that was given to you?" He asked.
"Someone sent us information on the monsters in the area that were out to kill all of us and our families. The articles and videos they sent made it look like if we didn't kill you, then you would kill us. We would get more every time we started to slow down or doubt what we were doing. Come here; I'll show you." Travis was having an enormous change of heart. He couldn't believe he had thought this was something he had to do. It had gotten into his head, so it was all he could think about. He went to his computer and pulled up his email. He clicked on the most recent one he received.
"This is the one they sent today and why we were having a meeting now." He admitted, moving out of the way so everyone could see what he'd received. Trey and the others watched in horror at the images flashing on the screen. Cat suddenly reached over and shut it down.
"Are you okay?" Trey asked, noticing the way she was shaking.
"No. The images may seem to only flash gruesome pictures of what shifters do to people, but there's a hidden message. If you look below the surface of the images, a hypnotizing effect gets in the heads of those who watch. It's making them think that they're killers." Cat replied, looking at the hunters. They were all staring at her in shock. "I'm assuming you weren't killers before you started getting these emails."
"No, ma'am. I had actually never even hunted before. You're right, though. After getting that first one, it felt like something I had to do." Joe replied, standing up. He felt horrible for their actions.
"I want to blame you, but I can't. Not when it wasn't your fault, to begin with. How do you feel now that you've met and interacted with us?" Cat spoke softly and lightly touched his arm. His eyes widened in surprise from the warmth that spread through him.
"I don't have any of those kill instincts from before. Actually, the moment I saw that man with the girl, it made everything seem clear. You and your family became real to me and not like something from a nightmare. Does that make sense?" Joe asked, looking down.
"Yes. I suspect it's the same with the rest of you?" Cat looked around the room, and the others nodded. "Good. So, can we live in peace now? My grandchildren are trying to make laws to prevent people from being able to hunt and kill us. Do any of you object to this?"
The men were all looking at their feet, shaking their heads. Cat may be the smallest person in the room besides Bailey, but they could all feel her power. She was incredible, and they didn't feel worthy of looking her in the eye.
"No, ma'am. I think we're all in agreement that not only will we not oppose it, but we'd like to help." Travis answered, risking a look at Cat. How can someone so unassuming be even scarier than her large husband? When he saw her smiling kindly at him, he relaxed a little.
"That's more like it. Now, if we have any further problems with you, I can't promise we'll be this nice. Do you think you can handle the cleanup in there?" Cat raised her eyebrows at them while pointing at the blood-covered bedroom. Thatcher had already taken care of the body, as he was the only one fast enough that humans wouldn't see him. He dumped him in an area where mountain lions were recently reported as being seen.
"We'll take care of it, don't worry. I needed to have that room repainted and re-carpeted, anyway. Joe is an attorney, and he may be able to help. Bill works for the Department of Fish and Wildlife, so he may also be useful. The rest of us will do whatever you want to help, ensuring you're protected." Travis said, pointing out a couple of the men. They all nodded eagerly, desperate for Cat's approval.
The others in the family were hiding their chuckles. Cat had a way of getting people to see the light quickly and to do what she wanted in a passive-aggressive way. If that didn't work, she'd go full-on aggressive. Trey had never been prouder of her as she walked around the men who were now looking like they would throw themselves in front of a bullet for her.
"We'll be in touch. We're going to take my niece home. Please call my husband if you think of anything that may help us. I know you have his number. Let's go," Cat motioned for the family to follow her, and they all left without a word. Travis and the other hunters stood there in stunned silence for a minute.
"Does anyone else suddenly want to be mated to a shifter?" Joe asked quietly. Everyone laughed as they headed to the bedroom to clean up the bloody mess. They all thought about Cat and the warm feeling she had made them have. How could anyone think she was a monster?
"Grandma Cat, I wish I had gotten that on video. You had those idiots eating out of your hand," Lisa said while laughing. Everyone was in a lighter mood now that Mick was dead, and they had Bailey back.
"It's not my fault they all suddenly wanted to help us. If the laws you kids are trying to make were already in place, I would have had them arrested, but for now, making them our allies will be beneficial. I don't think they're evil men; they were just manipulated into doing something." Cat replied slyly.
"Were they manipulated by you or the emails?" Lisa questioned when she saw her grandmother smirk. Cat turned and winked at her.
"Maybe a little of both. I can't help it if I portray a calming effect that lets me get into their heads. I was born with it." Everyone started laughing again as they parked in front of Cat and Trey's house.
"Do you still want everyone to move into Grandma Valerie and Grandpa Rogers?" Alex asked. The house would always be his grandparents, no matter who lived there.
"Yes. We may have stopped Mick, but that doesn't mean we won't have others coming after us. I think it will be safer. We have good staff at all the group homes. I think the further we are away from the kids right now, the better for their safety." Trey replied as they exited the vehicle and went into the house. As soon as they walked in, they knew something was wrong. It was too quiet.
They walked into the living room and saw their family there, but they were all gathered around something on the floor, looking at it in horror. The others joined them and felt a chill go down their spines. On the floor was a dead dog with a paper taped to its side with a note.
*You may have been able to stop Mick, but there are more of us out here who want to celebrate the deaths of all your kind. You can try to kill us, but you won't be successful. We know who you are and where you live. You can't hide from us. The only way to stop us is with death.*
Beneath the letter were the names of every member of the family, and Rogers' name was crossed off. Under the names, it said, *Who's next?*
