Kina huddled in the corner of her bedroom, her hands over her ears, her body shaking uncontrollably. "St-stop just stop," She whispered, squeezing her eyes closed tightly as the bells she heard slowly grew louder and louder.

"Just stop!" She cried out, the sound was like an annoying mosquito. You knew it was there but you were unable to make it go away. "Please just stop ringing, just stop, please, make it stop." She begged, tears streaming down her cheeks.

As time passed on, it grew louder, unable to shake the sound, Kina broke down with tears streaming down her cheeks. Her sobs filled her bedroom, her murmured pleading sounding incoherent. 

"Why are they loud? They're not normally this loud. They never last this long. Why are they this long?" She asked herself in barely a whisper, her hands going tighter over her ears.

Rosiano dashed into the bedroom, her hair dripping wet with her hair towel in her hand. "Kina?" She asked, tossing the towel on the floor and rushed over to her cousin. "Kina, what's wrong?" She asked, kneeling beside her.

Kina didn't notice her presence, her eyes still were tightly closed. "Please stop, please just stop ringing, stop, stop, STOP! I can't take it anymore." She screamed, causing the windows to rattle.

Rosianio reached her hand out and put it on her cousin's shoulder. "Kina!" She exclaimed, snapping her fingers on her other hand by her ear. "Stop what?" She asked, trying to get her attention. 

Kina jolted at the sudden touch of Rosiano, the bells suddenly stopped ringing."T-the-the bells." She croaked out slowly looking up at her with red puffy eyes and tear-stained cheeks. She, with shaky hands and a trembling body, removed her hands from her ears.

Rosiano leaned back and withdrew her hand, resting it on her lap. "Bells?" She asked, her eyes searching Kina's face. "Kina, there are no bells. We don't live near a church." She replied, her face twisting into confusion. 

Kina wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and took a shaky breath. 'That's right. She doesn't know I'm a banshee. She doesn't know I can hear bells when someone is about to die or is dying.' She thought to herself.

Rosiano wasn't sure what was going on, but she knew this wasn't her forte. "Hold on," She stood up and grabbed Kina's phone off the dresser. "I'm calling your dad," She said, dialing his number and putting it up to her ear.

"Hello?" Gunner asked as he answered the phone, shuffling through stacks of papers on his desk. "Kina? Is something the matter?" He asked, leaning back in his hair.

"Hi, it's Rosiano," She clarified herself for her uncle, twisting a lock of wet hair around her finger. "I'm calling because Kina seems shaken. She was crying and trembling in the corner of her room saying something about hearing bells."

Gunner straightened up as his eyes went wide. "Bells?" He inquired, earning a yes from his niece. "Can you please put her on and give us a little privacy?" He asked politely, standing up and walking over to his office door, closing it.

"Uh," Rosiano knitted her eyebrows in confusion but didn't object or press the issue. "Sure," She walked over to Kina and offered the phone. "Here, I'm going to finish drying my hair."

Kina reached up and took the phone, putting it to her ear as her cousin left the room. "Someone's gonna die. They're gonna die. They're gonna die and I don't know who or why or how." She mumbled, her lower lip trembling.

"Oh Kina," Gunner softly spoke her name, unsure how to comfort her. No words he could say could make it better or stop someone from dying. "Just take a deep breath." He coached her, trying his best to help through the phone.

"I wish Mom was here." She sobbed, her heart growing heavy at the thought of her mother. "Why did you leave me? Why couldn't you stay to help me? It's not fair that you left me alone." She cried, burying her face into her knees. 

Gunner's heart twisted tightly, pushing itself up into his throat at his daughter's words. His eyes glanced over to the picture of his wife, her beautiful green eyes and auburn hair. "Kina," He spoke softly, shifting uncomfortably in his chair. 

"Hmm?" Kina hummed, taking a deep shaky breath and wiping her eyes on her sleeve. His voice was soft and soothing, the tone he always used when she was in a place like this.

Gunner ran a hand through his hair, trying to figure out how to work what he was going to say. "I wish your mother was here too. She knew how to handle it all and knew how to make the bells go away. I'm so sorry I don't know how to help you, Kina, I am." He apologized, heart still weighing heavy and his voice crackling.

Kina's own heart weighed heavily, hearing the slight change in his voice. "It's not your fault." She whispered, reaching up to her nightstand and pulling a tissue from the box. "You're trying your best, I know that." She blew her nose into the tissue a few times before throwing it away.

"I could do more, though. I could have asked your mother to write down some tips or something for you since she's not here to help -" Gunner rambled on, rolling the end of his tie between his fingers.

Kina took another shaky breath, grabbed another tissue, and blew her nose. "You can't blame yourself. You couldn't have known how much time she had, it was sudden, it took us all by surprise." She felt a bit better now that she was hearing her dad's voice.

Gunner could hear the tone change in her voice. "I'm coming home, just hold tight until I get there." He said, shuffling up papers on his chest and standing up out of his chair, which squeaked as he rolled back.

Kina took a shaky breath and wiped her tears with the black sleeve of her nightgown. "No, no, you don't have to come. I'm feeling much better now. I just need to get some sleep, that's all."

Gunner rubbed his eyes with his free hand, suppressing a yawn, causing his jaws to ache. "Are you sure? I can come home, I'm doing some paperwork, there's nothing I can procrastinate on until tomorrow." He asked, leaning his elbow on the arm of his chair.

Kina leaned her head back against the wall and sighed. "Yes, I'm sure. I'll be here when you come home later tonight."  She reassured her father, her trembling had stopped by now and so did the years that were now drying on her cheeks.

Gunner wasn't entirely sure, but he wasn't going to second-guess his daughter. "If you're sure. I love you, Kina, I'm here for you, you know that right?" He chewed on his lip, waiting with bated breath for her answer.

Kina nodded, before vocally confirming his question. "I know. I love you, Dad." She whispered, gripping the phone tightly in her hand as her eyes shifted out her window to the dark outside.

Gunner felt his heart well in his chest like any father would at their child telling him they loved him. "I love you too. Sleep well." He stood up from his chair and pulled out some change from his pocket for the vending machine. 

"I will. Bye." Kina bit her father goodbye and heard her father echo her words before the line went dead. She slowly got to her feet and put her phone on her nightstand while sitting down on her bed.

Rosiano walked into the room with freshly blow-dried hair. "Are you mad I called Uncle Gunner?" She hesitantly asked, unsure if her actions were the right choice since she didn't exactly do people's feelings. 

Kina turned around, pulling her legs up on the bed. "No, I'm not mad. If Dad was here he'd be comforting me." She replied, putting her only cousin's guilty mind at ease.

Rosiano walked over to Kina's bed and sat down on the edge. "So, I know I don't ever ask anything about you because I don't want to overstep, but, if you don't mind me asking, what was the whole bell thing about?" She inquired, fingers messing with the bow on her pajama top.

Kina frowned, slipping under her covers while lying on her back. 'I can't tell her I'm a banshee nor can I tell her any lies,' She thought to herself whilst sighing. "The doctor said it was tinnitus. It's just sometimes really bad, no fix though." 

Rosiano raised an eyebrow, pondering it for a moment. It did seem reasonable, she had heard that it can get really bad sometimes. "In addition to sleepwalking?" She asked, pressing further to learn more.

Kina nodded, tapping her fingers on the top of her comforter. "Yeah, it's why I wear the alert necklace old people use so if I don't make it back and wake up in the middle I can press it and Dad knows where I'm at." She pulled the necklace from under her nightgown.

Rosiano nodded, taking a deep breath she stood up. "That's good to know." She flashed a smile and reached for the lamp, turning it off. "Night, Kina," She sat down on her sleeping back and shimmed inside of it.

Kina rolled over on her side and looked down at her cousin. "Night, Rosi," She whispered, rolling back on her back. She closed her eyes and began counting stars in her head, slowly drifting off to sleep.

〰️🐾〰️

Kina wandered through a dense forest state park near her home and connected most of Elkins.

Crickets chirped somewhere in the dry, fallen leaves and owls hooted high in the trees, covered by thick fall foliage. 

The midnight moon was high in the sky, casting a pale light through the branches overhead. Stars twinkled brightly in the sky, constellations noticeable to those who knew them.

The leaves rustled in the gentle wind, creating an inaudible whispering sound that sent invisible shivers down her spine. She subconsciously wrapped her arms around her, dressed in a thin nightgown as the cold autumn breeze brushed against her skin. 

Her feet move absent-mindedly crunching leaves between her bare, lightly muddy feet, while sticks poked into her soft skin. Although there was no path, she made one as low-hanging branches slapped her skin as she passed.

Her eyes focused dead straight in front of her, her mind empty of all thoughts or voices. She wandered through the night mindlessly, like a zombie, shuffling along with no destination in mind. 

She felt like an invisible string was wrapped around her like a leash and collar on a dog, pulling her to go somewhere. giving her no free will of her own to choose. 

She began to trek into unfamiliar territory, passing a massive stump with strange markings and words deeply carved into the wood, maring the rings of its age.

She stepped over a fallen tree from the storm a few days ago. The park rangers hadn't come to remove it, perhaps perhaps wouldn't since it was off the beaten path and on a part that was accessible only by walking.

Her foot went into a hole filled with muddy water, almost causing her to fall over but a nearby tree was able to brace her so she could continue to walk forward.

A nearby doe and her fawns froze as Kina came into view. Their ears twitched and heads turned as they watched as she didn't approach them or notice them, but kept moving forward until she disappeared through the trees.

Suddenly, Kina stopped, and the hazy look in her eyes cleared up, bringing her to her senses. She shook her head and swept her eyes around at the darkness surrounding her save for the silvers of moonlight peaking through the breaks in the trees.

Her body trembled with fear as she heard leaves crunch underfoot. They weren't from her since she was frozen in place. It dawned on her that she was not alone in the forest since the crunching grew louder and louder.

She felt a present approaching her. Her hands began to shake, her body following in suit. The louder the crunching of leaves underfoot grew, the faster her head beat against her rib cage, as if it would burst out at any moment.

She snapped her head up to meet glowing golden eyes, eyes that looked like a girl with wolf-like facial features and pointed fluffy ears peeking from her brown hair, a white t-shirt, and matching pajama shorts, but bare feet like her own.

The girl belonged to the supernatural world, but what creature she was, eluded Kina. She could sense it but couldn't pinpoint it. She had always had trouble figuring out other supernaturals, mostly because she touched their world but wasn't of it. 

Her mind was seemingly closed off from being able to process the information. No matter how hard she thought it was all blank, like she had amnesia of some sort. The more she thought the more a dull throbbing grew in her head, causing her to leave the thoughts alone.

She noticed there was a dark presence shrouding the other girl, one that aligned with experiencing death at some point in her life, whether she or someone she knew touched the grim reaper's hand, or had shaken the grim reaper's hand for providing an unfortunate victim whose life was cut short by the need to kill.

She tried to move but her legs, wishing more than anything to flee, but they felt heavy as if they were rooted to the ground. Muscles locked up like a rusted bike chain. Her body wouldn't comply with what she wanted to do. 

Panic began to rise in her body. Every fiber in her being told her to run, run, and get away but she couldn't. No matter how much she willed, she didn't move a single inch or muscle. 

Despite something or someone telling her in incoherent whispers to leave. The voices felt hollow, and cold, tickling the deepest parts of her body.

She watched the brown-haired girl blink a few times before scratching behind her fluffy, wolf-like pointed ear before looking to her left and tilting her head.

Suddenly, the brown-haired girl's flight mode was activated and she dashed off without a second thought. She moved past Kina with inhuman speed, her body hunched over like a dog, sharp claws replaced her nails, digging into the mud for better traction.

Kina blinked a few times. It all happened in a matter of seconds. She couldn't comprehend what was going on, who that was, or what had happened. Her mind was shut off from being able to work correctly despite being fully aware of what was happening.

She was still facing the left, the gloomy presence still loomed in the dark. Every hair on her body sat straight up, chills fluctuating up and down her spine. Her breathing hitched, causing her to lock her jaw at the overwhelming fear that crept up on her.

Her eyes grew wide and her jaw clenched as she felt like she was staring into the face of all that was evil, unholy, even if death itself was standing before her, looming over and looking down upon her like an ant.

Her body began to move forward, the path the other girl had come from, almost subconsciously getting away from the presence but being drawn towards another, but one that reeked of death.

With every step, the incoherent whispers grew louder. It was like they were begging Kina for help, their whispers grew more desperate in their tone.

The next step she took was wet. A sticky and warm wet. She froze, lifting her foot slowly she pulled it back and set it beside her other while looking down.

Her eyes grew wider than they had before at the gruesome sight before her. A mangled and bloodied body of what appeared to be a young woman lying on her side like she was trying to crawl away but unable to make it far.

Deep claw marks in the flesh were noticeable around a gaping wound where her spine would have been. Her intestines and other unrecognizable organs were either falling out of her or scattered around her body. 

She felt bile rush up her throat as her eyes panned over to the horrified expression frozen on the young woman's face that was connected to her spine a foot away from the rest of her body. 

Her once long blonde hair was now drenched in crimson blood, tangled around her spine and sticking to her face. Her once blue eyes were now void of all life. Her stomach tightened, causing an invisible knot to form at the haunting scene before her, burning into her mind, scaring it. 

Her mouth opened wide and let out the loudest shriek she had ever mustered. The haunting sound echoed through the town, rattling windows, and bursting lights on light poles.

She stumbled back and crawled backward away from the body. She trembled as she rapidly pressed the button on her necklace. Whimpers left her lips as she scrambled to her feet and leaned against the nearest tree. 

The young woman hadn't been dead but for ten minutes at most. The blood was still warm and wet, which wouldn't have happened if the young woman had been dead for a few hours. 

She closed her eyes tightly, praying that it all went away and when she opened her eyes she'd be back in the comforts of her bed only for it all to have been a horrible nightmare.

🐾〰🐾〰🐾〰🐾〰🐾〰🐾〰🐾

A/N: 
Sorry it took so long, I was bouncing ideas on who this chapter should focus on. I had a lot of ideas but none stuck until this one. So, prepare for more updates because I'm trying to focus on finishing some books their year.

Chapter Talk: 
I gotta say, I'm kinda happy with how this chapter turned out. We are starting to get into the dark, mystery stuff that I have planned. I'm totally out of my comfort zone here. 

Thanks for reading!