(Laura Ercilia)
- - - - - - 2: 45 PM - - - - - - Texas, USA - - - - -
A fight broke out.
"Hey! Break it up!" Laura's voice sliced through the chaos, sharp and urgent.
The scene was a chaotic mess of flailing limbs and angry grunts. Five boys—one Black, two Mexican, one White, and one Asian—were ganging up on a single boy who was valiantly fighting back from the ground, throwing punches in every direction.
"Who the hell—" Laura's words caught in her throat as she recognized the boy on the ground.
"Giovani?!" Laura rushed in, shoving the attackers away from her brother.
The boys weren't stopping, their anger undiminished. Laura had had enough. With precision, she shoulder-threw one of the boy onto the ground, kicked another in the stomach, and grabbed the hair of the other older boy, the apparent leader. Giovani, still on the ground, was grappling with the Asian boy, most likely the youngest of the group.
"I suggest y'all get the hell out of here, or else more blood is going to be splattered!" Laura's voice carried a deadly promise.
The boys scrambled to their feet and ran, the leader yanking away and taking Laura's gloves with him in his haste.
Laura watched them flee before turning to her brother. "What are you doing here, Giovani?"
"I wanted to skateboard, but those dudes were looking for a fight." Giovani shrugged nonchalantly. "I was just filling their needs."
Laura sighed in frustration. "Mom's gonna be pissed when she finds out, Gio. You better get home."
"Whatever." Giovani hopped on his skateboard and headed toward the roller rink, ignoring Laura's attempts to call him back.
As Laura sighed, her gaze landed on the ground where one of the boys had dropped their ID. As her hand touched the ID, a flash of memory flooded in.
In an instant, Laura was transported to a dark, decrepit basement. Smoke filled the air, and suddenly the sound of two women giggling and laughing echoed.
"Shut up, will you?!" the red-haired woman snapped as she poured food and chips into a bin.
The woman sitting on a couch, short black hair, dressed in short sleeves and shorts, yelled, "You better not let any of them go to waste!"
The little boy on the floor nodded shakily before grabbing the food with his hands.
The basement was narrow, cramped with waste cardboard boxes, toys, and filled with trash. A chain was attached to the boy's ankle, connecting him to a device on the wall.
**Beep—Beep—Beep** the alarms went off.
The blonde woman sitting next to the short-haired woman stood up. "Not again. Klaire, you really need to update the alarm sound, it's too quiet—and we need new camera batteries."
Klaire sat up and looked at the blonde woman. "Don't worry, babe, I remembered to buy them today."
The red-haired woman interrupted, "Yeah, whatever, Samie." She looked at Klaire before picking up her purse. "Anyway, I'm leaving. Brandon called me earlier, so I have to go."
Klaire pouted. "Are you sure, Ash?"
Samie glared at Klaire and snorted. "I hope he doesn't beat you again this time."
"You—" the red-haired woman began, but a voice from upstairs called her name. "I'll let this go. I'm in a hurry," Ashley (Ash) said before proceeding upstairs.
Klaire and Samie followed, leaving the little boy behind.
The boy seemed to be about five years old, frail with black hair. As he tried to swallow the food, he felt the urge to throw up.
Screaming from upstairs echoed through the basement before the door slammed shut. "I better not see any mess when I return!"
The little boy shakily crouched near the bin of food, silently crying, sniffling, and swallowing his food.
**Upstairs**
Klaire checked the cameras on the TV in her room. Outside in the shed were two bunk beds and four kids. Two, a girl and boy about eight and nine years old, stood near their bed while another girl, about thirteen, stood on the lower bunk trying to comfort a younger boy about seven years old.
It seemed the seven-year-old boy had peed himself on the bed.
"Are you okay, Cameron?" Cheyenne, the thirteen-year-old girl, asked worriedly.
Sweat could be seen on Cameron's head, and on his bed was a pool of pee.
Samie angrily said, "This is it. I'm done. We have to teach him a lesson!" She stormed into the backyard where the shed was.
Suddenly, Giovani shook Laura awake. "You okay, Laura?"
The vision was so horrifying that Laura collapsed to her knees, her breath coming in ragged gasps. She fumbled through her sport bag for an extra pair of gloves, and only after she'd slipped them on did she feel some semblance of calm return.
"Damn it, he took my glove," Laura muttered.
Giovani sighed. "Let's go home. I'm tired now."
Laura could never go anywhere without her gloves. It wasn't an obsession; it was a necessity. Without them, she saw things—horrible, terrifying things.
She'd had an accident when she was ten. One moment she was skating, the next she was tumbling, her head hitting the pavement hard. The hospital stay that followed was a blur, but afterward, whenever she touched something, she saw visions. The first few weeks were hell until her parents took her to a ritual healer who gave her the gloves. With them on, the visions stopped.
---
**Home**
"Laura? Laura!" Gio's voice echoed through the house.
The horrific image from earlier replayed in Laura's mind. She got up to get a drink, trying to shake off the residual fear. "What?"
"You've been blanking out since earlier. You okay?" Giovani asked, standing in the kitchen doorway.
Laura nodded as she took a sip of water. "Yeah, just... thinking."
Gio shrugged and walked out of the kitchen.
"What's wrong with Laura?" their mother asked as Gio passed her.
"I don't know. She's been jumpy since we went to the park," Gio replied, hurrying to his room.
Their mother walked into the kitchen, her eyes full of concern. "Laura," she said gently.
Laura looked up to her mother. "I'm okay, Mom... just..."
"I heard you lost your glove. Are you sure nothing happened?" her mother asked worriedly.
Laura burst out in fear. "No, Mom—I saw something—it was really scary and brutal, Mom. I don't know what to do."
Her mother, Lauriana Alguacil, suggested calmly, "Why don't we give Uncle Alonso a call."
Alonso Alguacil, Laura's blood and closest uncle who also happened to be a deputy in their county, knew of her secrets.
Aside from her family, Uncle Alonso was the only one she could turn to.
Laura nodded silently.