Wicked

By Kristen Middleton

(Short Story)

When eighteen-year-old Emily wakes up to find herself being held captive in a barn with four other women and tries to escape, she finds herself being hunted by a dark presence through the deep woods of Montana.

Names, characters, and incidents depicted in this ebook are products of the authors’ imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

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Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

A huge thank you to:

Those who’ve encouraged, inspired, and supported me on this new journey.

Chapter One

I stared up at the white speckled ceiling of my new apartment, still too full of adrenaline to sleep. The excitement of moving out of my parents’ home and starting college in two weeks was beyond exhilarating. Plus, my best friend Betsy was going to join me after she returned from Florida with her parents in a couple of weeks. They’d taken her to Disneyworld as a graduation present, and although she’d been excited about the trip, finding an apartment we could afford together had been the real highlight of the summer. Ever since we’d met in the eighth grade, we’d always talked about going to UMT, living together, and meeting hot college guys. Now our dreams were finally becoming a reality and it made me so giddy, sleep was laughable.

Sighing, I got out of bed and went into the kitchen for a spoonful of creamy peanut butter. It was a nightly habit that sometimes helped me sleep and my parents had purchased a case of it for me as a joke, but I’d been thrilled to receive it.

As I opened the cupboard, I thought of my mother, who seemed to have a knack for catching me with my hand in the peanut butter jar every time I had a craving. She often teased that if I ever stopped, that peanut farms everywhere would go bankrupt.

I grabbed a jar from the shelf, twisted the cap off, and scooped out a large spoonful. Once it was in my mouth, I remembered that I had nothing to wash it down with. Plus, my cups were still packed in one of the boxes and I really didn’t feel like rummaging for them in the middle of the night. Recalling the landlord’s mention of a beverage machine by the swimming pool, I decided to buy a couple bottles of soda and check out the pool.

I put the jar away, washed off the spoon, and went back into my bedroom to change out of my pajamas. As I pulled on a pair of jean shorts, I caught a glimpse of myself in the dresser mirror and was relieved that it was so late. My auburn hair was messy and there was mascara smudged under my lower lashes.

Screw it.

I slipped on an orange sweatshirt, pulled the hood over my head, grabbed a handful of change, and stepped out of my apartment.

Shoving my hands into my sweatshirt pockets, I went downstairs to the lobby and stepped out into the cool darkness, suddenly grateful that my parents had pushed me into Taekwondo three years ago. Although I normally didn’t think much about wandering near my parents’ house late at night, here, however, it was a little disconcerting. Even for a Brown Belt.

I thought of my parents, who were only an hour away, and had acted like I’d moved to a different continent. My mother had been in tears when she’d left earlier, and my dad, well his voice had actually cracked, which truthfully had kind of shocked me. In all my life, I’d never seen my dad cry, even when his own father had passed away. My mother had told me he’d mourned in his own way, and didn’t like people feeling sorry for him. It was kind of weird, but I always assumed it had to do with the fact that he’d served in the military for many years. That it had made him hard. But, this afternoon, he’d kept his eyes down and had given me an extra-long hug before driving away.

Now, thinking of them, I felt a tug on my heart. Although I was excited about the move and starting a new life in college, part of me already longed for them. They’d been strict and demanding, but I’d never doubted their love.

For a long time, I’d felt as if they’d treated me like a baby. Nothing had ever seemed fair, not my early curfews, or any of the other stringent rules they’d enforced. Hell, I hadn’t even been able to sleep at a friend’s house without getting the third degree. They’d always said that they’d trusted me, but not other kids, claiming that they didn’t want me to be influenced by the wrong kind of people. This had seemed like a total joke to me, since Betsy and I hung out with computer geeks and people not really into partying.

And dating?

Well, sadly, I’d only gone out on one date in high school – the prom. My dad had put the poor guy through hell before releasing us. Sure, we’d had fun there – dancing, flirting, even a couple of kisses, but when he’d gotten me home a few minutes late, my dad was waiting for us with an earful for Brian. Needless to say, he never asked me out again and I decided that it wasn’t worth torturing any of the guys at school by going out with them. So, here I was – an eighteen-year-old virgin who’d had one date –

Brian, and had only kissed one person – Brian.

Not that I hadn’t fantasized about other guys. Hell, my dreams were filled with faceless heroes rescuing me from danger. Sexy, brave hunks who would carry me off into the sunset, where I could shower them with kisses. Unfortunately, I always woke up before getting a chance to show my appreciation.

I couldn’t even get lucky in my dreams.

Betsy promised that everything would change in college. There would be guys, parties, and more fun than we’d know what to do with. She said that our lives were just beginning. I prayed she was right. I was all about doing well in college, but I was also ready to start dating. Life was too short.

Pulling my sweatshirt in tighter, I wandered between the buildings towards the pool area. When I arrived at the entrance, the gate was locked.

“Crap,” I mumbled, glaring at the sign. It had closed several hours before.

Annoyed, I turned around and gasped in shock.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you,” said a man, stepping away from the shadows of the building next to the pool.

I stared at his alabaster skin, which seemed to radiate in the darkness. I swallowed hard. “It’s, uh, okay.”

“Little late for a swim, isn’t it?” he asked, standing in front of me. He appeared to be in his late twenties, high cheekbones, a pointy chin, and dark eyes that burned into mine. Although he was certainly nice-looking, there was something off about him. Something creepy.

I took a step back and forced a smile. “I was just going to buy a bottle of soda.”

His lips, which seemed eerily red against his translucent skin, curled up. “Late night craving?”

“Yes. I guess so.”

“I can appreciate that,” he replied, staring at me so intently, that things became more awkward.

I tore my eyes away, and looked past him, as if searching for someone. “Well, I suppose I’d better get back to my place before my boyfriend gets worried and comes looking for me.”

“Boyfriend?”

I looked at him again. “Yes, boyfriend. His name is Brian.”

His eyes, which were blacker than coal, danced in the darkness. “Brian should have volunteered to get you your soda. It’s much too dangerous for a girl to be wandering out here, all alone.”

“Good point,” I said, feeling the hair on the back of my neck stand up. “With that in mind, I guess I really should get back. Excuse me.”

As I tried to step around him, his hand snaked out and grabbed my wrist. “Not so fast.”

I inhaled sharply and instinct took over. I rotated my wrist, snatched my arm away from him, and then quickly hit him in the jaw with an uppercut. It was like hitting a plate of steel.

“Ahhh!” I gasped in pain.

“Nice attempt,” he smiled darkly. “I do applaud your efforts. It amuses me.” He then smacked me back, hitting me in the chin. I fell backwards, landing on the ground.

In pain, but now more furious than anything, I jumped up and swung my leg up to kick him in the chest.

He caught my foot and dug his nails into my ankle cruelly. “You are a fighter, aren’t you?” he said,

grabbing my neck with one of his large, cold hands, holding me in place. “I like that.”

“No, I’m really not,” I whispered hoarsely as I tried to pull his fingers away from my neck. “Please, you’re hurting me. Let me go and I’ll do whatever you want.”

Sighing, he released my neck. “You should have thought of that before you crossed me.”

Crossed him?

I opened my mouth to scream, but he clamped his hand over it with incredible speed. “Uh, uh, uh…” he whispered.

Terrified, I reached between his legs and squeezed as hard as I could.

He roared in pain and released me.

I turned away and began running towards my apartment building, frightened.

“Hey!” hollered a man’s voice from an apartment window above. “You okay down there, miss? You need help?”

Before I could answer, someone grabbed me from behind and I was whisked away into the darkness.

Chapter Two

I slept and my dreams were morbidly disturbing.

I was trapped in some kind of old pine coffin, trying desperately to escape. As I pounded and clawed at the wooden box, I could hear someone digging.

Without a doubt, I knew it was a grave.

My grave.

Each stab at the earth was followed by the sound of dirt being tossed, chilling me to the bone. When the noise of the shovel stopped, I cried out for help, hoping that it was some kind of mistake

“Please!” I screamed again, pounding my fists and kicking my feet against the coffin. “Let me out! I’m alive in here!”

Silence.

“Dammit, I’m not dead! This is a mistake! Someone help me!”

No response.

I sobbed. “I don’t deserve this. Please… let me out of here.”

“Uh, uh, uh…” replied a man, chuckling. “Should have thought of that before you crossed me.”

My eyes snapped open and I sat up. “Oh, my God,” I whispered in horror as my eyes adjusted to surroundings that I did not recognize.

I was in a dimly lit barn, lying on an old wool blanket, and there were three others with me.

“Welcome to your nightmare,” muttered one of the women, who was sitting a few feet away. She looked to be around my mother’s age, had short dark hair, and a painful-looking shiner under her right eye.

“What’s going on?” I asked, getting to my feet. I brushed away some straw from my knees and straightened up. “Where am I?”

The woman with the bruise smiled grimly. “You’re in the Land of Oz. Don’t you remember riding the tornado here?”

I stared at her in confusion. “I…”

Then it all came back to me.

The stranger.

Our fight.

Running and then being grabbed from behind.

The weight of the situation hit me like a sledgehammer. “Oh, God…someone kidnapped me?”

“Oh yeah,” said a girl, walking over. She was not much older than me, with short blond hair and glasses.

“Obviously, you’re not the only one. I’m Amy, by the way.”

“I’m Emily,” I answered in a hollow voice. I looked around the barn, which held no animals or livestock.

Just us.

“I don’t understand, who’s doing this and why?” I asked.

“Do you remember the guy who took you?” asked Amy.

I thought about the man by the pool. Obviously he was involved. “Yeah. I’m sure it was this guy with dark hair and pale skin. He approached me by my apartment building and we fought.”

“He’s one strong son-of-a-bitch,” muttered a dark-skinned girl who was lying down on another blanket, staring up at the roof of the barn. “Something’s not right about him.”

“That’s Tara,” said Amy. “She actually stabbed him with a switchblade.”

Tara turned her face to look at me. “He didn’t even flinch. Stabbed the bastard in the hand and it was as if nothing happened. It was some freaky shit.”

“Uh, did he kidnap all of you?” I asked, not recalling the guy having any kind of wound on his hand when he assaulted me.

“No,” replied Amy, lowering her voice. “There are more of them.” She looked towards the roof of the barn. “They’re probably watching us right now.”

I felt like I was in some kind of twisted horror movie, only this was real. I stared up at the dark shadows of the barn and shivered. “Why are they doing this?”

“I don’t know,” said Amy. “We were all brought in here within the last twenty-four hours.”

“Have you tried to escape?” I said, lowering my voice as I eyed the barn door.

Tara snorted. “Hell no, genius. That didn’t cross any of our minds.”

“Be nice,” said the woman with the bruise. “She’s just as confused as the rest of us and doesn’t deserve any more abuse.”

Tara closed her eyes and sighed. “Yeah, I know. Sorry. I’m just not in the mood for this shit anymore.”

“We’ve tried getting out of here,” said Amy. “But they’ve locked us in from the outside. And…” her lips began to tremble. “Another woman tried climbing up to the loft right after I arrived. But, something killed her up there.”

“What?” I asked, horrified. I looked up towards the loft, which seemed so dark and menacing.

“There’s something up there,” she whispered in an ominous voice, stepping closer to me. “Gloria, the gal who climbed the ladder, she screamed bloody murder when she reached the top. Tried climbing back down, but something pulled her back and dragged her away from the edge. We couldn’t see exactly what was happening.” She grimaced. “But, we all heard it.”

I swallowed. “Something?”

She nodded. “We heard it growling and then it sounded like Gloria was wrestling with it.” Her eyes filled with tears. “I’ll never forget the sounds coming from up there – her cries and something that sounded like hissing. I was so scared, I almost peed my pants.”

“We were all scared,” said the older woman, shaking her head.

“What happened next?” I asked.

Amy wiped a couple of tears from her cheek. “Um, I think she tried crawling back towards the ladder, but never made it.”

“I take it you guys were too scared to do much?” I asked bluntly. “I mean, I’m sure I’d have been scared to death myself.”

“Well, I was going to try and help,” said Tara. “But then I saw all of the blood.”

I shivered. “Blood?”

Amy pointed towards the top of the ladder. “Yeah, if you stand back far enough and get on your tippy-toes, you can kind of see Gloria’s shoulder. There’s blood there. Lots of it.”

I stepped back and looked. Sure enough, someone’s hand appeared to be reaching for the edge, as if she’d been crawling away from something. I couldn’t really see her shoulder, however.

“Did you ever see what attacked her?” I asked.

“Nope,” replied Amy. “Thank God.”

I squinted, trying to see the woman above better, but it was hard since it was still dark outside, and there were only a couple of lit lanterns in the barn. “Do you think it’s still up there?”

“I don’t know and I’m not about to look,” said Amy. “Whatever was up there hasn’t made any noise for the last few hours.”

“I think it might be sleeping,” said the woman with the bruise. “We’ve got to find a way out before it wakes up again.”

Just then, the barn door was opened.

Tara jumped up and we all moved closer together.

Chapter Three

“Ladies,” smiled the man who’d assaulted me earlier. “We have a new addition to your group.”

Standing next to him was another guy with long blond hair, which was pulled into a ponytail, and pale skin. In his burly arms he carried a sleeping girl with short, spiky pink hair. He moved forward and set her down on the floor of the barn.

“Excuse me, guys,” said Tara, folding her arms under her chest. “I have to ask –

what in the hell are we doing here?”

The blond guy smiled a big, toothy grin. “Oh, you’ll find out soon enough. For now, relax and get some rest. You’re going to need it tonight.”

Her dark eyes narrowed. “Is this some kind of freaky sex thing that you’re into? ‘Cause there’s no way in hell I’m going to let anyone put their hands on me. Not without a fight, you know what I’m saying?”

The dark-haired man threw his head back and laughed. “Sex? No. You’d never survive that, I assure you.”

“Please let us go, Martin,” begged the woman with the bruise. “We won’t tell anyone. I swear. Just let us go.”

Martin, my abductor, smiled brightly and I was stunned of how white his teeth were. “Anna, don’t worry, dear, we’ll let you out of here soon enough. By the way, are any of you ladies hungry?”

None of us answered.

“Well, if you’re not now, you will be later and you’ll definitely need your strength. We’ll be back for you later,” said Martin. He motioned to the other man. “Come on, Brandon, it’s almost dawn.”

“Wait,” said Amy, taking a step towards them. “Gloria… um, something killed her. Something in the loft.”

Brandon smiled coldly. “She should have stayed below. I advise all of you to stay away from the loft.”

“Why, what’s up there?” I asked.

“You really don’t want to know,” said Martin, his eyes twinkling. “But rest assured, it won’t harm you unless you venture up there.”

“This is insane!” hollered Anna, raising her hands in exasperation. “Why are you doing this to us? Our families must be worried sick.”

Martin sneered. “Really? You think your husband, the one who gave you a black eye, is worried about where you are at the moment? Or Tara, do you really think anyone is missing you? Face it, nobody even knows you’re missing, and if they do, they’re not going to be searching for you in the next couple of days.”

“My parents will be worried,” I protested, wondering how he knew so much about our personal lives. “They’re definitely going to know that something is very wrong.”

“Well, maybe your ‘boyfriend’ can tell them you’ve been kidnapped. Hmm?” said Martin.

I glared at him. “What in the heck is wrong with you? Don’t you realize what you’re doing is illegal? You’re going to go to jail unless you let us go!”

Brandon chuckled. “The little one amuses me. That’s the one who almost got the best of you?” he asked.

“She fights dirty,” replied Martin.

“I fight dirty?” I snapped, clenching my jaw. “You’re the one who kidnapped all of us. You can’t get much dirtier than that.”

He grinned. “You have a point.”

I stared at him incredulously. “You act like this is some kind of game. A woman has died and you are acting like it’s no big deal. You’ve got some serious issues.”

The smile fell from his face. “Behave and we’ll let you out of the barn tonight. You can leave here and never look back. If you try and escape beforehand, however, you’ll fail,” his eyes narrowed, “and die quite painfully.”

His words made my stomach clench tightly. As insane as it sounded, death was obviously within reason with these guys.

“If you promise to let us go,” said Anna, “I’ll cooperate. As long as I know that thing upstairs is restrained somehow.”

“You’re safe down here,” replied Martin, looking up towards the loft. “That’s all you have to remember.”

Tara snorted. “And we should trust you?”

“Whether you do or not is completely up to you. I don’t think you have much choice though, do you?” stated Martin.

She clenched her jaw and looked away.

“Remember, obey us and you’ll be free to leave the barn later,” said Brandon, walking towards the door.

“What about Gloria’s body?” asked Anna.

Martin and Brandon looked at each other.

“We’ll take care of it,” said Martin. “Later.”

“Now would be better,” said Tara.

“I’m sure it would,” said Brandon, laughing.

I watched as the two men left and locked us inside once again, wondering if we should have tried making a run for it or tried rushing them as a team.

“This is crazy,” said Amy. “I just don’t get it. Why would they keep us in here just to let us go without expecting something?”

“Oh, they expect something,” said Anna, her forehead wrinkling. “We just don’t know what it is yet.”

“Okay, is it me, or are those two of the whitest people on this planet,” said Tara. “I don’t want to sound racist or anything, but they’re so damn white, they glow.”

“It is kind of creepy,” said Amy. “My skin has always been pale but they make me appear tan. Maybe they’re sick?”

I walked over to the girl with the pink hair and knelt down beside her. She was looking pretty pale herself and I wondered if she was even alive. “Maybe they’re albino,” I said, reaching out to touch her forehead.

Her eyes popped open and she backed away in terror.

“Wait,” I said, smiling reassuringly. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

“Where am I?” she asked, her eyes darting around.

“You’ve been kidnapped,” I replied. “Just like us.”

“Kidnapped?” she squeaked. “I’ve been kidnapped?”

I nodded. “Unfortunately. Do you remember anything?”

“Um, yeah… I… Oh, God,” her green eyes filled with tears. “I was at this club with my boyfriend, Danny, and we got into this major fight. I left him at the club and started walking home when this man approached me from out of nowhere… and that’s all I really remember.”

“He brought you here,” I said, standing up. “He brought all of us here.”

She looked around at all of us. “But, why?”

“That is the question,” I replied.

Chapter Four

We took turns sleeping and guarding each other. When the sun rose, the barn started getting warmer and within a couple of hours, the scent of Gloria’s dead body was so pungent, my stomach began to roll.

“Poor Gloria,” said Anna, shaking her head sadly. “She must have been so terrified.”

Tara stood and walked to the barn door. She grabbed the handle and tried pulling at it. “Poor Gloria? Poor us… she’s dead and we’re still trapped in here. With it.”

I glanced up towards the loft uneasily, wondering if it was awake.

Clenching her jaw, Tara smacked the wood with the palm of her hand several times. “Dammit, I just can’t take it anymore!” she growled, turning back towards us. “I mean, really, we shouldn’t just sit around here and do nothing! Make it easy for them? You know they’re not going to just let us go.”

“Exactly,” I agreed. “Why would they go through all of this trouble?”

“Maybe they’ve sent ransom letters to our families,” said Amy.

“Is your family rich?” I asked.

She shook her head.

“Well, either is mine. I doubt this is for money,” I replied.

“My mama is so broke, she can’t even afford to pay rent next month,” muttered Tara. “If these guys are doing it for money, they’d better change careers ‘cause they don’t know what they’re doing.”

Marie, the girl with the pink hair, moved next to Tara. “Not to change the subject, but have you guys

tried throwing all of your weight against it at once?”

“Yes, several times last night,” said Anna.

I walked over to the barn door. “Let’s at least try again. It’s better than doing nothing.”

“That’s what I’ve been saying,” said Tara. “We have to keep trying and not just give up.”

Marie, Tara, and I tried pushing and even kicking at the door several times, but just like Anna had said, the door appeared to be impenetrable.

Marie turned around and stared up by the loft. “Hey, there’s an open window up there.” She started walking towards the ladder.

“No!” I yelled, grabbing her arm. “There’s something up there. It’s too dangerous.”

Marie looked at me like I was nuts. “What are you talking about?”

“Haven’t you been paying attention?” asked Tara incredulously. “There’s a dead body up there. Why do you think it smells so bad in here? Nobody living can produce that kind of stench.”

“A dead body?” she asked, backing up. She stood up on her tiptoes. “Where? I don’t see anything.”

I backed up too and noticed in shock that the body had indeed disappeared.

“Seriously. Did anyone notice that Gloria’s body was missing?” asked Tara.

Nobody answered.

“Dead body or not, I need to get out of this place,” said Marie, pacing. “My dad’s going to ground me for a month if he notices that I never made it home last night.”

“Marie, if you make it out of here, you’re going to embrace being grounded,” said Anna, smiling grimly. “And I’m sure your dad will understand when he finds out that you were kidnapped.”

“I doubt it. He’s always yelling and screaming at me,” she muttered, kicking at some dirt with her high-tops. “Hell, he’ll probably tell me that I deserved it since I was out last night and should have been home doing homework.”

“Nobody deserves this,” I said, trying to see if I could catch a glimpse of Gloria’s body above. The sun was shining down into the cracks of the barn and it no longer seemed as ominous. I wondered if the thing had left.

“Still, I’ve got to get out of here. Has anyone seen a pitchfork lying around? The barns in the movies all have pitchforks lying around somewhere.”

“Jesus, girl, this isn’t a damn movie,” huffed Tara, leaning back against the barn door. She folded her arms under her chest. “Obviously, they didn’t leave us with anything we could use against them.”

Marie bit her lower lip and began moving towards the ladder once more. “Still, we have to try the loft window. It’s our only chance of escaping.”

“Don’t, Marie. There’s some kind of animal up there. It killed Gloria,” said Amy, her eyes wide. “If you go up there, you’re going to get hurt.”

Marie began climbing the ladder. “Seriously, though, I don’t see or hear anything. Whatever was up there is long gone.”

I grabbed her ankle. “Please, listen to us. Even our kidnappers told us not to go up there.”

She tilted her head. “Well, duh… that’s because they don’t want any of us to escape,” she said, looking down at me. “Just chill out, you guys. I’ll be fine. I’m really good with animals, anyway. My Uncle Tom used to raise dogs that were interbred with wolves.” She smiled. “He called me the dog whisperer.”

“I don’t think there’s a dog up there. Now, just come back down here before you get hurt,” I pleaded.

Before she could answer, there was a noise outside of the barn door and then two men wearing overalls and holding shotguns entered.

“What the hell you doing, girl?” asked the older man with a scowl on his face. He was short, with long stringy white hair and neglected brownish-yellow teeth. He spit out a wad of chew. “Didn’t they warn ya to stay away from the loft?”

Marie jumped off the ladder. “Uh, sorry.”

The younger man had a receding hairline and appeared to be in his forties with gaunt cheeks and red-rimmed eyes. He looked like he either had a bad hangover or was sickly. “Come on now,” he muttered in a gruff voice. “You’re all supposed to follow us into the house.”

“Why?” asked Tara, glaring at the men.

“You want to eat, don’t ’cha?” he snapped impatiently. “Now don’t ask questions and do what you’re told. We ain’t going to hurt you unless you give us a reason to. Got it?”

“Okay,” said Anna. “We’ll do what you want. Please, just don’t shoot anyone.”

“Listen,” said Marie. “I really have to get home. My dad is gonna freak out when he realizes I’m not there.”

The older man raised his gun. “Our orders are to feed you and nothing else.”

“Those men kidnapped us and broke the law,” I said. “You have to help us.”

“Save your breath, missy,” said the older man, his eyes hardening. “We ain’t lettin’ you go. Shit, if we did, our lives would be in danger. Now, get your butts moving so we can feed you, like they told us to.”

The fact that he was actually scared of the other two men wasn’t lost on me. “Take us to the nearest police station and we’ll all be safe.”

“We’re safe,” interrupted the younger man, scowling. “If you don’t start moving your butts, you won’t be. Now, git.”

Frustrated but relieved that we were leaving the barn, I followed the others, wondering if anyone was thinking about making a run for it. When we stepped outside into the fresh air, however, my heart sunk – we were in the middle of nowhere, just like on one of those freaky horror movies where there is nothing but land and a spooky old farmhouse, which we were now being herded towards.

“Don’t any of you try any funny stuff,” the younger man warned, walking behind me. “I’ll shoot any one of your asses from here to the cornfield.”

Feeling anxious and tense, I followed Anna up the rickety steps leading to the porch and entered the house with the others. As we walked into the foyer, the smell of cooked meat made my stomach growl.

“This way towards the dining room,” said the old man, leading the way.

As we walked through the darkened house, I noticed that the windows were covered with thick curtains and the furniture, which looked old and worn, had all been covered with sheets. It was definitely a house that didn’t seem lived in.

It made everything that much more eerie.

When we reached the dining room, we all stopped and stared in surprise at the long oak table, which held a large turkey and all of the trimmings.

“Wow,” said Amy, biting her lower lip. “Is this really for us?”

“Yeah, go sit down,” said the younger man, nudging me forward.

Stunned, I sat down and stared at the large quantity of food spread before us – turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, bread, and even a bowl of cranberries. My mouth began to water.

“What, no gravy?” mumbled Tara.

“Just shut your yap and start eating,” said the older man.

“This is just weird,” whispered Amy, sitting next to me. “Who kidnaps someone and then feeds them like this? I don’t like it.”

“I know,” I replied, wondering myself. It just didn’t make any sense.”

“So, now you’re going to poison us?” remarked Tara, sitting across from me. “Is that what this is about?”

“Nothing’s wrong with this food, girl,” said the older man. He leaned over the table and grabbed one of the turkey legs. “See,” he said, tearing at a piece of meat with his teeth. “It’s good,” he said, with his mouth full. “Now eat before it gets cold.”

“Who made this food?” asked Marie, sitting down on the other side of me.

“Never you mind, missy,” replied the old man, dropping strands of turkey from his mouth as he talked. “Just eat.”

“Why don’t you join us?” said Anna, staring at the younger man. “Obviously there’s enough food here for an army.”

“No, we’re just supposed to make sure you eat,” he replied, although he was staring at the food hungrily.

“Well, I’m not eating any of this until I know it’s not poisoned,” said Tara, folding her hands under her

chest. “I’d rather die from your gun than get poisoned by potatoes. Would be much quicker.”

“Go on, Darnell,” said the older man, picking at something between his teeth. “Dig in.”

Darnell bit his lower lip. “Well, if you think we won’t get in any trouble, Clement…”

“Hell, we’re gonna get in trouble if they don’t eat,” said the old man. He tossed the turkey leg behind him and wiped his hands on his overalls. “Now, grab a plate of food and show them that the food is fine.”

Darnell wasted no time. He took a plate and began filling it with heaping portions of food, and then sat down at the other end of the long oak table, his gun close to his side.

The smell of the food was really getting to me and my stomach growled loudly again.

“That’s good enough evidence for me,” said Marie, grabbing a plate of her own as Darnell began shoveling food into his mouth. “I haven’t had this kind of food since my grandma died years ago.”

I stared at the food hungrily, but the niggling voice inside wouldn’t let me grab a plate.

“Hey,” said the old man, motioning towards the food. “Whatcha waiting for, Red?”

I despised being called “Red”. My hair was more brown than red, but it never seemed to matter. Resisting the urge to snap back at him, I replied slowly, “I’m not feeling very well. Kind of nauseous, actually.”

“You’ll feel better if you eat something,” he replied, staring at me with his watery gray eyes.

“I don’t think so,” I answered, slouching down in the chair. “I’m feeling pretty bad.”

Clement cocked the gun and pointed it at me. “Trust me, you have no idea how bad you’re gonna feel if you don’t eat.”

More angry than scared, I clenched my jaw, grabbed a plate, and began filling it with food.

He lowered the gun.

Just then, there was the sound of a grandfather clock chiming in a nearby room. The two men looked at each other uneasily.

“So, what happened to the other two guys?” asked Tara, pushing the stuffing and turkey around on her plate with her fork. “Did they crawl back to their holes?”

“I’d watch my mouth if I was you,” said Clement. “Those fellers aren’t the kind you want to piss off.”

Tara’s cocked an eyebrow and sneered. “You mean the kind of sicko pricks who enjoy torturing innocent people?”

I thought she’d nailed it on the head, but Clement shook his head. “They’re much worse than that. Now, shut your trap and eat before they get back to the house.”

She put her fork down. “Why are you so worried about us eating? I just don’t get that.”

“Cause we were ordered to make sure you eat,” said Clement. “So eat.”

“Ordered or paid to threaten and torture innocent women and children?” I muttered, glaring up at him.

His lips thinned. “Looky here, we haven’t tortured any of you…”

“Clement,” warned Darnell. “Enough.”

Clement let out a ragged sigh. “Just eat your food, dammit, and quit asking questions.”

Sighing myself, I stuck a forkful of turkey into my mouth.

“Um, I have to use the bathroom,” said Marie, who seemed to be playing with her food.

“Oh, hell,” said Darnell, putting his fork down. “Why does this not surprise me?”

“Please,” she said, smiling sheepishly. “I’m sorry, I just can’t help it.”

“Fine. Anyone else need to go?” he asked, standing up.

We all raised our hands.

“Women,” muttered Clement. “Okay, one at a time. I’ll watch the ones at the table while you bring ‘em to the toilet.”

“Okay. Let’s go. You first,” said Darnell, waving his gun at Marie.

Something in her eyes told me she was planning to do more than pee. “Wait,” I said, pushing myself away from the table. “We should go two at a time. It will be much quicker.”

Darnell eyed me suspiciously.

I tilted my head. “What? Do you think we’re going to try and escape down the toilet together or something?

Tara snorted.

He gave me a dirty look.

“Come on. Going together makes much more sense, doesn’t it?” I prodded. “It’ll take half the time.”

He relented. “Fine.”

I stepped away from the table and he moved behind the both of us, his gun near the back of my neck. “Down the hall to the right,” he ordered. “Then up the stairs. Keep your voices down.”

I followed Marie to a dilapidated staircase, which was old and creaked with every step. When we reached the top, it was dark. “It’s down there. Keep your voices down or you’ll regret it.”

When we reached the bathroom, we closed the door, separating him from us.

Marie leaned against the doorway and sighed.

I put my finger to my lips and walked to the window. It was small, but definitely escapable. I tried pushing it open, but it wouldn’t budge.

“What’s going on in there?” whispered Darnell as Marie and I stared at each other. “It’s too quiet.”

“Jesus, can I take my jeans off?” Marie hollered back.

“Shh…” he answered.

Marie stared down at the toilet, which was surprisingly clean. “Did anyone ever tell this guy that it’s impolite and more than a little weird to listen to someone trying to go potty?”

“Just do it,” he grunted from the outside of the door.

She smirked. “It’d be a lot easier without a guy listening in.”

I tried the window again, this time with success.

“Sorry, Emily,” lied Marie loudly. “I must have eaten something really bad. This is going to take a few minutes. Back up, Darnell, or you’re going to be in for a real unpleasant treat.”

Biting back a smile, I stuck my head out of the window and wondered if breaking a leg would be worth trying to escape.

It was a long way down.

“Go,” she whispered into my ear.

Taking a deep breath, I pulled myself out of the window and started crawling down the lower section of the roof. When I reached the edge, I sighed in relief, it wasn’t as high up as I’d originally thought. I turned and lowered my body, until I was hanging from the edge. I then dropped down onto the porch, followed by Marie, who was now sporting a pair of sunglasses.

“Come on,” she said, pulling me forward.

As we started running, I could hear Darnell screaming from the bathroom window.

“Bye, suckers!” laughed Marie as we ran away from the house and towards the fields.

“What about the others?” I hollered, looking back. “We can’t just leave them!”

“We have to. We’ll get help… send someone to rescue them. Come on, before it’s too late!”

We ran as fast as we could away from the house, next to the dirt road leading away from the farm. It seemed to go on for miles and as I looked ahead, I knew we’d be caught if we didn’t get away from the open road.

“We need to go into the woods,” I pointed towards the trees up ahead. “Otherwise, they’ll catch us for sure.”

“Okay,” she huffed.

Just as we made it to the cover of the trees, we heard an engine in the distance.

“Keep going, Marie!” I prodded.

“Wait!” she gasped, as she was lagging farther behind.

I glanced back.

She held her side. “I should have never started smoking!”

“Just keep running and don’t look back,” I hollered, as we headed deeper into the woods.

“Yeah… sure… where are we going?” she gasped out.

“I’m not sure,” I yelled back, leaping over a large branch. “But we have to keep moving!”

“Wait!” cried Marie.

Groaning, I stopped and turned around.

She was bent over with her hands on her knees, panting. “Yeah… I just have to… catch my breath.”

I stared past her towards the direction of the road, expecting Darnell to come barreling through the trees.

“Do you think he saw us?” she asked.

“Probably. We really need to keep moving.”

She straightened up. “Okay.”

We started running again, going even deeper into the woods. Once I thought we were fairly safe, I stopped to rest.

“Where are we?” she asked, leaning her palm against a birch tree.

“I don’t know,” I replied, looking around. It was hard to see anything with so many tall trees. I couldn’t even tell if we were headed towards the mountains.

She frowned. “Great, we’re lost.”

“Well, it’s certainly better than being a prisoner.”

She closed her eyes and touched the bridge of her nose. “God, my dad is going to flip out.”

“Would you quit worrying about him?” I said. “He’s the least of your worries right now.”

“Oh, if you knew him, you’d say differently. He can be a real monster.”

“Come on. Let’s just get moving.”

“What if we’re heading farther into the wilderness? We could get really lost.”

I bit my lower lip.

She was right. The deeper we went, the higher our risk of bumping into something a lot scarier than our captors – bears, mountain lion, even moose. There was no way we’d be able to defend ourselves against them.

“Maybe we should wait here for a while and then head back the way we came before sunset. When it’s dark, we can follow the dirt road to the nearest town,” said Marie.

“Wherever that may be. Something tells me I’m a long way from home.”

“Where are you from?” she asked.

“Missoula.”

“I’m from Polson.”

“I wonder where we are?”

“I’m not sure,” she replied with a smirk. “I left my map at home.”

I grunted.

“You okay?” she asked.

“I’m just so thirsty. What about you?”

“Me too,” she replied.

I wiped the sweat from my forehead. “We need to find water.”

“Even if we do, it’s probably not safe to drink anything not bottled or out of a tap.”

She was probably right. “Maybe, but we need to stay hydrated.”

It was warm, in the eighties, we hadn’t drunk anything for hours, and we’d just run what felt like a marathon. I needed to find something to drink – and soon.

I wiped more sweat from my face and noticed that I was feeling dizzy. “I don’t feel well.”

Marie stepped closer. Her forehead wrinkled. “You’re very pale. You should sit down.”

I swallowed. “Yeah, you’re right. Just for a little while… it won’t hurt, I suppose.” I staggered over to a large tree and slid down until I was leaning against the base of the tree.

She walked over to me and knelt down. “Don’t worry. Rest. I’ll keep watch.”

My eyes felt heavy. “Okay. Thanks.”

Marie touched my shoulder and squeezed it. “Just rest,” she repeated, staring into my eyes. “Sleep.”

“Yeah. Okay,” I whispered, falling asleep.

Chapter Five

I opened my eyes. It was dark and all I could hear were crickets chirping in the shadows and leaves blowing in the trees.

As I blinked and stared in confusion, everything came rushing back. Martin, the barn, Gloria’s body in the loft, escaping from the rooftop with Marie.

“Marie,” I croaked, my throat sore.

She didn’t answer.

I stood up and shivered. The temperature had to have fallen by at least twenty degrees.

“Marie?” I whispered loudly, brushing at a small spider on my sleeve.

Where in the hell was Marie?

Something moved in the bushes ahead of me and I froze. I stared at it for a few seconds, holding my breath.

Probably a squirrel or small animal, I told myself.

Hoping that I was just being paranoid and Marie had also fallen asleep somewhere nearby, I began searching for her.

“Marie,” I called out again, my voice echoing in the night.

The moon was full but the darkness made it hard to see much of anything. I called out for her a couple more times as I walked around, but she didn’t answer. After a while, I began to wonder if she’d decided to abandon me, or worse – she’d wandered gotten lost.

Just then, the sound of twigs snapping made me jump. I whipped around, but found myself alone.

I released my breath and told myself to calm down. It was a forest and there were small animals everywhere. I began walking again, praying that I was headed in the right direction, whichever that was.

“Emily….”

Alarmed, I stopped and looked around, unsure if I’d imagined the voice. A gust of wind blew my hair and I brushed off the sound, blaming it on the wind and my overactive imagination.

Shivering, I shoved my hands into my sweatshirt pockets and began walking through the woods again. After a few steps, however, something made me look up into the trees. A pair of reddish-orange eyes stared back down at me and I gasped in horror.

That was not an owl.

Terrified, I began to run.

“Emily…”

This time there was no doubt in my mind that someone or something was calling my name. The voice was eerie, with an almost feminine quality.

I pushed myself forward, the blood rushing to my ears as the voice called my name again, this time followed by mocking laughter.

“You can’t escape…”

Scared to death, I choked back a sob and kept running, my legs moving faster than I’d have ever thought possible. Soon my eyes filled with tears, making it harder for me to see, and before I could blink them away, I tripped over something on the ground and flew forward onto my knees.

“Emily…”

I scrambled back onto my feet, trying to ignore the throbbing in my left knee, but the hot intensity of the pain was overwhelming.

“How did that feel?”

I turned around to find Martin staring at me, his eyes like hot cinders. He stepped towards me. “Funny how we keep meeting at night.”

I backed away from him. “Don’t you fucking come near me!”

“Such foul language,” he said with a chuckle.

“I mean it, Martin. I’m not afraid of you, and I’m certainly not going to let you take me back to that barn.”

He sighed. “Come on now. You disobeyed, Emily. Now you have to learn to deal with the consequences.”

“Look, you can’t just kidnap someone and expect them not to try and escape.”

He didn’t say anything, just stared at me quietly. Expecting me to obey him.

Fuck it.

I turned around and started limping away. Twenty steps later, I found him blocking my path.

How had he gotten in front of me?

“Surprise,” he said, grinning smugly. “See, you can’t possibly escape. So why even bother running? I mean… limping.”

Sick of his arrogance, I clenched my fists and decided that I wasn’t going to go down without a fight. “So now what?” I hollered. “You’re going to teach me a lesson by killing me?”

His eyes glittered in the darkness. “If it were left to me, I wouldn’t, but...”

“What’s wrong with your eyes?” I interrupted. They were beginning to glow an eerie reddish-orange color.

He took a step towards me. “You know, your fire intrigues me,” he said, reaching forward. He put his finger under my chin and raised it. “It’s… exciting, actually.”

I felt like I was in a trance as he caressed the side of my cheek with the pad of his finger.

“Truth is, I’m not quite sure what to do with you,” he whispered, eyeing me appraisingly.

I swallowed hard.

His lips curved up and something warm and delicious ignited deep within me as our eyes held. It spread from my pelvis all the way to my fingertips.

“What’s happening?” I whispered, my legs turning to jelly.

He put a hand around my waist to hold me up and slid the other one behind my neck. “Don’t fight it,” he whispered, staring into my eyes.

I couldn’t understand what was happening. A minute ago I wanted to get as far away from him as possible. Now, thoughts of his lips on mine made me tingle all over. As if he could read my thoughts, he lowered his mouth towards mine and I held my breath.

“Emily,” he said in a husky voice. “Your scent is driving me crazy. I don’t know whether to kiss you or…”

“Kiss me,” I whispered, anticipating his mouth, hungry for it.

“Stop!” ordered a strong voice behind us.

Martin growled and released me.

I fell to the ground.

“What in the hell are you doing?” snapped Marie angrily, staring at Martin.

He put his hands behind his back and stood with his legs apart, glaring at her in silence.

“Marie!” I gasped, standing up. “Thank God you’re okay!” She turned to me and I noticed in shock that her eyes were glowing the same way Martin’s had just moments ago.

She smiled coldly and turned back to Martin. “I’m fine. But I’ll be better after I feed. Obviously there’s been a holdup.”

Feed?

“Forget this one,” said Martin in a clipped voice. “Let me have her.”

Marie snorted. “Oh, you’d like that, wouldn’t you? Keep her as a pet?”

“What in the hell is going on?” I asked, my eyes darting between the two of them.

“You know the rules,” said Marie, ignoring me. “She’s mine.”

Realizing now that Marie wasn’t exactly who she said she was, and obviously a bigger threat than Martin, I moved closer to him.

Martin swore under his breath. “I’m sorry, Emily. You’d better run. I wish there was something I could do.”

I stared at him in confusion. “Do? About what?”

“Martin,” warned Marie.

He clenched his jaw. “Please, get… out… of… here. Now.”

Marie smiled broadly, her teeth glowing in the darkness. “Yes, run away. I live for the hunt. It’s much more fun.”

I stared at the fangs between her lips in disbelief.

Fangs?

“Listen, I’ll give you a thirty-second head start,” she said. “And there will be no help from Martin. I’m telling my father, by the way. When he’s recovered fully.”

He rolled his eyes. “Your threats don’t frighten me, Celeste.”

I looked at her. “Celeste?”

“Marie is my middle name.” She wrinkled her nose. “By the way, why are you still here?”

I have to be dreaming, I thought. It’s the only thing that made sense.

Not needing any more prodding, I turned and began limping through the woods, away from the strange couple, convinced that any minute I’d wake up in my bed. Obviously, sleeping in a new place and a late-night snack of peanut butter had corrupted my dreams, giving me nightmares.

I clenched my jaw as the pain in my knee grew worse.

Strange, I never remembered feeling pain in any of my other dreams.

As these thoughts ran through my head, I noticed a structure up ahead, past the trees. With a renewed surge of hope, I made a beeline towards it, certain that things had to get start getting better. My hope was soon squashed, however, when I realized where in the hell I was.

“No,” I gasped in disbelief.

I’d somehow backtracked and ended up at the barn.

Trying not to panic, I looked around the property, noticing the house was lit up like a Christmas tree. I wondered if the others were still alive, but I was too chicken to find out. Injured and thirsty, I couldn’t be of much help to anyone at the moment.

Wincing as another hot rush of pain seared through my knee, I decided to hide in the barn before Martin and Marie, or whatever her damn name was, found me. Obviously, they were both nuts.

I peeked inside of the barn. It was dark and appeared empty. As I limped inside, I heard a soft moan and froze.

“Help me,” a girl’s voice pleaded.

I stared up towards the loft. “Tara?”

She didn’t answer.

Taking a deep breath, I walked over to the ladder. “Don’t worry, I’m coming to help you.”

“Emily,” she moaned. “Help me.”

I started climbing the ladder, wondering exactly what I was going to find above. Fairly certain that it was still a dream and that nothing could really hurt me, I willed myself up each step. When I reached the top and looked over the edge, I saw her.

“Tara?”

She was lying down on her back, her head facing the wall.

“Hey,” I whispered, crawling over the edge and onto the wooden platform. “Are you okay?”

She didn’t answer.

Wondering if she’d fallen asleep, I crawled over to her. “Tara,” I whispered, touching her shoulder.

She turned her face to me and I gasped in horror.

“I can’t tell you how happy I am to see you,” she said, smiling broadly.

I stared down at her glowing red eyes and sharp teeth that were definitely inhuman. “Ohmygod! Tara, what did they do to you?”

Her hand snaked out and grabbed my throat. “I’m so hungry, Emily,” she said, her eyes glowing even brighter. “Please understand that this isn’t anything… personal.”

I tried prying her fingers away from my neck, but I couldn’t.

She smiled. “I know, right? I’m so freaking strong now. It’s amazing.”

Frightened and hysterical, I tried scratching at her eyes, but she was fast, blocking all of my attempts. We started rolling around and soon she was on top, staring down at me with triumph. “Well, it’s been… real.”

I tried flipping her off of me, but she held me in place with thighs that were incredibly powerful. “Please,” I gasped.

“You shouldn’t have tried escaping without me,” she said, baring her fangs. “Although, I’m not really complaining much. I had an awesome time with Brandon. That guy knows his way around a girl; you know what I’m saying?”

I didn’t have a clue.

Unable to move, I closed my eyes and prayed that this was still just part of a nightmare. Mercifully, before her teeth ripped into my neck, my prayers were answered.

Well, almost.

Her hands released me and I opened my eyes to find Marie holding Tara by the throat over the edge of the loft. Tara’s eyes were bulging as she tried unwrapping Marie’s fingers from her throat as she hung helplessly.

“Nobody steals from me,” growled Marie.

I scooted away on the ground, but something grabbed me from behind.

“No!” I screamed, flailing my arms and legs.

“This one’s a fighter to the bitter end,” said the man holding me, his voice raspy. He tightened his grip and pulled my hair away from my neck. “Oh, but the scent of her fear is… delicious.”

Marie dropped Tara, who’d passed out, over the edge and turned towards us. “Daddy, you’re awake.”

“Lucky for me. Tara fed from me while I slept,” he growled angrily. “Good thing I woke up before she got too far. I almost killed her, but this one walked into the barn before I could finish the job.”

She scowled. “How did Tara change?”

He sighed. “Apparently, Brandon had his way with her.”

“Brandon?” she fumed. “Are you sure it wasn’t Martin?”

“Oh, it was Brandon. I heard her tell this one,” he said, sniffing my neck.

I shuddered.

“Don’t worry – I’ll take care of him once I feed. Nobody cheats on my daughter.”

“Please, let me go,” I begged.

“You’re still not fully healed,” she replied, ignoring me. Her eyes softened. “Why don’t you have this one?

“Oh, I plan on it,” he said. “But don’t worry, Celeste. We’ll get you fed before we reach Shore Lake.”

My eyes filled with tears. “Please, let me go.”

Celeste, or whatever her name was, walked over and kneeled next to me. “You should be honored,” she said, wiping a tear from my cheek. “Your blood will help daddy regain the rest of his strength.”

I glared at her. “You people are all crazy.”

She tilted her head and smiled. “Poor thing… you still don’t get it, do you?”

My eyes narrowed. “No. Why don’t you enlighten me?”

Her eyes left mine and moved to her father. “Daddy? Why don’t you show her?”

He released me and I scooted away. When I turned around and finally had my first glimpse of the creature holding me, I gasped in revulsion.

He smiled coldly. “How’s this for enlightenment?”

Although he had dark hair and bright blue eyes, it was the only thing humanly recognizable. With his lack of skin and organs exposed, he reminded me of something I’d seen in a science book – a body without skin.

I shuddered in revulsion.

“This is what happens when you’re doused with gasoline and lit on fire,” he rasped. “Yes, people actually did this to me on purpose.” His eyes narrowed. “Your father, being one of them.”

I stared at him in disbelief. “My father?”

Marie laughed coldly. “Your father, Tara’s father, Amy’s uncle, and Anna’s husband. Oh, and Gloria’s husband. You never got the chance to meet her. Daddy did, though, didn’t you?”

“Yes. Unfortunately, she just wasn’t enough to fix all of this damage,” he said, looking down at himself. “Hopefully, your blood along with the others… will do the trick.”

“I had nothing to do with this,” I protested, wishing I’d just wake up soon. This dream was disturbing and not getting any better.

“No, but your father’s platoon did and I had to suffer being buried alive. If it wasn’t for my children finding me…” He coughed several times.

“Daddy?” said Celeste.

He cleared his throat and raised his hand. “I’m okay.” After several seconds, his eyes drifted back to mine. “I had to endure twenty years of being trapped underground. You have no idea how something like that can destroy a man’s will to live.” He closed his eyes. “How many times a day, I prayed for death and asked for God’s mercy. Well, my prayers were ignored.” He opened his eyes. “The only other thing that kept me sane was planning my revenge the last few years. Vengeance against those who buried me alive.”

I swallowed. “Vengeance? You mean, killing innocent people.”

“Unfortunately, yes. I agree… you’re all innocent, but losing you will hurt your father more than his own death.”

“There’s another way.”

We all turned to see Martin standing next to the loft window.

“What do you mean?” asked the ghoulish creature.

“He tried killing you because of what you are. What if we make his daughter a Roamer too?” said Martin.

A Roamer?

“No!” hollered Celeste. “You just want her for yourself, that’s why you’re coming up with this nonsense.”

His eyes flickered to me. “I won’t lie, I fancy Emily. But, still… think about it. She will become what he tried to destroy.” he smiled. “It’s poetic justice.”

He sighed. “Son…”

Martin moved closer. “Father, I’ve never asked for much. You know that.”

“That’s because he hasn’t seen you in twenty years,” muttered Celeste.

As they argued my fate, I looked around the barn, wondering what I was going to do. There was no way I’d allow them to make me a Roamer, whatever the hell that meant. And dying… well obviously that had to be far worse and more painful.

I thought about my overprotective father and it was obvious how he figured into this dream. After everything I’d seen, and now hearing this nonsense of how the creature before me had been buried alive for twenty years, I was now fully convinced that I was sleeping.

Well, it was time to wake up.

“Okay,” I said, standing up. “This is the longest nightmare I’ve ever had and… well… I’m really sick of being in it.”

They all stared at me.

I sighed. “Look, I have a lot of things to do before school starts – unpacking, grocery shopping, finding a part-time job. Anyway, it’s been interesting, but… I really need to wake up, so,” I turned towards the edge of the loft. “I’m waking up.”

“Emily!” hollered Martin.

Ignoring him, I stepped off the ledge and dropped, expecting to wake up in my warm bed.

Instead I landed with a loud thud.

The pain was excruciating at first. And then, there was nothing.

Martin flew down from the loft and kneeled next to me. He touched my arm, but I couldn’t feel anything.

“Oh, Emily,” he sighed.

I tried to speak, but couldn’t.

“Is she alive?” asked Celeste, staring down at me.

Yes, I am!

“She’s blinking,” said Martin, his eyes softening.

“Look at the way she landed. She probably shattered every bone in her body,” said Celeste.

I didn’t hear his answer because everything went black.

Chapter Six

I opened my eyes and heaved a huge sigh of relief.

“Thank God,” I said, sitting up in bed. I chuckled and stood up. “No more peanut butter before bed. Never again.”

Hell, the thought of peanut butter almost made me nauseous.

My cell phone rang.

I walked over to my dresser and picked it up.

My dad.

“Hi, dad.”

“Where in the hell have you been?” he growled.

“In bed, sleeping?” I replied, rolling my eyes. I looked at my alarm clock and it was only nine-thirty in the morning. “I guess I slept in a little.”

“Don’t be a smartass,” he said. “Your mother and I have been worried sick about you. Jesus, we almost took a trip back out there to make sure you were okay. But we promised to give you your space and… oh, hell, maybe this apartment was a mistake.”

“What are you talking about?” I asked.

“Have you checked your phone lately?”

“No, I just woke up. I had a late night.”

“I guess. Look, we’ve left you several messages the last couple of days and heard nothing from you. Your poor mother has been on the brink of a nervous breakdown not hearing back from you.”

“Last couple of days?” I asked, confused.

“Yeah, it’s Saturday.”

I paused. Did he just really say Saturday?

“Emily.”

“Uh, yeah”

“Are you okay?” he asked. “You aren’t doing drugs now, are you?”

“No!” I protested.

“Your mother wants to talk to you.”

She got on the phone. “What’s going on, Emily?”

“Uh, nothing. I’m fine,” I lied.

“Do you want us to come and get you?”

“No,” I said, rubbing the bridge of my nose. “Mom, I’m fine. Look, I have to go to the bathroom. I’ll call you guys back in an hour or so.”

“Okay, honey. Are you sure you’re okay?”

No.

Was it really Saturday?

Am I still dreaming?

“Yes, I’m fine.”

“Okay. Call us back as soon as you can, dear.”

“I will.”

“I love you, honey.”

“I love you, too, Mom.”

We hung up and I looked at my phone. Sure enough, it showed Saturday and several missed calls.

Dazed, I shuffled to the bathroom and turned on the light.

“What the hell?” I whispered, staring at my pale face.

Scratch that, it wasn’t just pale, it was ghostly white.

I leaned closer and studied my emerald eyes, which seemed unusually bright.

“Okay, I’m still dreaming,” I said out loud.

I touched my cheek and it was cool.

“Okay, wake up,” I said, pinching my cheeks, hard. “Come on.”

I winced. Okay, I’m not sleeping.

Was I sick? That made sense. It would explain a lot and I had to admit, my throat was a little scratchy.

I opened my mouth to check my tongue and screamed out loud.

Fangs!?

“Oh, my God,” I gasped, touching them. The tips were sharp. Sharp enough to sink into someone’s throat. To drink their blood.

My stomach growled hungrily.

Horrified, I slid down to my knees and began to cry.

The End

***

I hope you've enjoyed this short story about Emily and the Night Roamers. If so, check out my complete Night Roamers (Blur is the first book) Series and Venom, which is also related.

Warning- This book contains some language, violence, and sexual situations recommended for ages seventeen and older.

Danger lurks in the dead of night...

Seventeen year old Nikki and her twin brother, Nathan, move to the small town of Shore Lake to start over after their mother is brutally attacked. When a missing teenager washes up on shore during their first night at the cabin and there are whispers of vampires in Shore Lake, Nikki begins to realize that there are things roaming in the darkness that are far more sinister than what they left behind in the city.

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