by JD MITCHELL
“Red will protect Jessica,” Leigh said gruffly as he nudged her toward the car.
Ali shook her head. “I’m not leaving her.”
Leigh ignored her, climbing into the driver’s seat and pushing the passenger door open. Placing his hand on the dash, she saw his fingers glow as the engine revved to life.
“Get in!”
Ali ignored the fact he started the car without the keys. She looked at the passenger seat, then back at the house. Jessica was on the second story. Maybe if Ali called up to Jessica, she could climb out a window. A light emanated from the corner room on the second floor. Ali sprinted toward the window hoping to find her sister.
“Ali don’t!” Leigh yelled.
She regretted the decision immediately.
On the ground level, the creature climbed out of the shattered window. Its head gushing with thick blood as it darted towards her. The clack of hooves reverberated off the house, the sound similar to a stampeding horse. Ali stopped in her tracks like a frightened squirrel and ran back toward the car. In an adrenaline-fueled feat, she launched herself headfirst inside the open passenger door like an Olympic diver, crashing into Leigh.
The car rocked as the door slammed shut, followed by crunching metal as the creature collided with the vehicle. She covered her head and braced for a second impact. It didn’t come. Another blinding light flashed, this one from inside the car. The passenger window shattered as a glowing orb shot out of the car toward the creature. Before her vision readjusted, the car jerked into gear and they were speeding down the driveway.
“Are you stupid?” Leigh yelled.
Ali ignored him and twisted in her seat to look out the back window. A sharp pain cut into her palm. Blood dripped from the center of her hand right snaking around her wrist and down her arm. She gripped her jeans, smearing blood into fabric.
Behind them Red appeared to have the creature trapped against the house. Another light sprung forth from Red’s hands as though he conjured it. The creature rose on it haunches, but Ali didn’t see what came next. The car cornered the tree line, and the house fell from sight.
“Go back!” Ali yelled as she grasped the headrest of her seat. Her right hand slipped on the leather fabric, smearing blood down the side.
Leigh scowled. “Not until it’s dead.”
She balled her fists. “What about my sister!”
“Jessica’s fine.”
“You don’t know!” Ali accused.
He reached into the back seat of the car and produced a white undershirt. “Here, wrap this around your hand. You’re bleeding everywhere.”
Ali reluctantly grabbed the dirty shirt and bound her hand, not bothering to tie it. An idea struck her. She fumbled in her pockets, searching for her phone. Empty. It must have fallen out of her pocket during the escape.
Ali held her hand out to Leigh. “Give me your phone.”
Irritation formed a line on his brow. “You don’t have yours?”
She searched her pockets again in the fruitless hope she overlooked it. “No.”
Leigh sighed. “Mine’s on the coffee table.”
Ali groaned. This was twice in a matter of hours she’d been cut off from Jessica. “That settles it, go back.”
Leigh shook his head. “We’ll go to the Clock Tower Café. It’s close and we can borrow the landline.”
“It’s the weekend, half the school will be there,” Ali said. “What if that creature follows us?”
“We need to hide.” Leigh insisted.
Ali shook her head. “Why? Human distractions if we’re attacked?”
He frowned. “It’s less likely anything will attack us in a crowd.”
Without further debate, Leigh chose the road that led to the diner. The human quip was harsh she realized. Leigh’s intention was their safety, but Ali wanted to jump out of her skin knowing Jessica was in danger.
Ali looked outside the shattered window, the cool night air blowing strands of hair into her face. She was stuck in this car with no choice but to follow Leigh. However, the moment this car stopped she was running for a phone.
The situation replayed in her mind. How do you explain that creature? From its hooves to its head, it was a hodgepodge of predators. Remembering the snake eyes, cold shivers raced down her arms.
“What was that thing?” Ali asked slumping into her seat.
Leigh’s focus was far off.
“Leigh?” Ali asked wondering if he was in shock.
“A questing beast,” he said flatly.
“I’m guessing this beast wasn’t trying to seduce any of us?” Ali snapped.
He cast her a sideways glance suggesting he wasn’t appreciative of her sarcasm. “It tracked one of us to Red’s house. Its intent was killing us, just like the other spirits.”
She sucked a slow breath. Leigh already accused these creatures of tracking her. If that was true, this was her fault. If Jessica’s hurt… She stopped the thought from going further.
“What’d Red throw?” Ali asked thinking back to the orbs. “Was that magic?”
He pressed his lips together.
If he wouldn’t tell her what she wanted to know, then she was done listening. When Leigh stopped at a light, she gripped the door handle and pushed on the door. It didn’t budge. The door had crumpled into the frame, leaving the window as the only escape.
“Damn it!”
“Ali, please trust me,” Leigh said exasperated as the car started moving again. “We need to be smart and find a phone.”
She opened her mouth to protest, but he was right. Now that her heart rate slowed and her lungs weren’t burning, she realized the smart thing was to get to safety and find a phone.
It wasn’t long before the diner came into view, the neon pink sign illuminating the parking lot. As predicted, the café was packed.
Her previous statement hit her full force. Half the school is here.
Ali didn’t want to stroll into jock central. The rumor mill would be out of control if someone spotted her with Leigh. She’d rather go back and take on the snake-headed beast than mingle with the social elite of high school.
Leigh wouldn’t put his friends in harm’s way… right?
She didn’t have long to ponder the question. As soon as Leigh parked the car, she slid over the counsel and climbed out of the driver’s door. She stared at the looming clock, its steady ticking unsettling.
It was bright inside. Ali always thought of the diner as hazy, but not today. The dingy bulbs took on a new life, which was unfortunate. She preferred to blend in, hide in darkness. With the bright lights, Leigh stood out as a slender mountain among men and Ali looked like a bloody car crash victim.
Brian Denser was the first of the jock squad to notice him, which was impressive considering he still wore the pirate patch. “Leigh! Over here!”
Ali gestured toward the counter, but Leigh nodded toward his friends. “If I ignore them, they’ll just come over here.”
She peered at the jocks, some of whom stared their direction. They might not have seen her before, but they saw her now. Melissa was with them and looked pissed. As expected, her perfect green eyes fell on Ali and narrowed.
“Yeah, fine. You distract them, I’ll make the call.”
Ali watched Leigh approach his friends, reminding herself of the alternative dangers lurking beyond the building. They didn’t have time for this. Leigh needed to ditch his squad.
Brian grinned as Leigh neared, but Ali couldn’t hear their conversation over the buzz of the café. Fixating on Ali, Brian’s lip curled in distaste as pointed her direction.
So far, as expected.
She forced her way over to the counter and slumped onto an empty stool. The waitress was preoccupied taking an order, but Ali eventually seized her attention. It took a minute of sweet-talking before the waitress caved and brought Ali the restaurant’s cordless phone. With the promise to keep the call brief, she dialed Jessica who answered the phone in two rings.
> “Ali!”
“Yes,” Ali said gripping the phone tight.
“Are you okay?” Jessica’s shaky voice asked from the other end of the receiver.
“I’m fine.”
“Where are you?” Jessica asked.
Ali looked around the diner, then rubbed her eye. “The Clock Tower Café.”
A crackling came across the line before Jessica’s voice became clear again. “…we are…”
The line fizzed and fell silent. Ali stared at the phone. She tried to call again, but a busy signal replaced the dial tone. Frustrated, Ali slammed the phone onto the countertop and received a cold look from the waitress.
Ali wasn’t confident that Jessica heard her, she needed to grab Leigh and try Red’s phone. She spun around, faced with green eyes and perfect blonde hair.
Melissa.
Melissa’s watery gaze held an accusation which she was quick to verbalize. “Are you hooking up with Leigh?”
The question caught Ali off guard. She expected an accusation, but not in the middle of a restaurant. Ali had assumed a verbal attack would come in the form of trash talk at school.
An internal voice of reason told Ali to reassure Melissa. Explain this was a mix-up and then leave. However, sarcastic Ali was at the wheel. She was anxious, exhausted, and scared. Common sense didn’t take over, frustration did.
“Didn’t you break-up with him because he has cancer?” Ali asked, letting her cruel words drip. “What type of person does that?”
Melissa slapped Ali across the cheek. Pain shot up Ali’s chin, rattling her brain. The impact amplified due to her injuries from the car crash. Stunned, Ali open and closed her mouth, testing her jaw.
“What the hell Melissa?”
The anger on Melissa’s face faded into surprise. They stared at each other for a second, then Melissa ran toward the café doors and exited into the parking lot.
Leigh was at Ali’s side in an instant. “Did Melissa hit you?”
She nodded, her fingers probing the skin where Melissa made contact.
He glowered and tore after Melissa.
Ali almost followed, but Brian stopped her. “Give them a moment.”
Brian’s dark eyes softened. His genuine concern gave her pause. She had enough problems today without getting wrapped up in Leigh’s relationship mess.
“What’d you say to Melissa?” Brian asked.
Embarrassed, Ali bit her lip. She’d been mean, there was no excusing it. But nothing would get Ali to admit it to Brian.
“Melissa accused me of fooling around with Leigh, which I’m not.” The last part came out forceful and bitter.
Brian nodded. “She’s just upset.”
Ali pointed to her face as embarrassment faded to anger. Being upset wasn’t an excuse for assault, but she stopped short of verbalizing it. Brian’s gaze was on the parking lot. He didn’t care about Ali’s injuries. She followed his line of sight and realized it was on Melissa. Through the blinds, Leigh threw his hands out wide, then he rubbed his head as he paced in front of Melissa. Ali couldn’t see her face, but her shoulders quivered.
“If Melissa cares so much, why did she split up with him?” Ali asked.
Brain frowned. “Leigh broke up with her over the summer.”
A small knot formed in the pit of Ali’s stomach. “Oh.”
Brian leaned into her ear and lowered his voice. “I don’t care what Leigh does in private, but if you flaunt around with him again, I’ll make you both regret it.”
Her jaw slackened sending a dull ache into her skull. Coming to this café was proving to be a horrible idea. She wanted to fire back with a witty retort, but out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a familiar dark-haired, sexy man talking to Melissa’s friends.
No, no, no… Gancanagh!
Ali froze, uncertain of what to do.
The gancanagh’s fingers twirled the dark curls of a cheerleader named Sarah who smiled and bit her lip.
Brian said something, but Ali ignored him.
A manicured finger reached toward the gancanagh’s bicep and Ali panicked.
“DON’T TOUCH HIM!” Ali yelled.
The entire café fell silent as faces swiveled her direction.
Sarah dropped her hand, her expression twisting into confusion. The gancanagh’s eyes settled on Ali, his grin widening.
Ali didn’t wait. She bolted for the front door, turning a chair on end as she darted though the stunned crowd. Behind her, she heard the gancanagh push people out of his way in pursuit. She was two steps from the door when a hand grasped the back of her tee-shirt. Her shirt collar choked her as he jerked her backwards toward the floor. Ali spun, throwing her hands before her to stop the fall. Her wrist locked as she slammed into the wooden slats. A shooting pain bolted up her left arm.
The gancanagh grabbed Ali under her armpit and jerked her toward him, forcing her onto her back. A handsome face appeared above hers. His breath was hot and laced with the smell of cinnamon, reminding her of chewing gum.
“Get off me!” Ali screamed.
No one in the café moved to help her. One person pulled out a cell phone, held it up, and pushed a button. Rather than call the police, they filmed Ali’s assault. Cowards.
In a desperate attempt to free herself, she scratched his face with her other hand leaving red marks. Leigh’s bloody shirt unwrapped from her fingers and fell to the floor. Dread filled her.
I touched it.
The gancanagh’s grin was manic as he gripped her tee-shirt and pulled her upright to a standing position. Ali pushed against his chest, attempting to put distance between them. A shock from her bleeding palm sent the gancanagh stumbling backwards.
Oh no! Am I infected?
Crumpling to the floor, she cradled her injured wrist. Ali struggled to stand as the front door swung open. Leigh jumped over her and lunged at the gancanagh. Some patrons dodged out of the way as Leigh’s fist connected with the gancanagh’s face.
Around them people watched in stunned disbelief. No one helped Leigh. Even his friends watched in silence.
Two hands gripped her shoulder, and she moved to defend herself.
Jessica stood there.
Relief filled Ali. The call got through.
Red stormed past them, briefly yelling at them to get into the car. Ali followed Jessica, leaving the boys to fight the gancanagh.
Jessica helped Ali into the back of a black suburban and slammed the door shut. “Are you okay?”
Ali cradled her left arm. A sob threatened to escape. “I think I broke my wrist.”
Gingerly, Jessica touched Ali’s wrist, examining it. She pushed on the bone and Ali yelped. A stabbing pain sent her vision spinning.
The passenger door of the car flew open and Leigh climbed inside the SUV. His wide eyes scrutinized Ali. Seconds later, Red clambered into the vehicle and they were speeding into the darkness of the back alley. The suburban hit a pothole, and the car jolted.
“Damn it Red, slow down!” Jessica yelled.
From the light of a passing streetlamp, Ali could see the scowl on Red’s face, but she felt the car slow.
Jessica turned Ali’s hand over, exposing the backside. An angry purple welt formed. Ali pulled her hand away, cradling it out of reach. The throbbing intensified. She fought to control herself to keep from sobbing.
“She needs a hospital. Her wrist is broken.” Jessica said leaning toward the front seat.
“Did she touch the gancanagh?” Red asked.
Ali remembered the scratch mark she left across the gancanagh’s face. Terror replaced the shooting pain in her wrist. “I scratched him.”
Leigh turned in his seat, eyes wide. “Do you want to screw the gancanagh?”
Ali shook her head, gagging at the thought of his cinnamon breath.
“What the hell kind of question is that?” Jessica accused.
Leigh ignored Jessica. “She’s not infected.”
Unconvinced, Ali debated arguing with Leigh. At
any moment, she’d spout sonnets to that monster and die an awful death. But her arm took precedent as Red hit another bump in the road sending lightening up her limb.
“Ow!”
Red shook his head. “Sorry. Leigh, take care of her hand.”
Ali couldn’t make out Leigh’s expression, but his hesitation was clear. “I’m not as good as you.”
Red looked out each window as though a monster would come flying through the dark ally and attack. Which wasn’t an unreasonable precaution in Ali’s opinion. After he checked for a third time, Red nodded.
“I need you to drive,” Red said to Leigh.
Jessica shook her head. “Red a hospital…”
“Not now,” Red barked as he stopped the car.
Red climbed into the middle row of the SUV and gestured for Jessica to move. Jessica lips pressed together in disapproval, but she didn’t say a word as she squeezed into the back row. Leigh hit the gas too eagerly, jerking the car. Prepared, Ali held her arm forward to keep it from bumping into anything.
Red reached for Ali’s outstretched hand. On instinct, Ali recoiled.
“I won’t hurt you,” Red said. He extended his hand palm up and waited for her.
Ali scrutinized his open palm. With reluctance, she thrust it forward, gritting her teeth. She expected pain, but Red inspected it with care. This went on for a full minute before he placed his hands above and below her wrist, cupping her injury. His steady gaze found Ali’s eyes.
“You need to swear you’ll forget what I’m about to do.”
Butterflies filled her stomach as she imagined him twisting her arm and popping a bone into place. Her voice shook. “What are you doing?”
“Your word Ali,” Red insisted.
Scared, Ali nodded and closed her eyes. She pre-emptively winced. Brief pain accompanied an intense light. Even with her eyes shut, she had to turn her head away. Warmth tingled across her body, starting in her wrist and working its way toward her armpit down to her toes. Her right palm tingled, the pressure surrounding her blackened eye lessened and her lungs filled with fresh air like a warm breeze on a sunny day. Every concern was suddenly trivial as her head became fuzzy.
The light disappeared and her anxiety returned. She remembered the gancanagh and questing beast. Even the high school ridiculousness came back, but she dismissed it for another day. Ali could only handle one drama at a time.