DESCENDING INTO MADNESS

by Brown, Stacey Marie

  Descending into Madness Copyright © 2019 by Stacey Marie Brown

  This is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination and her crazy friends. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. It cannot be re-sold, reproduced, scanned or distributed in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author.

  All rights reserved.

  Published by: Twisted Fairy Publishing Inc.

  Layout by www.formatting4U.com

  Cover by: Jay Aheer www.simplydefinedart.com

  Edited by Hollie www.hollietheeditor.com

  ALSO BY STACEY MARIE BROWN

  Contemporary Romance

  Buried Alive

  Shattered Love (Blinded Love #1)

  Broken Love (Blinded Love #2)

  Twisted Love (Blinded Love #3)

  The Unlucky Ones

  Paranormal Romance

  Darkness of Light

  (Darkness Series #1)

  Fire in the Darkness

  (Darkness Series #2)

  Beast in the Darkness

  (An Elighan Dragen Novelette)

  Dwellers of Darkness

  (Darkness Series #3)

  Blood Beyond Darkness

  (Darkness Series #4)

  West

  (A Darkness Series Novel)

  City in Embers

  (Collector Series #1)

  The Barrier Between

  (Collector Series #2)

  Across the Divide

  (Collector Series #3)

  From Burning Ashes

  (Collector Series #4)

  The Crown of Light

  (Lightness Saga #1)

  Lightness Falling

  (Lightness Saga #2)

  The Fall of the King

  (Lightness Saga #3)

  Rise from the Embers

  (Lightness Saga #4)

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Acknowledgments

  Also by Stacey Marie Brown

  About the Author

  A little warning to the reader.

  We’re all naughty here.

  You’ll fit in just fine.

  Chapter One

  A heavy sigh puffed from my lips as I leaned back in my chair, crossing my red-and-white-striped legs on the fireplace. The bells attached to my curved green booties tinkled. The humiliation of my current situation turned my cheeks as bright as the red trim on the very inappropriate elf costume I wore. I helped put kids on Santa’s lap, while fathers stared down my low-cut top and ogled at the shortness of the skirt. My boss was a sleaze, and I had no doubt he picked these outfits on purpose. Funny how many fathers brought their children here to take a picture with Santa… multiple times.

  At twenty-five, I thought my life would have been way past this. Life had laughed loudly at my lofty dreams: to be a hat designer with my own store, have a sexy boyfriend and at least enough money to afford a studio apartment in the city.

  My last job was as an assistant to a thirty-five-year-old executive, who I had stupidly slept with. Then he decided the twenty-one-year-old new employee was more to his liking. He determined the best way to end things was to fire me. Oh, sorry, his secretary fired me. He didn’t even have the balls to tell me face to face.

  Unemployed and not able to afford rent or even groceries, I came home with my tail between my legs. I returned to my parents’ house for the holiday season, which gave me time to decide the best way to get back on my feet. Dinah, my younger sister by more than eight years, had gotten me the job here, adding to my mortification. She was the one who always had a good head on her shoulders. Logical and wise beyond her years, while I was a dreamer. Dinah had a steady, caring boyfriend and worked here to save money for college and to pay for her used car, which I was borrowing.

  I had none of those things. I never thought about the steps it took to get what I wanted. I just jumped. Hence, the reason I was dressed up like a tarty elf assisting a high-as-shit Santa and had already been thrown up on twice today.

  “Alice,” a gruff voice barked at me, turning my head. Gabe’s fake white beard was pulled down under his chin. The ill-fitting Santa suit sagged on his frame, and an unlit joint stuck out of his mouth. “Going on my break.” He tilted his head at the back door.

  I nodded, wiggling my fingers at him. I twisted my long, straight, dark brown hair around my finger and returned to the book open on my lap. It had been extremely slow tonight, but we couldn’t even think about leaving for at least another two hours. We were not located conveniently in a warm mall. No, we were attached to a large Christmas tree farm on the outskirts of town—New Britain, Connecticut. The snow fell heavy tonight. People who came all the way out here expected Santa’s Workshop to be open with warm cider, hot chocolate, and a happy elf to greet their kids.

  Groaning, I rubbed my head, wishing I had the means to stand up and walk out the door. The pay was barely passable, but it was steady, and I had no room to turn my nose up at it.

  I lifted my arms, stretching, trying to keep myself awake. The city college catalogs my mom stuffed into my bag slipped off my lap, sticky notes protruding from the business section. Also falling to the ground was the fantasy novel I found myself far more drawn to than finding classes for the spring semester.

  Anyone who saw my designs said I had a gift, a natural talent in creating and fabricating hats. I couldn’t even say what drew me to my love of hats. I had always adored them, the look and how they could change an outfit or your outlook. From crazy whimsical hats women loved to wear, to derbies, to something simple as a newsboy cap, I spent hours sketching the different looks, tweaking an old design into something new.

  The problem? I had no business background and no education past high school, which everyone told me would hinder me. I understood this, yet I still had no desire to go to college. I wanted to create. To dream. Every time “business class” was even uttered, I felt a piece of me die inside. Most people told me my dream was impossible, but it never stopped me from believing in the unachievable.

  Slumping back in the chair, I grabbed my book off the floor, opening it to the page where I left off. The cold wind howled through the cracks of the door and windows, making me feel even more isolated in the small cabin. It looked like Christmas threw up all over and then pooped out tinsel. It was adorable and cozy, but I had hit my limit of Christmas songs and cheer.

  “Why don’t they have any hot toddies or mulled wine here? Not even spiked hot chocolate,” I grumbled, putting my legs up near the hearth to keep warm. “No one should have to deal with this sober.” I rubbed my eyes. I had been working doubles for the last week, trying to get as much money as possi
ble. I could feel the hours adding up and pressing down on my shoulders and eyelids. Propping the novel on my knees, I stepped back into the dark, twisted world of fae and sexy beasts, where everything felt like paradise to me. Not shocking, fantasy was my favorite type of book where bad equaled sexy-as-hell men who I wanted more than the nice guy. I let myself get lost in the story, pretending I was living in the realm of fantasy and other worlds.

  A muffled noise outside the window caused me to lift my head. Out of the corner of my eye, a small red light flickered by the window, along with the silhouette of a man walking by. My lids narrowed, a strange shiver running up my spine as I watched the figure slip by the next window. His strong shoulders and tall physique assured me it was not Gabe. Gabe was barely two inches taller than my 5’8” stature and not at all fit.

  Santa’s workshop was situated far enough to the side of the Christmas tree lot that very little traffic, outside of families and people seeking hot drinks, ventured over here, especially tonight in this chilly, snowy weather. But still, it wasn’t out of the realm of possibility.

  Intrigued, I stood up. Like a magnet, I moved to the window, a buzz I couldn’t explain humming in my chest as my gaze searched the night. The man had moved quickly, in a great hurry, heading for the tree farm. The red light he held cut through the haze of the snow. He looked to be wearing only brown cargo pants and nothing on top. What the hell? It’s less than thirty degrees out there.

  Curiosity soared through me, and the pull to follow him itched at my muscles. What was he doing? Where was he going? I had always been a curious person, sometimes to my detriment. Tonight seemed to be one of those times. He was a few yards away from the trees, and once he stepped in, I knew I’d never know.

  Without a thought, I darted for the door, afraid I’d lose him. The icy wind blasted me full on, prickling my skin with large goosebumps. I shivered and regretted not taking a moment to grab my jacket. Plodding through the icy snow, my elf boots crushed the powder as I ran around the building, my breath billowing in front of me. I came around the side seeking the red light. The clouds covering the sky allowed no moonlight, and it took me a moment to realize no lights shined from the tree lot as they usually did. A tinge of alarm coiled around my neck, puffing my chest in and out faster.

  The man was gone. Dammit. But another uneasiness gripped me.

  “Gabe?” I called out. Usually he stepped out to smoke a few puffs before he leaped back in, grumbling about his balls freezing off. He was nowhere out back. “Gabe?”

  Silence echoed around me, the Christmas music that usually blared from the loud speakers dotted around the lot were off. Along with the lights.

  Curious.

  What was going on? Did the electricity go out? I stared inside the workshop to see the lights were on in there.

  Curiouser.

  A light from the corner of my eye jerked my head back around. A red beam danced through the tree farm, making my breath hitch.

  Hurry. Run. Follow him! The voice in my head jolted my body into action, propelling me toward the light. I slowed once I hit the trees, the heavy fog clinging to the trees and ground. Seclusion coated me like a jacket, and the feeling of desolation prickled my skin.

  Where is everyone? The owner of the farm had five grown sons who were always walking around, making sure everyone was okay. No lights. No people. What the hell is going on?

  Standing in place, my teeth chattering, fear laced around my stomach and twisted it into a knot. Something felt very off. The dark night pressed down on my shoulders, creating distinctive shadows from the trees, looming and dripping off the limbs. Branches creaked against the wind, swirling up the white powder, making me feel even more isolated.

  In front of me, red glowed through the dark, and I bolted forward with eagerness. Numb and shivering, I couldn’t stop myself from continuing deeper in the forest instead of turning around and going back to the toasty cottage. My inquisitiveness was greater than my sanity or logic.

  Moving forward, I wove through the trees, darting and snaking closer to the red light like it was a beacon.

  The man’s outline became clearer as I moved closer. He was definitely bare-chested. And holy jingle bells, he was fit. His back rippled with muscle. He was over six foot, with short, wavy brown hair, which reminded me of fur. My gaze kept catching on something on either side of his head—pointed and twitching as if they were listening for sound.

  Are those ears? This night was getting stranger and stranger. Was he in costume or something? Who wore deer ears but no shirt? In the snow?

  He progressed rapidly, rounding a tree, losing me for a moment.

  “Hey!” I yelled out to him. “Wait!” I went around the corner, seeing him stop and turn his face back to me. A small gasp came from my mouth, and I stumbled back. What the hell? Did I somehow get a contact high from Gabe’s joint?

  The man was beautiful, but his nose protruded farther than a human’s, the tip black, his eyebrows, eye color, and thin lips the same color as his nose. Antlers grew out from behind his long ears.

  “Late,” he rumbled low. “I’m very late.”

  “Holy shit.” I blinked, my mouth gaping.

  Fear widened his eyes, and he took off, disappearing into the forest the tree farm butted up against.

  “No, wait. Stop.” I fumbled after him, my limbs so cold I could barely move. Grunting, I pushed myself forward, trailing after the red light that was my only guide through the darkness. He moved with quiet precision. Like a ghost.

  “Hey, Mr. Deer Man, wait up,” I yelled, my lungs aching from the cold air, snow churning around my ankles, the bells on my shoes jingling as I bolted after him. The red glow popped through the twisted branches and snowcapped leaves. “Stop!”

  He turned and looked at me again before darting deeper into the woods, leaping over a log as if he were on springs. I didn’t think but ran faster, desperate not to lose him. I twisted and zigzagged, my eyes thinking they would see the red light, but with each tree I curved around, the deer man was nowhere in sight.

  “Dammit.” My fists hit my legs in frustration. I circled around, searching the darkness for the flicker of light. The forest loomed, shadows making it feel alive, bending and curling toward me. The feel of dozens of eyes watching me chilled my backbone and clenched my lungs.

  Alice, go back. What are you doing? Get out of here. A voice in the back of my head warned. Forget you saw anything.

  I rubbed my exposed arms, shifting in place trying to decide what to do when the red light peeked through the woodland. I should have pretended not to see it. I should have turned around and forgotten all I thought I imagined. But as usual, my curiosity won out.

  Running toward the light, I saw the man walk up to the base of a large tree and in a blink, disappeared. What the hell?

  Heart pounding, fear icing my spine, I jogged up to the same tree. Where did he go? What the crap was going on? I touched the tree, needing to feel the bark under my palm.

  Everything shifted.

  The world dropped away from my feet. A scream caught in my throat as I felt myself plummet, descending down a dark, dark hole.

  Chapter 2

  My body fell like a rock. Scrambling, my limbs swung out, trying to grab anything in the darkness, a shriek erupting from my throat. I flipped and twisted in the air, my teeth clamping together as I waited for impact.

  A hazy light at the bottom started to break through the darkness, and I realized that’s where my bones would break into tiny pieces. Funny what comes into your head at the last moment. I knew how upset my family would be never knowing what happened to me, but what stuck out the most was the outlandish thought I would never find out where the deer man went or what he was late for. Was he real? Was I hallucinating? And curiosity really did kill me in the end.

  The ground came at me like a speeding train, and I closed my eyes, knowing these were my final seconds. My heart smacked against my chest, a sob forming on my lips. Then, as though the world f
lipped, my elf costume caught like a parachute, halting my rapid descent. Resembling a feather, my weight gripped the air and floated until my feet touched as if I were being gently set down by the air itself.

  My hand went to my chest, feeling my heart hammering against my palm. I sucked in oxygen, shock dancing along my nerves. I’m alive. I’m alive. I patted myself, taking another slug of air, my throat dry and cracked. My gaze drifted around the space. I blinked, then blinked again.

  Holy tinsel! Where in the hell was I?

  The room was square-shaped, rising two stories. The brown walls were crumbling and dilapidated, as if no one had been in here for years, but the smell of something sweet still clung to the air. The A-line roof tilted to one side, looking like it would collapse any minute. What appeared to be caulking material glued the seams together and was used to hold the place together. Age had sucked the adhesive dry, making it as fragile as the walls. I could see no doors or windows, but a single lantern sat on a small table next to me and lit the room with eerie shadows.

  I inched up to the walls, my hand running over the texture, crumbs falling into my palm. The scent of spice wafted up my nose. Taking a deep breath, I held it close to my face.

  Gingerbread.

  “Holy-fuckin’-silent-night,” I muttered, taking a closer look at the white paste near me.

  Frosting.

  I was in a frickin’ gingerbread house.

  “What is this place? Where the hell am I?” Panic spread over my chest, seeing no way out of this room. “Wake up, Alice. Wake up!” I squeezed my lids together, pinching my arm, trying to stir myself from this bizarre dream, but when my lids popped back open, the gingerbread walls still surrounded me, a threat looming down on me.

  No doors. No windows. No exit.