Forks, Book Two

by A. E. Davis

  Me: Can you meet me in the bathroom?

  A few moments later my phone bleated.

  Glinda: After I finish this dance.

  Well that worked…not. Leaning forward, I looked back out through the crack in the door but the bathroom looked empty. Forcing myself to calm down, I opened the door. It made a creaking sound, and the constant drip, drip, drip of water hitting the basin of the sink echoed in the bathroom, sounding much louder than it should. Frankly, I was surprised I could hear anything over the erratic pounding of my heart.

  Grabbing a paper towel, I wet it down and turned off the faucet. I patted my face and neck. I was sweating bullets. I braced my hands on the sink. Inhaling deeply, I did a few fire breaths. “Get it together, Amber,” I told my reflection. After five more fast fire breaths, I began to feel slightly better. There was still a niggling sense of dread hovering but at least I felt like it was containable now.

  What really bothered me was why Glinda never told me the story about Evilynn, who, by all accounts was an actual person attached to actual events that per Evelyn, were pretty-gross. And why on earth did I dream about a Glinda dressed in dated clothing just like Evelyn was wearing? Nothing made sense. And worse, I was even more creeped out now that I knew the story was based on something that could be real. Unless, Evelyn was lying. But why would she do that? Now that was the million-dollar question.

  The echoing voice of the D.J. rang out with some kind of announcement and then another song began to play. It was muffled but I could make out the song—I heard it enough times to know it by heart—it was Bella’s lullaby.

  “Great.”

  The odds that Glinda would meet me in the bathroom while that song was playing were pretty slim. I didn’t want to walk out into the creepy hall alone but I didn’t want to stay here either. Forcing myself to move, I left the bathroom. I wished now that I had at least taken my pepper spray with me. But of course, I didn’t—I was an idiot.

  The hallway was even more creepy now then it was a few minutes ago. The light that had been flickering on and off, apparently gave up. Now most of the hall was cast in shadows.

  A sexy witch and a scantily clad fairy hurried down the hall giggling. They turned the corner, into the bathroom.

  I heard the swoosh of a door open from behind me.

  Prickles rose on my skin. I spun around. A skeleton was standing behind me.

  “Lucky!” I gasped. “You scared me.”

  He stood there, not saying anything. He just stared at me.

  Ice formed in my veins. “I’m going back into the dance.” I didn’t know what he was doing but I wasn’t in the mood to stand in the hall all night, either.

  I turned.

  Hands gripped me, almost like a hug and pulled me with seemingly little effort backward across the floor.

  Freaking out, I dug my feet in and tried to free my arms but I was trapped beneath my cloak.

  Before I could scream, I was shoved into a dark room. I flew forward and something rammed me in my gut—it made a metallic screeching noise, moving with me. Gasping, I tried to pull air back in my lungs and steadied myself on the chair that had nearly disemboweled me.

  “Hello, Amber,” rasped an eerie voice that had been haunting my dreams.

  “Jason?” I choked.

  The Skeleton figure laughed. “Close…but no.”

  Oh, God! Please, please…“Kirk?”

  “Give the lady a prize,” he hollered in a sickening voice.

  “You, you… can’t be here?” I said lamely as my fight or flight mechanism kicked into full gear.

  “Really? Why’s that?” He jerked off his mask.

  I gasped.

  Gone was the face I remembered Kirk having and in its place was something less preferable than the mask he was wearing.

  The light coming in the windows cast his gaunt face in a sickly glow.

  “You know,” he said conversationally. “I was just saying to myself, Kirk, your girl Amber has surely forgotten about you by now. And yet, you saying my name is like music to my ears. How I’ve longed to hear you say my name again.”

  “Please,” I scoffed, not sure where my bravado was coming from. “Don’t flatter yourself. I haven’t thought about you at all.”

  “And yet my name is the first one on your lips.”

  “No it wasn’t,” I disagreed stupidly. What was I doing arguing with a whacko? You’d think I would have learned my lesson with Jason.

  “Right.” He waved his skeleton-gloved hand dismissively. “Saying Jason’s name is almost the same as mine. He is my brother after all.”

  “No he’s not,” I argued stupidly. What was I doing? Mom would call it, poking the bear—and right now, I would have preferred the bear.

  “He’s my blood brother,” he added. “We made a pact, me, and Jason.”

  “Well, you may want to tell him that. From what I’ve been told, he’s getting on with his life, one that doesn’t include you.”

  “That’s a lie!”

  “It’s true. He thinks you’re crazy.”

  I wasn’t sure where that had come from. I was terrified but I didn’t want him to know that. Ken said to never let your assailant have that kind of power over you when he was giving me a lecture on self-defense after my last encounter with Kirk and Jason. At the time, I wasn’t really paying that much attention or so I thought, but his words must have resonated with me after all.

  He stepped closer, his stance rigid. “Who told you that?”

  “Evelyn,” I blurted the first name that came to mind.

  “Evilynn,” he scoffed. “She’s a crazy witch.”

  “A witch?”

  “Yeah. You better watch out for her.” He laughed stupidly. “I bet she has a doll already made up for you, like she did to my girl Sandy.”

  “What are you talking about?” I was suddenly freezing. My teeth started to chatter. I felt like my body was dumped into ice water. I clamped my mouth shut to stop my teeth from clacking together.

  “I’ve forgotten how dumb you are.”

  I balled up my fists. Anger replacing my fear momentarily. “Gee, Kirk, too bad I haven’t forgotten what a whack job you are.”

  He laughed. Really laughed—sounding like a demented psycho. Unfortunately, I didn’t think my analogy was too far off the mark.

  “I’ve really missed you,” he said, winding down from his hysteria. “Have you missed me?”

  Was he out of his gourd? Why yes, yes he is…my sick mind taunted. “Not really,” I deadpanned with candor I didn’t feel. My heart was beating crazily. The cold sweat was back. “Actually, I’m surprised you are here.”

  “Why’s that?” He looked genuinely curious.

  “Well, I was just thinking that if I were you, I’m not of course, but if I were, I would have left while the getting was good,” I dumped out another one of Mom’s stupid sayings.

  He seemed to ponder my bogus retort. “Why would I do that?”

  “It’s just an observation on my part. But if you want to stay and get locked up, by all means, stay.”

  “No one knows I’m here.”

  “I do. And people are waiting for me. And I am sure other people have seen you as well.” That was a big fat lie. “You should have stayed away, Kirk.” I was rambling but it didn’t seem to faze Kirk.

  “I was going to, I really was…”

  “Why didn’t you?”

  “I had unfinished business.”

  “With me?” I couldn’t help asking even though everything in me was telling me to get away…to run…but with Kirk blocking my escape, I really didn’t have a choice. My mind reeled. Please, please, let Glinda come looking for me. Scratch that. Please, please, please, let Viktor come looking for me.

  “You were part of it, but so was my girl, Sandy, but she didn’t see what I was trying to do for her. She didn’t understand that I was only trying to help her.”

  I felt like I was about to throw up. “What are you saying?”

>   “If you’d shut up, I would tell you,” he snapped.

  “Ah…okay.”

  “I went to see her, but she wasn’t happy to see me like I thought she would be. I saved her, you know. I found her where they left her to die.”

  “WH—what do you mean?” I chattered.

  He grabbed his head. “Would you listen?” he yelled.

  “I am,” I yelled back, not meaning to but I couldn’t help myself—I was in full freak mode.

  He dropped his hands back to his sides and gave me a look filled with such pain—for a moment my heart lurched in my chest with sadness for him—he looked tortured—haunted—just like Viktor had looked at me the night he showed me his special place. “They took her to the woods and dumped her there to be finished up by the animals,” his voice faltered. “They always try to make it look like an animal attack. But I know better.”

  “WH—who are they?”

  “Aren’t you listening to me?” he yelled again.

  “Yes! But you aren’t making any sense.”

  His face contorted and his hands shook.

  Oh, no, no, no. He looked unhinged. “So you saved her?”

  “Yeeaah…” His voice dragged. “You know you should be thanking me…”

  “WH—why?”

  “Because I saved your little friend Glinda, too,” he boasted.

  “No you didn’t. Lucky saved her,” I argued stupidly before I could stop myself.

  “No. No. No.” He shook his head. “I was the one that saved her.” He scrubbed his hands over his face. “Why does everyone take credit for all the good things I do?”

  “Ah, maybe because you’re a freaking ….” I slammed my hand over my mouth.

  “You just don’t get it, do you?” He stepped forward.

  “WH—what don’t I get?” I took a reflexive step back, looking for a weapon but there were only stacks of papers on the tables.

  “I saved her, Amber. I swear I did,” his voice was pleading.

  He sounded so sincere. If I didn’t know better I might even believe him. “Okay. I believe you,” I lied baldly. “Who did you save her from?”

  “Wapi—”

  “Who?”

  “Would you listen!” he screamed...

  “I am!” I yelled back louder this time.

  He flinched. “What did you yell at me for?” Again I was reminded the night I was with Viktor and how he reacted to me yelling at him.

  “I’m sorry. You scared me.”

  “I didn’t mean to.”

  What the—?

  “What was I saying?”

  “Ah…you were talking about saving Glinda,” I reminded him.

  “No! Before that!” He stomped his foot down belligerently.

  “Ah…Sandy…” I spit out.

  “Yes…Sandy.” He cocked his head to the side and it made an eerie cracking sound. “I went to tell Sandy what I had done, that I saved her, but when she saw me…he trailed off and that pained look was back. “ She was agitated; scared…I think they had her on some kind of drugs because she didn’t see me. She was seeing someone else.”

  “Who did she see?”

  “One of them!” he spat. “They’re always around.”

  He wasn’t making any sense.

  “She screamed for help…I tried to tell her I was going to help…but she became hysterical. She wasn’t listening to me…

  “What did you do?” my voice came out eerily calm like we were discussing the weather and not him being a psycho.

  “Don’t you see?” he implored. “I had to keep her quiet. It was the only way.”

  “What did you do?” I repeated, barely hearing my own voice.

  “I gathered her in my arms and held her close…”

  “I just wanted to soothe her…keep her quiet for a minute… so they didn’t hear. I didn’t know…” His voice faltered and he shook his head like he was trying to dislodge a bad memory. “I thought she understood. I thought she was listening to me but when I let her go…she was so still. I didn’t realize…” his voice became distant, pained, reminding me of a frightened child. “I thought maybe she fell asleep but she didn’t wake up and then I saw the blood. There was so much blood…”

  Bile rose in my throat, burning its way up as I realized what he had done. I choked it back. “It was an accident Kirk.” I was reaching. “You didn’t mean it. I’m sure the police will understand…”

  “Yeah, right,” he snapped. “Like they give a shit.”

  “I’m sure that’s not true. They are only doing their job—trying to help.”

  He laughed—it was a hollow and twisted sound.

  I slid my hand in my pocket. My fingers closed over my phone. I slid my thumb over the screen, hoping to hit a number—to call someone—anyone, so they would hopefully try to find me even if I couldn’t talk to them.

  He caught my movement. “What are you doing?”

  “What? Nothing,” I said automatically. “I thought I heard a noise.”

  He turned and looked over his shoulder.

  “Get the funk out,” blasted from my pocket.

  He swung back around.

  I pulled my phone out of my pocket and threw at him. It missed him by a good foot and my phone, my only weapon, clattered loudly to the floor.

  “Why you little….” He lurched forward and made a grab for me.

  I grabbed up the papers off the table and threw them in his direction. Pieces of paper scattered in the air as I ran—making my way towards the door—the only way out. Fear clung to me like a wet blanket, my heart pounded erratically and I could barely catch a breath. My fingers closed over the handle to the door.

  He grabbed the back of my cloak and pulled, choking me.

  “Amber wait…you have to listen…I didn’t tell…watch out…Wapi…”

  Gasping for breath, I unhooked the clasp and my cloak pulled away from my body. I jerked open the door and ran out. The hallway was deserted. I knew if I yelled no one would hear me, the music was too loud. I heard a muffled scream and a sickening crunching sound as the door slammed shut.

  I didn’t know what it was and right now, I didn’t care either. My shoes slipped across the tiles as I tried to gain traction. Something hit me with such force, my body hurtled into the wall, vibrating from the impact. I held the wall for support, pushing my way forward. My vision waffled in and out of focus. My hair was grabbed, and yanked. My neck felt like it was going to snap. I reached back and dug my fingers into flesh; I could feel it under my nails.

  I heard a broken curse and then I was released.

  Gaining momentum, I staggered through the doors into the auditorium.

  My eyes wouldn’t focus. Something warm was sliding down my face. Everything was closing in, turning black. A strange ringing was in my ears. Holding out my hands, I stumbled forward. Warm bodies pressed in against me and jostled me to the side. I belatedly realized I was in the middle of the dance floor. No one was paying attention to me. No one knew I needed help. No one knew I was being… hunted.

  I grabbed someone. I didn’t know who. “Please,” I begged. Whoever it was pushed me aside.

  “How drunk is she,” someone said to my right.

  “I’m not…I’m not…” I couldn’t get the words out. I fought my way through the crowd much the same way as I fought the darkness closing in on me.

  It was a losing battle.

  The darkness finally won.

  fifty five

  As the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. Personally, I never much cared for that saying. It was a copout. Some quitter had to have come up with that one. I mean, come on. Why should good things have to come to an end?

  But end they did. And sometimes, most times, it was something good that brings about the end. But every once in a while, something bad brings things to an end as well.

  A covered gurney wheeled past me and was shoved into the awaiting ambulance’s open doors. There was no fanfare this time. No whirlin
g lights or screeching sirens.

  I gathered the blanket around my shoulders tighter, staring bleakly at the menagerie of costumed people who were milling around, talking on cell phones or with each other animatedly. Death was apparently a hot topic for conversation.

  “Hey there.”

  I looked up to a familiar face. My hero, or so I was told by a hysterical Glinda when I finally came back from oblivion. “Hey.”

  “Can I sit with you?” The wind pushed Lucky’s hair forward. He shook it back over his broad shoulders.

  “Sure.”

  “How are you feeling?” He sat down next to me.

  “Pretty numb.”

  “Does your head hurt?”

  “Just a little.”

  “You should really go to the hospital and get that checked.”

  “No. I’m fine.”

  “Okay.” He rubbed his hands on his thighs. There were red marks on his hand, like scratches.

  “What happened to him?” I inclined my head toward the body that was just pushed inside the ambulance.

  “The EMT’s said he overdosed.”

  “On what?”

  “Not sure.” He lifted his shoulders into a shrug.

  “I guess you’re a hero, again.”

  “I didn’t do much.” He looked over at the ambulance. “I was just at the right place at the right time.”

  “Yeah, you seem to do that a lot.”

  “I guess.” He gave me a strange look.

  “Did you see Kirk?”

  “Yeah, for like a minute.”

  My brows creased. “I thought you saved me from him?”

  “I did,” he said. “He was holding you and wouldn’t let go. To anyone else, I guess it would have looked like he was merely hugging you.”

  “You didn’t think that?”

  “No. I knew there was something wrong.”

  A feeling of unease settled on me again as I recalled the story Kirk told me about Sandy.

  “What did you do to him?”

  “I pulled him off of you and shoved him across the room.” A small smile tugged at his lips. “He hit the wall pretty hard,” he boasted.

  “Did you… kill him?” I know he said he overdosed but for some reason I didn’t believe him.