Damien removed his hand and stood up fast enough I’d have gotten dizzy. Turning away, he said in a calm, even tone. “There is a game you mortals call ‘hide and seek.’ It is very simple and I know that you all know how to play. I think that will be your next Challenge.”
I shook my head confused. “Why are you telling me this?” I asked, happy to feel the swelling in my head evaporating along with the dizziness. My stomach still felt as if it had taken a beating, but it could have been worse. It could still be in the beating.
Damien spoke with his back to me, facing the banister overlooking the entrance below. “Don’t let him catch you in this one.”
“Concerned?” I mocked, though the smug smile wouldn’t surface. It could have been such a good hero moment but let’s face it, I’m no hero.
He didn’t answer, didn’t move, just stared at what lay below.
“Great. Thanks,” I mumbled, then added quickly. “Damien?”
He looked over his shoulder at me as I sat up slowly, testing out my shaky limbs. The chills were leaving me but I was still feeling weak.
“When we were in the last Challenge, what was that little cube?”
“The crystal that disintegrated the mummy?”
I nodded once, afraid I might set off my stomach again.
He seemed pleased at the question, though didn’t smile. “That was a technological device formed in the Brenhenos province. It will first destroy all life visible then it will count down for an explosion to destroy the area of the kill, to leave no evidence. Activated by a…” he paused, “…a certain touch, it has been responsible for the deaths of thousands of Brenn tribes. Nearly knocked them into extinction.”
I frowned. “So, I activated it.”
He didn’t respond.
“Did…” I rolled onto my hands and knees, easing back onto my haunches. “Did you come here to help me?” It didn’t make any sense, unless he felt guilty. Did demons feel guilt? Or, maybe he wanted me to trust him.
The broad shoulders rose as he looked me over, distaste crinkled his nose and lips up. “I don’t…know why I came.” He said, sounding earnest.
“To watch a punishment?” I offered.
His eyes flickered away from mine and he started to speak, eyebrows pinching together. “There’s something about you.”
“That’s rich. First you insult my family and tell me I’m a threat,” I tapped my head against the wall to shake the marbles loose. “Then tell me that I can’t say anything about Nell.”
“You won’t.”
“I won’t?” I felt the smile before I could stop it and snickered, hearing the edge of hysteria until I coughed.
“No, you won’t,” Damien’s jaw twitched and he crossed his arms over his chest. “If you truly feel the need, know that there’s a blonde I’m particularly fond of. Her death would more than suffice for your lapse in judgement.”
Stiffening, I stared at him, afraid to move.
Damien nodded as if we’d come to an understanding, but I don’t think it was the same one. “What about Aidan?” I asked. “You didn’t seem to like his last name much.”
“That is between him and me.” Damien said in a way that ended the conversation.
Pushing off of the wall, I tried to get up but my rubber legs kept me from getting past my hands and knees. “Just a second. What does Nell have to do with anything? Does she have something to do with Aidan?” Something important to this Challenge, I thought.
Damien’s dark eyes narrowed and I realized my mistake.
I shook my head. “How?” I swallowed trying to find the words I didn’t want the answer to. “How is this supposed to end?”
At this, he raised his eyebrows. “Don’t you know? You’ll end up staying.” The obsidian eyes flickered over my shoulder. “I think it’s time your friends returned.”
The gruff scream from the hallway was my first hint of a presence. I struggled to my feet but needed the wall for support.
Aidan limped from the shadows, eyes wide and frightened. He grabbed my camisole and dragged me down the stairs without waiting. I stumbled, my balance still off.
Damien was nowhere in sight.
“Where’s Cody?” I cried, looking over my shoulder waiting for our friend to emerge from the shadows.
Aidan didn’t reply, breathing heavy enough to wheeze. He yanked me around the staircase where a new door stood beside the old one. I didn’t get a chance to see the carving on the front before we were stumbling through in a blur.
Aidan let me go and slammed the door shut. He locked it using the large dead-bolt above the doorknob. Twisting around to face me he leaned against the door gasping for air.
“Aidan!” I cried, feeling the weakness in my arms as I grabbed his shoulders.
He flinched at first, raising his hands to fend me off.
“What happened to Cody?” I burst, panic rising. “We just locked Cody in that Challenge, Aidan!”
Hitting the back of his head against the door behind him, he gritted his teeth and wouldn’t look at me. “Railing torment lies within.”
The words from the wall, the only message I didn’t get before entering the Demon’s Grave. They sent a chill down my spine and I wasn’t sure why.
Stepping away from Aidan as if stung, I noticed the new room for the first time. It was like stepping back in time.
A brown, stain-glass lamp shone light into the room revealing an old seventies style couch and matching chair decorated in orange and brown flowers against the wood-paneled walls. A flattened, brown shag carpet cushioned my feet but there was a foot traffic trail from the couch to a small room across from a set of stairs.
It appeared we were safe for now. Turning back to Aidan I asked again, trying to make my voice sound rational. “What happened to Cody?” Maybe there was something we could still do to save him. The door hadn’t faded out of view yet, there was still time.
Aidan took a deep breath, wiping away the sweat on his brow. “Cody and I found ourselves outside. We looked all around and finally found the door that we apparently came through. We were about to open it when it began to rain and snow at the same time and hard. Cody began to get panicky and told me not to open the door. So, I didn’t.”
I realized my legs were shaking and led Aidan away from the door. Circling a brittle-looking coffee table with a single lit candle in the middle, we sat down on the couch.
The ease of sitting made my muscles sigh. “Then what happened?” I urged, cupping Aidan’s arm hoping it was comforting but I could strangle him for stalling.
“Then we just stood there and suddenly we heard these whispers. They just came out of nowhere. They began to get louder and louder. They told us all of the messages that spelled DOOR and said that we were going to die. Suddenly, Cody began to scream and shouted that they would not get him just like in his dream. Then this shadow…” Aidan made a wavy motion with his hands imitating claws, “…it came from nowhere and stopped right in front of Cody. I didn’t know what to do so I opened the door and grabbed Cody to pull him in. But he was gone. He was just sucked into the shadow.” Aidan rubbed the front of his face with his hands as if to rid himself of the image. “Like it ate him.”
His last words struck me odd. The shadow man had swallowed Cody up without a fighting chance, just like the others. Damien was picking them off one by one, but not killing them. Why?
Aidan moaned. “I couldn’t save him. I ran.”
“It’s okay, Aidan. It wasn’t your…”
“It’s not okay,” he hissed through gritted teeth. “I got scared and ran before it could get me. If only I didn’t listen to Cody. Maybe he’d be here with us instead of in that…that…” Aidan shook his head, unable to continue. Instead he turned to me, face red. “Where are we?”
I stiffened, and glanced left and right pondering our escape routes. Hide and seek, don’t get caught, I thought.
Aidan asked. “What?”
Oh crap, d
id I speak out loud?
“I, uh…Damien told me about the next Challenge,” I said, eyes darting from the stairs to the little room that looked like a bedroom from my angle.
Aidan’s spine straightened so quick his arm jerked from under my hands.
I wanted to change the betrayal I saw on his face and spoke quickly. “He told me that we were playing a game of hide and seek.”
Aidan’s pinched mouth opened just enough to say, “Now the demon is giving you personal attention. We were out running into shadows and he was talking to you?”
I hesitated, it wasn’t like that.
“He…” I suddenly decided not to tell Aidan about the punishment. He was worried about Cody, he didn’t need to be thinking about who else could be hurt. “He just told me about the next Challenge.”
Aidan stared at me, his gaze swimming with suspicion. “What is going on, Nora? What is it he knows about you? And don’t say ‘nothing,’ because I know you’re lying.”
“Aidan,” I pleaded, feeling the urgency of our situation.
“Don’t,” he snapped, glaring at me. “You’re going to tell me how you know Damien.”
My lips formed a thin tight line of disapproval. Breathing through my nose I tried to calm my initial reaction, which was to start yelling. Damien brought it all up and left me to deal with this. “I barely remember what happened. He’s tricking you by saying my past is somehow involved and that I had met him before. I would have remembered.”
“Nora,” he warned.
I took a deep breath. “We don’t have a lot of time.”
“I’m not moving until you tell me what’s going on.” He crossed his arms.
If his pale eyes could hold sparks, they did today and I realized that if I didn’t tell him, the small bits of trust we had collected over the last few Challenges could be shattered. We’d end up like the Other Nora and Aidan.
Don’t tell the Birket about Nell, he’d said, and then did this to me. He was making the rift between us widen.
Clearing my throat it took more effort than it should have to speak, but I pronounced each word carefully, having not said them for over a decade. “They murdered my twin sister in front of me when I was five.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
The silence stretched and though Aidan finally decided to look at me, I didn’t want to look at him. The last thing I wanted was sympathy or worse, the accusations in his eyes.
“Aidan?”
He grunted.
Twisting my camisole in my hands, I asked. “Remember when you said you sometimes felt strange around me?”
“You’ve asked this already,” he said.
“Was it like you knew I was coming before I got there?”
“No,” he sounded serious and cleared his throat. “It was more like there was something wrong with you.”
Surprised, my eyes snapped back to him to see if he was serious.
His chin lowered as he glowered at me. “Like you didn’t belong here, like you were never meant to be in the same room as everyone else, but you were.” He took a deep breath through his nose. “I guess I don’t have to ask you about your experience.”
Like I didn’t belong? I gaped at him, unsure how to proceed. Don’t tell the Birket, Damien had said.
At my silence, Aidan stood up and began pacing the small room. Behind him the black door was replaced by a white one. “You said they…”
“What?” I stood up with him, clenching my fists around the bottom of my shirt, desperate for something to do.
“You said they killed your twin sister.”
His back was to me and I felt the chill from where I stood. Licking my lips, I nodded knowing he couldn’t see me. “There were three of them. A woman and two guys and no, neither of the men was Damien.” I stalked toward the white door and tried the handle. It was locked.
He still wouldn’t look at me as he paced the rectangular room, his shadow followed along the wall so I could track him without looking.
“What if one was Damien? You were young and…”
Tugging at my shirt, I sighed. “One was a fat, blonde guy and the other was a skinny guy with a stupid jacket that had JWD on the sleeve. Besides, I already asked Damien.”
“You asked Damien?” Aidan paused in his pacing. I could see his shadow face me before he snorted, “Because a demon wouldn’t lie.”
I held up my hand and counted on my fingers, still facing the white door. “Neither talked like Damien. They didn’t look like him and we weren’t even close to your Grandpa’s place. It was a different city entirely.” I grit my teeth and snapped. “Remember, Aidan? The place where all this started. How come you’re not on trial?”
Aidan stopped pacing, I had hit the nerve. I seem to be getting good at that.
With enough courage to turn around, I let my emotions guide my attack. “Cody, Phoebe, and Read are trapped off in some shadow. Robin could be seriously hurt or worse.”
“Why would Robin be seriously hurt? You don’t think she’s dead?”
I had slipped up, but I wasn’t about to stop. “And I can’t tell you about my family tragedy because he’ll kill Phoebe. Do you know how many shrinks my parents threw me at? I don’t think there’d be enough in the world after this!”
“Nora, stop, please,” Aidan began.
“Stop? You wanted me to start!” I shouted so loud the back of my throat ached and my already weak legs wobbled. Slapping a hand to the wall I waited for the scathing retort. I couldn’t even look at him as I’d already said too much and my head was pounding with adrenaline that should have been put to better use.
If I wasn’t too tired I might have just decided to cry. Not to get him to shut up, but because I needed a release. All this pressure had been building with no escape valve.
Aidan’s soft voice said, not far away. “I shouldn’t have accused you.”
Frustration launched me away from him. He doesn’t mean it, I thought.
To get away, I stepped into the only other room, a bedroom.
I took a deep breath through my mouth, letting it out slowly. I heard the shudder in my chest. This was stupid. I couldn’t let my emotions get the better of me, just like Damien said. I touched my stomach, feeling it twist and warm, though I wasn’t sure if it was out of hunger or anger.
This could be what caused the rift for the doppelgängers; not the story of my sister or Damien’s lies. Crossing my arms, I surveyed the little bedroom, trying to form a logical solution. Weapons, I needed weapons and a hiding place. Couldn’t get caught, couldn’t be controlled by emotions.
My bottom lip quivered and I tried to make notes of the room to distract myself. Black candles crowded the bedside tables, the shelves and the dresser, snaking tendrils of wax over edges and to the floor.
In the center of the room was a black four poster bed with a sheer, lacy canopy. Just seeing the fluffy, dark comforter seduced my every muscle to lie down. After my massive puke-fest, my body felt as if it were filled with sand.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, I rested but wouldn’t allow myself to lie back. My nerves were shot, my emotions running so deep and hard I was exhausted. I was puttering on low-fuel and knew I should be focused on hiding. Ahead of me, the stairs beckoned me to keep moving. Turning my head, I noticed a stone crucifix on the wall above the headboard. To my right was a window, though outside it was a blurry grey as wet snow splattered the glass.
Aidan mentioned that, before Cody disappeared it had started to rain and snow at the same time. Could Cody be outside right now? Or in here with us?
“Aidan?” I asked, watching the window. In my fascination, it took me a moment to realize he hadn’t answered.
Standing slowly, with the help of one of the bed posts, I poked my head out into the living room to see Aidan sitting on the couch. His body was hunched with elbows on his knees, careful to avoid the bloodstained towel tied to his leg. Peering over his fingertips at the white door, he was ashen.
&nbs
p; Glancing at me, his eyes widened before he motioned me to stay quiet.
Leaning against the doorway, I listened.
Footsteps squeaked against what sounded like packed snow. They were pacing in front of the door, back and forth.
Stiffening for several seconds, we waited for the next move. The footsteps kept pacing and I thought of our warning. We had to hide. I motioned to Aidan to come to me.
He stood up, eyes darting to the door. He ventured a single step but a new noise froze him before he took a second. Mumbled words could be heard through the door.
Don’t get caught.
Flailing at Aidan to hurry, the doorknob twisted and my heart stopped. I think I stopped breathing until I heard the lock rattling but the door remained closed.
Aidan jerked off the couch and limped on tippy-toes across the living room.
The instant he was in arms reach I grabbed his shirt and pulled him close to whisper in his ear. “We have to hide.”
Aidan nodded and peered inside the bedroom. “Let’s go outside before it can come in,” he breathed and limped to the window.
Flipping the lock at the top Aidan gripped the small handle at the base and tugged, gently at first. The window shook, but otherwise didn’t budge. Taking a deep breath he strained, his face reddening with the added force and this time the window slide as if layered in grease and slammed into the frame above. He might as well have just held up a sign that said: “Victims Seeking Abuse: Sign Up Sheet Here.”
A single, icy strike snuffed most of the candles. Bullet sized rain and snow pelted my face, numbing skin.
Jumping back, I held up my hands to protect myself and staggered into the archway. Stealing a glance at the main white door I saw splinters beside the doorknob as if the Hulk were on the other side.
“Aidan, we have to go upstairs,” I said, though my voice disappeared in the wind. The steps behind me reached a landing before curling up along the wall. The second floor was probably where we should hide.
Struggling to close the window, Aidan jerked hard on the handle and it slammed shut, the sound echoing in my head.
The Demon's Grave Page 24