“Fine, but this doesn’t feel right,” she mumbled, disappearing around the corner.
“How’s Adria?” I asked, while the man’s eyes shifted from me and Kylie, and then back around the corner.
“She needs a diaper,” replied Kylie.
“I’m sure,” I said, trying to decide the best way to disarm our captor. “I think we can find one for her somewhere in the mall.”
John turned around and smirked. “Don’t waste your time, kid. She won’t need a new one where she’s going.”
I clenched my jaw.
This guy was a real tool.
He seemed to notice and enjoy my irritation. He smiled even wider.
I tried to remain calm. “So, what’s going on over by the hole?” I asked, my eyes darting to his gun, which I knew would be mine soon enough.
He looked around the corner again. “Just some old man and a dark-haired girl.” His face darkened. “Shit, now who in the hell is that dude?”
With John’s attention diverted, I launched, getting him with a side-kick to his kidney.
With a loud grunt, he flew forward and landed on his stomach. He lost hold of the gun and it slid across the linoleum.
I ran over and grabbed it. “Get up,” I ordered, pointing the gun at him.
Wincing, he stood up slowly and then glared at me.
“Hands in the air,” said Kylie, now standing next to me.
I smiled. “You heard her.”
He rolled his eyes.
“Do it!” I hollered, glaring at him.
He raised them in the air.
“Okay, let’s go join the others,” I said. “Turn around and walk toward the pit. You try anything, John, and I’ll make sure you end up in that damn hole.”
Muttering something under his breath, he started moving forward. As we rounded the corner, I sighed in relief when I noticed Tiny, Henry, and Nora.
“Oh no,” said Kylie. “That guy who’s with them is friends with Billie, I mean Travis.”
“Father Brambati,” I said, nodding. “Yeah, I’ve met that guy. Something tells me he’s spewing lies to Tiny and Henry now.”
“They need to get away from him,” said Kylie, holding Adria closer. “He’s dangerous.”
“Guys!” I hollered, as we moved toward them. “Watch out for the woman and the priest! They can’t be trusted!”
Tiny stepped away from Father Brambati and Henry raised his gun toward the woman.
“Thank God,” said Tiny, grinning widely. “You guys are safe! Kristie has been worried sick!”
Henry smiled as I approached. “Well, I’ll be damned. Somehow I just knew you’d make it here, Wild.”
I smiled grimly. “Apparently the mall was on the way to wherever that prick in the truck was headed. He practically dropped me off at the front door.”
“What happened to him?” asked Tiny.
“Not really sure. He took off.”
Henry frowned. “Huh. Strange days indeed.”
“Tell me about it. Speaking of strange, have you seen Billie?”
“He’s gone,” replied Nora. “As in, dead.”
“What happened?” I asked.
“Long story short,” said Henry. “Billie actually had been possessed by Travis, and he’s probably still falling down in that pit over there.”
“You got him?” I asked.
His eyes twinkled. “Damn right.”
My eyes went back to Nora. “I’m really sorry about Billie, Nora. Are you doing okay?”
“I’m a survivor,” she replied.
“Damn right you are,” said Henry.
I smiled.
“So what in the hell is going on with these three?” asked Tiny, eyeing them suspiciously. “You say they were with Travis?”
“Yes and they all want to kill Adria,” snapped Kylie.
Father Brambati’s eyes widened. “Goodness, child, have I done anything to harm you or the baby?”
She glared at him. “No, but I heard you talking. You were okay with Billie sacrificing Adria!”
“Why, that’s ridiculous,” sputtered Father Brambati. “I’m a man of faith. I’ve devoted my entire life to the church and your accusations are ridiculous.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Of faith? I guess the real question is - with whom does your faith and devotion lie?”
“Child, you’ve got me all wrong,” he replied, his face turning red. “I had no idea that they’d planned on sacrificing the infant. No idea at all!”
I turned to the couple, who’d been silent. “From what these two told me, they’d planned on sacrificing Adria to let Lucifer into our world. Father Brambati is in on it, too. Just as Kylie said.”
“Wild, are you certain about this?” asked Henry, looking unsure. “Because that’s a mighty strong accusation to make against a priest.”
“Henry, we are not making this up,” I insisted. “He’s under Travis’s thumb, just like these two. Or rather, they were. You can’t trust any of them.”
“She’s right,” said Kylie, eyeing the couple suspiciously. “Especially these two.”
Henry paused. “Well, I’ve got to take your word for it. You, people, however,” he said, spitting out a wad of chew. “I don’t trust you as far as I can spit.”
Father Brambati took a step forward. “But Henry -”
“Save it,” he replied, cutting him off. “I’ve got no time for lies, especially from someone who’s dishonoring a position as a man of God.”
The priest glared at him. “You’re going to regret this. All of you.”
Henry smirked. “Why is it when someone says that, the only thing regretted is not pulling the trigger fast enough?”
Father Brambati’s eyes lowered to Henry’s gun but he held his tongue.
“Well, it’s certainly good to see you guys. How are you doing okay, Kylie?” asked Tiny, putting his arm around her.
She smiled up at him. “Relieved.”
Nora cleared her throat. “So… how is the baby?”
“Pretty good,” said Kylie. “Considering what we’ve been through.”
Nora walked over and smiled down at the baby. “If you’d like, I can hold her. I’m sure you’re just exhausted,” she said, pushing her dark hair behind her ears.
Kylie kissed Adria’s forehead. “No… she needs to have her diaper changed and my shirt is already kind of damp. I’ll just keep her for now.”
“Are you sure? Because I don’t mind.”
“Believe me, she’s really wet.” Kylie turned to Tiny. “Um, so where’s my mom?”
He groaned and slapped his forehead. “Oh hell, I forgot. She’s looking for you. I’ll go round them up so that they know you’re safe. Hey, where’s Allie?” he asked, frowning.
“I left her in Nordstrom’s,” I replied.
He sighed in relief. “Good. I was almost afraid to ask. Well, I’ll go and round up the rest of the group.”
“Okay,” I replied as he jogged toward the stairs.
“Bryce is sure going to be happy to see you,” said Henry, his blue eyes softening. He chuckled. “In fact, I think he might be handcuffing you to his wrist from now on.”
I smiled. “I think I might actually let him.”
The priest began to cough.
My smile fell. “You okay?”
“I could use something to drink,” he said in a hoarse voice.
“We’ll find you something when the others return,” said Henry.
“Bless you,” replied the priest.
I refrained from rolling my eyes.
Henry waved his gun toward a broken fountain a few feet away. “Why don’t you three sit over against that retaining wall, where I can keep an eye on you?”
The priest sighed. “Look, I am no threat to you, friend. Please… just hear me out -”
“My hearing is bad and my true friends know better than to try and pull the wool over my eyes,” stated Henry, tightening his grip on the gun. “So, unless you want to find out wha
t’s on the other side of that bridge you were bragging about, I’d keep my mouth shut and sit your ass down like I told you!”
“That’s no way to talk to a man of God,” replied the priest in shock.
I snorted. “Really?” I said. “You’re honestly going to go there?”
“Just go and sit your ass down already,” said Nora, looking aggravated.
Father Brambati’s muttered something under his breath as he joined the others by the fountain.
Henry sighed. “By George, I think he’s finally understanding us.”
“I hope so,” I said in a low voice, looking at the trio uneasily. “But, I still don’t trust them. John was telling me that Lucifer was the one who started the zombie apocalypse. Apparently, he wants to kill Adria before she grows up and is strong enough to stand up to him.”
His eyebrows shot up. “Is that right?”
I bit my lower lip. “Yes. And after seeing Travis’s powers, I’m having a hard time not believing him.”
“Now listen here,” said Henry with a determined look on his face. “There is no way in hell that I’m letting these people touch Adria, by golly. So, you just worry about your sister and keeping Bryce happy. Pay no mind to what that feller told you.”
“It’s kind of hard not thinking about it,” I said. “We’re talking about the devil.”
“Wild, don’t underestimate me,” he said. “Especially right now. Hell, I’ve gotten my second wind and I’m in the mood for a little Copenhagen and a little ass kicking.” He patted his shirt pocket and frowned. “And it looks like I’m all out of chew.”
I chuckled. “It appears that we never run out of the latter, though.”
“You got that right,” he said, his eyes twinkling.
Still chuckling, I walked to the edge of the black hole and looked down. “You know, I wonder what’s really at the bottom of this?”
“I don’t know, and frankly, I don’t want to ever find out,” said Henry.
“Can I look in the hole?” asked Kylie.
I turned to her. “Yeah, but not with Adria in your arms. I don’t want her getting near this thing. You know, just in case.”
“Look,” said Nora. “I can hold Adria. I really don’t care if she’s wet.”
“Okay,” said Kylie. “I just want to get a quick peek at the hole.”
“No problem.” Nora walked to Kylie. She reached over and touched Adria’s cheek. “Hey there,” she said in a soft voice. “Remember me?”
The baby stared at Nora.
“Here,” said Kylie. “Don’t be shy, just take her.”
Nora grinned and accepted the baby. “My, you’re as light as a feather.”
“Kylie!” hollered Kristie, rushing down the escalator. “Oh, thank God you’re okay!”
Kylie squealed and then ran toward her mother, who was crying.
“Kylie,” sobbed Kristie, holding her close.
“I missed you so much.”
“I’ve missed you, too, baby. I was so worried,” said Kristie, closing her eyes.
Paige smiled at her sister over her mother’s shoulder. “Missed you, too, Paige.”
“Me too, Ky,” said Paige, squeezing her shoulder. “I’m glad you’re okay.”
“You really are okay?” asked Kristie, pulling away. She touched her forehead and studied her face.
“Mom… I’m fine,” said Kylie reassuringly.
Paige walked over to me. “Seriously, you had us all worried when that jerk took off with you in his truck. Did you teach him a lesson?”
“No,” I replied sullenly. “He took off.”
“Too bad.” Paige turned toward Nora and her face paled. “Uh, who gave her the baby?”
Kristie quickly released Kylie. “Hey, Nora, why don’t you give me Adria? She probably needs a diaper change.”
Nora shook her head. “No, that’s okay,” she replied, backing away. “I’ve got her.”
“Nora,” said Paige in a stern voice. “Give my mother the baby. You’re getting way too close to the hole. You might drop her.”
Nora looked at the baby and her forehead wrinkled. “You know, something isn’t right, here.”
“What do you mean, isn’t right?” I asked.
“Nora,” warned Henry. “Watch out for that hole.”
She didn’t say anything, just stared into Adria’s eyes.
“Nora, are you okay?” I asked, taking a step toward her. I wondered if all the stress had finally gotten to her.
She licked her lips and then looked at me. “I’m totally fine. Here,” she said, holding out Adria by her armpits. “You can have her if you want.”
I reached out and grabbed the baby. “Thanks.”
Kristie walked over to me. “I’ll take her. Like I said, I’m sure she needs a diaper and formula. Tiny said he’d return with some.”
I handed her the baby and turned to Nora. “You sure you’re feeling okay?”
She smiled. “Yeah, why are you guys so paranoid? I’m fine. Really.”
A low hum echoed from the hole and we all turned toward it.
“Oh, hell, now what’s going on?” said Henry.
Nora and I both stepped closer and peered inside.
Small red lights. As they moved closer, they reminded me of eyes.
“Oh, my God,” I gasped. “Are those what I think they are?”
“Shit,” hollered Henry. “Everyone, find cover!”
“Follow me,” ordered Kristie, running toward a woman’s clothing shop with Adria. “We’ll be in the dressing rooms until you guys kill those damn things!”
“Cassie!” yelled Bryce.
With my heart pounding wildly in my chest, I turned toward the sound of his voice and began running in that direction.
He opened up his arms, obviously expecting me to enter them, but instead, I ran past him. “Run!” I yelled, hearing the loud screeches behind me.
Henry’s shotgun went off.
“Cassie, watch out!” yelled Bryce as dark shadows loomed above us.
I covered my head with my arms and kept running.
“In here!” hollered Bryce, grabbing me by the arm. He pulled me into a shoe store and then to the backroom.
He slammed the door shut and then turned to me. “Thank God you’re okay,” he said, pulling me into his arms.
I rested my cheek against his chest and closed my eyes. “I’m sorry. I know I messed up. Again.”
He pulled away and looked down into my eyes. “No, I messed up. I should have let you come with us into the police station.”
I smiled sheepishly. “It’s okay. I understand. You were just trying to protect me. But, you know… I can take care of myself.”
He smoothed the side of my hair. “I know you can, but it’s frustrating for a guy like me.”
I raised my eyebrows. “What do you mean?”
He lowered his face until his lips were almost touching mine. “I want to be the one that keeps you safe. Me. Your fiancé.”
“You do,” I whispered, still loving the sound of that.
Fiancé.
His lips touched mine for a brief moment. “Only when you let me,” he replied, a smile tugging at his lips.
I smiled back. “True.”
A scream from somewhere in the mall separated us. “That sounded like Paige,” I said in a shaky voice.
He swore. “Figures. I want you to stay here. I’m going to take a look and see what’s happening.”
I stared at him in disbelief. Hadn’t we just talked about this? “Bryce, I can help.”
His looked down at my hands. “Do you have a weapon?”
I sighed. “No.”
He leaned forward and kissed my lips quickly. “Well, then there’s a better chance you’ll become a liability if I let you ‘help’. Just… wait here and I’ll come back for you.”
“But…”
He raised my chin with his fingers and looked into my eyes. “Hey, no weapon and no buts.”
I ro
lled my eyes.
He chuckled and ran away.
I sighed and then began looking around for something to use against the creatures. Unfortunately, there was nothing but shoehorns and shoes.
“Cassie! You back here?” a voice hollered when I was searching the back bathroom...
Nora!
I stuck my head out and smiled. “Hey. Are they gone yet?”
She smiled. “Pretty much. Bryce told me to come and get you. We’re leaving soon.”
“Thank God.”
“I know, right? I’m so sick of this place.”
“Me too. Before we leave, I need to get my sister from Nordstrom’s.”
“I’ll go with you after we find Bryce,” she replied.
“Where is he?”
“I think he’s still back by the hole.”
“Is Paige, okay? We thought we heard her screaming.”
“I think so,” Nora replied, stepping over a pile of shoe boxes. “But I don’t know for sure.”
We walked out of the stockroom. “God, I hope one of those bat-things didn’t get her.”
“Me too.”
We walked out of the store and through the corridor. When we made it back to the center of the mall, I noticed three dead flying creatures, two with gunshot wounds and one with its head bashed in.
“These things are so… creepy,” I said, wrinkling my nose. “I wonder how many of them came out of the ground.”
“Oh… about a dozen,” Nora replied, stepping over another one.
My eyes widened. “You stuck around and counted?”
She chuckled. “Not really, I hid under a bench. You should have seen it, though. It was kind of funny… everyone was screaming and you all took off in different directions.”
“Oh, yeah,” I said dryly. “Really funny.”
“Well, I thought it was kind of comical. Then, a few minutes later, the flying things pretty much disappeared and Bryce came back. When he noticed they were gone, he told me to come and find you. I bet he went to go search for the others.”
“Yeah. Uh, do you know where’s Kristie and Paige are?”
She shrugged. “Guess I’m not really sure.”
I glanced over at the hole. “Geez. I hope nothing else comes out of that thing. It’s already freaking the hell out of me.”
She walked to the hole and stared down. “Oh… I suspect that something will be coming out of it. Obviously, it’s here for a reason.”
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