“You sure it wasn’t Heather?” Evie laughed out thinking about the name she dubbed Heather from the coffee house.
Barnaby shook his head, completely straight-faced. “I am not kidding Evie. I saw it and no… it was not Heather,” he said in all seriousness.
“I was only kidding,” she muttered, feeling stupid and rude suddenly.
“Yeah, I know. Sorry. I am not trying to be a dick. It just freaked me out really bad.”
“Yeah, I get it.” She waved him off. Even though, to be honest, she had seen some pretty weird shit lately and she was taking it all in stride, unless of course she was going to lose it at some random moment and have a break down. She hoped not.
Suddenly she remembered tighty whities. “Ohmigod, I saw some guy, he was freaked and said there was a mad dog out there. Do you think it was the same thing you saw?”
“Probably,” he agreed. “Where did he go?”
“Oh, tighty whities?” she said, not missing the weird look he was giving her. “Oh…” she remembered he didn’t get what she was saying. “ He was only wearing his underwear and one sock,” she explained.
“No way,” he laughed out. “Really?” he asked.
“Yeah…” She lifted her brows. “It was pret-tay crazy.” She noticed he had that weird look on his face again, like he was going to ask her something, and she didn’t want to know what the something might be.
“Aren’t we gonna try to get out of here?” he asked suddenly.
“Yeah, of course,” she hedged and then changed the subject. She didn’t want to leave until she found Adriane. “What were you going to tell me about Moriah?”
“Hey, all I know is Colton saw her practically sitting on some dudes lap.”
“What?” Her mouth dropped open. “No Way!”
“Yes way. Colton told Kingston and his ass took off.”
“What? What happened?”
“I have no idea. We split. Then we saw Heather and she was going Zombie on some dudes face,” he said stressing the “z’” while lifting his brows.
“Nooo,” she said, her mouth dropping open.
“Yeeess,” he said nodding. “Then Cujo’s twin showed and we ran.”
“Wow,” she mouthed, shaking her head. “Moriah…” Now that was unbelievable. Of course she wasn’t shocked about Heather…well, she was shocked but in a different way. What guy would want to hook up with that bitch?
Barnaby was still shaking his head. “I know right. This place is whacked. I want to get the hell out of here and the sooner the better.” He was feeling more and more uncomfortable the longer they stayed. He just didn’t know what was outside so he was a little reluctant to go out in the dark and find out. To be truthful, he was more than a little reluctant. He was scared shitless. “Wait I almost forgot, I saw something else messed up.”
“I’m all ears.” She lifted her brows and tucked her hair behind her ears. She noticed he wasn’t smiling this time. It must be serious. She angled her body closer to his. “What did you see?”
“Well, you are probably going to think I am crazy, but I saw some weird things flying over in front of the moon, with big ass wings flapping up and down.”
“Like a bat.”
“I wish… more like Batman,” he said.
The words slowly sunk in. She reached for her Wolfie choker, and then began jerking it back and forth trying to cover her nervousness. “Like a gargoyle?” she breathed. Then covered her mouth with her hand, not believing she had even said that.
Barnaby widened his eyes. “Now that you mention it…yeah, yeah, it could totally be a gargoyle.” His brow creased. “Not that I’ve seen one that was not in stone, but if they weren’t…I guess that is exactly how they might look, you know, flying and all.”
She wasn’t sure what to say. They stared at one another, both wearing the same freaked expressions. “This is out there crazy, like really out there crazy.”
“Tell me about it,” Barnaby agreed and then took a nervous breath. “Okay…okay.” He rubbed his hands over his face and took another deep breath. “All right,” he breathed. “Let’s use a hypothetical scenario. If in fact, there is um, you know gargoyles, what do they want?”
Evie shook her head. “Barnaby this is insane.”
“Yeah I know, but what if they are real. We need to know what they want. I mean, they have to want something because their asses aren’t statues anymore… obviously.” He rolled his eyes. “What I mean to say is if I am wrong, which I totally hope I am, but if not, we have to make allowances just in case we aren’t hallucinating or insane or whatever. You know.”
Barnaby was right. He was such a practical thinker. “Yeah…” she agreed but she wasn’t really listening to him any longer. Instead, her mind wandered back to Adriane.
UNCERTAIN
SATURDAY * 10:57 PM
Kingston kicked the glass doors with his foot. After the second try, they flew open, thumping loudly against the wall.
“Kingston, what are you doing?” Moriah asked worriedly.
“Getting inside,” he said, grabbing her hand, pulling her along behind him.
“Why are we going inside?”
“Because I can’t see a damned thing out here and we need some kind of protection.”
“Protection?” she asked, not sure, what they needed protection from.
“Yeah Moriah…HELLO, what do you think everyone was running from?”
“I have no clue, Kingston.” She flinched from his tone. Dick. Obviously, he was scared, but he didn’t have to take it out on her. She was scared, too.
He turned, and softened his voice. “Babe, come on,” he urged, pulling her along. “I don’t know what’s going on any more than you do, but something is up and I don’t want to be out in the middle of it when it happens. At least inside we have some kind of protection against whatever it is.”
Moriah could see his reasoning, but still wasn’t looking forward to hanging out in the creepy house, that was black as pitch. At least outside the moon gave off at least a little bit of light.
“Shit!” Kingston yelled grabbing his side where the sharp corner of the chair had jammed into it.
“You okay?”
“Yeah, just a stupid ass chair,” he answered and shoved it across the room; it fell over clattering loudly on the floor.
Someone yelped from the corner.
Moriah and Kingston both jumped in unison. “Who’s there? Kingston yelled. “You better come out or when I find you I’ll break your fucking neck,” he warned.
“Kingston? Is that you?” A thready voice called out from across the room.
“Heather?” Kingston said.
“Ohmigod! Thank goodness, it’s you,” Heather gushed wildly, jumping out from her hiding place behind the couch. She had hid back there after the guy, Alistair, she was hooking up with had taken off. She had seen at least fifteen people go into the mansion but once she was inside, she hadn’t seen a soul, which freaked her out really bad. So she had come into the room off the right of the foyer and hidden behind a couch. She lifted her hands in front of her feeling her way to where she heard Kingston’s voice.
Moriah rolled her eyes…Un-fucking-believable. It figures the only person they had come across was the last person she wanted to see. What were the odds? Apparently, they weren’t in her favor. She gritted her teeth listening to Heather clomp loudly across the room. She sounded like a cow. Typical, Moriah thought. Heather was a cow, as in mad cow-bitch.
Kingston dropped Moriah’s hand. “We’re over here,” he called. “Now be careful,” he added sweetly.
Moriah rolled her eyes, fighting the urge not to vomit all over herself, and crossed her arms over her chest. She bit her lip to stop from saying something pathetic…like …What about me? It was really too dark to see but she didn’t need to see to know Kingston was hugging all over Heather. What the hell?
“Kingston, are you alone too?” Heather cooed out in a baby soft voice.
The sound sent Moriah’s nerves on edge, even more. Where was a binky? She wanted to shove that shit in Heathers mouth to shut up her baby talk. It was sickening. But that didn’t stop Kingston from responding in kind. His own voice normally deep, with just a hint of a raspy edge took on an excruciatingly whining baby tone as well. Her eyes bugged from her head and she fisted her hands at her sides, shivering. It was not from fear but disgust. Gawd they were making her sick. She wanted to ask if they needed their diapers changed. She cleared her throat loudly, hoping to put an end to the nauseating baby banter.
Kingston’s voice turned back to normal. “Heather, Moriah is here too.”
“Oh, wonderful, I was hoping she was with you,” Heather answered sweetly. “Oh hey Moriah, you’re here—great,” she called out, her disappointment clear.
Liar. “Hey Heather,” she answered as Kingston grabbed her hand and squeezed it tightly in his own. Normally she would have taken that as a secret exchange shared only between the two of them. But she felt rather than saw, Kingston grabbing at Heathers hand as well. Who knew what he was doing to her hand. Irritated she pulled her hand out of his grasp and wrapped it around her waist instead. He didn’t seem to care or notice. Her chest tightened.
“Where’s everyone else?” Kingston asked Heather.
The whining baby tone of Heather’s voice cut through the darkness. “I don’t know? When I came in I didn’t see anyone, so I came in here to hide.”
“Good thinking,” Kingston added, his voice coming out baby-esque as well.
Moriah felt like tossing her cookies up. Gross.
“Well let’s see what we can do about that,” he cooed sweetly.
Moriah listened to their feet shuffling forward. She stood there for a few moments wondering if she should just go back out the way they came in and leave Kingston alone with Heather. Obviously, she was completely forgettable. He hadn’t even asked where she was yet. Gritting her teeth, she waited. The door opened and still she waited for Kingston to call out to her, thinking he would want her closer, but it was not Kingston that asked about her at all.
“Moriah come on. You don’t want to be left here all alone, do you?” Heather called back into the room.
Moriah made a face, noticing Heathers baby voice had turned back into her screechy witch voice once again. She waited a beat, wanting to hear what Kingston would say to that. When nothing came from him, her heart fell a little bit more. She clenched and unclenched her hands. She was pissed and upset but she still caved. She wasn’t stupid. Being with the baby bops duo was better than being alone. At least that is what she told herself as she made her way towards the open doorway.
“Moriah, come on,” Kingston called from the foyer.
She flinched. He sounded pissed. She had to wonder where her coochie coo -goo-gob-gag baby voice from Kingston was? Nooo, all she got was his irritable dick voice. She knew it well too. “Here I come, don’t leave,” she whined, trying to sound babyish. Maybe he liked the baby talk crap. When she finally made it out to the foyer, she could see the outline of his and Heather’s bodies shoved closely to one another. She walked up beside him, trying to grab his arm. “What are we going to do?” she whined more, clinging to his arm.
Kingston shook her hand off. “Moriah,” he breathed sounding irritated.
“What?” she cooed, wondering if she should gurgle too and push bubbles out between her lips?
“What’s wrong with your voice?”
She cleared her throat loudly. “Sorry, I had something stuck in my throat.”
“Well I hope you got it out, you sounded different.”
“Different how?” she asked, stepping closer, wanting him to say she sounded really – cute or maybe he would ask her to do it more. Maybe he liked it.
“I don’t know, you kind of sounded like Mable.”
“Mable?”
“You know Mrs. Jenkins bratty little daughter.” He began to laugh. “The one that farts all the time,” he said and laughed even harder.
Heather laughed too.
Ohmigod! Seriously? She wanted to smack him right in his face. Instead, she ground her teeth together and balled her hands into fists. She was so mad she could spit and probably should, right in his and Heathers stupid laughing faces.
BITTEN
SATURDAY * 11:07 PM
The strange blue hue spreading out from the edges of the moon grew in size, gobbling up all the little stars. At least that is what it looked like to Evie. Barnaby said the room was probably a conservatory of sorts used for stargazing—right…more like Mad-Doctor experiments if you asked her.
The door to the library slammed shut again. The wall shook. “Chance!” Her entire body tensed. Between Chance’s door slamming and Colton, and his Waa’s she was at her limit. “What are you doing?”
“I think something is out there,” he whispered, from across the room, even from a distance she could tell how freaked he was.
“Chance if you think something is out there then why are you opening the door and slamming it shut?” All she got was another dazed and confused look. “You are letting whatever is out there—know we’re in here,” she elaborated and walked around a chair to get closer to the door.
“I swear, there is something out there this time,” he said.
“Come on, knock it off. It’s probably just the wind.” She wasn’t sure if she believed him or not. He was like the little boy that cried wolf…but then again the boy was right on one count wasn’t he?
His eyes widened. “Nope, not wind,” he said, shaking his head back and forth like he was having a spasm of some sort.
“Well?” She crossed her arms and gave him what she hoped was a reproving look. “What is it then?” she asked.
“I’m not sure.”
A jolt of fear shot through her. His eyes looked crazed, just like the guy in the tighty whities had been.
The book Barnaby was holding slipped from his fingers thudding loudly on the desk. Normally, he never really paid much attention to Chance, he freaked about everything, usually a random bug or bird flying in the air he somehow never noticed before. But this wasn’t his normal doped - up response. “Come on Chance,” he said, his voice starting to shake. “Stop messing around. How can you not know what you are looking at?” he asked making his way around the furniture scattered through the room.
“Man I think I am seeing things,” Chance said if possible his eyes widening even more.
Barnaby froze. He knew that look…fear. Colton had the same look on his face when he pointed out the Cujo looking dog. His heart dropped and his blood ran cold. “Oh Shit”!
Colton turned his head toward Barnaby but he couldn’t see his face but he could see Chance’s and he looked freaked.
“Oh hell no!” he said, scrambling down from the ladder. He knew that look. In one fluid motion, he was across the room and climbing the spiral staircase leading up to the second level.
Evie gnashed her teeth together determined to put an end to his foolishness once and for all.
“Move Chance,” she said and pushed him out of the way and jerked the door open. “Ahhhhhhhhh!” she screamed, slamming the door shut, starting a bad chain reaction.
Barnaby flew across the room with lightning speed but not to help her, no, he headed for the spiral staircase.
“I told you something was out there.” Chance pressed his hands on the door giving her an “I told you so” look.
“Sorry,” she gritted. The door bumped against them, jostling them together. He gave her another glare for good measure, she supposed. That just irked her. What did he want a freaking bozo button? Well too bad, she was out for the moment.
The door bucked under them again.
“Shit! I can’t hold it shut,” Chance said his body tilting to the side, off balance. “Evie…” He looked over his shoulder.
“I’m here,” she said and pushed harder using her weight. It wasn’t working. Fear constricted her breathing but she still pushed as hard as s
he could. “Barnaby…” The door thumped against her back. The handle jabbing her, making her flinch in pain.
Barnaby stopped at the bottom of the stairs clearly torn.
“Don’t do it man—save yourself,” Colton wailed from above.
“What the hell Colton?” Evie shouted, hearing his warnings plainly.
“Sorry Edie. Barnaby is my friend.”
Anger quickly replaced fear. “My name is Evie—asshole!” She pushed even harder. The door clicked shut this time. “Chance lock the door,” she said, breathing hard. “Chance?” she looked over her shoulder. She didn’t see him leave but she heard a faint… “Sorry Evie”. Now she was alone. The door thumped against her. She flinched in pain. The bottoms of her shoes squeaked against the tiles as she was shoved slowly forward. It was a losing battle.
DESERTION
SATURDAY * 11:15 PM
Wasn’t desertion a crime?
The room was stoically silent after the door debacle. Silently fuming, Evie glared over at each of the offenders. She crossed her arms, leaning against the desk; the burled pattern of the wood was barely visible under the stacks of books that littered the top. Thank God, the “IT’ Chance had been talking about had turned out to be human—Kingston, Moriah, and Heather to be exact. But still…what if it had been something else—something terrible. She glanced over at the offenders again. Of course, she expected that type of behavior from Colton and even Chance would get a pass—he tried to help…but Barnaby? That one hurt a little more than she thought it would. She didn’t figure him for a deserter.
PART THREE
LOOK WHAT THE CAT DRAGGED IN
SATURDAY * 11:23 PM
A loud thumping noise came from the foyer.
This time Evie didn’t even bother trying to get to the door. It was everyone for themselves. The thudding grew louder. Scrambling around the desk, she headed to the window but Barnaby was blocking her. She pushed against him. “Move,” she yelled.
Gargoyle: A Reawakening (Briarcliff Series, #2) Page 13