We catch up to the people in front of us, and wait for clearance to enter the maze. A grizzly-looking man in a pirate costume sits on a platform as high as the tops of the stalks, next to the main entrance. He’s timing people as soon as they enter the maze, giving them a head start before the next few follow.
“You three are up next,” he tells us. He stares at the watch in his hand, counting down our time. “Arrrgh! It’s time. Don’t let the spooks get ya!” he exclaims in his best pirate accent. When he smiles, four of his upper front teeth are crowned in gold.
We carefully enter the maze. Though it’s dark outside, torches staked in the ground light the path. Actors still have places to hide in the shadows.
Jana and Blake hold hands, feeling their way along the scratchy walls. We arrive at two dead-ends before beginning our way through another series of twists and turns.
“It’s way too quiet,” Jana whispers.
“Yeah, it is,” I say.
We creep slowly through the maze, one foot in front of the other. The path splits into two directions. I’m trying to figure out which way to go when one of the actors comes after Jana. She screams and takes off. Blake is right there with her.
“Guys! Wait up!” I yell, running after them.
As soon as I round the corner where they disappear, I trip on wires taped down at ground level and hit the soil with a big oomph!
“C’mon, Candra!” I hear Jana yell from somewhere to my right.
“Where?”
“Over here!”
I follow the direction of her voice, but can’t find her. Every turn makes my stomach roll. I’m already in a dark area of the maze, so it’s that much worse. I’m not sure where the nearest torch is.
And I can’t find Jana and Blake.
Screaming is good. Screaming might help.
“GUYS, WAIT!”
Nothing.
The wind blows through the tops of the corn stalks. They sway in one direction, and then return to their former positions.
Breathe, Candra. You can do this on your own. Nobody’s going to hurt you, not even the actors. They can’t touch you. The stranger isn’t going to show up. There’s no way for him to even know you’re here.
I prepare myself for someone to jump out at any second, but they never do. I constantly hear cracks behind me and in front of me, but never see anything. My mind is playing tricks on me.
I’m not paying attention and get sliced on the cheek by a stalk. My fingers move to assess the damage. A tiny line of blood oozes from the scratch.
This is not happening to me.
At the brink of a potential meltdown, I scream, “Guys! Where are you?” one last time.
No one answers me.
I come upon a resting area. Benches are placed back-to-back in the center, and torches light the tiny spot. The maze leaves me with two options: take the path on the left side of the maze, or the path on the right side. One of them will lead me out.
But which one?
I can’t stand around all night deciding which one to take, so I go with option one—the left passage. One torch lights the entire path. It reminds me of a hallway. I follow it to the end, fighting myself the whole way. I can do this. I really can. No turning around and going back, even though the entrance is near. Jana and Blake can’t be too far ahead.
The hall-like entrance opens up to yet another small area—a dead-end. The tiny space has room for one bench, which is occupied. I can’t see who sits there, because it’s so dark. My eyes haven’t adjusted, and the moon, which was bright earlier, has lost its intensity behind the cloud cover.
“I’ve been waiting for you. I’m so glad you’re here, Candra,” someone says ahead of me.
Fear freezes me in place. My heart pounds so quickly that I believe it will beat its way out of my chest at any second.
His voice sounds familiar, though it’s too dark and gruff for me to recognize.
“Come. Have a seat by me.” The man pats the empty space beside him.
“I—I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” I stutter, surprised I can form a sentence.
The man doesn’t move or speak.
“How do you know my name?” I ask.
“I know lots of things—things you don’t think anyone knows about you.”
“Who are you?”
“Now, where’s the fun in that, if I just told you who I am or what I want?” His voice drawls.
My heart beats faster than before, if that’s possible. Every one of my senses tells me to turn around and run for my life, screaming the whole way. But I can’t move. It’s like my feet are rooted into the ground.
“Are you not going to sit with me?” the man asks. “It’s very rude to decline something you’ve been offered.”
“It’s also rude to not introduce yourself,” I blurt before I can stop myself.
“Ah, well…” he trails off, clearing his throat. “Candra, it seems we’ve come to an impasse. Neither of us wins, so where does that leave us?” A smile lingers in his voice.
“I think I need to go now. I’ll forget this ever happened,” I choke. I don’t realize how tightly my fists are clenched, until I feel the pin prick caused by my fingernails digging into my skin.
Then he laughs. Not a whole-hearted laugh, but one that holds evil.
“I’m afraid you can’t run from me, Candra. I know where you live, where you work. I’m aware of Randy and Beth, and where they work. Those late night shifts might kill them one of these days.” He chuckles.
My throat swells. “What is it that you want? Please, don’t hurt them,” I whisper, holding back tears.
“It’s only a matter of time, and I will kill all of you. That’s what I ultimately want, and I’m not the only one.”
I grab a handful of hair in each hand, closing my eyes, praying this isn’t really happening. “You’re not real. You’re only a figment of my screwed up imagination.” My voice is raspy. “Go away,” I chant over and over again.
But he doesn’t. He sits there, laughing.
“You can’t get rid of me. I’m not part of your imagination. I’m part of your dreams. But I’m there because I wanted to be there, so you knew of me. I warned you to leave, and you didn’t listen. Now, I’m afraid I must handle this myself.” He says it all so nonchalantly, like killing people doesn’t have consequences.
So, this is it. I’ll fight for my life and for those around me.
I teeter back and forth, my fists still balled at my sides. I’m ready to run.
“Why do you want me dead?” I ask.
“Because you exist,” he replies calmly, without thinking about it.
I wince. “When are you going to kill me?”
The faint outline of the man shrugs. “It may be now. It may be five years from now. But I will kill you.”
My body shakes from fear, or maybe it’s adrenaline. Without hesitating a second longer, I turn and run the opposite way.
I will live.
I make it back to the small resting area, back to the opposite passageway. My legs are propelled by something else. I’ve never run so fast in my life. My lungs feel like they might burst into flames at any moment.
“I hear you, Candra. You can’t hide from me.”
Bile rises in my throat.
If you don’t run, he’ll kill you.
Right, left, right again. The maze makes me dizzy, jolting my legs into constant stops with all the twists and turns. Actors jump out at me, but they don’t aren’t as terrifying anymore. I take a quick right and face a dead-end. When I turn around, I smack into something hard, and tall.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
The thing I bump into doesn’t budge. My head rises, my eyes search for a face—something I know. But I can’t see him. The moon is still cloaked by clouds.
Please don’t kill me now, I pray.
His hands latch onto my shoulders. I wriggle and squirm in his grasp. He falls backward to the ground. For a moment I wonder how it
happens, but push all thoughts aside, except one.
I have to get out of here.
Jumping over him, I think I make it, but he grabs my leg and pulls. I fall to the ground with a thud.
“You can’t get away that easily,” he says.
I kick and thrash with everything in me. One of the kicks lands square on his face. I don’t know what exactly happens, but it’s like I electrocute him or something. His face ignites with sparks and he shrinks back in pain, letting go of my ankle.
I’m free.
The pattern of the maze continues. Right, left, left. Right again.
Then I see it—an opening, the exit. The pounding of feet echoes in my ears. He’s close, and fast.
My legs ache, my lungs burn, and I’m wheezing.
I make it through. There’s a clearing on the other side, full of people.
“Candra, we were so worried about you! You were there with us one minute, and the next you weren’t—” Jana stops in mid-sentence.
I bend over, trying to catch my breath. My body throbs in pain.
“Are you okay?” Blake asks.
Jana rubs my back with her hand. “We’re so sorry. We didn’t mean to leave you like that.”
“We need to get out of here,” I say, my voice hoarse.
When I glance up, the crowd outside the exit stares at me. I pant, catching my breath.
“You’re bleeding,” Blake says. His thumb brushes the cut on my cheek.
“That’s the least of my worries right now,” I say, finally able to stand straight.
“Okay, let’s go,” Jana says hesitantly. She glances at Blake, but neither of them questions me.
Every few steps, I turn to look at the exit. Will he come out and show himself? Will someone else be forced to face him in the maze?
Nobody has a clue what happened to me. Nobody will believe me, either.
Buttered popcorn and a hint of something tart hit my nostrils. I see parents with children in line at concessions. The kids will think pretzels, popcorn and cotton candy are the best thing about tonight. A few fellow classmates wait for their chance to enter and be scared by nothing more than crazy actors. Couples walk with arms looped around each other, sipping hot chocolate.
He’s not after them. He’s after you.
Everything reels in slow motion. My mind tells me I need to warn everyone. My heart tells me I have to warn family first.
Jana’s car takes forever to get to. I check the backseat, just to be on the safe side. There’s nobody, of course. Jana and Blake gape at me, but still don’t say anything. They’ll think I’m a nut if I tell them.
I don’t realize how badly I’m shaking until I sit down. Thoughts swirl and buzz loudly in my head. He’ll come after me and my family. He might even go for Jana and Blake. If I don’t do something, then it’ll be my fault. I can’t live through this, knowing innocent people died.
Blake creeps through the endless sea of people. He eventually pulls onto the main road. That’s when I see him, the stranger. He stands at least one hundred yards away, at the edge of the forest, sucking me into another guilt trip. If I don’t do something now, this will never end. I’m the one who caused this trouble, and I’m the one to finish it.
In that heartbeat, I realize something—it’s never been about them. It’s about me.
I yell, “Stop the car!”
Blake slams the brake pedal with his foot and nearly causes my head to crash with the back of Jana’s seat.
“What is it? What’s wrong?” he asks, turning around to look at me.
“I have something I have to do. If I’m not back in five minutes, call the police,” I say, pushing open my door and jumping out. I take off in a run, barely making it over a wooden fence. Past the fence and a scanty amount of trees, I’m greeted by an open field.
I stop halfway to catch my breath.
The figure doesn’t move. He patiently waits. Rigidly, he turns on his heels and disappears when he sees me head in his direction again.
I’ve only thought my nerves were frayed before, during the fight with Cameron, and with his mom. But this doesn’t compare. Every tip of my body has unraveled, feeling like I’ll be swept away in the next breeze. My stomach clenches. I think I might vomit, but resist the temptation.
I near the tree line and know he’s watching.
I don’t want to die, but there are no other options.
“For my family,” I whisper, squeezing my eyes shut and stepping into the forest.
His laugh stops me. “For your family,” he spits. “How touching. But where is that family of yours now, when you need them the most?”
“Please leave them out of this.” I lower my eyes, staring at a tree. Maybe if I look pitiful, he’ll change his mind. Not likely, though.
He tsks me. “See, I can’t do that. When I kill you and your family, the ground I walk on will be worshipped. You’re the only thing stopping me.”
“It doesn’t have to be this way,” I plead. “We can talk this out. Maybe there’s something of mine that you want.”
“I have everything I want. I need you to be dead. You must know that it’s your power. We can’t allow you to live to see your eighteenth birthday. Surely you know that by now.”
Courage builds in my stomach. My fists tighten at my sides. “Even if you kill me, you won’t get away with it.”
“When I’m done with you, I’ll finish off your friends waiting in the car, and then your family.” His body lowers into a pouncing stance. His fingernails chip off and long claws grow in their place. He snarls. Razor-sharp fangs sprout from his gums and lengthen past his gum line. But it’s his eyes that take the breath out of my body; they glow yellow, even under the shaded canopy of trees and hazy moonlight.
The same golden glow that emanates from the tree line outside Randy and Beth’s house. The same eyes that crawl into my nightmares, leaving traces behind long after I wake.
He’s a werewolf. I can’t outrun him. So, I have no choice but to fight.
He lunges at me and I somehow leap out of the way. He hits the base of a tree and yelps, which only sends him into a rage.
He darts for me, then swats. This time, I’m not so lucky. My right cheek bashes into the tree a few feet away, knocking the breath out of me. I crumple to the ground. A bitter copper flavor trickles over my tongue.
My eyes spin around, trying to focus. I’m positive I have a concussion. Everything’s so blurry. He says something to me, but his voice echoes, making it unclear as to what he’s talking about.
Piercing pain radiates from my back. I open my mouth to scream, but air has left my lungs. Tears pour out of my eyes and cascade down my cheeks. The pain sears so badly I can’t open my mouth to scream. Each intake of breath burns.
When will I take my last gulp of air? Minutes from now? Seconds?
He paces back and forth in front of me. With my eyesight failing, he becomes two then one. I know I’m about to die. There isn’t a white light ahead, only sheer frozen air cloaking my body, and the open gashes newly-created on my back.
He soars toward me. I close my eyes tightly. I’m going to be eaten alive.
But it doesn’t come.
Peeking through one eye, I see a werewolf on top of the one who tried to murder me. I’m too aghast to notice the one sitting beside me. It growls at the two fighting, but turns to look at me. Something in its eyes tells me everything’s going to be okay.
One of the werewolves lets out a long cry. The werewolf next to me whips its head around. My Protector stands over the other, lifting its head and releasing a triumphant howl.
The injured werewolf staggers off into the woods somewhere. My Protector gives me and the werewolf beside me a look—a knowing look. The one beside me whines and My Protector grunts. They’re talking to each other, I think. They glance at me, and then run off into the forest.
“Wait!” I do my best to call, but my voice is raspy and weak. “Don’t leave me here,” I whisper. The pain blist
ering from my back keeps me in place. I can’t move, even if my life depends on it.
I fade in and out of conscious. For how long—I’m not sure. I hear a voice in the distance. Someone calls my name over and over again.
“Candra, are you okay?!” It’s Jana. “What’s this?” she asks, surveying my back. “Oh, God. We have to get you to a hospital.” She pulls out her cell phone and dials 911.
I’m barely awake. Between the cold and the hurt, my body goes numb. I drift off into an uncomfortable sleep. I don’t remember the sirens, or the flashing lights. I barely remember being carted through a white hallway.
“We’re here if you need us,” Jana says somewhere in the distance. I try opening my eyes, but everything’s so out of focus.
“Candra? I’m Dr. Botolf. Can you hear me?” a man asks.
I crack my eyes open, but can’t open my mouth. It’s so dry. I will do anything for a drink right now. I’m lying in a bed with sheets that make me itch, IVs in my veins, and I’m wearing a hospital gown.
Dr. Botolf pats my shoulder. “It’s okay. You’re going to be fine. Whatever animal attacked you, we’ll be on the lookout for it.”
He’s only after me, not everyone else.
Metal clinks, and the curtain whooshes open. I can barely make out Beth’s outline.
“Oh, Candra, sweetie, you’ll be all right. They’re going to keep you overnight and release you tomorrow. But we’re going to stay here with you,” Beth says. She rubs my arm.
I weakly nod.
My vision becomes fuzzy again. Sleep is the only thing I can do.
The next thing I know, a nurse wakes me for breakfast. She elevates me to a sitting position.
“Here you go, hon,” she says, placing the tray in my lap. She disappears through the curtain.
Beth stirs in the chair next to my bed. “Oh, you’re awake! How do you feel? Better?” she asks.
“Yeah, a little bit. I’m kind of sore,” I say, slowly pulling myself forward to eat.
“I don’t doubt that.” She raises her eyebrows. “Candra, I know it might be too soon, but did you get a look at who it was?”
I shake my head. “Never could see his face. It’s almost as if he’s just a black mist.” I focus on picking at a few scrambled eggs with my fork. “What is he?” I ask, looking at Beth.
Silver Moon (Silver Moon, #1) Page 16