by Simone Pond
“Anything?” Eli asked.
“Nothing,” I said.
“Maybe Whitmore has a block on the frequency?”
“I don’t know, dude. This day is turning out to be a real asshole. First Brooke, then the Holy Rock. Now I can’t track Sibyl.”
“I have an idea. Come on,” Eli said, heading back to the car.
“What?”
“There’s a book in the car. I think I know a way we can find them.”
“What about Whitmore?” I asked
“We’ll keep an eye on him. Either way, we need to get to Marlo and Sibyl. They’ll be wherever the sacrifice is going down.”
As we sat in Eli’s car, he flipped through one of the books from Esther’s library. He kept a bunch of them in the trunk for easy reference. Wrapping Sibyl’s damp blanket around my bare shoulders, I vowed to start leaving extra clothes in the car to avoid situations like this one.
As Eli flipped frantically through the pages, I kept watching Whitmore and his date. The way he gave her sideways glances, then leaned in close to whisper into her ear. She’d toss her long red hair over her shoulder and laugh flirtatiously. He was a real charmer, that lizard demon. I wondered if it was all mind control or if he was actually alluring.
“Whatever,” I muttered.
“What’s up?”
“Oh, nothing. Just Whitmore.”
Eli chuckled. “Smooth operator.”
I decided to change the subject and thought about what Esther said about the physical rock not mattering anymore. And that the Guardians would now protect the one who stands on the rock. For some reason, this made me think of Sibyl’s dreams she’d been having. I thought about the way Sibyl seemed to walk in both the supernatural and the earthly realm. A conduit between the two worlds. Maybe she didn’t need the physical rock to be able to call on its power and help guide the lost souls of this world and the supernatural realm. Sibyl would be their intercessor, divine counsel, and guide. And the Guardians would protect her from now on. It all kind of made sense.
“You okay over there?” Eli tapped my shoulder.
“Sorry, just some heavy thinking.”
“Must’ve been good stuff. You were smiling,” he said.
“Yeah. All good. You’re smiling too. Must’ve found what you were looking for.”
He pointed to the yellowed and tattered pages of the ancient book sitting on his lap. “You and Sibyl are spiritually connected, right? Same visions. You hear her call when she’s in trouble … But she has to call for you, otherwise you can’t find her, right?”
“Yeah.”
“What if we reverse it?” He tapped the pages, but all I saw were a bunch of curly, flamboyant words.
“I’m not fully understanding, but I trust you. You tell me what to do. I’m all in.”
Eli scanned the pages quietly, then went to open the car door. “Come on.”
“Wait, where are we going?”
“Can’t do this in the car. I gotta use the lightning to send the call,” he explained.
“Out in public? What if someone sees us?”
“We can go into the alley. Come on!”
“This sounds like, I don’t know, dude. What if you use too much and electrocute me?”
He laughed. “Man up, Vago. You’re a shifter. You’ve got this.”
I got out of the car with the wool blanket wrapped over my shoulders, not feeling very manly or brave. We made our way to the back of an alley, standing among the dumpsters and rotting trash. Eli positioned me in the middle of the narrow space and stood behind me, placing his hand on my shoulder and lifting his other to the sky.
“I need you to concentrate on Sibyl. And Sibyl only. Nothing else. Okay?”
“Yeah.”
“Not Brooke or Whitmore.”
“Well, now I’m thinking about both of them,” I grumbled.
“Just think about Sibyl. She’s your priority.”
I nodded, then shut my eyes, trying to picture Sibyl’s face. But all I could see was black. My heartbeat pulsed in my neck. The pavement was cold under my feet. Eli stayed quiet. Still, I couldn’t get a read on Sibyl.
“Anything?” Eli asked.
“Not yet.”
He squeezed my shoulder harder, and I could feel the sparks of energy thrumming through his fingertips, through the wool blanket and into my skin. Waves of electricity buzzed down my arm.
“Where are you, Sib?” I whispered.
Stronger currents of energy began to pulse into my body. Prickly chills rippled over me. And then, Sibyl’s eyes came into view. Her clear blue eyes like pools of light. Sibyl, where are you? I called to her over and over.
Slowly, her features became more visible. Then I could see her long strands of blond hair whisking around her face. Tears smeared her cheeks. Where are you? The full burnt red Blood Moon loomed behind her in the black sky. She was outside somewhere. Running. Waving her hands and screaming. She ran along a path, passing red brick buildings. I knew that path.
I jerked away from Eli.
“Found her!”
Chapter Thirty-three
Sibyl
Marlo and I had landed on some grass, but I had no idea where we were. No street noises or people, just crickets chirping and frogs croaking. The sharp, masculine scent of pine wafted by, letting me know we were near a forest.
“What’s going on, Marlo?” I asked in the sweetest, most patient voice I could conjure. I didn’t want to set off any triggers that Whitmore might’ve implanted in whatever mind manipulation he was using.
“It’s time to go,” she said with that glazed look in her eyes.
“Go where? Where are we?” My voice pitched with panic.
“Time to go …” she muttered and walked ahead, pressing Whitmore’s book against her chest like the thing was her source of life.
I had to get that book out of her hands.
I ran after her, tripping in a couple of potholes in the grass. My ankle throbbed, but I walked it out. I couldn’t let her get too far ahead. She marched forward like a drone, her shoes squishing in the dewy grass until she reached a hard surface. Walking on the pavement, her steps echoed in the quiet all around us. I trudged after her, but my feet caught onto a low bush and I bellyflopped right onto the pavement. My palms and knees scraped against the hard surface, burning and pulsing. But I forced myself to get back up and run after Marlo. She was now several yards ahead of me.
“Wait!” I called out.
She kept on walking as though I didn’t exist.
If I didn’t keep Marlo in my field of “vision,” I’d end up completely lost in all that black. My watch was broken, and there wasn’t much to go on sensory wise. It was too quiet and the pine trees overrode all other scents. I assumed we were in a park or a field. Marlo charged ahead, still clutching Whitmore’s book against her chest.
The light banter of voices rose from the distance. I stopped to listen. A couple of girls chit-chatting and giggling. High heels clapping against the pavement like they were dressed for an occasion. Maybe a party or an event? Possibly guests from Whitmore’s book signing? Behind me, other voices streamed from across the way. People seemed to be strolling together as if they were returning home from a night out. I had an idea where we might be, but I wasn’t sure. As I ran to catch up with Marlo, a familiar scent crossed my path. Burnt and smoky. Coffee beans. The same rich roast they used at the campus coffee shop. We were at Hillside University. But why? Was Whitmore planning to hold the blood sacrifice ritual in the school auditorium or the lecture hall?
Marlo suddenly came to a halt. She seemed to be pressing up against something. A wall, or maybe a tree? She opened Whitmore’s book and pulled something out of it. I couldn’t see what it was from my location, so I quickened my pace. Out of nowhere came two sparkling yellow spirits, walking side by side. Two girls giggling about something. Marlo jumped out in front of them.
“What’s going on?” asked one of the girls in a pipsqueak voice.
>
“It’s time,” Marlo said.
The girls giggled again, and the other one asked, “Time for what? For more drinks?”
I ran over to grab Marlo and take her away, but I stumbled over something and skinned my knees again on the pavement. As I was standing up, their laughter turned into blood curdling shrieks. One of the girls dropped to the ground in a shadowy heap; her spirit flickered dimly around the edges.
“What the f—” the other girl screamed.
Marlo lifted her hand high and started to bring it down in a swooping motion, but before she made contact with the girl, I ran forward and tackled her. My shoulder slammed into her gut, and the two of us flew into the air. Something metal clanged to the cement. Marlo’s head smashed against the pavement and she went still. I stood up and scurried over to the sobbing girl, who was leaning over her friend’s body.
“Is she okay?” I asked.
“She’s bleeding everywhere!” she cried.
“You need to calm down and tell me where she’s bleeding.”
“Her chest. It’s everywhere!”
I grabbed the girl’s trembling hands. “Okay, what’s your name?”
“Tiff … Tiff … Tiffany,” she sobbed.
“Okay, Tiffany. Listen, I can’t see, so you’re going to have to pay attention and do what I say. Do you have a scarf or even a jacket you can use to apply pressure to the cut? Anything really. Just press something over it, immediately. Otherwise she’s going to bleed out.”
She rustled around. “My cardigan. I can use my cardigan.”
“Just hurry and press down hard. And don’t move. Do you have a phone?” I asked.
“Purse.”
I patted around, scouring the gravelly surface.
“It’s here, by my side,” she said, still shaking with sobs.
I found her phone to call for an ambulance, but it was dead. No signal. I’m sure Whitmore was blocking every tower on campus. I needed to figure out what to do. Should we move her? Or should one of us go look for campus security? No security. No police. They were all linked to Whitmore. I could apply pressure to the stab wound while Tiffany ran off to find a working phone. But I could already tell getting her to do this would require some coaxing. As I settled onto the pavement next to her, another shrill scream echoed in the distance. Then multiple screams. One after the other.
“Can you tell me what’s going on, Tiffany?” I asked, trying to keep my panic to a minimum grade.
“You really can’t see?” she asked.
More screeches. The kind that pierce your heart like an ice pick. A chill shivered through my bones.
“I’m blind.”
“How’d you knock over that crazy girl?”
I glanced over at Marlo, who was still passed out. “Don’t worry about that right now. Just tell me if you can see what’s going on around campus.”
She whimpered. “Is my friend going to die?”
Her friend’s yellow spirit had gone from radiant to a faded flicker, but it was still present. Her heart was still beating. She was still alive.
“She’s not going to die,” I said. “But others might if you don’t help me out. Please tell me what’s going on!”
Tiffany hit pause on the crying for a moment. But then she let out a gasp. “Oh my god.”
I shook her arm. “What? What is it?”
“They’re … they’re everywhere,” she whispered.
“Who’s everywhere?”
Was she talking about demons? Were the reptile demons taking over the campus, or were evil dog shifters attacking people?
“Women,” she muttered. “Crazed women … And … oh my god …”
“What?!” I screamed.
“They’re killing them …”
Chapter Thirty-four
Vago
Eli hauled ass to campus so we could get to Sibyl and Marlo. I couldn’t tell from the vision that Eli had conjured if the blood sacrifice had “officially” started, but from the look on Sibyl’s fear-stricken face, things weren’t going so well over at Hillside.
“You said they’re near the Arts Building?” Eli asked for the tenth time.
“Yes. And just drive up on campus. This is an emergency.”
“Did you see anything else you’re not telling me?” Eli asked.
“I don’t know. It’s hard to say, but the overall feeling I’m getting is we need to get there ASAP.”
The last mile I stared up at the full burnt red Blood Moon, calling to my pack and trying to communicate something to Sibyl to let her know we were on our way. If something happened to her, I would find Whitmore and lock him in a cage, torturing him until his final breath. A savage thirst for vengeance pulsated through me. I could barely see straight, just streaks of blurry red streaming from the full moon overhead. The metallic taste of blood grew thicker on my tongue.
Eli swerved into the entrance to Hillside University. The tree-lined drive leading up to the campus looked bucolic and quaint. Now I knew the full extent of what Esther had meant by hidden in plain sight. This backdrop was the perfect setting for a blood sacrifice to take place. None of us would’ve ever guessed Whitmore would stage a slaughter ritual out in the open like this.
“Hold on,” Eli warned.
He revved the engine of his Honda Civic and plowed ahead, busting through a row of landscaped bushes and swerving onto the narrow pedestrian path. The pavement scraped the bottom of his car, but Eli kept charging forward. As we drove along the path, I caught glimpses of students—male and female—roaming around on campus. Were they also under Whitmore’s spell? They seemed coherent and natural, like they were returning from an event or a party and going back to their dorms. Definitely not on their way to a blood sacrifice. Wandering among the students, I saw throngs of women in fancy dresses walking like zombies. They had the same glassy look in their eyes as Marlo. This was not good.
Eli almost barreled right into one of the women, who was clutching Whitmore’s book against her chest. She opened it and removed a silver dagger.
“What the …” Eli shouted
Swerving out of the way, he scraped up against a bench, wedging the car to a complete stop. We jumped out on his side and started running toward the Arts Building. I glanced over my shoulder and saw the woman we had almost hit holding that dagger and walking toward a couple of students.
“Watch out!” I shouted, but they couldn’t hear me.
I turned around and ran toward them.
“Where are you going?” Eli yelled.
“Go find Sibyl. I’ll be there in a minute!”
I sprinted, catching up to the woman with the dagger. Her eyes were pools of black, entranced in Whitmore’s spell. She kept walking after the students. I yanked the sleeve of her dress and tackled her to the ground.
“Run!” I shouted to the students.
That time they heard me.
“What the hell, dude?” one of them yelled.
“She’s got a knife! Get out of here,” I shouted.
The crazy woman scrambled to get out of my grip, jabbing the knife at me, muttering, “It’s time. It’s time …”
The two students bolted.
I pried the dagger from her hand and flung it into the grass. I looked around for Whitmore’s book. It was back by Eli’s car. How was Whitmore still controlling these women if they weren’t holding the book? The woman kicked me between the legs. I bent over, coughing and gagging. She crawled away in the grass, searching for the dagger. I choked on the air, trying to stand up straight, the pain wrenching my groin. I had to stop her from reaching that dagger. I made a running leap and pounced on top of her, knocking her out cold. I didn’t kill her, but she was definitely down for the count. I flung the dagger far across the grass and sprinted toward the Arts Building.
I rounded the corner to find Sibyl sitting on the ground; she was holding Marlo’s head in her lap. She smiled when she saw me. Eli was kneeling over a girl who had blood all over her chest. He was whisperin
g in her ear, healing her wounds. Another girl stood pressed up against the wall, covering her face and crying.
I ran over to Sibyl. “You okay?”
“I’m fine. You?”
“All good. But seriously, Whitmore is a powerful dude. I couldn’t track you at all. But Eli was able to use his energy sources to send out some sort of frequency and I picked up your location. Super-charged GPS,” I said with a grin, so utterly relieved that she was alive and okay.
“I had to knock out Marlo. She was about to murder that poor girl over there. She’s under some crazy intense spell.”
“Yeah. It’s happening all over campus,” I said.
“This is such a mess. We got it all wrong.”
“Don’t worry, we’ll do what we can,” I said.
She shook her head. “It’s happening. Whitmore wins either way.”
Eli stood up, lifting the girl who Marlo had almost killed. She was completely healed. Her friend ran over and they hugged.
“Get to your dorm rooms and don’t open the door for anyone. Avoid anyone clutching a book. And don’t leave your room until you know it’s a hundred percent safe out here,” Eli instructed the girls.
They didn’t bother asking what had just happened. They ran off, not looking back.
Eli came over. “You okay, Sib?”
“I’m fine, but I was just telling Vago, we got it all wrong. This right here is the blood sacrifice,” Sibyl said.
“What do you mean?” Eli asked.
“It was never about killing virgins. It was about getting innocent people to commit murder. Virgin killers. Whitmore has all of those women from the book signing under his spell and they’re going around campus committing murder. And we have to stop them. But I can’t figure it out. I can’t even break Marlo out of the spell.”
“Nope,” I said.
Sibyl gazed up at me. “What?”
“You’re the one who keeps telling us to buck up. All of this rah freaking rah bullshit. So get up off your ass and figure it out.”
Eli nodded. “He’s right. You’re the lynch pin of this operation. So step it up. And fast, before too many people get hurt. It’s about to turn into a bloodbath out there, and I don’t think I can heal the dead.”