Alex Finch_Monster Hunter

by Cate Dean

  I stood there, dazed, one hand on my cheek. I could still feel the warmth, the pressure of his lips against my skin. “Snap out of it. Alex,” I whispered. “He’s just grateful.”

  My heart so wanted it to be more, but my mind knew better.

  Limping after him, I made my way down the slope to the edge of the river, and spotted him at the first bend. The main path angled up along this part of the river, blocking the average stroller’s view of the base of the hill.

  I watched Sam drop into the open manhole, and picked up my pace, afraid of what he might find. I didn’t want him to face it alone.

  My ankle finally rebelled, and I clutched the nearest tree, cursing the pain. I took in a deep breath, shoved off, and forced myself to move through it. I’d done it enough times in dance class and onstage. I could do it here, when it was so much more important.

  I reached the open hole, and glanced in. Sam leaned over a sprawled figure, both of his hands bloody. Katie stood next to him, one hand on his shoulder. To my relief, there was a metal ladder attached to the wall. I climbed down as quickly as my ankle would let me.

  Sam looked up, grey-blue eyes focused, and angry. “Jake’s alive.”

  “Oh, thank God.” I wasn’t sure Sam felt the same way, not after what happened to his mom. I lowered myself to the damp ground, and saw the decorative cover. Or at least what was left of it. The solid, heavy bronze had been twisted almost in half.

  I remembered the huge claws of whatever stalked me, and shuddered.

  “You came.” I looked at the girl next to Sam. She studied me, wide brown eyes filled with the horror she must have seen.

  “Hi, Katie.” With a sob, she launched herself at me. “Hey—it’s okay.” I rubbed her back. “You were so brave. Now I need you to be brave a little longer so I can help Jake.”

  “Okay.” She let me go, and I knelt beside Sam.

  “How is he?”

  “Bad.” I looked at all the blood and pulled off my hoodie, handing it to him. “Thanks. Blood doesn’t bother you, does it?”

  “What do you need?”

  He looked at me, gratitude on his face. “Check the bandage on his leg. That was the worst injury, but I tied it so fast, I’m not sure it’s tight enough.”

  I crawled around to Jake’s right leg. Sam used his sweatshirt as a makeshift bandage, and the thick fabric was already soaked through.

  “Sam, we have to get him out of here. He needs a doctor.”

  “No—doctor.” Jake’s raw whisper froze my breath. The same dark eyes I remembered looked up at me, clouded with pain. “Hey, Alex.”

  “Hey.”

  “Don’t panic.” A smile tugged at his mouth. “Not going to—eat you.”

  He moaned, clawing at Sam’s hand.

  “Stop fighting me, Jake. You need medical help.” He grabbed Jake’s hand and held on. “I can’t take you home. Dad’ll kill you on sight.”

  Jake closed his eyes, swallowed. “I know.”

  “We need to get you out of here.” Sam slid his right arm under Jake’s back. “And you’re going to have to help, as much as you can.”

  Jake nodded—and let out a harsh cry when Sam pulled him up.

  “Some warning next time?” he whispered. His face was dead white.

  “Okay—we’re standing up now.”

  “Why don’t you—just leave me?”

  Katie gasped behind me.

  Sam draped Jake’s arm over his shoulders. “Because I owe you.”

  They studied each other, until Jake finally nodded.

  “Alex.” Sam gripped Jake’s wrist. “Help me stand him up.” Crouching next to Jake, I wrapped one arm around his waist. “We go on three. One, two, three.”

  We all groaned at the effort, but we got Jake to his feet. Now all we had to do was get him up the ladder.

  Jake leaned into Sam, his gravel rough voice hardly more than a whisper. “Access tunnel. For maintenance.” He jerked his head at the tunnel on his right. It did look bigger than the others. It also meant we would be underground. With the devil.

  Nodding, Sam tightened his grip, glanced over at me. “Just keep moving. And if I say run, you run. No questions, no arguing. And take Katie with you.”

  I swallowed. “Okay.”

  Katie huddled next to me, one hand on Jake’s limp right arm. “We’ll be all right, Jake. You scared the devil away.”

  He managed a smile. “Just for you, kid.”

  “Let’s go,” Sam said.

  We pulled Jake into the tunnel, and Sam, bless him, produced a key ring flashlight. Before he could turn it on, I heard a tapping ahead of us. I reached over and grabbed Sam’s hand. “Wait,” I whispered.

  He looked at me, clearly annoyed. “What . . .” His voice died, and I knew he heard it now. A soft tap tap, like a cat’s claws on cement. Only much bigger.

  Sam pulled us over until we hit the curving tunnel wall. Katie huddled against me, and I wrapped my free arm around her, tucking her into my side. I hardly dared to breathe. I was afraid my pounding heart could be heard down the tunnel. It slammed into my ribs so hard it hurt.

  I heard that same tapping behind me last night. From whatever stalked me.

  I got a glimpse of it then, but having Jake right next to me as I heard that same tapping again proved beyond doubt that it wasn’t him.

  Jake’s whisper had me practically jumping out of my skin. “We have to move. It has my scent.”

  “Mine, too,” I whispered back. Sam’s head whipped around. I nodded, answering the question in his narrowed eyes. Katie whimpered. I leaned down, took her hand. “Hold on tight,” I whispered. “We might have to run.”

  She nodded, her brown eyes almost black in her too pale face. I looked back at Sam, and he gestured to the tunnel, made a sign for moving. I nodded to let him know I understood, and tightened my grip on both Jake and Katie.

  We slid along the wall, every tiny noise making my heart pound harder, faster. The tapping seemed to pace us, not getting closer, but unfortunately, not fading either. I didn’t know how much more my heart could take—it was still recovering from last night. At least I wasn’t alone this time.

  Light appeared ahead of us, and now I understood the true meaning of the light at the end of the tunnel.

  Sam leaned Jake against the wall, moved to me and whispered against my ear. “I’m going to get the car, bring it in as far as I can. If you have to run, leave Jake.”

  I jerked back, stared at him. He was serious. When I opened my mouth to protest, Jake shook his head. I shook mine right back at him. With a faint smile, he leaned in. “Keep Katie safe for me.”

  That was a request I couldn’t refuse. I chose to be part of this insanity; Katie was here by accident. Swallowing, I nodded. Jake relaxed, and closed his eyes.

  I watched Sam as he pressed against the tunnel wall, headed for the entrance. Katie started shivering; I let go of her hand and wrapped my arm around her, pulling her in. She hugged me, hard, and I ignored the flare of still new bruises.

  Each second felt like an eternity. My nerves jumped at every sound, including my own breath. I still didn’t know if I could leave Jake, if it came to that. But choosing between him and Katie—that took no brain power to decide. I just kept praying I wouldn’t have to make the choice.

  I heard the growl of Sam’s SUV before I saw it. And flattened Katie against the wall when it came roaring into the tunnel, headlights on high beams. The inhuman scream just behind us froze my blood.

  I whirled, stepped in front of Katie—and got a full view of my stalker.

  It looked like a punked out seven foot black teddy bear. A deadly, clawed, green-eyed teddy bear.

  Katie’s scream got me moving.

  I shoved her toward the SUV. “Run!” Ignoring Jake’s protests, I hauled him with me to Sam, who met us, taking Jake from me.

  “Drive,” he said, his low voice absolutely calm.

  I sprinted to the driver’s side, my ankle complaining with every ste
p, and swung into the seat. Taking only long enough to gauge space, I slammed the car into reverse and turned in a half circle, braking when the driver’s side faced Sam.

  I twisted around and grabbed the latch for the back door, popping it open just as Sam and Jake reached the SUV. Katie scrambled in first, and I pulled her up front, shoving the gear back into drive. Sam practically threw Jake in the back and climbed in after him. “GO!”

  I jammed my foot on the gas, my heart jumping when I heard claws scraping across the back of the car. I kept pushing until my foot hit the floor.

  We shot out of the tunnel, and I had enough time to see that we were on an access road that followed the river. Gravel spewed up behind us, and I risked a glance in the rearview mirror. My breath clogged in my throat at the mirror image of the teddy bear monster crouched in the shadow of the tunnel entrance, green eyes furious.

  I responded by going faster, not slowing until the tunnel was finally out of sight. We hit the end of the access road and I jerked to a stop, inches from a storage shed. I let out the breath I didn’t know I’d been holding, and lowered my head to the steering wheel, still gripping it so hard my hands shook.

  “Alex.” Sam’s voice penetrated the panic still swirling through me. He closed one hand over my shoulder. “You can let go now. We’re safe, for the moment.”

  I raised my head, saw that all three of them were staring at me, everything from surprise to admiration on their faces. Jake smiled. “Some impressive driving there, Finch.” With a groan, he laid his head back against the seat.

  Sam leaned over him. “We need to get you some help.”

  “No doctor, Sam.” Jake met his eyes. “I can’t risk—”

  “What about Misty’s sister, Candace?” I interrupted before Jake could finish his sentence. Katie had been traumatized enough. “She’s doing a surgical rotation for school.” Sam stared at me like I was speaking another language. “What? She told me.”

  After an endless second, he nodded. “Call her.”

  He checked Jake’s bandages, tightening the one that had come loose during our escape. Katie watched him, her small hands twisting around each other. I understood why she was protective of Jake. He saved her life. Hero worship ran fast and deep in young kids. I had been on the receiving end more than once with my young dance students.

  “Katie.” She looked at me, her eyes shining with unshed tears. “Buckle up, sweetheart. We’re going to get Jake to someone who can help him.”

  Nodding, she fastened her seat belt, turning to keep one hand on Jake’s arm. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and tapped in Misty’s number. I really didn’t want her involved, but we had no choice.

  “Alex! Where are you?”

  “Misty—we found Jake.” I heard her gasp. “He needs medical—”

  “I’ll call Candace,” she said. “Where do we meet you?”

  I looked up, met Sam’s eyes in the rearview mirror. “My house,” I said. “We’ll meet you at my house.” I turned to the window, lowered my voice to keep Katie from hearing. “Have Candace bring everything. He’s bleeding, a lot.”

  “Okay. We’ll be there as soon as we can.”

  I ended the call, and buckled my own seat belt, maneuvering around the storage shed. A narrow dirt road led up to the main path. I turned on to it, driving at a much slower pace, and took the path out to the parking lot.

  Traffic was light, so I could snake around the slower cars without much effort. Which was a good thing; I most likely used up all my daredevil driving mojo in the access tunnel.

  I glanced in the rearview mirror. Jake had his eyes closed, and his slack face told me he was unconscious, or close to it. Letting out my breath, I turned into my neighborhood. I didn’t want Jake anywhere near my family. But I was the idiot who wanted to be part of this.

  I just hoped my parents didn’t pay the price for it.

  14

  Misty and Candace were standing in front of the garage as we pulled up. They helped us carry Jake into my house, using the blanket Sam kept in the back of the SUV as a makeshift stretcher. Blood started dripping by the time we got him into the old solarium Mom converted to an office. I picked it because it had a leather sofa, and she hardly ever used it.

  Candace took over as soon as we maneuvered him into the room. “Set him on the couch, and then get out of my way unless I tell you otherwise.”

  Relief left me shaky. I helped lower Jake to the sofa and stepped back, watching her examine him with quick, efficient movements.

  Misty tiptoed over to me. “Sorry about her,” she whispered. “She does get nasty when I wake her up after a thirty-six hour shift at the hospital.”

  I stared up at her. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “Because I would have come, no matter what,” Candace said. “Now shut up, so I can focus here. And some coffee would be delightful.”

  I took the hint, limping out and to the kitchen. I didn’t think, just set up the coffee maker, like I’d done hundreds of times for Dad during marathon drafting sessions. Once I sat down everything crashed in on me.

  Tears stung my eyes. With a sigh, I let go of the control and lowered my head.

  “Alex?” Katie’s quiet voice had me wiping my eyes.

  “Hey, sweetheart.” I held out my hand. “We need to call your parents.”

  She shook her head. “Not until I know Jake’s okay. They won’t even know I’m gone.” Anger flashed in her eyes, too much anger for someone so young.

  “Katie—what is your last name?”

  “I want to stay, Alex. Can’t I just stay here, a little longer?”

  “As soon as you answer my question.”

  She let out a sigh. “Hyatt.”

  I jerked, and gripped the edge of the table. This was not a coincidence. It couldn’t be. And she was awfully composed for a what—eight year old?—who had just seen a monster crawl out of the sewer.

  “Katie.” I tried to keep my voice even. “What were you doing out alone?”

  She stared at the floor. “Exploring.” Her hands twisted around each other. “My parents are gone on business most of the time, and my nanny won’t do anything with me. So I snuck out.”

  I pressed her. “Why the public garden?”

  “Because!” Her fist shot out. I caught it on instinct, but she managed to glance off my left cheek before I did. “It’s none of your business! I can go wherever I want—”

  “Stop.” She stilled, looking surprised. My guess was she never had anyone telling her no. “I need to know, Katie. Let me finish.” She closed her mouth. “A lot of people can be in danger, if what hurt Jake isn’t stopped. Now,” I let go of her fist, closed both hands over her shoulders. “Answer the question. Why did you go there?”

  “I found a map, in my daddy’s office, in this.” She pulled a small book out of her pocket and handed it to me. A tightly folded piece of paper slipped out when I opened it, landing on the table. “It looked funny, like it was under the ground, but I recognized the garden. I wanted to see where it went. When I got there, I saw some other kids. I thought maybe we could play together.” Now she sounded like a little girl. A lonely little girl. “I caught up with them, and I showed them the map. We just started down the path when their parents called them, so I went on alone—”

  She hid her face in her hands, shoulders shaking. I shoved the small book in my front pocket and pulled her into my arms, rubbing her back. I wanted her to feel safe when I asked the next question. “The devil came after you, didn’t he?”

  With a sob, she nodded against my shoulder. I looked up, and saw Sam standing in the kitchen doorway. By the frown I figured he heard most of her story.

  Katie lifted her head. “Jake came out of nowhere and jumped it before it could grab me. But it took him down the sewer . . .” She shook her head. “I got knocked down after them. Jake got hurt because of me.”

  “Don’t blame yourself, sweetheart. It was the monster that hurt Jake, not you.”

  I
glanced over at Sam. He moved forward, touched Katie’s shoulder. “He’ll be okay, Katie. He’s tougher than he looks.” She let out a watery laugh. He moved his attention to me. “Can I see the map?”

  I handed the map to him, watched as he spread it out on the kitchen table. I knew what it was immediately, having an architect in the house. Sam caught on a second after. “The sewer system,” he said. “I might have a shot with this . . .” He looked up, met my eyes, and shook his head. “No way, Alex.”

  “Can you read it?”

  “Yes.” He leaned over the map again, stabbed his finger on a spot near the edge. “This is where we were at the garden.”

  I smiled at him. “Wrong answer.”

  “You are out. I don’t want you hurt again.”

  His concern had me flushing. I tried to cover by crossing my arms, and staring him down. “I keep trying, but I get sucked back in.”

  “I didn’t—”

  “It’s not your fault, Sam. That thing came after me, all on its own. I was terrified, but you know what—now I’m pissed. I don’t want it getting near anyone again. So you’re not pushing me out, not until I know it’s gone, and my family is safe. Until we’re all safe.”

  He got in my face. “I’m not letting you near it. Look what it did to Jake—”

  “Because he fought it head on! I’m not going to—”

  “You’re not going to anything. Period.”

  The temper I hardly let out pushed at me, begging to take him on. I gave in to it. Shocking both of us, I pushed Sam against the wall and stood on tiptoe to get as close to his face as possible. “Listen up, Mr. High and Mighty Emmett. Your family might own this town, but you are not the boss of me. I can do whatever the hell I want and you have no—”

  “Stop fighting.” Katie 's voice cut me off. I looked over at her, and her white face had me moving to her. Panic flashed in her brown eyes. More than when we faced a monster in the darkness.

  I touched her shoulder. “It's okay, we're just discussing—”

  “No—you're fighting. I know fighting when I hear it.” Tears filled her eyes, crept into her voice. “Now you have to stop, before it ruins what's between you.”