Sarah Olivia, and there were times when it seemed so futile. Then I stumbled upon the myth of Grant Palmer. So noble, so brave. Helping the common man, sacrificing his own needs for that of humans." He stopped and sighed mockingly, resting his remaining hand on his chest. "It was so heartwarming. I found him and then he found you, and it was like all the pieces of the most perfect game showed up on the board, waiting to be manipulated." He smiled wickedly, confident he would be the winner.
I only listened partially to the ramblings of this maniac as I took another half step backwards. "How am I part of your game?" I stalled.
He shrugged, as though I was questioning the obvious. "You're important to him, as is she. I want him to choose. Which one survives and which one doesn't? The human or the girl who has loved and supported him for decades? Or does he attempt something even more glorious, like play the martyr and sacrifice himself? It can be any of the three, or frankly none. I don't really care. I'm just curious who he will choose." He leaned toward me and inhaled deeply, flaring his disgusting nostrils. "Although from the smell of you, I now have a better knowledge of his possible choice. He has made his loyalties abundantly clear."
I suppressed the urge to smell my skin, looking for the odor Adam and Caleb continuously spoke about. Caleb shook his head in disgust before he turned and walked over to the window, disregarding the glass under his bare feet. I peeked over my shoulder at the hallway and took another step back when he turned his face towards me and frowned. "I wouldn't do that Amelia—" but the words halted in his throat as he was thrown across the room by the oversized fox that flew through the busted door. My heart lunged to my throat as David pounced on Caleb before he had the opportunity to regain his footing. The animal looked in my direction, with soulful, begging blue eyes and I knew he was giving me the opportunity to run.
I spun on my feet running around the arched wall separating the living room from the hallway, while listening to the sound of Caleb's rage and the fox’s cries. Another animal joined the fray, dashing past me sleek and gray, and I knew Adam had joined in, giving me a better chance. A crash echoed behind me as my feet slapped on the wood, but I never stopped. I never looked back. I skidded on a rug as I came to a stop in front of the basement door. I heard a loud hiss and Caleb’s unmistakable rage from the living room as I turned the knob, revealing the short stairway that led under the house. I spared a glance behind me, shocked to see the fox flying through the air, across the span of the hallway and crashing into unseen objects in the adjoining room. Caleb rounded the corner and I bolted, taking one step after the other in the dark stairwell, frantically feeling along the wall for the camping gear Grant had described.
With fumbling fingers, I felt the straps of a back pack and pulled it off the wall, my nails digging into the wood, searching for any kind of latch. I almost cried in relief when my finger connected with a cold metal knob but instead it slipped, forced from the latch. An iron fist smashed into my head, slamming it hard into the wall. My vision dimmed, and I fell to the floor.
“I told you not to run,” he said. I struggled to get up but my body felt like it was being held down by weights. I blinked, head woozy from pain, and the last thing I saw before drifting off was the cold black of Caleb’s demented eyes.
~*~
My mind started working before my eyes opened. I heard the rushing sound of noise, voices, music, and movements speeding through my ears. My body felt the cool, unfamiliar, hard floor beneath me. I clearly remembered the moments before I blacked out.
Caleb.
The Shifters.
My head smashing into the wall.
I didn’t escape. I never contacted Grant. I was alone with a serial killer.
Clamping my eyes tight, I inwardly begged for the
I only listened partially to the ramblings of this maniac as I took another half step backwards. "How am I part of your game?" I stalled.
He shrugged, as though I was questioning the obvious. "You're important to him, as is she. I want him to choose. Which one survives and which one doesn't? The human or the girl who has loved and supported him for decades? Or does he attempt something even more glorious, like play the martyr and sacrifice himself? It can be any of the three, or frankly none. I don't really care. I'm just curious who he will choose." He leaned toward me and inhaled deeply, flaring his disgusting nostrils. "Although from the smell of you, I now have a better knowledge of his possible choice. He has made his loyalties abundantly clear."
I suppressed the urge to smell my skin, looking for the odor Adam and Caleb continuously spoke about. Caleb shook his head in disgust before he turned and walked over to the window, disregarding the glass under his bare feet. I peeked over my shoulder at the hallway and took another step back when he turned his face towards me and frowned. "I wouldn't do that Amelia—" but the words halted in his throat as he was thrown across the room by the oversized fox that flew through the busted door. My heart lunged to my throat as David pounced on Caleb before he had the opportunity to regain his footing. The animal looked in my direction, with soulful, begging blue eyes and I knew he was giving me the opportunity to run.
I spun on my feet running around the arched wall separating the living room from the hallway, while listening to the sound of Caleb's rage and the fox’s cries. Another animal joined the fray, dashing past me sleek and gray, and I knew Adam had joined in, giving me a better chance. A crash echoed behind me as my feet slapped on the wood, but I never stopped. I never looked back. I skidded on a rug as I came to a stop in front of the basement door. I heard a loud hiss and Caleb’s unmistakable rage from the living room as I turned the knob, revealing the short stairway that led under the house. I spared a glance behind me, shocked to see the fox flying through the air, across the span of the hallway and crashing into unseen objects in the adjoining room. Caleb rounded the corner and I bolted, taking one step after the other in the dark stairwell, frantically feeling along the wall for the camping gear Grant had described.
With fumbling fingers, I felt the straps of a back pack and pulled it off the wall, my nails digging into the wood, searching for any kind of latch. I almost cried in relief when my finger connected with a cold metal knob but instead it slipped, forced from the latch. An iron fist smashed into my head, slamming it hard into the wall. My vision dimmed, and I fell to the floor.
“I told you not to run,” he said. I struggled to get up but my body felt like it was being held down by weights. I blinked, head woozy from pain, and the last thing I saw before drifting off was the cold black of Caleb’s demented eyes.
~*~
My mind started working before my eyes opened. I heard the rushing sound of noise, voices, music, and movements speeding through my ears. My body felt the cool, unfamiliar, hard floor beneath me. I clearly remembered the moments before I blacked out.
Caleb.
The Shifters.
My head smashing into the wall.
I didn’t escape. I never contacted Grant. I was alone with a serial killer.
Clamping my eyes tight, I inwardly begged for the
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