If an apparition were ever going to be real and reveal itself to me, this would be the house for it.
Still, I race to the bottom of the stairs—wanting to be far away from him before he has a chance to look back and see me—come after me.
The darkness at the bottom of the stairs is only broken by the inconsistent flickering of one stubborn chandelier down the hall. All the other lights must’ve shorted out with the explosion. Flames cast their moving glow on the hazy windows beside the front door.
Bodies move on the porch.
Just as the deep darkness of the downstairs reaches and touches my feet, arms, and face with my first step into it, a hand grasps my shoulder and yanks me backward.
It’s him. The ghoul from the stairs. Pale skin. Red hair and beard. Fangs.
No longer looking like a ghost, but a very live beast—hungry and violent. Something familiar about him.
“You may wear Maxine’s clothes, but you’re no vampire.”
“These are my clothes,” I say looking up to the flickering chandelier that suddenly goes completely dead. Darkness falls over me like black air.
“Nice try, pretty thing, but I can smell her all over your clothes.”
“You—you’re wrong.”
“Where is she? In the blue room? Taking your place so you can sneak out?”
Panic stalls my mind, shows up on my face.
He smiles a pointed-smile—sharp corners of his mouth—two long, fierce teeth. Know I’ve seen them before.
“Who are you?” I finally ask.
“I’m the wolf, drooling over a tender lamb, and you’re a peace offering for a traitor.”
“What?”
“Roderick’ll be glad to see you—glad I brought you to him. That’s all you need to know.”
“You! You’re the one from the woods—Edgar!”
Sharp nails tear through the front door behind him, ripping through it like a saw blade.
The beast that holds me at my shoulders releases me and turns around to see what’s slashing into the door.
My whole body aches to run, to tiptoe swiftly into the darkness of the hallway, heading for the back door, not knowing what else is hidden in its pitch. I turn and quietly enter the dark corridor.
No, what if it’s him? What if it’s Simon? Turn my back on the dark hallway, returning my stare to the beast who has just attacked me and to the unknown being tearing through the door.
The first thing I see through the hole I’m ripping in the door is nails flying at my body. Grab his wrist and yank it forward through the hole, slamming his body into the remaining shell of the door—his head hitting above the hole—his lower body smashing and cracking the wood below the hole.
Flames scorch my shoulder. Fire raging on the porch—closing in on the house itself.
From the smell, I know it’s Edgar whose hand yanks free and retreats back into the house.
Roderick lies on the wooden porch—flames rising closer to his unmoving body, stake still lodged in his head.
Fire department will be here soon—this place is either going to be engulfed in flames, killing us all, or the vampires are going to clear out fast, taking Ruby with them. Not much time. Have to get to Ruby—God, I hope Katrianna’s gotten her out of this mess already.
Flames sting at my shoulders again. Rush the door, slamming my body into it, ripping the hole I made wide open—my body falls through it onto the floor.
Look to my left—my right—up the stairs. Edgar’s gone. Vanished.
Eyes stare at me from a few steps into the hallway. I can see them strain—trying to take me in—trying to see who I am. Definitely not Edgar’s—too soft. Beautiful. Ruby!
I get to my feet—spine still stinging—movements slower than normal.
“No!” she shouts from the darkness, “Look up! Simon, look up!”
Before I can get my eyes off her in the darkness, Edgar falls onto my shoulders from the burned-out chandelier above. Feel his nails slicing into my shoulders and back.
“Aaah,” he shouts.
I didn’t touch him. He falls off my back to the floor. See Ruby hitting him repeatedly with a beaten-up bit of wood in her hand.
Swing with all my might, punching him in the back of his head. His head sways. Hit him again. Sways more. Step back and land a kick square into the back of his head. Falls over.
“How are you doing, Bright Eyes?” I ask.
Her arms fling around my neck, making my sore muscles come alive. She buries her head into my chest. The wonderful scent of her fills my nostrils, awakening my numb body.
Put my lips to her forehead. Bring my hands up to hold both sides of her face.
“They didn’t hurt you, did they? Are you alright?”
Shakes her head, “No, they didn’t hurt me. What about you—are you alright?”
Looking down into her emerald green eyes, feeling her hands caressing the back of my neck, “Never been better, Ruby. Never been better.”
Scrambling noises come from behind us through the hole in the front door.
“Don’t look back. Walk to the back door. Keep walking—keep moving no matter what.”
Creaking noises come from the balcony. The fire is either weakening the wood of the porch or the remaining half of the balcony, making one of them crack and about to collapse. Sounds of breaking—destruction.
There were a lot of people on the balcony. Maybe some are hurt—maybe some ran in fear—but some had to stay. They could be anywhere—still on the front lawn, inside the house again through the back door, just a few feet away from us in the darkness—reaching out to grab us right now.
Got to get Ruby out of here.
A woman shrieks—a horrible sound echoing down the stairs.
Ruby turns around and grabs my arm tightly, “Ambrosia! That’s her screaming!”
Shake my head, but Ruby continues before I can curse, “Go help her! Please, now!”
“You get out that back door and find the car.”
“I know: five streets down—bright red car. Got it.”
“Ruby, I—”
Scream comes again—piercing, haunting.
So close to Ruby—where I’ve wanted to be for so long. So worried she had been hurt—now she’s here where I could throw my arms around her and keep her safe or die trying, and I have to run again. Her eyes sparkle like jade, even in the darkness.
Kiss her lips quickly and rush to the stairs.
The front door has been kicked in completely—someone came through after me. Look at the ground—Edgar’s body’s gone too. There’s at least two of them in here—they have to be what’s causing the screaming upstairs.
Hope Ambrosia’s okay by the time I get there. Hope Ruby gets out that back door.
Body’s recovering—taking the steps three at a time. Joints crack and muscles are sore, but the shocks through my spine are weakening.
Don’t know where Ambrosia is in all of these dark hallways, but I’d bet she’s on the third floor with the others—exactly the most dangerous place for her to be, and the furthest place in the house from Ruby. And, all that depends on if Edgar was telling the truth about what’s on the top floor. Either way, it’s a safe bet that Ambrosia’s near the chaos, and the chaos is up there somewhere.
A different female groan-wail comes from above—definitely the third floor. Not Ambrosia’s voice—a little deeper, a little too raspy.
Reach the edge of the second floor. Make a 180 turn, immediately heading up to the third—going after the last scream. Hope Ambrosia’s there too.
The darkness feels much colder—chilling, since Simon disappeared into it. Before we found each other in this lethal, dim hole of a house, my eyes had just started to adjust to the dark horrors, growing used to rushing through it to the back door, waving my hands in front of me to find objects I couldn’t see.
Then I caught a glimpse of him before me—touching him—arms around him—quick kiss in the lightless hallway. For a moment, the pitch dark posed no threat—I was happy in the middle of this hell as long as he was near me, making the darkness around our entwined bodies seem so harmless. He was here, and everything was changed. The shadows were suddenly weakened by having something so wonderful in them.