Experiment in Terror 09 Dust to Dust(38)

At least, Daniel didn’t. Now I wasn’t too sure about her mother.

“Sure, a show sounds great,” Maximus spoke up, smiling at them. “Might as well see something good while we’re here.”

Then he and Daniel started discussing the other plays in town and we all resumed our journey down the street.

The whole time, Perry didn’t loosen her grip from my hand. It was almost as if she was holding onto me for dear life.

I’m not going anywhere, I wanted to tell her. But the truth was, I couldn’t be so sure.





CHAPTER NINE


Perry


To say I was concerned about Dex was a total understatement. First it was the nosebleed, then it was the time he spent in the bathroom that morning, time I knew he couldn’t explain. Then it was seeing the demon thing and the fact that he says his reflection was always screaming at him. Now, he wanted to visit his childhood home, something I knew was an extremely bad idea.

Something was happening to him, something I didn’t understand. I waited until we were all getting ready for dinner when I chanced leaving him alone and went up to Maximus’s room. I took the stairs, just in case. No way did I want to get stuck on the sixth floor again and see that terrible beast that made my limbs feel like lead.

My mom had seen it too, which means my experiment was working. She wasn’t on her pills and the world that eluded her for so long was slowly seeping in.

I rapped on Maximus’s door. He answered it, buttoning up a green cowboy shirt with a pointy collar.

“I thought it would be you,” he said, his tone hushed. He quickly ushered me inside. “We need to talk.”

“Yes, we do,” I said, sitting on the end of his bed. “I’m worried about Dex.”

He nodded and walked over to the mini bar, bringing out two mini bottles of vodka. He shook them at me. “Care for a drink?”

“You know those are like twenty bucks each.”

He shrugged and smiled. “You’re paying, aren’t you?”

I rolled my eyes but held out my hand. “Yes, give me one. Forget the mix. Cheaper that way.”

He sat down beside me and handed me the bottle of Absolut. “I’m worried about him too. I reckon I’m having a right case of déjà vu, don’t you?”

Now that he mentioned it. A trickle of ice went down my spine. Dex was acting a bit like I had been acting when I was possessed. Of course it was nearly impossible to know what I looked like to the outside eye, but Maximus, he had seen me. And now he was seeing him.

But that didn’t seem likely. How could his brother possess him? He was human.

“I don’t know what I think,” I said as I unscrewed the cap and dumped the contents into my mouth. It burned so good as it went down. I hoped it would cauterize my heart.

“Then tell me why you’re here. Tell me everything, even if you think it’s nothing,” he said. “It won’t do any good to keep your concerns inside, darlin’.”

I breathed in deep through my nose and gathered my thoughts. I started with the nosebleed and ended with him thinking that going to his old house would give him all the answers.

“And just now,” I said, “before I came up here, he was just standing by the window and staring at nothing. But it was like he was listening to something I couldn’t hear. Occasionally he would smile but I don’t know at what. It was…creepy.”

He finished his bottle and ran the back of his hand across his lips. “It could be nothing. He’s been through a traumatic event and even if he can’t remember it, perhaps his subconscious does. Maybe he’s just catching up.”

“But it has to mean something that he wants to go to that place, the very place we were looking for when we first got here.”

Maximus nodded. “It does mean something, I just don’t know what. But you know, Perry, I don’t think there is anything we can do about it. He’s going to go, whether or not we go with him. And now, it seems like your mother has the same idea.”

I chewed on my lip. “Do you think Michael will be there?”

He sighed and got up. “Lord, I hope not.”

“Maybe it will all work out for the best,” I said feebly, looking down at my hands. “It could put an end to everything and we can just go home and never have to look back.”

He put his hand on my shoulder and stooped over, raising his brows as he looked at me closely. “Have you ever known for something like this to work out for the best?”

He had point.

“Just keep an eye on him,” he said, straightening up. “We all will. And while you’re at it, keep an eye on your mother, too.”