Insidious(80)

“Kat…go,” Reese choked.

Like hell.

Bearing in mind of the stealth it possessed, I swung at the creature the instant it stepped forward. And just like that, its skeletal hands caught hold of the steel well before it even came close to landing a hit. I twisted the grooved rod and yanked it back, watching the abrasive metal tear apart the remaining skin on the creature’s palm and fingers.

That same disgusting red gunk clung to the end of the rebar as I ripped the metal away. I tried to lift it up to take another swing, but the creature gripped it again. Only this time, steam was coming out from the hand wrapped around the steel. Instantly, I let go of the rebar. An all new level of fear hit me as I watched the steel melt away in thick globs like wax from a sickly candle.

If Mr. Abrams was right in his teachings last year, then it took about 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit to liquefy steel. And this creature was doing it with the mere touch of its hand.

Speaking of hands, the beast reached its free one out to me again. A bright light suddenly blasted from my left arm as a fresh wave of adrenaline overcame me. The skin burned, and I instinctively thrust my hand up.

My fingers burned as light suddenly erupted from my palm, hitting the creature right in the chest. The monstrous being shot across the room, but instead of hitting the wall beside Reese, it went right through it, evaporating into an inky mist. Burn marks powdered the wall, low embers still burning amid the charcoaled residue.

The instant I lowered my hand, the light vanished, the glow from the runes returning to their shiny metallic branding.

“Reese.” I raced over to him, falling down onto my knees.

“I’m okay,” he muttered hoarsely.

And he was right. That weird aura around him had vanished as well.

“What did you do?” Reese muttered, coughing out the words grievously.

“I thought maybe you’d know.” I helped him back up to his feet, turning him around to face the wall.

“Holy shit,” he blurted.

I extended my arm out, showing him the collection of runes. He immediately recognized the one in question…

Because the very same symbol was burned into the wall, on a much bigger scale.

It took up nearly the entire space from floor to ceiling and stretched at least ten feet wide. That circle with the three iron crosses.





Chapter 21

Make Me Wanna Die





All I wanted to do was go home and curl up in bed, but Carly had insisted that Reese and I meet up with her at the library after school let out. I just started to doze off when a heavy thud hit the table. My head shot up to see a big office file box set in front of me.

“Break out your magnifying glasses, Sherlock,” declared my blonde bestie in pure giddiness, removing piles of manila folders from the container.

“Whatcha got there?” I asked, nervous.

“Well, I stopped by the office supply store during Study Hall and got myself a corkboard. And like any good sleuth, I started mapping out the details from each of the cases to see if I could find any connection between the victims.” She lobbed over a stack of files to both Reese and me. “Guess what I found.”

“That you have way too much time on your hands?” Reese guessed, fingering through the good hundred pages of work in front of him alone.

She rolled her eyes. “Hey, I’m not hearing you contributing anything here yet, Edward Scissorhands. So shut your pie hole.” Car dug deeper into the box and unfolded a gigantic diagram full of labeled squares. “As it turns out, they were related. Distantly, but related nonetheless.”

“Seriously?” Now Reese seemed impressed.

“Fourth cousins, once removed to be exact.”

“So what’s all this for?” I asked, leafing through the first few pages. “Car, what the hell is this?”

“You. Or more specifically you and your family.”

“I can see that.” There were pictures and news ads and….medical records? “Where did you even get all this stuff?”

“With ‘too much time,’” she cracked, casting Reese a glare. “And a…confidential source.”

“Carly.”

“What?” She batted her eyes innocently.

“Honestly, I’m afraid to actually know,” I amended with a yawn. “But besides that, what does any of that have to do with me?”

“Seriously? The last time a murder took place here, e-mail wasn’t even invented yet.”

If only she really knew…

Bodies seemed to be dropping faster than a drunken sorority girl in stilettos.

“Whoever is behind this seems to be sticking to a pretty strict M.O., so it’s safe to assume that there’s a connection linking you to Casey and Felicia.”