Undone: The Complete Duology, page 31
With a growl, Lexi lunged at me. I dropped to the ground. She landed on top of me, grabbing my head. I tried to twist free. She wrapped a leg over me and gnashed her teeth at my face. I turned away, pushing at her.
This wasn’t how normal people behaved.
I wiggled my arm up from between us and beat the side of my fist into her ribs. She reared back, yanking my head up. I caught her around the waist and tried to flip her. From behind her, Mac slipped his arms under her armpits and hoisted her to her feet. She scrambled for purchase on the snow and ice, straining to reach me, nearly folded in half. Her long distraught yowling sounded more animal than human.
I eased to my feet, my heartbeat halting in my chest. Mac held Lexi against him, her head to his shoulder.
“It doesn’t have to be like this,” he said. “I have the map.”
Why was he holding her like that? Did he love her? Of course he did, but did he love her more than me?
And why did she know about the map? How did she know about it before I did? How long had they been in communication with each other? Had they discussed me?
Of course they had. What had been said?
The questions came one right after the other, filling me up, cramming me fuller and fuller.
“You just have to hold on a little longer,” he cooed to her.
Why the fuck did he care if she held on at all?
I exploded into a million pieces, little shards that would never fit together again.
Unable to breathe, I turned on my heel and stormed down the street.
Lexi’s shuddering, wailing sob cut through the air. “I can’t, I can’t, I can’t, Mac. I can’t. You have to come with me. Come with me. Come with me. That’s what he said. That’s what he said, Mac. Come with me.”
I deflated, a keening pain ripping through me.
Mac wasn’t holding Lexi as a lover. He held her as a friend while she took her last breaths as the person she had been.
Her pained shriek split me open.
Through the remnants of the storm, the light of the church shone like a beacon to the town.
My heart stuttered.
The doors to the buildings around us cracked open as wary faces peered out, the glow of the church light washing over them. The townspeople ambled out of their homes and headed towards the hill, convening in streams. From farther down the road, the group that had chased me through town appeared as silhouettes. They merged with the growing river, not even acknowledging as I stood out in the open with Mac who still crouched holding Lexi. He watched the others pass us with a dark expression.
Lexi scrambled to her feet, the tears on her cheeks glistening in the light of the church. She tugged on Mac’s arm.
“Come with me,” she said, her voice strained. “Come on.”
He turned his gaze to her, and my heart broke for him.
“Lexi, don’t.” His words were barely more than a whisper.
“The Reverend will fix everything,” she said, forcing a wobbly smile wet with tears. “It’ll be just like when we were kids.”
She pulled on him, but his fingers were latched around her wrist.
“Malachi Brewer,” she admonished, but her voice cracked. “What would your mama think?”
She tugged harder, no longer trying to get him off the ground but to escape his hold.
“They’re all going. They’re all going. It’s time for church.” She planted her feet in the snow and pulled harder.
Mac did not let go, but the reality of the situation was all too clear on his face. “The Reverend is evil, Lexi.”
“Mac!” She used her other hand to pry his fingers from her wrist, twisting to watch as the others started up the hill. “I need to go. I have to go.”
Lexi had only been here for a few days. The fact the Reverend had gained control over her so quickly spoke to what sort of person she must have been: sweet, vulnerable. Innocent.
His favorite kind.
No one else would have been consumed in such a short period of time. That realization crossed over Mac’s face.
If he let her go, she would be lost forever.
He also had no choice. It was for the best, for her. Those who did not heed the call of the church suffered. He had seen it firsthand. If Lexi was stuck in Thorn Tree, then letting her join the others would be the most merciful option.
His expression crumpled with agony, and ever so slightly, he released his hold on Lexi.
She stumbled forward a few steps, then looked back at him, illuminated by the light of the church beam. Cold air puffed from her lips.
She turned and hurried after the dark mass of townspeople still rolling uphill until she blended into their midst.
I placed my hand on Mac’s shoulder, and he shook under my touch.
Movement rustled in the shadows. On the other side of the road, silhouettes on four legs scampered in the direction of my house. Cold wind kicked up as they passed.
Mac’s head jerked up. “What the fuck was that?”
“The demons.” My throat constricted. “They’re headed towards—”
My altar.
I took off towards the trees after them.
13
GRACE
Mac called after me, but I couldn’t look back. My soles crunched over the snow and ice as I fled, lungs burning, after the demons. I had lost sight of them, but I had no doubt about where they were going. I couldn’t let them destroy all the hard work I had done to prepare for the spell.
They knew. They always knew.
I pushed off a tree trunk and wove among the trees, headed towards my campsite. Mac lagged a few yards behind, his injured ankle getting the best of him on the unstable ground. My side ached, but fear drove me forward. I hunched a little and picked up my pace.
My crumpled tent came into view. I skidded to a halt, panting out cold breaths of air. The high tree boughs swayed in the wind left behind by the storm.
The demons were nowhere to be found. My campsite remained untouched, my altar just as I left it.
If they hadn’t been headed here, then where?
Footsteps crunched behind me, and I turned as Mac approached. He leaned against a tree, panting, pain etched on his face. He needed medical attention, or at least a few painkillers. I couldn’t do anything about the former, but even if I had the latter, I couldn’t risk incapacitating him like that. Not in this town. We had to keep alert until we made our escape.
I jogged over to the jeep and rummaged inside of the tote bag. Yanking it off the floorboard, I did an inventory check on the elements of my spell.
Everything was still there.
Mac limped up behind me, his breath still ragged. “What the hell?”
I turned, my back to the open jeep door. “I thought they were coming here.”
“But what are they?”
“Demons. They live in the graveyard, on the church. They’re everywhere. I’m surprised you can see them, but I guess I shouldn’t be anymore.” I placed the tote bag back inside the jeep and shut the door, then hooked my arm around Mac’s waist. “Let’s get the tent fixed and get you some rest.”
He draped his arm over my shoulder, careful not to lean his weight into me as we headed towards the broken tent still pinned under a fallen tree.
Something snapped.
Around us, dark shadows dropped from the tree boughs and landed with a solid thud on the snow. I screamed, stumbling back, as the demons launched at my altar.
“Run! Run!” I pushed at Mac’s chest.
He stumbled a step, then turned, grabbing my arm.
There was nowhere to go. The demons had surrounded us. With enormous paws, they swiped at the rock pillars, knocking them apart, and tore apart the sacrifice table. Rocks flew in every direction. Mac and I dropped to the ground, then scurried for shelter behind a tree.
Demons swung at the marked trunks. The sounds of wood splintering filled the air like thunder. Shadows waivered overhead as the trees swayed then toppled. Mac and I darted out of the way of one, then crawled, hands and knees in the snow, from the next. Another tree slammed over the remnants of our tent, ending its life for good.
More trees toppled as the demons finished with the ones I had painted and moved onto the next, on a rampage.
A shadow fell towards us from overhead. I tugged Mac out of the way before a tree slammed into the ground right where we had been. Snow scattered from impact.
Grabbing Mac’s arm, I turned to make our escape. A demon emerged out of nowhere, face to face with me.
I reared back as it jutted its ugly maw forward, so close its warm breath puffed over me. Its mouth widened in a leering grin as the creature snarled. It bounded forward, shooting overhead. I screamed, covering my face. The demon slammed its back feet high into a trunk of the tree behind me. The tree cracked and began to fall in the opposite direction. The demon ricocheted from one trunk to another, knocking them over in turn.
The sound of the forest being leveled was deafening.
I realized I was still screaming.
One of the demons flung up its head and sniffed the air. The others whipped around, facing him, then tipped their heads up to catch the scent.
The last of the broken trees fell. Silence descended, painful in my ears.
The demons took off, deeper into the woods. Their paws made no sound on the snow and ice as the pack leapt over logs and raced through the trees.
“What the actual fuck?” Mac asked between breaths, still crouched next to me.
I turned on my toes and watched in the direction they had gone, trying to decipher their intent. The church was in the opposite direction, the congregation no doubt well underway. They had demolished my altar. The only other parts of the spell remained tucked in the jeep, which they had thankfully not picked up on.
At least I had those—and Bobby.
Oh, no.
They were going after my honored guest.
I bounded to my feet and raced after the demons. The logs were too large to go around, so I scrambled over trunk after trunk. My arms ached, my chest felt like I had been stabbed, but I couldn’t let the demons get to Bobby. I had no idea how I was going to defend him, but my magic would have to speak for me.
I couldn’t let them stop me, not when I was so close to ending this town and earning my freedom.
“Gracie, wait!” Mac hurried after me, moving with alarming speed despite his injuries. This guy had to be on the brink of collapse, and he just kept going.
He didn’t even have magic.
“Stay back,” I called to him as I hauled myself over another log. “Just stay here.”
“Not a fuckin’ chance.”
I paused, straddling a log, panic rising in my chest. Mac couldn’t follow me where I was going. He couldn’t see that I had Bobby hostage in a cave.
“Please, Mac,” I said, voice strained and desperate. “I’ll be back. I got this.”
He approached me, huffing for air.
“Together.” He placed a gloved hand on my shoulder, staring down at me with all the love and affection this world had to offer. “We’re in this together, Gracie. Until the end.”
Why did I have to find the one genuine man alive?
I didn’t have time to talk him into staying. The demons would reach Bobby in no time. Gritting my teeth, I slid off the opposite side of the log and crouched to heave up a broken branch.
Mac peered over at me. “What are you—”
I popped up, swinging the branch at him. It struck him across the side of the head. He stumbled back with a shout, his back slamming into another log. I scurried over the log separating us and swung at him again and again. He caught the branch with one arm and twisted, trying to yank it from my grasp.
“Gracie! Are you fuckin’ insane?”
I growled and shoved the branch, hard, throwing him off balance. He staggered to the side. I leapt at him.
It’s for his own good.
Putting aside all my guilt, I slammed my sole into his injured ankle. His eyes widened—in surprise or pain; maybe both—and he dropped to one knee like a proposal.
That was never going to happen now.
I took off in the direction of Bobby’s hideaway.
“I’m so sorry!” I called over my shoulder.
Mac staggered to his feet, grimacing, and lifted one hand in utter confusion.
I darted through the woods, leaving him behind.
I just hoped I made it to Bobby in time.
14
GRACE
The woods were strangely silent around me as I ran. The only sounds were the fall of my footsteps, the thudding of my heart, and the raspy noise of my breath. My raw throat ached against the cold. I tried to breathe through my nose, but the burn only moved deeper into my head.
I registered the collapse of the ground too late. I landed on my back, hitting an incline, and tumbled over rocks. Flailing, I searched for purchase, my face dragging along cold rocks protruding from the snow. The world flashed dark and light. I landed with a heavy thud at the base of a tree, breathing hard.
Pang twinged in my hand, and I lifted my arm. My glove had torn, and blood trickled from a gash in my palm.
Wincing, I struggled to my feet, wheezing for air. My knees ached, and my back felt knotted. My stomach churned as I trudged uphill, stooped until I reached the top.
The forest remained silent. Bobby’s hideout was ahead, just out of view. I slunk behind trees as I approached, expecting to find the demons had already gotten their paws on him.
His cave remained untouched, the loose barricade still in place. No pawprints in the snow, and no splatters of blood.
Had I beat them here? That didn’t seem possible. They must have had some other destination in my mind. I probably didn’t want to know.
Bobby was safe. That was all that mattered in the grand scheme of everything.
My spell had not been entirely thwarted. I could rebuild the altar, repaint the trees.
The idea crushed down on me with exhaustion. I would do what had to be done, though. This battle would be worth it in the end to watch Thorn Tree go up in flames.
I padded from trunk to trunk as I headed towards Bobby’s cave, ready to duck for shelter at the sign of the beasts that ruled this town. I couldn’t imagine where they had originated from, how they had managed to overtake an entire town and no one had done anything about it.
What had Thorn Tree been like before the demons had appeared? I knew nothing about Thorn Tree than what was taught in the schools and by the Reverend. There were no guarantees any of that was true. Not that anyone had discussed the demons.
I had questions. Those would have to wait for another time though.
At Bobby’s cave, I halted at the pile of logs blocking the entrance and listened. No sounds came from inside the cave, nor the surrounding woods. Even the gusts of wind made no noise.
I eased my fingers around the first piece of wood, ignoring the still bleeding gash in my hand.
Something on the ground at my feet fluttered.
A red ribbon. Frowning, I let go of the log and leaned down to pluck up the stray decoration wrapped around a twig half buried in the snow. I held up the ribbon, turning to survey the area. The ribbon could have blown in on the storm, but that seemed…odd.
My chest clenched. Something was amiss.
I released the ribbon on the next gust and watched it whip away like a flying snake. I turned back to the cave entrance and wiggled out the first log.
A footstep crunched behind me.
I spun around.
Bethany stood a few feet away, wearing a jacket over a flowery dress that swirled in the wind. Her wild hair danced behind her.
“What are you doing, Gracie?”
She didn’t mean now, specifically.
“Back the fuck off, Bethany.” I turned back to the cave, then realized my dilemma. If she didn’t know Bobby was here, then I couldn’t clue her in.
If she did though, that was going to end poorly for her.
Her next step towards me echoed through the trees.
Bobby must be asleep, but if we woke him, he would surely call to her for help.
Why did everything have to be so damn complicated?
I flung around, glaring at her, fists clenched at my side.
“I’ll end you too,” I said. “Don’t make any mistake that I have more fondness for you than I did Amelia.”
She flinched. Maybe the memory of her best friend’s corpse at my feet would make her think twice about pursuing this intervention.
“She had it coming.”
Bethany’s words cut off the air to my lungs.
She glowered, a goddess of rage in the fluttering breeze, as she approached me. “Amelia betrayed me. She knew how much I loved Bobby, and she—she told Rose how to take him from me.”
I barely suppressed the gag. Stomach acid burned my throat.
Bethany stopped nose to nose with me. “I hate you, Gracie Miller.”
“Do you have any idea how deranged you sound?”
She threw her head back with a laugh. “I wasn’t the one who stabbed Amelia with her own knife, was I?”
She had a point, and yet somehow didn’t have one at all.
“Go away, Bethany.”
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”
It sounded like a schoolyard taunt.
I turned back to the wood pile.
Bethany grabbed the back of my hair, yanking hard. I twisted, dropping low and swiping my leg at her ankle, pain searing through my scalp. She tottered but hauled me up with surprising force. I clutched her throat with both hands and squeezed.
“Fuck you,” she said with a snarl. She swallowed against my fingers tightened around her airway.
She slammed the top of her head into my face. I stumbled backwards out of her grasp. My back slammed into the wood stack. Logs toppled to either side as I struggled to catch my balance. My soles slid on the ice, and I dropped to my ass.
Bethany stormed towards me, death flaring in her eyes. She wasn’t avenging Amelia, and that was the saddest part of this entire situation.
