Page 39 of The Shadows of Excess

The appointed time arrived faster than any of us had anticipated. Damon skillfully parked the Fairlane near Hanging Rock. This was the first time I’d been here. Under any other circumstances, I would have been fascinated with the natural balance of the formation.

But not tonight.

The car’s headlights cut through the darkness, casting an eerie glow onto Hanging Rock. The stark white light created sharp contrasts and deep shadows over the rock’s rugged surface, giving it an almost otherworldly appearance. It took on a more sinister aspect under the night sky.

The rock’s imposing silhouette loomed over us, the shadows shifting and playing tricks on our eyes as if hiding secrets or lurking threats. The way the light hit the angular shapes gave the impression of a silent sentinel guarding the threshold to another realm far removed from our world, a reminder of the unseen forces we were about to confront.

My nerves were frayed, teetering on the edge of snapping. Outside, pitch blackness engulfed the world, with only the car’s headlights cutting through the darkness.

Justice scanned our surroundings with his ability to see in the dark while Damon and I struggled with our limited human vision, practically blind in the enveloping night. I clutched my bow and the quiver of arrows tightly as I tried to steady my breathing and prepare for what lay ahead.

Damon glanced at me. “You ready to dance with the devil?”

I nodded as I opened my car door. “Let’s do this,” I declared, slinging the strap of my quiver over my shoulder and tucking the squirt gun into the back of my pants.

Justice was already at my side when I stepped out, standing protectively like a guardian. His presence was reassuring, a solid force in the face of unknown danger.

“Time to crash the demon party.” Damon popped the trunk and retrieved a duffle bag loaded with phoenix grass and salt, our makeshift arsenal against the supernatural.

Justice leaned in close, his voice low and urgent. “Stay close. I can’t see them, but I can sense them. They’re here.” His warm breath briefly caressed my neck, doing little to chase away the cold dread that had settled within me. My breath formed a visible mist, a stark reminder of the chilling presence we were about to confront.

Damon closed the trunk with a final thud and headed toward Hanging Rock. A heavy, grim silence fell over us, almost suffocating in its intensity. The only sound was the crunch of our feet on the pebbles and rock underfoot. I breathed in the earthy scents of dirt, stone, and wild grasses that filled the air, but something else lurked beneath these natural aromas. Something distinctly foul trying to mask its presence.

When Damon opened the duffle bag, the aromatic fragrance of phoenix grass and salt wafted out, contrasting sharply with the earlier foul smell. Then, amid the stillness, I thought I heard a soft, sinister hiss.

I nocked an arrow in the bow, ready to shoot the first demon that attacked. My arrows were from the Fae Court of Blossoms and deadly to demons, but they were crafty and probably suspected this.

“Sawyer,” a sinister voice drawled, dripping with malevolence. It was unmistakably the same voice from my dream and Ridgemart. The bastard had found us.

Damon shot a glance in my direction. “Keep your guard up, Sawyer. This thing’s playing head games,” he urged.

That was the understatement of the millennium.

Justice turned as if he was tracking something Damon and I couldn’t see. “Maybe you’d better put a salt ring around us.”

Damon gave a quick nod, smirking despite the tense situation. “Salt circle it is. Good thinking. Guess watching all those horror flicks finally paid off, huh?” He reached into the duffle bag, his movements swift and practiced as he started pouring a protective ring of salt around us. “Can’t believe I’m saying this, but thank God for good ol’ table salt. Who knew it’d be a lifesaver in more ways than one?”

Suddenly, an inexplicable gust of wind swept over us, scattering the salt ring before Damon could complete it. It smelled foul, like burning flesh, making me choke. I covered my eyes to keep debris from blowing into them. Strangely, the trees around us remained perfectly still, untouched by the wind. The eerie, unnatural moment sent a shiver down my spine.

Damon glanced at the disrupted salt, his expression grim. “Well, that’s not good,” he muttered, quickly cocking his shotgun.

We positioned ourselves back to back, ready for whatever was coming. In the darkness, I could make out shadows shifting and moving at a distance. An ominous sign.

I pushed down my rising fear and drew my bowstring taut. “They’re coming,” I announced, trying to keep my voice steady.

From behind me, Damon drawled, “Yeah, I got eyes, too. Time for our meet-and-greet with the uglies.”

“Damon, you have to bury the coin now,” Justice urged. “It’s the only way we can find Lisa. We don’t want to miss this opportunity. Sawyer and I will hold them off.”

“Your soul will be mine, Sawyer.” The same evil voice taunted me. I thought I had until the next full moon, but then, when had a demon ever been truthful?

“All right, planting this thing now,” Damon grunted as he rummaged for a spot to plant the coin. “This better be the magic bullet we’re looking for because playing gardener while you guys go all Robin Hood doesn’t exactly top my list of fun activities.”

The taunting voice echoed again, chilling the air around us. “I’m coming for you, Sawyer,” it sneered.

From behind me, Damon’s steady voice was edged with his typical dry wit. “Don’t listen to the cheap talk, Sawyer. These guys would fail a lie detector test as a hobby.” I felt him moving, his focus on completing the task as quickly as possible.

A massive, darker shadow loomed next to the Fairlane, its size rivaling the car itself.

---