Page 54 of The Shadows of Excess

Crap-crap-crap-crap.

Fear clenched my heart like an icy fist, sending shivers down my spine. Instinctively, I moved closer to Justice, needing to feel his strength. I had fought Maci once and wounded her. I think she wanted revenge, and I was the main dish.

“What do we do now?” I whispered, my voice barely audible over the pounding of my heart.

Without missing a beat, Justice reached out, his hand firmly grasping mine as he guided me back toward the Porsche, now engulfed in a ghostly layer of mist. “Everyone, back in the car, now!” he commanded, his tone brooking no argument as he vigilantly scanned our surroundings.

Damon and I hastily climbed into the front seats of the Porsche while Justice quickly settled into the back. Wasting no time, Damon revved the engine and jerked the car into gear, sending a spray of gravel flying into the misty air. The Porsche lunged forward, its tires gripping the uneven path as Damon navigated the treacherous road.

I clenched my hands, silently praying the car wouldn’t succumb to the ruts and mud hidden beneath the fog. The vehicle jostled us as it maneuvered around the obstacles, every bump and dip amplifying the tension in the air.

Damon’s hands were white-knuckled on the wheel as he navigated the treacherous path. He shot a quick, intense glance in my direction. “Sawyer, give me something to work with here. What are those freaky visions of yours saying? We need a game plan and fast. What’s the next nightmare we’re walking into?”

I whipped toward him and narrowed my eyes. Anger flooded me, and my breath came in short gasps. Did he think this was easy for me?

As if realizing what he’d said, he shrugged. “Hey, don’t get upset. I’m a freak, too.”

Meaning my visions freaked him out. I wondered if Mom’s visions spooked Dad as well. Maybe that’s why she never told us.

Lost in thought, I almost didn’t hear Justice’s soft voice. “Sawyer?” he prodded quietly.

I snapped back to the present and blurted out the next image of my vision. “A pond with a waterfall.”

Damon stole a sideways glance. “Could you share a little more detail with the class?”

As I reached for the book beside me, a sudden, electrifying sensation surged through my body, reminiscent of lightning striking the ground. My head snapped back involuntarily.

An image formed as if I was watching a movie. A trickle of water cascaded gracefully down a rugged cliff before splashing into a serene pond below. The sound of the water was gentle yet persistent, a soothing symphony to the ears. Surrounding the pond were vibrant green lily pads floating peacefully on the surface, their edges rippling with each drop of water.

Mist hovered around the edge of the pond. Something brown moved, and the images became clearer. It was a herd of deer grazing on the lush grass, their coats shimmering in the dappled sunlight filtering through the fog. All of a sudden, they jerked their heads up, their ears twitching, alert to an unseen threat. Possibly a dragon? Or the sound of a humming engine?

I slid the book off my lap and drew a deep breath. The image was still vivid in my mind.

“The pond is covered with lily pads. A herd of deer grazes on the grassy bank, but they’re alert, as if they sense danger.” My voice sounded almost robotic, like I was in a trance.

“Great,” Damon mumbled. “Bet my last silver bullet they’re twitching at the sniff of a shadow dragon.”

My body sagged in the seat, weighed down by exhaustion and fear. My eyes closed as I tried to block out the overwhelming oppression of our situation. Maci was a relentless predator on our trail, her determination matching a bloodhound’s.

Every step we took felt like tiptoeing through a minefield. One wrong move could spell disaster for us all. I couldn’t let that happen. Not with Damon’s and Justice’s lives depending on me. They were my lifeline in this twisted world, and the thought of losing them or failing them made my stomach twist into knots.

I drew a deep breath, struggling to calm my racing heart and clear my swirling thoughts. This wasn’t only about survival anymore. It was about protecting the people I cared about, and I’d do anything to keep them safe.

No matter the cost.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

As if by magic, the thick fog dissipated, parting like a pair of invisible hands drawing back a curtain. To my side, the rugged outline of a rocky cliff slowly emerged into view. Below it, a small waterfall cascaded with a gentle roar into a serene pond, its surface dotted with lily pads. On the grassy banks, a herd of deer grazed peacefully.

“Damon, Justice, look!” I couldn’t contain my excitement bursting at the seams. “We’ve found it.” Eagerly, I reached for the car door handle, ready to leap out and explore.

Damon slowed the car and craned to look around me.

Justice’s firm grip on my shoulder halted me. “No, don’t,” he warned, his voice tense. “There’s something else there. See how the deer are fixated? They’re staring at a shadow.” His eyes narrowed as he peered through the trees. “I can sense their fear. Something’s not right.”

I followed Justice’s gaze, and for a fleeting moment, I caught the chilling glint of a pair of golden eyes peering at us from the shadowed space between the trees. A cold shiver ran down my spine, freezing my blood in its veins.

“Was that Maci hiding in the trees?” My voice was a trembling whisper.

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