Page 68 of The Cursed Sebastian Storm

Fire burst out of the mass of shades, the heat hitting Sebastian in the face. Flames licked the van as shades ignited. The beasts were so packed together, and the fire so massive, that it caught from one to another, burning up into the sky, swathing the whole horde in flame.

There was nothing left but swirling smoke as the fire went out. It cleared, revealing James and Parker back to back and panting like they’d just run for miles. Parker slumped, losing his balance, and stumbled to his knees. James whirled around to catch him.

Sebastian was out of the van and helping James before he could even process it. The smell of burned cloth filled his nostrils. Parker could barely stand, and it was an effort to get him into the van even though they were right next to it.

Hazel pulled from the inside, and at last, Parker was in the passenger seat. He seemed dangerously drained and was struggling to hold on to consciousness.

Sebastian couldn’t think about that now. They had to get somewhere safe. He slammed the door, closing Parker in, and herded James into the backseat. “Drive!” he shouted at Hazel once they were in the seats next to Eli.

Hazel floored it.

Eli was sobbing, trying to climb over the center console to reach Parker in the front seat.

“I’m okay. Sit down,” Parker murmured, sounding exhausted. “If Hazel crashes, you’re going to get yourself killed.”

Eli let out a choked sound, words apparently beyond him.

James grabbed him around the waist and dragged him back into the seat, reaching across Sebastian to click Eli’s seatbelt into place. “He’s okay, Eli.”

“No,” Eli protested. “He’s not. That wasn’t okay.”

Sebastian’s heart pounded. Parker wasn’t in great shape, but he hadn’t lost consciousness. Sebastian clung to that faint shred of positivity as Hazel tore down the street. She turned onto northern Main Street but sped straight past Gray Electrical and into the town center.

More shades had gathered in the circle around the stone. Others drifted randomly around the road. Several streetlights had been smashed, making it much darker than the last time they’d passed through.

“Got through my wards,” Parker grunted in tired outrage, clearly noticing the busted lights.

Hazel slowed as she drove by the school. It was completely dark now, and the cars that had been there before were gone. “Damn it, where’s Eleanor?” Hazel growled.

“I’ll call.” James had his phone out and was scrolling through his contacts.

They needed to get inside a warded building but Sebastian couldn’t ask Hazel to hide before they knew if Eleanor was safe. He watched out the window anxiously as Hazel made her way to the west end of town, seemingly at random.

Sebastian gripped Eli’s shoulder in comfort as James spoke hurriedly into the phone on his other side. Eli’s face was red and puffy, his cheeks wet. He trembled slightly, but he’d stopped crying.

“She’s at Nora’s,” James informed Hazel before he hung up.

Hazel made a sharp right. A car passed them, going the other direction. “We need to tell people to stay inside.” Hazel gripped the wheel tight as she took another turn.

James put his phone away. “I told Eleanor to get in the house.”

“She wasn’t already?” Hazel sounded livid.

As they approached what had to be Nora’s house, Sebastian caught sight of a figure on the sidewalk. It didn’t look like Eleanor had listened to James.

Hazel slammed on the breaks as they drew level with Eleanor. “What are you doing?”

“Getting in my car.” Eleanor pointed to a small vehicle parked ahead of them.

“Get in with us,” Hazel shouted through her closed window.

Eleanor’s confused frown turned to shock, her eyes going wide. “Hazel!”

Before Sebastian knew what was happening the world flipped upside down. Someone screamed. There was a loud crash. The dizzying motion stopped, but Sebastian was still upside down, the seatbelt biting into his neck. He looked around frantically. James and Eli were hanging on either side of him, and out the window, there was nothing but the dark asphalt.

The van had flipped, and they hadn’t even been moving. How had that happened? Hazel and Eleanor were shouting. James and Eli were simultaneously trying to ask everyone if they were all right as someone wrenched the door next to them open.

“We need to get out,” James said from beside Sebastian. “Unbuckle yourselves.”

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