Page 220 of The Broken Aztec Princesses

Perfect by Pink began to blast from Chris’ cellphone and Bells went nuts in there. There wasn’t a piece of furniture or window intact by the time she was done. Chris almost stopped her when a piece of glass scratched her face, but I pulled him back and shook my head. That wound would heal in seconds, the wounds she was trying to mend with her actions were years old.

Bells was panting when she was done and stray tears were falling from her eyes, but she smiled at us, dropped the sledgehammer and crushed both of us in a hug.

“Thank you.”

We started making our way back upstairs. Chris dropped the hammers in the living room, but Bells suddenly stopped on the second floor, looking down the hall.

“Bring the hammers. We’re not done quite yet,” she said, walking down the hall.

“Go. I’ll be right there,” Chris urged me.

This was another room Bells had refused to go through: Martha’s room. Chris showed up a few moments later withboth sledgehammers and safety glasses. Once he was satisfied we were as protected we could be, given the circumstances, he pulled out his phone for some inspiration.

Bells laughed when she heard the song start.

“Fuck you and your mom and your sister and your job

And your broke-ass car and that shit you call art”

“I fucking love you guys. That’s perfect,” she laughed before she picked up her hammer and swung. We were halfway through the song when it suddenly stopped. “Hey, I was into that song,” she whined.

“Sorry, but what’s that?” Chris asked, stalking over to the closet wall.

There was a weird light spilling from the crack.

“Closet?” Bells suggested.

Chris opened the closet door, but it didn’t expand to that side. He tried to turn on the light, but nothing happened, so he turned on his flashlight and felt around the wall. After a minute, there was an audible click and the wall cracked open a sliver, spilling more of the same weird light from it.

“What is it?” I asked.

“I don’t know. It looks like magic shit? I think it’s an altar. Wait, Bells—” Bells pushed past Chris and into the room so I followed behind them.

The room was lit by a small lamp. A table against the back wall was the only thing outside the lamp in the room. The table was full of items and candles surrounded by weird runes. The walls, floor and ceiling were covered in the same weird runes and symbols. I’d like to think they were made in brownish-red marker, but I knew the truth was likely more sinister.

“Hey, that’s my bracelet!” Bells said, reaching for it, but Chris pulled her back. His phone was still in one hand, illuminating better than the little lamp.

“You don’t know what any of that is,” Chris warned her.

“She can’t hurt me anymore, Chris. She’s dead.”

Bells grabbed her bracelet while Chris and I looked over the items. It was all very creepy looking, and I shuddered, not wanting to touch anything.

Chris and I walked back toward the door while Bells continued to look around. She looked back at me and winked, before raising her hammer and bringing it down on the table. A blast of air hit everyone as the altar crumbled, and I looked up worriedly at Chris.

“That was spooky,” Bells giggled and walked out.

I was about to follow when I saw something beneath the table.

“Viole—” I pulled away from Chris, and grabbed the box. I brought it back out with me, while Bells looked around the room.

“Come on, big guy, start that song over,” she urged.

Chris sighed and shut off his light before turning the music back on. He looked at me, then at the box in my hands, worriedly.

“Let me open it, please,” Chris begged when I removed the clasp from the lid.

“Okay,” I humored him.

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