Page 62 of Spooks & Specters

“Shit, they’re going to stampede,” Felix swore. “People are going to get hurt.”

“Of course. It’s a distraction,” Raven said softly over the screaming. “No smoke.”

“The bastards.” Annabel glanced at the terrified crowd. “But what’s the point?”

“That is the question.”

If the hunters—and apparently there were more than one—were trying to escape, the threat of fire would certainly be a good cover for them to get out of there. But even if they were trying to save their buddy, again, a fire was still a perfect distraction.

As Raven watched people search desperately for the exits, he noticed Hudson and Connie were on their feet. A human man shoved a human woman into the dragon king. Hudson helped steady her even as he cussed the male.

“This is going to get ugly quickly,” Raven mused. “They’re desperate to get out because they think there is a fire.”

“It’s dark and they don’t know there really isn’t one. And in the dark, everything is confusing for humans.”

“And the red lights of the fire alarm and the screaming don’t help matters either,” Annabel added.

“From what I see, though, paranormals are not panicking,” Raven said. “We need to evacuate the club. Immediately, before someone gets hurt.”

“Fucking hunters,” Felix snarled. “I see other paranormals have the same idea, though. The dragon king and his Right Hand are helping too.”

Raven was relieved for any help he could get. Sure enough, one of the exit doors had been thrown open and paranormals were trying to direct humans through.

For a second, just a second, Raven scanned the crowd looking for Stu, even though he knew the odds of finding him were next to none. There were simply too many panicking humans.

Regret curled around his dead heart. Instead of letting the human go, he should’ve just locked him up in that little storeroom or sent him to his private office. But like an idiot, he’d let Stu walk away.

“Felix? Use your talent of persuasion to calm the humans.”

“I’ll try, but I think there’s too much fear for it to work,” Felix said. A few seconds later he shook his head. “It’s no good.”

Raven also tried and got nowhere. “Dammit. All we can do is help evacuate. Go.”

Annabel and Felix bowed their heads, then blurred away.

Raven stumbled as a human was thrown into him. Grabbing the pretty woman, he dragged her to the nearest exit. Fucking hunters. The acidic scent of fear canceled out everything else. Even if a hunter passed Raven on his way out of the exit, there was a good chance he wouldn’t know.

He had barely stepped outside when he heard sirens off in the distance. Well, it appeared the police were responding in a timely manner. Hopefully, they could calm the crowd and not incite them.

Not too far from him, he saw that Connie was outside and trying to calm a group of young women who were crying hysterically. One lady’s lip was busted and bleeding, her dress was torn, and she’d scraped her knees pretty badly. Several people were bleeding, in fact.

Just what he did not need. There were a few fledglings in the club too. A few seconds later, Frederick appeared next to him. Fortunately the good doctor was no longer a fledgling, although he was still a very young vampire.

Raven peered at Frederick. “Are you… having any problems, doctor?”

“No, thank goodness. The ones who might have are being… tended to. They are safe. I made sure of it.”

Raven had a fondness for the young man he had gifted eternal life to years ago. Frederick was a Black man who had fought for civil rights in the sixties.

He’d marched with some very prominent figures from that time, been beaten and gassed by police… and eventually murdered for his beliefs.

Well, the men in white robes had tried to murder him. It just so happened Raven had stumbled across where they’d hung Frederick, and Raven had slaughtered everybody there. Unfortunately he’d had no choice but to turn Frederick.

“Thank you for taking care of them.”

“Always, Master.”

Some humans were quickly vacating the area, while others were standing around aimlessly staring at each other. Most likely shock was setting in.

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