Page 124 of All Your Hate

“Let me help you,” a soft voice says behind me.

My body doesn’t feel like mine as I’m helped to my feet.

I turn to look at the person holding me and see Daniella. It's like she's stepped straight out of the television, dressed all in black with that same sad look on her face. “What are you doing here?” I ask. My voice is slurred and I feel drunk. Mixing was a terrible idea.

“It’s okay, I’ll get you both out of here.”

“Both?” I look at her again, but this time I see Evie’s face. Then it morphs into Dmitri’s. Then into mine. My mind’s playing tricks on me.

Nausea spreads in my stomach and I drop to my knees. My hand lands on a piece of glass and I pick it up as the phantom of my imagination reaches for me again.

“Get away from me!” I growl and slash the glass out, slicing across their palm. They scream and start to back away.

“You’re not real!” I scream right back and wildly slash the glass through the air. The phantom runs from the room. Their hair which I thought was black is actually a dark hood. It has to be Dmitri. There's no other explanation. Noah said if he betrayed him then he'd come for me. Does that mean something's happened to Noah?

Struggling to my feet I chase after them. I’m slow and my feet are sluggish. When I make it to the front door they’re already gone. But I know where ghosts like to hide.

I head around the side of the house. The groundskeeper’s cottage is lit up again. It’s a blur in the distance now that my eyes are struggling to focus. That’s not where I want to go anyway.

My feet drag and I almost fall over a few times, but I make it to the woods.

“I know you’re out here, Dmitri!” I shout. “You’re not going to take me this time. I’m stronger now.”

I point my dagger forward—no, that’s not my dagger—it’s a shard of glass. Where did I put my dagger?

It doesn’t matter, it can draw blood all the same.

The mausoleum should be nearby. That’s where I’ll find the phantom. No candles light my way this time. No pretty petals soften the ground under my bare feet. No Noah to take my hand.

I want him here with me. Bones. Noah. I want all of him.

“Noah?” I call out, but there’s no reply. My head spins and the trees bleed into one. Their branches mocking me as they grab at my clothes.

“Get away from me,” I snap at them.

There’s still no sign of the mausoleum.

Where is it?

My foot snags a branch and I fall forward. There’s not enough time to catch myself and I land face first.

It’s cold down here. So cold and dark. Stone walls start to enclose around me. Metal bars push up through the dirt, caging me in. “Noah,” I sob again. “Please.”

I can’t save myself this time.

My vision gets darker and I want sleep to take me, but it never comes.

I’m stuck here, immobilized by my own fears. Left vulnerable for the monsters to come clawing back out of the darkness.

26

BONES

Ican’t do it.

Standing inside the girl’s room I stare at her sleeping peacefully in bed. Her parents are sound asleep in the next room. I’ve put this job off for as long as I could. Dmitri’s finally had enough of waiting and threatened both Wynter’s and my father’s lives. I can’t risk his bluff. But I can’t do this either. This girl’s just a kid.

Her bedroom is pink for fuck’s sake.

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