Page 42 of Death Trap

I turned and spotted the antique microphone standing at the beginning of the hallway. “I think we need to speak Benjamin’s name and maybe occupation into the microphone to find him. Hopefully that will be enough to narrow down our search.”

I definitely didn’t want to search through more doors and see more souls in pain. The more we could narrow it down, the better.

“Is this Benjamin another person mistakenly brought here?” Lisa asked.

“We think so. But he holds a lot of answers I need,” I replied.

She began marching toward the microphone. “Well, let’s get this show on the road, then! Let’s find this guy and get the hell out of here.”

Spinning on my heel, I started to follow her, only to stop at the sound of footsteps at the other end of the hall. My stomach dropped. Someone was coming.

We were about to be caught.

Eli rushed over to us and stood like a wall or shield between us and whatever was coming. The echoing sounds grew louder as they got closer and faster, becoming more of a scampering. Like nails against linoleum flooring. Slipping and sliding as they tried to gain speed. Almost animalistic.

Then a chorus of high-pitched screeches filled the corridor, and my insides quaked.

I knew those cries, those sounds, all too well. Halflings.

We were in real trouble now.

In a wave of horror, a herd of a dozen Halflings appeared around the hall’s corner and thundered towards us. The hall was barely big enough for the three of us to fit, so when the creatures started crawling over themselves to get to us, every part of me tensed in dread and anticipation.

“This is the moment we talked about, Jade,” Eli shouted over his shoulder. The Halflings were going to be upon us within seconds. “Take Lisa and get yourselves out of here.Go.”

“You’re right. We did talk about this, and I’m not going anywhere.”

One of the Halflings let out another one of their ear-ringing screams as they closed the distance, like a battle cry, making the others follow suit.

“Jade…” he warned one final time.

“No,” I yelled, my unbeating heart becoming alive again in my chest and pounding with fear instead of blood. “I’m staying here.”

I glanced back at Lisa, who I had expected to be cowering in the corner with her knees tucked to her chest, in full panic. Instead, she was standing there, knees slightly bent and fists raised. Full-on attack mode. Looked like Lisa wasn’t the type to back out of a fight, either. No damsels in distress here.

“I know a bit of jiujitsu, but not much,” she said in a rush. “I’d be much better use with a gun. Anyone bring any weapons?”

I reached into the waistband of my jeans, pulled out my gun, and tossed it to her. When it came to moving targets, I still had a lot of practice to do. I was better with my fists anyway. “There’re only two bullets left though—”

“That’s plenty,” she said.

In one swift movement, she flicked the chamber open, checked the rounds, shut it again, and uncapped the safety.

Wow. I was impressed. Years confined to her own Hell, left to suffer by herself, and she was still sharp as a tack. Wyatt sure knew how to pick ‘em.

Right as the closest Halfling leapt for us, Eli held out both his fists, and a spear materialized in his grasp. And not just any spear, but one with a shaft appearing to be made of solid gold. And unlike his pants, it wasn’t an illusion, because he charged at the beast and gutted the thing from neck to belly with just a swipe of his arm.

As the other Halflings surrounded him, he lashed out in a blur of speed, cutting open every Halfling that came close enough.

“I thought you said your magic didn’t work down here,” I shouted as a few creatures slipped by him and came for me and Lisa. I spun and kicked out, sending one headfirst into the wall. It made a terrible bone-crunching sound before falling to the ground in a heap.

“Weakened,” he said back, not even the slightest out of breath as he struck one Halfling with the blunt end of his spear. “I was saving whatever I had left for when we ran into trouble. Like this.” He stabbed the fallen creature in the chest, just as another one squeezed past him and made a beeline for me.

Behind me, Lisa fought off one of the Halflings by using the gun like a form of brass knuckles instead of firing it. She beat the thing in the face until only a concave mess of black goo and flesh remained.

It was right then that I realized I liked her—maybe even more than Wyatt. But I wouldn’t tell him that.

Someone grabbed my hair from behind and yanked hard enough to bring tears to eyes. I cried out, grabbing a fistful myself to relieve some of the tension, but the beast only gave it a hard pull again. Something stirred in the dark recesses of my memory—just a quick flicker, not enough to hold on to, but enough to spark a reaction. Rage flared inside me, pumping fire through my veins. Like when Tristen, the douchebag sorcerer, had tried to choke me.

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