Page 112 of Séance

Fuck.

Fuck.

Fuck.

I’m so screwed.

I allowed myself to get distracted, allowed my emotions to cloud my judgment, and my control wavered. It was only for a second, but it was enough.

The dead have found me.

Stark fear takes root, the need to escape pushing me forward, and I bolt toward the only other exit. It’s one thing to be attackedin private, it’s something else to have everyone else witness what happens when spirits manifest.

Hicks is getting what he wanted, just not exactly how he expected.

I easily maneuver around people, ignoring the way they chuckle at what they think is me running away in humiliation.

They don’t know the truth, but they will, and they will never forget it…if they survive the encounter.

I’m five feet from the door, hope like a bubble in my chest. Just when I think I’m going to make it, the door slams shut so hard that it seems to shake the whole room. The laughter stops abruptly, a few girls screaming, and I back away from the door.

“What the fuck?” Brenda snarls, her face twisting in a scowl. “I didn’t sign up for this shit. I’m leaving.”

She marches toward the door, but when she turns the knob, it doesn’t budge. With a yelp, she jerks her hand away as if burned and cradles it to her chest. “What the fuck? If this is a prank, it isn’t funny.”

People turn to glare at me like it’s my fault.

If only they knew the truth.

But they will.

And soon.

One of the bigger guys heads toward the doors. His steps slow when, even from a distance, frost begins collecting on the surface. It slowly creeps down the wall and edges across the floor, slinking ever closer as if seeking prey.

People back away from the encroaching ice, appearing uneasy, and more than a couple shoot me furious looks. One person takes a threatening step toward me, which is soon joined by two, three, five, until I’m facing a whole mob threatening violence.

“What bullshit stunt are you trying to pull, bitch?” One of the burly men pushes his way forward, a nasty vein throbbing in his forehead.

“None of us appreciate your stupid tricks.” Brenda’s face is twisted in a snarl, her expression furious as she shoves her way forward. I’m not sure if she’s more pissed at the attention being taken from her or jealous she didn’t think of it first.

“No need for violence.” Hicks steps forward with his arms raised, an affable expression on his face, but there is no disguising the hard undertone of his words telling everyone to fuck off or he will make them.

When he peers at me in exasperation, I realize that while his concern might be real, he still thinks this is some sort of elaborate trick.

No, it’s more than that.

He blames me, taking no culpability for his role in setting me up.

The last part of my soul darkens and turns to ash.

“Let us out of here,” a young man yells from the back of the room, inching away from the encroaching frost, his complexion pasty white. The prompt sends more people pushing forward, their scowls aimed directly at me.

Gunner and the twins stand next to Hicks, keeping the people from reaching me, but there are too many, and I’m forced back, deeper into the chill. As the noise level in the room increases, the music upstairs slows, then warps, then begins to play backwards.

“Shh… Listen.” Ellis holds his hand up, his head tilted as he peers up at the ceiling. The others follow suit, and true fear begins to spark in their eyes as they hear screams. One of the guys rushes past Hicks and the others, looking ready to tackle me.

I step back, hitting the bar, and I have nowhere else to go. Just as I tense to climb over the counter, the bottles behind the bar rattle, then begin to shake. One by one, they explode in rapid succession, sending a shower of glass and liquor into the room.

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