Page 72 of Unbinding the Demon
The chilly breeze caressed away the lingering warmth from Ashton’s roaming hands as I exited the car, feeling all hot and bothered. I straightened out my disheveled appearance the best I could and began walking down the short cement path to the building. Plump gray squirrels searched busily for little nutty morsels hidden within the dead grass. They scurried up into the tall aspen trees once they caught sight of me and began noisily chattering from the branches. Once I got to the door, I turned to blow a kiss to Ashton before he drove off.
I had to give the heavy door a good tug because the wind was making it difficult to open; then I entered the building. My boots clicked on the polished stone floors as I made my way down the wide main hallway toward the art room. There was a police officer stapling a piece of paper to the large, cluttered bulletin board that hung on the wall. He gave me a wary-looking side glance, double take. He then walked a short distance away and began to text someone, his fingers moving frantically over the screen...Weirdo.
As I walked by the board, I stopped dead in my tracks and did my own wary side glance, double take when I saw what he had just posted. It was a missing person poster for Officer Julianna Hoffman. My heart sank to my stomach as I remembered her name on Ashton’s creepy list, with a big red slash going right through it. I didn’t even know how many minutes passed as I stood there, staring in silence at her black-and-white picture.
Okay... This is probably just a weird, unsettling coincidence.
I turned and tried to keep calm as I walked toward my class. My heart pounded and my mind raced as a very dreadful realization sank in. I turned on my heel and dashed back down the hall. The officer gave me a weird look as I shoved the heavy wooden door open and rushed back outside in a panicked frenzy.
The cold air slapped me in the face, but I was too numb to notice it. I raced along the sidewalk and took a turn down Pine Street, then I went all the way to the center of town. My eyes landed on the town green, and I made a beeline for it, almost running into some cracked-out guy coming out of the Smokin’ Oak smoke shop. Pigeons took off flying all around me as I ran over to a large walnut tree. Rotting green and brown walnut husks crushed beneath my boots, and the rough bark scraped against my jacket as I leaned against the tree, trying to calm myself down. My chest heaved with my labored breathing, and I squeezed my eyes closed.
My mind obsessed over my awful epiphany. I had seen Ashton kill people without a single shred of remorse or hesitation. He had only bloodlust in his eyes when he killed. He was very skilled at making bodies disappear. He clearly hated the police and tried to avoid them. There was what looked like a fucking hit list in his basement. He had some rather psychopathic personality traits. And to top it all off, he was now insisting on telling me some big, upsetting secret about himself!
I knew there was an ominous gang of black magic, crackerjack thaumaturges hiding away in the forest, carving out people’s hearts and eating them. However, that only explained the bodies that were found with their hearts missing. It didn’t explain the large number of missing persons cases! People who had disappeared without a single trace—Ashton explained that.
Oh my god... He’s the serial killer... My boyfriend, whom I just made out with, is a serial killer.
Fucking. Fuckity. Fuck.
Shadows from the empty branches danced across my distraught face as I grabbed my head in panic. I wondered how I was going to get out of this.Would he actually kill me if I rejected his lifestyle and broke things off with him? If I were to move in with Lacey and Darrell, would that put them in danger, too? I couldn’t risk that. I could never forgive myself if something ever happened to either of them because of me. I had to think of a different way to escape him without involving any loved ones. Unfortunately, I was struggling to think of a solution since I was, well,freaking the actual fuck out.
“Good morning, Ms. Gallagher,” Father Adelstein greeted with a smile as he walked over to me, tucking his phone into his pocket. He appeared out of breath, yet his smile radiated warmth and welcome.
I dropped my hands from their panicked clutching position on my head and tried to look as composed as possible. I didn’t want him to notice the little mental breakdown I was having. “Ehem,” I pretended to clear my throat. “Good morning, Father.”Yep, that’s it. Keep it casual, and hopefully he’ll go away.
“I’m delighted to have run into you again, my child! Although I can see that you’re troubled once more. May I ask if anyone is accompanying you right now, like your boyfriend or his dog, perhaps? Or are you alone with your worries, with no one to comfort you?” He looked sympathetic, but his eyes were shifting around as if scanning the area.
Goddammit. Fuck this guy and his uncanny ability to sniff out distress in a person.
“Well, no one’s here with me, but I assure you I’m fine.” I gave him a fake smile.
A legitimate smile spread across his sharp features. “Well then, I’ve been carrying something around with me, in case I were to see you again.” He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small sapphire necklace. “This belonged to your Aunt Elowynn, and I was hoping to give it to you. I think she would have wanted you to have it. May I?” He held it up in a way that asked if he could put it on me.
The beautiful stone sparkled radiantly in the sunlight as his misty breath fanned out behind it. My eyes shifted between Father Adelstein and the stone a few times as I fought an inner battle. I had promised Ashton that I would stay away from this guy, yet how could I not accept such a gift? But, I had also just figured out that Ashton was likely a serial killer who had this poor man’s name underlined on his hit list! So, maybe Adelstein wasn’t so bad after all?
Still, I sighed, feeling strangely loyal to Ashton despite everything. “I’m sorry, Father. But I can’t accept that. I’m actually late for class and should get going.”
His smile faltered, the compassion flickering out of his eyes for a mere second. He then beamed lovingly at me as he continued to offer the sentimental gift. “Please, Ms. Gallagher, I must insist. I know your aunt would have been so proud to have seen you wear this.”
I reached up and held the stunning gem between my fingers to admire it. “It looks a bit different from what I remember.”
He glanced at the necklace and shrugged. “The clasp broke, and I had to take it to a jeweler.” His hazel eyes then shifted back to me. “If you can’t stay long, then please, at least let me put it on you to honor Elowynn’s memory.”
My heart thumped in my chest. I didn’t want to betray Ashton, but I did want this guy out of my hair. “Okay, you can put it on me. But then I really do have to get to class.”
“Of course, Ms. Gallagher,” he chuckled. I turned around and pulled my hair out of the way to allow him to put it on me. His hands were cold as they grazed my neck, avoiding touching my scar as he clasped the necklace in place. “Now, I must warn you, I have good reason to believe that you are in great danger, my child.” His voice slithered into my ear, sending a chill up my spine.
I froze in place, wondering if he also suspected Ashton was the killer. It would perfectly explain Ashton’s hesitance to let me near this guy, and also why he’d be at the top of his list. My eyes widened in disbelief, and I felt my heart breaking. I loved Ashton and didn’t want to break my promise to him. But if my instincts and suspicions were correct, Adelstein was right. I was in great danger. “What do you think I’m in danger of?” My voice trembled, and unsolicited tears fell down my cold cheeks.
“Ruining my plans,” he casually replied, right before his hand slipped around my head and firmly held a smelly cloth to my face.
My eyes widened in panic as I struggled to break free from his grip, but he was unusually strong for such a thin man. He locked me in an unwavering grip as I helplessly struggled for a moment. Then everything went black.
31. Hidden from His Eyes
Distant sounds of eerie, pained groans and low, sinister hisses echoed in my head as the disorienting fog in my mind dissipated. My heavy eyelids refused to open despite my best efforts, and my achy body felt stiff as a board. A putrid odor, similar to rotting flesh mixed with musty stone and earthy soil, hovered in the stale air. Even though I was in a state of partial consciousness, it still suffocated and sickened me.
The gluey feeling in my eyes subsided, allowing me to pry them open. I squinted from the sudden light assaulting my senses as I blinked away the blurriness in my vision. My head was tilted uncomfortably far back, so the first thing I saw was a ceiling of old wooden planks. Rays of sunlight streamed down through the cracks, illuminating the tiny specks of dust that were swirling around in the air. My stiff, achy neck popped as I weakly tried to straighten my head out. It felt like I had been stuck in that awful position for hours, and I could only imagine I looked just as bedraggled as I felt. As my dry, scratchy eyes fell forward, I froze in debilitating terror.
