Page 77 of Salem's Fall
Lucky brushes against my leg again, snapping me out of my spiraling thoughts, before darting through another winding corridor at the back of the room. I glance once moreat the unsettling collection of items—Mark’s access card, Vivienne’s ring, my stolen phone and laptop. All of it adds up to something that doesn’t look good for Damien, but I don’t have time to unpack it all now. Maddie needs me.
I rush after Lucky, clutching my phone to my chest as I follow him through the dark passageway. Seconds later, we spill out of a heavy steel door and into the open air behind the manor. A black sports car sits idle on the driveway. I run to it, heart exploding as I peer through the window and spot the keys sitting right there in the cup holder like the best Christmas gift ever. It’s as if they were left there on purpose, waiting for me.
As I glance back at Lucky, his yellow eyes lock on mine with an expression that almost feels knowing. It’s as if he understands exactly what’s happening, like he anticipated this all along.
“You… you led me to this, didn’t you?” I whisper, the realization making my skin prickle.
Lucky tilts his head and gives a soft, reassuring meow, weaving between my ankles like a silent blessing. Hope surges through me. I finally have a way to get to Maddie. I reach down to scoop him up, ready to place him in the car—but he slips away, darting into the dense woods behind Blackthorn Manor.
“Lucky! No—get back here!”
I scan the dark trees, but he’s already gone, swallowed up by the shadows. Panic twists in my chest as I call after the cat and take a shaky step forward, torn between chasing after him and the urgency of saving my sister. Every instinct screams at me to run after Lucky, to make sure he’s safe. He’s not just a cat—he’s family. My rock. My constant, faithful companion.
But then I see Maddie’s face again in my head and am filled with the desperate urgency to get to her. I don’t know how much time she has left.
“Lucky!”
My voice cracks, the hollow silence that fills the space he left behind already feeling heavy, chilling. Tears sting my eyes as I hover by the car, desperately glancing back at the woods one last time. I don’t want to leave him—but something tells me he’ll be okay. Lucky found me once, all those years ago, slipping out of the shadows in the alley behind my school when I needed him most. Almost like magic. He’ll come back to me again.
And then, as if the universe itself answers, a rustle in the distance—the faintest flicker of movement—almost like Lucky is telling me to go. Somehow I know that whatever lies ahead, I have to face it alone.
“You know where to find me, Lucky,” I whisper fiercely and slam the car door shut, clutching the wheel. There’s no more time to waste. Maddie needs me, and whatever’s ahead, I’m all she has left.
The car rumbles to life as I start the engine and make my way out of Blackthorn Manor, driving as fast as I can through the winding roads. I tell myself that whatever happens next, I can handle it, but the truth is I’m more terrified than I’ve ever been in my life. Veil Night is here, and somewhere out in that vast, dark unknown, Maddie is in trouble, her life hanging in the balance. It all feels like a bad dream, one I can’t wake up from.
I fumble for my cell phone as I race toward Strega’s Hollow, my fingers hovering over the keypad. The most logical thing would be to alert the authorities that Maddie has been kidnapped, but can I really trust the Salem’s Fall police? Everyone in this damn town either seems afraid of the Blackhollows or tangled up in their web.
But what other choice do I have? A bloodthirsty, dangerous cult has kidnapped my sister. I can’t do this alone,and isn’t this exactly what the police are supposed to handle? Protecting innocent people from monsters like the Veil?
I press the phone to my ear as the line rings, and a gruff voice answers on the other end.
“Salem’s Fall Police Department, Officer Wickerson speaking.”
I clear my throat. “This is James—James Woodsen. I met with Detective Harris a few days ago,” I say, my words coming out in a jumbled rush. “I need to speak with him. It’s an emergency.”
“Sorry, Detective Harris isn’t here,” the officer replies, already sounding disinterested. “Something I can help you with?”
“Please, listen to me. I have to speak with Detective Harris,” I say, my voice rising with desperation. “My sister’s been kidnapped. She’s at Strega’s Hollow. The Blackhollows took her and, uh, a group called the Veil. They’re planning to hurt her. They’ve done it before and?—”
“Ma’am,” he cuts in, clearly annoyed. “Is this some kind of Halloween prank?”
“No, it’s not a prank! My sister’s in real danger, and if you don’t help her, she’s going to die!”
The officer sighs audibly.
“Look, Miss, we get a lot of calls this time of year about spooky nonsense. Strega’s Hollow is off-limits tonight, and any trespassers will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law,” he says with frustrating calm, like he’s reading from some kind of script. “Now I suggest you go home and celebrate Halloween like everyone else.”
“No! Please, wait—!” I yell, but he’s already hung up on me.
My hands shake with frustration as I clutch the phone to my chest. Clearly, the police aren’t an option. My thoughtsreel as I try to think about anyone else who might help, and then I remember my dad’s voicemail from the prison.
Maybe he’s not the man I always hoped he was, but still, he’s my father. He’s dealt with the Veil before. He could have advice for me.
I dial the prison and wait.
“Massachusetts Correctional Institution. How can I direct your call?”
“It’s James Woodsen,” I say, my voice strained. “I need to speak to my father, Thomas Woodsen.”
