Page 24 of The Monster of Hotel No. 7
And yet something…happens,as his body pivots to follow the direction of his fist.
There is a loud cracking sound that has nothing to do with the storm, and he seems tostill,but his eyes widen in fear or shock or both.
The crack sounds again, followed by a feminine grunt of exertion, and Cosmo's body jolts.
I step back on some kind of strange, connective instinct.
Then Cosmo’s arms drop by his sides.
His eyes flutter.
He falls to his knees with a groan, then he sways a little strangely before he collapses onto his side, curled into the fetal position. He is not unconscious because I watch as he slowly moves his hands to cup his head and he muttershername.
“Karia.”
When I lift my gaze, she meets mine, the flashlight nearly the size of her forearm as she grips it tight in her hand.She hit him with it. For me?
“He’ll get up soon,” she says, her voice a whisper, speaking as if he is not there, like most people speak around me, nottome. “Let’s go, okay?” She doesn’t look at my body. Instead, she bends down and swipes up my clothes, then offers them to me over Cosmo’s downed figure.
My chest heaves in and out, a strange, breathy sound coming from my lungs in the way they always seem to rattle.
“I promise,” she says to me, her words soft, “I’ll keep you safe. Everyone is looking for you though, and I just… I just want to talk to you, okay, Sullen?”
When she says my name, my pulse hammers harder against my ribcage.
I reach out for the clothes, wondering where the trick is. When she will drop her eyes over my naked torso and recoil from me.
But she holds my gaze.
Our bare fingers brush as I grab the hoodie and shirt from her.
For one second, I do not want to move.
She smiles softly, dimples indenting her cheeks, a sight I do not deserve. And I grab my clothes and quickly put them on with my head bowed as Cosmo stirs at my feet.
I snatch my gloves from the bed, but she is offering me her hand once more and Cosmo is saying her name again and I am tired of hearing it from his lips.
I take her offer without donning my gloves, my hand closing over her smaller one, then she tugs gently, and I step over his body.
This close, I can smell her. Violets and cedar; flowers and forest. I can see the vivid blue of her eyes, the white sclera, the pink in her lips as she tips her head up and stares at me.
Then she squeezes my hand.
Warmth flushes through me, hot and sticky and slightly nauseating. It would feel better if we were back in the lab. There are other rooms there too, a space with a dental chair I did not create. If I could strap her down, restrain her so she can’t run… It would be easier to talk, then.
“I know where we can go,” I say softly, my voice a croak.
Stein always makes fun of me for that, but she is so naive and so trusting, she only nods her head once, her eyes searching mine as she says,“Okay.”
Principles of Poetic Séance
The face must be avoided. It rouses curiosity, and on the path to becoming a god, this is unwanted. Wearing down of the subject through brutality is necessary but must be completed in such a way outsiders do not pry. Transcendence can take decades. Broken bones, lacerations, disfigurement, and internal bleeding are recommended on the journey, but defilement of teeth may speed it along.
Chapter13
Karia
He pushes his gloves into the pocket of his hoodie as we hurriedly head for the door, his hand in mine. I glance once over my shoulder at Cosmo stirring on the floor. I know I didn’t really damage him, I don’t think, but I do feel a little bad.
