Chapter Eight.
Calamity
N aturally, I hated this situation. Events were starting to feel scripted, and I certainly didn’t trust the strangers.
Vladimir and Emmaline seemed to hold secrets of their own.
Several of the things they’d said didn’t make sense.
And as for Daniel, Lucian, and their wives, there was no doubt that those four hid plenty.
“What or who is Oakwood?” I asked as I followed Lucian.
“Oakwood Manor, it is the seat of the Blackwood’s.”
“Which means?” I pressed. I thought I understood.
“The family home, sorry.”
“Why would Sabine mention its name?”
“It’s a code word to mean danger,” Lucian replied smoothly, but I sensed a lie.
“If you say so,” I retorted and allowed doubt to leech into my voice.
“Everyone has secrets,” Lucian muttered as he stuck his head around the corner to where our bedrooms had been.
“Blast.” I stepped past him and frowned.
A bedroom door had deep gouges, and the wood was splintered.
Something had attacked, trying to get inside.
I shoved past and entered. The room was neat and tidy, although dusty.
There was nothing to indicate a fight had occurred.
“Where are they?” I muttered.
“Looking for Daniel. I’m guessing he led the… what the hell do we call it?”
“Monster?” I offered and felt an idiot for saying the word.
“Yeah, that will do. I bet Daniel led it away so the others could escape.”
“Why would he do that?” I asked suspiciously. Seemed odd to risk your life for strangers, then again, it was something I’d do. Maybe I shouldn’t judge.
“That’s what we do,” Lucian replied mysteriously and began moving on. It appeared Lucian believed the conversation was ended, at least as far as he was concerned.
There was more happening than I was aware of.
More than I think anybody realised. Quietly, I followed Lucian around a corner, and he hissed.
Streaks of lightning flashed across the sky and highlighted a dark huddle.
We both peered into the darkness, trying to see clearer, and Lucian cursed.
Hurrying forward, he dropped to his knees.
“Harrington!” Lucian cried, turning the figure over. I moved closer, keeping an eye on the shadows. I felt like someone was watching us from them.
“Is Daniel alive?”
“Yeah, but he’s freezing cold and unconscious.”
“Lucian, we need to hurry. Can you carry him?” Something shuffled close by, and I peered into the darkness to track the threat.
“Yes,” Lucian agreed and rose. Together, we hauled Daniel up and slung him over Lucian’s shoulder.
“Let’s go,” I urged, my spine tingling. Lucian clearly felt the same because he set a fast pace down the hallway. We turned several corners before Lucian stopped and shifted Daniel.
“We’re lost,” I said, and he nodded.
“This blasted place is a maze.”
“Okay. Let’s try this way.” I moved ahead of Lucian, rounded a corner and ducked a fist aimed at my face. “What the fuck?” I yelled as my phone blinded the person in front of me.
“Calamity?” Drake stated, surprised.
“Why did you throw a punch?!”
“Because I thought it was that creature,” Drake announced. “We lost Daniel; he led it away from us.”
“Found him. He’s alive but unconscious,” I replied. “But now we’re lost.”
“Snap. We’ve been wandering in circles,” Lucian said.
“Let’s head that way,” Vladimir stated.
Inglorious spoke a few minutes later as we ended up in one dead end after another. I guessed he was feeling the creepy silence. “You know you don’t have a trace of an accent.”
“Why should I?” Vladimir asked.
“Well, aren’t you from Transylvania or Russia with a name like that?” Inglorious pressed. Rather than being insulted, Vladimir appeared amused.
“I was born and raised in England and named after my grandfather,” he replied.
“Oh.” Inglorious looked embarrassed, and I snorted. “Where do you live now?”
“England. Emmaline and I were on holiday,” Vladimir responded as he glanced around. “We’ll certainly not forget this one.”
“Yeah, I can’t imagine you would,” I said, amused.
“This looks familiar. I think we head straight down here, and it will take us to the hallway with our rooms.” We chased after Vladimir, and blast if he wasn’t correct. Instead of wasting the trip, those with free hands gathered mattresses and bedding, and we hurried downstairs.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw something move in the shadows. It flittered across the hallway, moving too fast for me to distinguish anything, but I sensed it was a female shape.
I kicked the sitting room door open, and Chance held it as Lucian carried Daniel in. Sabine let out a low cry and rushed over as Lucian placed him gently on the sofa.
“What happened?” she cried as her hands touched Daniel’s face.
“The creature attacked, and Daniel led it away,” Drake answered as he entered the room, dragging a mattress. Nanci and Kate moved to help as Rosie headed for Daniel. Rosie checked him over before sitting back on her haunches.
“Daniel’s breathing and pulse are steady, but something knocked him unconscious. I can’t find any injuries or wounds, so he should be awake,” she said, tilting her head.
“Daniel?” Sabine cried. She let out a sob as her husband didn’t respond.
Rosie and I swapped concerned glances. “Did you see anything?” my wife asked, and I shook my head.
“Lucian and I found him lying on the floor. There was no sign of trauma,” I replied.
“That’s a concern in itself. Was he attacked like Phoe?” Rosie murmured, sending Phoe a glance. I followed her gaze and noted how pale Phoe still appeared. She was wrapped up warm, and Drake was making their bed up. Phoe smiled weakly at something he said, and Drake dropped a kiss onto her lips.
“Did you spot an escape route?” Rosie asked.
“No. The house is locked up tightly. We can see the storm through the cracks in the shutters, but I didn’t find a single opening,” I replied.
“Guess we’re stuck here,” Rosie stated, trying to be bright.
I wrapped my arms around her. “Babe, I won’t let anything harm you,” I whispered.
“Drake and Daniel, no doubt, thought the same,” Rosie retorted, and I nodded. I couldn’t deny her words.
Daniel groaned as his eyelids fluttered, and Sabine made a noise of excitement. She patted his face gently as Daniel opened his eyes and blinked.
“What the hell happened?” he demanded.
“Good question,” I quipped as I bent closer. “How do you feel?” I checked his pulse.
“Woolly-headed.”
“Did you bang your head?” Rosie questioned.
“No. The last thing I recall is heading upstairs to get more mattresses.”
“Nothing after?” Drake questioned from across the room.
“No.”
“That monster attacked us. You drew it away,” Drake stated, and Sabine gasped. A smile crossed my lips as she smacked Daniel’s chest before cupping his face.
“Stop being the hero,” she whispered and kissed him. Daniel sank into the kiss, holding her close before he released her.
“Need to keep my wife interested somehow,” he quipped, seeming shy at the audience.
“Drink this,” Maggie said, appearing and handing Daniel a cup. He cupped it and appeared grateful for the warmth.
“Hot chocolate.” I sniffed. It was one of my favourite drinks.
“I’ll make you one,” Rosie offered and climbed to her feet.
“We brought in several vats of water to save us running to the kitchen constantly, and we found snacks!” Maggie stated.
“After the attack on Phoe and now Daniel, I don’t think we should be going anywhere in less than a group of four,” James called out.
“It attacked us as a group of four,” Drake retorted.
“He. It’s male,” Daniel interjected and frowned.
“Well, I’m not peeing with you lot watching me,” Nanci spoke, and I choked on a chuckle.
“Nobody wants to see that either,” I commented with a quirk to my lips, and Nanci sent me a dark look.
“Guess we’ll have to go as a group if we need to,” Nanci said grumpily.
It took some finessing, but finally everyone returned to the safety of the sitting room.
The fire blazed warmly as people got into bed.
We’d already discussed who was taking first watch until three a.m. I climbed into bed and let James, Lucian, Valdimir, and Chance stay up.
Closing my eyes and hauling Rosie close, I hoped to get some sleep.
Chance – three hours later.
This was worse than anything Phoe had ever plotted. I was struggling to understand what was happening. I didn’t really believe in the paranormal or supernatural. This shit was way beyond my level of understanding.
All I knew was there was a dangerous threat to my family. That I could handle. Clio curled into a ball on our mattress as she tried to settle. Every so often, I glanced over at her as she twisted and turned. Despite the spacious sitting room, the eight double mattresses left little space.
Sure, we’d separated them as best as we could, placing sofas and other furniture for privacy, but even so… this was awkward. The fire provided a warm glow, and we’d switched the lights off, bar a couple of lamps.
Vladimir stood guard by the door, alert to any movement. James’s head remained on a swivel while Lucian watched the window shutters. I’d taken the door at the other end of the room, which had been locked since we arrived.
Now that I had time to sit and consider the situation, I was unsure what to believe.
Nobody could deny what was happening, and yet it was beyond the realms of belief.
I had considered we were being filmed for a reality TV show, but Phoe’s attack convinced me otherwise.
Pure fear had coursed through my body when I’d heard her scream.
Daniel’s assault, and we guessed he’d been assaulted because we’d found marks on his throat, cemented that this wasn’t some warped reality programme.
Something out there was stalking us and trying to harm, even kill us.
Why? Did this demented creature have a plan, or did it act on instinct?
Those were questions nobody had answers to.