Chapter Fifteen
Cori
The book I found ended up being the diary of the madman who led one hundred and sixty people to their deaths.
On purpose! One hundred and sixty people died to satisfy the power-hungry needs of one psychotic madman.
He thought it would make him more powerful, thought he could collect souls of all the people he ‘took with him’.
Reading it kind of made me sick to my stomach.
Especially when I got to the part about the thirteenth wife. When I find that little tidbit, I run to Mac. I think there’s something up with that number from the night me and Roxie did our EVP session, but I want to run it by Mac to find out what he thinks.
Before I can reach where he is talking to Theo and Ripley, I’m pulled up short by what I see.
Standing on the other side of the room is a big, black shadow.
The same…thing that was in my room the first night we came here.
It moves in a serpentine slither, even though it’s in the shape of a man.
And when it notices me, it starts moving towards the group.
“No!” All three heads turn to me as I rush to stop that thing.
I don’t make it halfway there before a force is picking me up off my feet and throwing me back.
All I can do is hang onto the book in my hand and wait for my body to hit the ground.
The force of…whatever happened is so strong my breath is knocked out of me.
All I can do is lie on the floor and stare at the ceiling above me.
Mac is the first person to reach me. “My God, what happened? Are you alright?” His hands go all over checking me to make sure I’m not hurt.
All I can do is nod for him as I get my breath back.
He helps me sit up, and I look around, but don’t see the dark thing lurking anywhere in the room anymore.
“Jesus, next time you try to get attention, maybe don’t try so hard.
” Ripley looks a little freaked out. “How did you even do it?” “Do it?” “Yeah. How did you pull yourself back like that?” Theo is on the other side of me and gives Ripley a ‘look’.
“No way Cori would do something like that. We all saw her fly backwards. No one here would do that crap and risk injury to themselves. Not with the weather so bad and no boats coming and going.” “Cori wouldn’t do something as immature as that in the first place, but Theo’s right.
Nobody would be that reckless. Mac’s defense of me catches Theo and Ripley by surprise.
“You really believe something pushed her back? What? A ghost?!” Ripley starts going down the hallway I had just walked up.
I guess she’s looking for wires or some sort of pulley.
The commotion has caused others to come find out what happened. Roxie runs over to check on me as I try to stand up.
“Easy, baby.”
The echo of gasps that circle us has my cheeks turning bright red.
“Baby?” It’s high-pitched, verging on a shriek, and comes right from Ripley. “Did you just call her baby?”
“I did and I do.”
“But what about your stupid rule about not dating people you work with? What about all that crap you feed people about not wanting drama if something goes wrong in the relationship? You’re nothing but a hypocrite.”
“And you have no room to talk when you’re sleeping with one of the producers of the show.”
“Yes, but I made no attempt to lie about sleeping with people I work with.”
All I can do is turn to one and then the other, like I’m watching a tennis match when in reality it’s more like a train wreck happening right in front of me.
“It’s not what you think. We’re not…,”
Mac takes my hand in his, “If you have a problem with us, we can always walk away.”
“Me too. I’m gone if Mac and Cori go.” Roxie steps up beside us.
Right beside her, Tray does the same. “Me too. I’ll follow Mac.”
Theo looks around and then steps up beside us, “Look, I’ve worked with a lot of people, and Mac is one more solid guy. If he walks away…so do I.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa! No one’s saying they have a problem. There’s no need to go anywhere or…stop filming.” Drake gives us all that sickly fake smile and tries to calm everything down.
I have no idea when he came into the room or how much of the conversation he actually heard but he seems to be ready to let Mac have what he wants.
“You are a great team. Let’s get back to doing what we do best - making magic in front of the camera.”
If he’s going to give me a way out of the embarrassment, I’m gonna take it. “I found something I think we need to talk about. It was what I was coming to tell you when that… when I got thrown back.”
“Was it about the diary?” Mac asks, but Roxie and Theo perk up and listen closely.
“Yeah. I think we need to go back over the EVP session that me and Roxie did last night.”
Was that really last night? It feels like it’s been forever ago.
In the space of twenty-four hours or less, I’ve found a secret room, a killer's journal, slept with a man - something I’ve never done before - and been attacked by a ghost. And that doesn’t include the creepy ghosts I’ve seen lurking throughout or the unsettling habit I’ve picked up - sleepwalking. It’s been a hell of a week, honestly.
I’m not sure what else this island has to throw at me, but I don’t think it can hold a candle to what Mac might have in store for me if his grip on my hand and his desire to have me close by are any indication.
But unlike all the rest of the things, Mac is something I'm just not sure how to deal with.
And is way more dangerous to my heart!