Chapter 9
Ansley
I’m feeling overwhelmed.
The strange sensation that someone is watching me still lingers. The tremors from my bizarre experience at Daisy’s apartment haven’t gone away. Now, I’m standing outside of an old, dilapidated cathedral, seriously considering going inside.
Somehow, I just know Daisy is in there. I’m as sure of that as I’ve ever been sure of anything.
A part of me wants to call the cops. That’s what I was going to do before my limbs went weak and my eyes rolled back in my head. Before some sort of vision or hallucination brought me here.
But what would I tell them? I can’t explain why I’m here. Can’t explain why I’m certain Daisy is inside St. Michaels Cathedral. I wouldn’t believe it if I were in their position. They’ll think I’m losing my mind or suffering from delusions. They might not even go inside to check.
“I’ll just take a peek. If I see that weird guy she went on a date with, I’ll run away and call the cops,” I decide, nodding along with my plan.
“It’s just an old cathedral. Not like it’s haunted.
I’m too old to believe in things like that.
” Somehow my self-pep talk doesn’t feel as reassuring as I’d hoped it would.
The sensation that I’m being watched gets stronger. I quickly look around, but don’t see anyone. This part of town is run-down. Most of the buildings are abandoned, but there are a few residential houses that show signs that someone still lives there.
I gather my courage and turn back to the set of sagging wooden doors. They’re massive. One is hanging off the hinges. I use my phone to shine a light inside, hoping to see something that will convince me Daisy is inside and I’m not just losing my mind.
The beam cuts through heavy darkness, illuminating dust that hangs in the air like it’s been suspended there for decades.
The entrance opens into what must have been the main part of the cathedral.
Rows of wooden pews stretch into the shadows, most of them broken or overturned.
Some are missing entirely, leaving gaps between them.
The floor is littered with debris. Broken glass is everywhere.
There are chunks of plaster, mixed with pieces of wood, and crumbled stone.
The ceiling soars overhead, vaulted, Gothic, and painted with scenes from Biblical events.
I can barely make them out, because most are hidden by darkness my phone’s light can’t reach.
I can make out the skeletal remains of what were once beautiful arches, but they’re cracked and crumbling with age and neglect.
Water damage stains the walls in long, dark streaks. In some places, the stone has given way entirely, exposing rusted metal rods and hollow spaces. The stained-glass windows that remain cast colored light across the floor. It’ll be dark soon, but there’s still enough light to make it eerie.
“Daisy?” I call out softly, my voice echoing in the vast emptiness. “Daisy, are you in there?”
I lean closer and the smell hits me. Musty, damp rot. Mildew and decay. There’s something else underneath it that I can’t quite identify. Something that turns my stomach.
I start to cross the threshold when the sensation that I’m being watched intensifies. Then I hear something behind me. It isn’t my imagination. I spin around and see a man standing at the bottom of the cathedral steps.
I recognize him immediately. It’s the same guy from Fletcher’s Bar. The one who was staring at me. The one I almost talked to before he disappeared. He’s wearing a black t-shirt that is a size too small and pants that are a size too big.
“You!” I gasp, taking a step back and nearly stumbling.
I should be afraid. More than afraid, I should be terrified. I’m not. The sensation that someone is watching me fades and it is replaced by something else. A feeling of warmth. Sunshine after a cold rain. A blanket fresh from the dryer on a winter day.
“You can’t go in there, Ansley,” he growls, his voice sounding more like an order than a request. “It’s dangerous.”
“You know my name,” I say, and things just begin to click. Like a puzzle being solved in my head. “You’re the one who has been watching me. Following me. It all started at Fletcher’s Bar the night I saw you staring at me, and it hasn’t gone away.”
“I won’t deny it,” he says. “My name is Hayden. I mean you no harm.”
“But why?” I ask, concern making me tremble, despite the strange sensation of warmth. “Are you the one who took Daisy?”
“Daisy? Who the fuck is… oh, the bartender?” Hayden shakes his head. “No, I don’t know what you’re talking about. Is that why you’re here?”
I’m concerned but not scared. Something in the stranger’s dark eyes. The way he’s looking at me. It feels like I can trust him. Like he doesn’t want to hurt me, despite admitting he’s the one who has been stalking me.
“She’s been missing since her date last night and she’s inside,” I say, gesturing towards the cathedral. “I can’t explain how I know that, but I do. I have to help her.”
“You don’t know what you’re walking into,” the man’s voice is almost guttural. “You’re about to walk into a world you don’t understand. At least I don’t think you do. I’m not even sure anymore.”
“It’s an old church,” I say, swallowing hard, reaching into my purse and removing my taser. “And if you’re talking about the guy she went on a date with, I’m pretty sure this will stop him if he tries anything before I can call the cops.”
“The only thing that’s going to do is piss him off,” Haydan says. “And he’s not the only one you have to worry about. He’s not alone in there and I’m not just talking about your friend.”
The hair on the back of my neck prickles with concern bordering on outright fear.
Daisy bought the most powerful tasers she could find.
She told me this thing is strong enough to stop a lion.
But if Xander isn’t alone, that could be a problem.
Still, how does Hayden know that? And why does it feel like he’s telling me the truth?
“I’m going in anyway,” I say firmly, turning back towards the rotten doors. “I have to find Daisy.”
Hayden is beside me in an instant. So fast that it makes me jump back. “Stay behind me. And put that damn taser away,” he growls, pushing the broken door out of the way.
I hesitate for a moment, but once Hayden steps into the darkness, I follow him.
Why? I’m not sure. I just feel like I can trust him.
Like he won’t hurt me. And it’s not normal intuition or gut instinct.
I’m as sure of that as I’m sure that Daisy is inside this old cathedral. I don’t know how I know. I just know.
“Okay,” I whisper, staying behind him as I cross the threshold. “If this place is as dangerous as you say, then why are you so eager?”
“I’m not afraid of a few vampires,” he growls. “Especially fledglings.”
“Wait, what!?” I stop in my tracks, my grip tightening on the taser. “Vampires? There’s no such thing as vampires!”
“There are a lot of dangerous things in this world that most people don’t believe in, Ansley,” he warns, continuing into the main part of the cathedral, broken glass crunching under his bare feet, but seemingly not breaking skin. “Doesn’t mean they’re not real.”
It still feels like I can trust him. Like there’s truth in his words. But vampires? Blood sucking beasts? Maybe I really am losing my mind.
“Why would vampires be in a church?” I question, looking around at the decrepit décor. “Isn’t this considered holy ground? Don’t they hate crucifixes?”
“I’m not talking about stories, Ansley,” he growls. “Real vampires aren’t scared of holy ground. They don’t fear the crucifix or the cross. They don’t sizzle if you throw blessed water on them or burn if they walk outside on a sunny day. They’re not even dead. Not really.”
“So, they’re just regular people? Except they drink blood?” I question, wondering if Daisy has been kidnapped by some weird cult.
“There’s a lot more to them than that,” he mutters. “But I don’t have time to explain it right now. Just stay behind me. Stay alert.”
Hayden looks around and I do the same. There’s no sign of Daisy here. It’s literally just an old, abandoned cathedral. And I’m inside it with a man who has been stalking me. Despite the concerns that have passed, I hold onto my taser, keeping it in front of me in case I need to use it.
Another sensation hits me. Similar to what I felt in the vision. There’s a flash of white light, and then I focus on a door. “There,” I say, pointing at it. “That’s where we need to go.”
“How do you know?” he asks, walking closer to the door.
“I can’t explain it,” I admit. “I just do.”
“Well,” he sighs, putting a hand on the door. “I guess it makes sense that the vampires would be in the fucking crypt. They usually sleep in coffins or dug-up graves. The stories got that much right.”
I’m still not sure what to believe. Hayden pulls on the door and it opens way too easily. Easily enough to suggest it’s been opened recently and often. Hayden steps into the darkness and I follow. The stairs wind beneath the cathedral, leading us underground.
“Yep, smells like vampires,” he mutters. “Vampires that have recently fed.”
I can smell something too. Not vampires. I don’t know what they smell like. I just smell death. Copper hangs in the air, both sickly vibrant and tinged with decay. Is that blood? I don’t really know what blood smells like.
Then a screech makes the hair on the back of my neck point towards the crumbling stone ceiling overhead. Hayden tenses up, and that makes me tense up, too.
“I can’t fight them like this,” he growls, then something weirder than anything I’ve ever seen in my entire life begins to happen.
I stumble backward, my phone’s light shaking in my trembling hand as I watch something impossible play out right in front of me.