Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
“Red”
Madison
The floor beneath me wobbles and slants as I push my feet into it, sending myself reeling faster and faster. An echoed, hollow scream fills the air, louder and more piercing with each passing second. With each choking beat of my heart.
The room Static had me trapped in felt like a whole other world. At least, it did until he freaking shoved me right back into reality—literally.
I trip over my own feet and stumble into the wall.
My palms slam down on the plaster, sending a plume billowing into the air.
I choke on the particles, gasping. Sucking in lungfuls that burn and shred my esophagus.
My fingers dig into my throat, squeezing the sides until the pressure of my Adam’s apple being shoved backward makes me gag.
Air finally fills my lungs to capacity so fast, more tears melt my eyes.
Doors line either side of the narrow hall. I veer to the left, toward what appears to be a window. I bang on the glass, hammering my clenched fists against the opaque glass. It rattles in its frame, shuddering and groaning from the pressure of my assault.
With strength I didn’t realize I still had, I put my whole weight into it, shoving forward and slamming my hands against the window. I need to get out of here.
I—I can’t breathe.
My skin’s crawling with phantom legs, more than eight. Maybe ten—twenty. A hundred. All over every inch of exposed skin that burns in the rotten, musky air that smells of death, decay, and ruin.
Of horror and nightmares brought to life.
Hell on Earth because Jesus, that’s what this has got to be. The devil tempts me, right? That’s what the pastor at church growing up always said. That he’ll bait his victims, tempt them, make them crave to give in to their darkest desires…
My eyes slam shut as the more than vivid… not memories, per se, because it just freaking happened, but the recollection of what that… clown did to me.
God. If I’m not already in Hell, I sure as heck have a one-way ticket there now.
Goodbye, pearly gates.
A door behind me creaks open. I jolt and suck in a breath at the same time I shove all of my weight against the window, making myself as flat and as small as possible.
A foot slides across the exposed wooden floor. A board creaks. A silent curse. Nails scratching against the plaster.
With my head angled to the side, my chin nearly touches my shoulder. I strain my eyeballs further past me, making out the shape of a body. “Lenny?!” I whisper yell, pulling my sweaty torso off the glass with a dragging shnick.
“Fuck!” His scream bellows out, echoing down the hall, bouncing off the ceiling for four long, drawn-out, and far too freaking loud beats. His hand flies to his bare chest, which is slick with rivulets of… something.
I bring myself closer, unable to help my increased, rapid breaths. I haven’t stopped panting since we got here. I’m about to pass out again any second. I can feel my brain screaming from not getting enough air to circulate.
One of his eyes is swollen shut. My gaze travels up—and that’s when I scream.
Blood.
Dripping out of his forehead.
A lot of it.
Lenny slams into me, slick arms clutching mine. We both grunt at the point of impact. I stumble back, cursing again as my spine is jarred against the wooden frame of the door.
“Someone’s behind me,” he pants in my ear, a weak whisper that trembles. All the blood drains from my head. If Lenny wasn’t pinning me in place, I would’ve collapsed.
My eyes shoot wide as something comes into view behind him.
Something… green. The stuff from literal freaking nightmares.
Oh, Jesus… there’s so many of them.
I wail, unable to hold it back. Lenny shivers, his own weak sobs coming out heavily against me. His tears trigger more of my own as we cower together in pathetic heaps, waiting to be slaughtered.
Gnarled, exposed teeth flash just below another set of glowing eyes—this time green.
The face is warped, like he’s been melted or something, but I don’t freaking know, and I don’t care to, either.
I shove against Lenny’s big body, my fight or flight kicking in—and it always says run. Get the heck away.
“Red!” The word is screeched right into my ear, making my eardrum pop and explode. I bellow out in pain at the burst, followed by a pounding ring. I crumple to the ground, clutching my ear as sobs wrack me. That Red echoes. Deeper. Into my very core.
Red.
Red…
I could’ve freaking said red this whole time?! What the fuck? How could I forget that out of everything I read? Everything I was so meticulous and cautious about?
It’s like the moment I stepped behind that black door, it all disappeared, and all I was left with was the instinct of survival—anyway, anyhow.
Even if that meant…
My head blanks out.
The presence of another body steps away, leaving me painfully cold. I shiver from my balled-up form on the floor. “Red,” I croak, far too late.
“Let’s go.” A grunt. Then, my arm is snatched up with really long green and black fingers that…
I shudder, eyes rolling back as my stomach convulses.
I keep my eyes on the floor, unable to look at the monster tugging me along.
Lenny’s bare feet are in my peripheral, slapping against the debris-covered floor like he doesn’t feel every uneven, splintering board.
Or the loose screws and nails. Or the shredded carpet probably covered in rat droppings.
I catch sight of my own bare body and vomit right there.
I hunch over on a retch and upend the contents of my stomach—which isn’t anything but good ol’ watery stomach bile. Bright green and yellow splatters across the ground as it spews from my mouth. The smell seeps into the air.
Another grunt. “Surprised your queasy ass lasted so long.”
Please don’t look at me.
I clutch my stomach on a whimper and wipe the back of my hand over my mouth. Eyes pierce the back of my head as I push myself up, forcefully keeping my eyes off the freaking clown collar wrapped around my throat.
That feeling of being watched never leaves. It sinks into my spine, right at my nape, where it stays as Lenny and I are forcefully dragged down the hall and through a door that… isn’t a freaking door because it’s just a wall.
Just as I’m shoved through the opening, I glance back to find a pair of white eyes pinned on me and even whiter, sharp teeth splayed wide, black lips stretched, and that god-awful, wicked tongue flicking outward.
I shiver, then whimper as I’m cast into darkness.
Collin, Brianne, and Kane all sit in metal chairs in equal states of undress and disarray. When Lenny and I step into the room, light suddenly blooming around us, everyone’s heads crank toward our entrance.
“Damn! Thought y’all were murdered or something,” Collin says as we shuffle toward our own chairs. Lenny plops down next to Collin, leaving me to take a chair next to Kane. He eyes me warily. I keep my head down.
Can we not talk about murder right now…
A bottle of water enters my peripheral. I take it with a mumbled thanks and upend the entire thing, trying to wash the taste of acid out of my mouth—and the taste of Static’s tongue…
“You lasted a long time,” Kane tells me when I finally finish, capping the bottle with a crinkle. I blink warily at him, noticing the sweat still clinging to his forehead. His hair’s in clumpy knots, and he has no shirt and only one shoe.
He’s covered in some sort of…
“What’s all over you?” I croak, wrinkling my nose. My voice is long gone.
“I have no idea, but whatever it is fucking stinks.” I lean forward to take a whiff, but it slithers right up my nose, nearly making me gag. My eyes roll back as my stomach protests, and I scoot back.
“Yeah, I know. I was… drowned in the stuff.”
“Like… in a tub?”
He nods shakily. He runs a hand through his gooped hair, making it clump even worse. His hand trembles as he brings it back into his lap.
“You guys lasted for nearly an hour. Practically no one else has done that.”
I don’t feel very accomplished.
“Can we go?” I ask. Lenny’s still silent, which I don’t think is very normal for him from the way I’ve seen him act since I moved in earlier, but I think we all have the right to be a little messed up right now.
I know I am.
Brianne and Collin both look absolutely wrecked, clothes hanging off their bodies. They’re glistening with various liquids. I think Collin’s even bleeding, coupled with some bruises.
“Yeah, let's.” Kane stands on wobbly legs and walks across the small, dark room to rap his knuckles on the wall. The door jolts open, making me cry out in surprise. No one even bats an eye, which I’m grateful for.
“If you all would follow me.”
We file behind, each step haggard and slow. My entire body aches, and each press of my feet against the floor makes my spine pulsate and throb, sending live wires of pain radiating outward.
We’re brought to another room that looks nearly identical to the front office, where we signed our freaking souls away. Dark, ominous. Hollowed.
Our IDs are handed back to us quickly, which we all clutch in our hands awkwardly without any proper clothes. Which makes me glance down at myself. I’m the only one in this obvious state of undress.
“Um, can I get my clothes back?” I ask hesitantly, forcing myself to look up. Their eyes light up in amusement as they track over my naked body. Their gaze locks on the collar still donning my neck.
I don’t know why I haven’t taken it off yet.
I should take it off now.
I trace the sharp edge of my license as I wait.
“No, sorry. It’s all in the waiver.” They flutter their hand around to enunciate their words. My jaw drops open slightly, though I’m not really all that surprised.
That creepy clown probably kept them for himself.
I eye my dried, pissed-soaked boxers with chagrin. Kane bumps his shoulder into mine. “It’s okay. I’ve got a hoodie in the car. And it’s dark out right now.” I nod my acceptance and turn away as we’re ushered out of Mayhem.