Chapter 14 #2
I inputted five different names into my conference call before I hit the Call button.
Reed, Morgan, Bailey, River, Kelly—I called for them specifically, not only because they were closer than some of my other hunting buddies but because they were true demon slayers and would be the best equipped.
I kept the call on speaker so people could weigh in.
I’d call Frankie, Jake, and Shara as second choice because I knew for a fact they were all wrestling with their own demons right now. Pun not intended.
One of the security guards must have called in their boss, as Hernandez came running, her worry tripled from when I’d seen her earlier.
I waved her in closer. “Ma’am, we’re in trouble. The doll’s left the building—”
“WHAT?!” She looked ready to faint on the spot.
I almost explained but realized Bailey and Kelly had picked up.
“Hey, Zhen, what’s shakin’?” Kelly sounded like her normal perky self, her Boston accent strong as usual.
“Kelly, Bailey, I’m in serious trouble over here. How fast can you guys get to Demonbreun?”
Two others picked up the call, and I noted River and Morgan with relief. Morgan lived closest, in Georgia, and could feasibly get here the fastest. Except maybe the Ramshaws; they were about the same distance away, drive-wise.
“Morgan, River, if you can get to Demonbreun right now, I really need you.”
Morgan’s voice sounded raspier than usual, his Southern drawl deeper. “Dude, I’m coming off a three-day binger chasing a damn cryptid. I need sleep before I can do anything.”
“I have complete sympathy, but can you sleep on the way down here?”
Reed picked up at that point, sounding wary. “I’m in Morgan’s neck of the woods, but what’s going on? What did I miss?”
“Annabelle is missing here in Demonbruen.”
All five sucked in a breath. Reed started cussing, and Morgan sounded like he was ready to cry. I felt for him, I truly did, because we all hit that point somewhere in the season where we’d been run ragged and would pay someone for sleep.
“How missing is missing?” Bailey demanded, and it sounded like she was packing even now.
“So, long story short, Annabelle’s on a tour through the United States”—a cacophony of outrage ensued, and I winced in agreement—“and then the luggage got tagged wrong so ended up in lost luggage, and it took them a few hours to realize this, I think?”
Hernandez had stayed nearby, listening intently, and filled in, “Two hours.”
“Shit, two full hours?” I wished she’d have told me that before.
“Anyway, doll’s not in lost luggage anymore.
It’s running free. We have no idea where to or what its destination would be, nothing.
I’ve got huodou trying to track the doll down, but remember, Demonbreun has two major ley lines.
If that demon can access those ley lines, we’ll lose a city. Maybe the southeast of the States.”
Dead silence reigned.
Kelly broke it first. “Yup, coming. I was going to finally clear out that damn storage room, but I’ll come.”
“Zhen, I need to tie up a new ward here, so I need another six hours, at least. I’ll leave after that and get to you as fast as I can,” River promised. “I’m not home right now, I’m in Missouri, but I’ll get there as fast as I can.”
Reed piped up, “It’ll delay me about three hours, since I have to drive to him, but I’ll grab Morgan. He can sleep on the drive down.”
“I’ll take that offer,” Morgan said around a yawn. “It’ll take us about ten hours that way to get to you, but I’ll be fully rested by the time we arrive and ready to rumble.”
Bailey sounded like she was still rushing about, throwing things together. “I can fly out this morning, if I can get a ticket that fast.”
Hernandez chimed in, “Give me your details and which airport you’re flying out of, I can get you on the next available flight. Even a jump seat, if that’ll work.”
“Please and thank you to the nice lady.”
“She’s the airport manager here,” I explained. “Hernandez, can you get Kelly a flight, too? She’s coming from Boston. Oh, and River, who’s in Missouri.”
“Absolutely, just text me their details, I’ll get flights organized immediately.”
Dad came in closer at this point and caught us up. “Campbells are out, they’ve got their own emergency. Can’t reach the Evans. Stewarts said they can send the twins.”
“Bless them,” I said fervently. The twins, namely Ethan and Evan, were a dynamo combination. I loved hunting with them because they would inevitably be scarier than what we were hunting. “They’re coming out of where, right now?”
“Just wrapped up a job in Vancouver, actually, so it’ll take them a hot minute to fly down.”
Hernandez repeated her promise: “I’ll get them flights.”
“Oh? Wonderful, I’ll text that to them. Everyone still on the call, don’t worry about hotels. I’ll host anyone Zhen doesn’t have room for.”
I mean, I had two more very nice guest rooms and a pull-out couch, but if everyone came, I would run out of beds fast. My parents and Grandma all had places to put people, so we’d be fine, just a little scattered.
“Go pack, I’ll keep you updated. Text me what info she needs to get you flights.”
A chorus of agreement and then people hung up. My phone beeped with texts from the ones flying, with their names, birthdays, and what airports they’d fly from. I screenshotted and sent the info over to Hernandez.
“It would really help if we can narrow down the timeframe for when the doll got free.”
Hernandez swore, “I’ll go through security footage myself. Um, may I ask, what do you expect Annabelle to do now that it’s free?”
“The hell of it is, I have no way of knowing or even hazarding a guess. Annabelle has never been free before. Once the demon entered that doll, it was locked down pretty quickly, and it’s never been allowed outside of a sealed box since.
I don’t know what it’ll do. It might not even know what it’s fully capable of. ”
She didn’t like that answer. I ain’t thrilled myself.
It was part of why this whole thing gave me nightmares.
I didn’t know what to prepare for, what to brace for, what warnings to give to people.
I wasn’t even sure how powerful the doll was at this moment.
Was it in recovery after spending so much time locked in a box?
Or was that wishful thinking?
Kris slid an arm around my waist, leaning in for a hug, and I could tell she was disturbed. I mean, who wouldn’t be? But I was grateful for the contact, as it helped settle the buzzing beneath my skin.
“Aside from getting the house ready for more guests, is there anything else I can do?”
I wished I had a different answer, but I didn’t. “Pray.”
Hey, morbid silver lining, at least Jasha would get to meet most of my friends sooner than expected. Whether he’d have time to flirt or not, well, that depended on if we survived.