Locked Away - Book 1

Chapter 50

"The Winter Carnival?" I'm confused.

"Really? Do you not pay attention to anything goin' on in town?" Kinsey is shocked and I can't help but chuckle at it.

"Not really."

"Well, tonight is the first night of the carnival. That's where we think it's going to strike." It makes sense. A big crowd. Plenty of food.

"We think it's probably somewhere in the woods right now." Nina begins. "Probably hiding out and gathering its strength."

"Or, I think..." Duncan interjects. "It's maybe already out of town. It probably wants to get as far away from you as it can." Also makes sense, but...

"No. It's in town." They look at me, seeing how confident I am with this. "It won't leave. It needs to do something first."

"What?" Tyler looks concerned.

"It needs to kill me." Everyone tries to pretend like they aren't shocked.

"Why do you think that?" Duncan is the first to respond.

"I know it. While it was free and taking over my body I could hear its thoughts. I could see its memories. We had some weird connection. And during that time I realized that it's afraid of me."

"No offense, but you think it's afraid of you?" Duncan doesn't believe that, which I can't blame.

"I think it's because I am made from it... or the original Shlukos." I go into telling them about what I had learned from my talk to Shlukos. "And that's why I think it's afraid of me. Because I'm the only one with even a chance of killing it."

"Or trapping it... again." Duncan believes it now.

"Exactly."

"Well, we're not putting it back into you." Tyler immediately says with conviction.

"Well I don't want it back in me either... but if we can't kill it..."

"No." He starts walking away.

"Sweetie." Nina walks over to him and puts her arm around him as she begins calming him down.

"If it comes down to it," I look to Kinsey and Duncan. "I need you two to use the head key and put it back in." They both just nod before Tyler and Nina walk back over.

"So what's the plan?" Tyler walks up ready for action.

"Well I've got one... but it's a little crazy." Kinsey takes the Omega key out from her pocket and places it on the table.

"The Black Door?" Tyler looks concerned.

"What's that?" I don't recognize the key and remember nothing of a Black Door.

"Well, it's basically a door to a demon realm," Kinsey says.

"Tons of demons live on the other side, waiting to be let out and go into a host." Tyler clarifies.

"That's perfect. We just lure it there and push it in." Right?

"It's not that easy." Tyler looks over at me. "It's in the Drowning Cave, which is normally hard to get to, but even harder since the caves collapsed. Plus, when the door opens if any of us gets struck by these bullet-looking things, we'll be possessed by a demon."

"Is that all?" Fuck.

"But..." The look on Duncan's face says it all... he's got an idea.