WANTED (Sequel to One Hell of a Maid)

Chapter 15: Attack

I stare down at the tangle of metal laying haphazardly in the center of the closet.

All the tools that would be needed to take apart an engine and put it back together sit at my feet.

No way...

Could this just be a coincidence?

But who keeps tools hidden in their closet?

I stoop down and inspect the pile, careful that when I pick up something I put it back in the exact same spot.

Wrenches, hammers, nails, saws, grease, oil, and more are stocked in this closet. The strangest thing is that the tools are the only thing in the small space. They are not only scattered on the floor but hang from the walls as well.

But why would Catrine dismantle an engine of a ship?

Images of her flirty winks, seductive smiles, and sultry looks all pass through my head as if someone were wiping away a smudge on a window so I can see the full view.

So, was it because she has some sort of obsession about Sebastian? More importantly, does Simon have a clue about this and that Catrine isn't as mentally stable as she seems?

I ponder this, as my fingers lightly touch the cool rusty metal of the tools.

"And what was that terrible screeching sound?" I mutter, running a hand through my thick hair before going back to looking through the tools.

As if to answer my question a shrieking pierces the air. I look down to see one of the wrenches had shifted and when I picked up one of the heavy hammers it rubbed against it. The sound was metal on metal? Then how the hell did it make that sound? It is not like the tools could move on their own.

So then what?

My eyes narrow and I rub my temples at the oncoming headache made from that horrid sound.

"So, so many questions." I sigh.

Suddenly I feel déjà vu settle in on me like an old friend. How this reminds me of the confusion and turmoil I felt while struggling through the Siren case!

And like the Siren case there is something I can't put my finger on. There is something unnatural poisoning the air we all breath, making it stale and deadly.

A shiver runs up my spine, and like Siren I'd be stuck in the middle, almost torn to shreds.

Foggy memories roll around like a ball in a tipped bowl. Foggy because of the mind torture Claud had put me to. I can still feel his cold, stony fingers forcing my head in a basin of ice water. I can still feel the metal blade moving, slicing across my tender skin.

I bite my lip and squeeze my eyes shut to stop the tears that won't flow.

"Dammit!"

I wobble to my feet. My legs feel like limp pasta noodles and my whole body feels numb and sore. As if I had just endured the torture of that day.

The strangest thing is I'd never had a panic attack before, never in my life, not even after the tragic death of my parents and those on the ship coming to England.

The room feels small and suddenly I'm in that freezing room again. I can feel the crumble of my will, the fiery light fading from me as I at last give in to the demon.

I stumble out of the small closet, but still I feel restrained. My clothing is the tight linen that mummies are wrapped in. And like a mummy I feel dead, but not quite. Pain flares throughout me, the same bodily angst I felt that day, doubled with the inner horror I felt throughout the time the pirates held us captive.

I shuffle away from the closet and shut the door. The screeching starts again, destroying my hearing so all the sound I hear is that terrifying screeching that soon turns into the screaming of the many being slaughtered on the ship.

Or maybe it's my screams.

I rush from the room and slam the door to Catrine's room.

A mad giggling follows me.

My sight is taken and flushed away, images of torture taking residence in my mind instead.

Blindly I shuffle down the hall, one arm extended out in front of me, the other following the rough wood of the wall.

And then my other senses are stolen from me.

The last thing I feel is falling to the ground and clutching my sides in a fetal position. The tears then, finally unleash like a floodgate.

Shivers are like earthquakes throughout my body. Images flicker beneath my eyelids and my senses are overwhelmed with the different feelings. This can't be just an anxiety attack.

I can see the hallway lights begin to go on and off, on and off. The deranged giggling ensued followed by a girly, child-like voice. "Stay out of my toys!"

At that my eyes snap open, all the images and feelings leaving my body abruptly. I'm only left with pure fear as an invisible force shoves me down the hall so I go sliding to the stairwell.

I desperately grab at anything knowing if I would fall down the stairs I'd surely break my legs.

However, the pushing feeling is gone.

I unsteadily get to my feet and look behind me, back at the door I had only just been in. All seems normal like nothing ever happened. Somehow that's even more frightening.

This time I know the scream is mine.

I race down the stairs and then down the other flight into the main hall. I need to get out of here.

I force open the door and run at a full sprint, I run until the mansion is no longer looming over me, and I continue to run until it's out of sight. I continue sprinting until my legs give out from under me and I fall to my knees in the moss next to a great redwood.

I lay my head against a thick root covered in fuzzy green moss and sob. The first time I've allowed myself to since the death of my parents.

"Wow, didn't mean to stumble upon a sob feast. Awkward."

I glance up to see the reaper I met earlier standing over me with an odd sort of smile.

I push myself up and wipe my eyes. "What do you want." It's more of a demand than a question.

"Chill out Siren. I've been watching you for awhile now and you don't seem like the mean-type." The reaper plops down beside me and grins.

"You've been watching me?!" I hiss.

"Oops, ha-ha. Probably shouldn't of said that."

"Why?" I ask, suddenly all the fury is drained from me as I realize it's pointless.

"Da boss told me to. There's a lot of death happening around you. I mean of course there is, you are a murderer."

My eyes widen in shock. "What do you mean I'm a murderer?"

"Do I really need to spell it out for you?
Y-O-U-K-I-L-L -P-E-O-P-L-E. I mean, you are the one that's been spilling blood and splattering guts all over those poor men's farms aren't you?"

"Of course not! You've been following me so you should know I haven't."

Adelaide shrugs with a sly smirk. "You'll see."