Kisses From Death | Book 1

N I N E

N I N E
My Hero

THERE WAS A certain air of darkness surrounding us as we curved past yet another familiar doorway. I am, however, so certain that I had passed this exact door before, one with claw-like scratch marks that ran from the top of the wooden door all the way to the bottom. Each labyrinth-like turn was only leading us back, and this was annoying all three of us as Bella groaned in frustration once more.

Well, especially Bella more so than any of us, the non-believer.

"We've been here before, Addy. Two other times, in fact." Smacking her forehead against the wooden walls, a small thump echoed down the passage as Minnie turned to face her with an alarmed expression.

Her eyes were round and wide, perhaps the size of two golf balls as she pulled Bella away from the wall with a sharp yank.

"Don't do that! What if someone heard you and manages to find us?"

"Relax, Minnie. No one could've possibly heard that much less find us through this maze-like corridors. We're gonna get stuck here for the rest of our lives before we eventually die from starvation. In fact, I hope someone will come after us and end this misery of a life!" Bella couldn't help but yell, throwing her hands about wildly as she cursed at our current predicament. "Hello? Mr. Scary and Spiritual? Come and get us already!"

As soon as that was said, however, a howl echoed through the darkness as a sudden gust of cold frosty wind swept through, freezing the walls significantly as icicles appeared down the ceilings. My blood froze in my veins, the color draining from my face when I recognized the same wail from before that belonged to the creature that took the man's life.

"You just had to complain," chastised Minnie.

Bella paled significantly, nearly shrinking in size as she took a step backward. Her hands were shivering, eyes wide as she scanned her surroundings.

"God damn it. Is it too late now for me to take it back?" She murmured the question under her breath. I did not bother to reply, my heart caught in my mouth as the cold started to creep under my sweater and onto my skin, making my hair stand from the drop in temperature.

As soon as she ended her sentence, a ghoul-like creature, dark, cloaked and floating above the ground, turned the corner by the end of the corridor, catching sight of the three of us. I froze in my movements, my eyes went wide as the creature turned to face us.

I recognized it as the same breed of the monstrous demon that had appeared just a few moments ago, the one that I had seen suck the life out of a human being with my own two eyes. It definitely had the same bony structure that was cloaked accordingly, tattered quite literally to the bones.

The image of the dead man flashed before my eyes. That would be our final fate if we stayed there on the spot like a deer caught in the headlights.

Not even bothering to maintain my silence any longer, seeing that it had caught up to us, I screamed, turning back to push Bella and Minnie into running speed. "Run! Go!"

With feet thundering against the ground in incredible speeds, we sprinted for our lives, randomly curving each fork in the road when encountered with one. The hallways moved in a blur, leading us further away from the ghoul. No matter how far we ran, though, it always seemed to catch up, turning along with each corner as the freezing cold nipped at my heels.

Adrenaline coursed through my veins as a thin layer of perspiration began to form, covering the nape of my neck. Trying to keep my breath as steady as humanly possible, I pushed my muscles to work harder, continuing to dash down the hallways in an attempt to find a safe clearing. My ankle boots pounded heavily against the ground, the clicking echoing into the night as the wind whipped at my face.