Haunteds

Chapter 31

Shrill screams filled the room. My mouth gaped open but my voice got stuck in my throat. For whatever reason, Daniel put our friend down. Demi's hands immediately went to his neck, trying to stop the curtain of red draping down the slit of his neck. Then, Daniel did something that made my blood boil. He grabbed Demi's hands away, and with his free hand, pulled on his hair, forcing him to bow, making the blood gushed down Demi's neck like an open faucet.

"Oh...no," Indigo slumped to the ground, crying. "Demi..."

Caprice kept pleading Daniel to stop. Scarlet continued cussing him out while his brother and Leo threw chairs at Daniel, but it just bounced off of him, not even enough to distract him. There was nothing we could do but watched as the life slowly drained out of our friend's eyes.

Lines broke out of the surface of the pool of blood on the floor, forming the cult's zodiac-inspired ritual symbol. "We had to get on our knees and draw this ourselves with brushes a while back," Daniel said, clearly amused by the convenience of the power of the Shade.

"You won't get away with this." Cato said in a low voice filled with rage.

But Daniel just scoffed at him. "I disagree."

We huddled backward to our side of the room. Daniel held up Demi's body over his head with one hand, catching the rest of Demi's blood with his mouth. I fought hard to push down the contents of my stomach coming up my throat. He licked his lips and tossed Demi's body as if our friend was a soda can he just emptied. I kept my eyes at Demi, looking for any signs that he's still alive. But he was sprawled over the floor, completely still.

"That should do it," Daniel said. Then he started speaking in a language I don't understand.

I looked around. Dark living shadows covered the walls, the door, the ceiling. Escape is impossible. Help is not coming, not that it would make any difference. Our only defense, U.V. light, is rendered useless.

It was hopeless.

I sunk to the floor, my back against the wall. My mind wandered to my parents, to our planned trip to the Ocean Park that I was looking forward to so much. They're probably asleep right now, blissfully unaware that their only son is going to die tonight. I wondered how they'll take the news when they found out in November. Especially when my dad and I reassured mom I'd be fine.

In front of me, my friends, screaming and crying. I should have been scared, knowing that one of us will suffer the same fate in a bit. Hysterical, even. But my body is washed with strange...serenity. It must have something to do with accepting that I'm next that I find myself at peace.

Cato sat beside me. "What's the plan?"

I can feel the corners of my mouth curling up into a smile. Did he really just ask me for a plan?

"We die. That's the plan," My smile became laughter. Uncontrollable, wheezing laughter. I laugh till tears rolled down my face. My friends turned around to look at me. Shock and worry are written all over their faces. Except Cato's.

"Look at you," I said to him. "Too cool to be scared. You'd make a great Spock, you know? How's your Vulcan?"

He hit me.

"Guys!" Harmony yelled. "Are you seriously fighting right now? Demi's dead!"

I pushed myself up from the floor. He grabbed me by my uniform and forced me to stand up.

"Was it something I said?" I sneered.

But he fixed me with his serious eyes. "You don't give up. Not now. Not after what Eris did for you."