Total pages in book: 27
Estimated words: 24205 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 121(@200wpm)___ 97(@250wpm)___ 81(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 24205 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 121(@200wpm)___ 97(@250wpm)___ 81(@300wpm)
The uneasy quiet was broken by the echo of doors swinging open.
CHAPTER FIVE
From the darkness emerged two figures, their presence announced by the soft thud of boots on the tiled floor. They were adorned with masks—ones that spoke of sinister intent. One mask bore the likeness of a twisted harlequin, its exaggerated smile a grotesque parody of joy, while the other was a stark, bone-white—a blank canvas.
Panic surged through me like an electric current as the figures advanced. One brandished a scythe like some kind of grim reaper; the other gripped what looked like a machete. The sight of them and their weapons coupled with those masks was enough to shatter the paralysis that had gripped us.
We scattered, our instincts screaming survival as we dodged between tables and chairs, putting as much distance between us as possible.
The two figures split, their focus on Mara and me, leaving Liam momentarily forgotten as if he wasn’t important enough to bother with. One leaped onto a table, causing it to rock, and Mara and I were forced to separate. She went one way, a loud curse and then scream flying from her mouth as she ducked and weaved the machete coming for her head.
The person wielding it was relentless. They jumped off the table and took off after her. She had no choice but to run from the room, crashing through a far set of doors. My heart pounded, a drumbeat of terror, as I watched my friend vanish. There was no time to think, no time to plan. I bolted from the food court, using the same doors they’d entered through, laughter and taunts chasing me.
A blizzard raged outside, its icy breath fogging the windows.
The campus had fully transformed into a dark void covered by a winter wasteland. The power flickered in and out before succumbing to the storm’s might, leaving only darkness. The storm didn’t take the fucking music, though. It continued to play through a system all its own, grating on my nerves.
A shadow moved at the end of the hall, a fleeting glimpse of another masked figure. My decision was made in an instant. I veered away, my feet carrying me toward the only sanctuary I could think of at the moment.
The heavy doors swung open at my desperate push, and I slipped inside, the quiet of the library swallowing the sound of my entrance. It was darker in here, but the labyrinth of shelves and reading nooks offered a place to hide, a respite, however brief, from what was happening just beyond its walls.
The only illumination came from the soft, eerie glow of a solitary Christmas tree in the center of the room. I moved as quietly and quickly as I could. The room was silent, the kind of stillness that seemed to amplify every small sound. I wedged myself between rows of lore and literature, my breaths shallow. I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t run through the halls calling Mara’s name, and this building was way too big to guess where she could’ve gone. I didn’t even know if she was okay.
Almost imperceptibly, the air changed. A presence entered the room, heavy with intention and focus. Footsteps, deliberate and measured, echoed. I knew it was him. Lucian had come, and with him, the powerful aura he seemed to carry like a cloak. I squeezed my eyes shut and swallowed, my heart threatening to burst from my chest.
I slowly rose and caught glimpses of him through the gaps in the shelves.
His face was concealed by a mask that seemed infinitely more sinister than the others. He was like a shadow made of flesh.
And he was getting closer.
I dared not even shift my weight for fear of discovery. He paused, head cocking to one side as if he could sense the pulse of my fear.
There was a certainty in his posture as he took a few steps, stopped again, and slowly turned his head.
He seemed to look right at me. I held my breath, praying to any deity that might be listening that he would move on. He was standing so close that I imagined I could hear the soft whisper of his voice, feel the slight disturbance in the air caused by his body. Suddenly, he turned around, heading right for where I was hidden.
I had to move—now. My breath came in short, sharp bursts as I darted through the maze of bookcases, the jingle of my keys a telltale giveaway in the silence.
I clutched them tight, cursing their betrayal. His deep voice sliced through the room.
“You can't run from this, Winter,” he quietly called after me. “I’m going to find you no matter where you go or where you hide.” His words dripped with a venom that made my blood run cold.
Anger and fear warred within me, hot tears stinging my eyes as I quietly slipped the keys from their ring so that I only had my truck’s fob, my hands steady despite the tremor in my soul. With a calculated fling, I sent them skittering across the library, their metallic clang echoing as they collided with a shelf.