Haunted Destiny: A Midnight Dragonfly Bonus Short Story by Ellie James Read Free Book Online Page A

twirled a strand of dark hair around her finger. “ Moi? ”
    “ Toi, ” Amber confirmed. “Unless, of course, you’re too scared.”
    “Have you ever known me to be too scared?”
    “Truth?” Amber asked.
    Her friend’s eyes gleamed. She glanced at Chase, then back at Amber. “Let’s find out.”
    What was it with these people and the truth?
    Amber was on her feet now. “Walk down the hall,” she said.
    “Alone.” Then she held out her hand. “Without any light.”
    “ No. ” The flash came with the word, invisible like before, a spear straight through me. The room shifted as everyone twisted toward me.
    “No?” Amber asked.
    “It’s not your dare,” Jessica pointed out.
    But the nonexistent scarf choked off my breath. “I…I just…” Breathe, I told myself. Breathe. But I saw it all again, this time through the darkness. The walls. The blood.
    “Trinity—” Only then did I realize Chase had left Jessica’s side and was moving toward me.
    I shook him off. “I don’t…” Tangled dark hair . “…don’t think it’s a good idea.” Long legs. “What if someone else is here?”
    “ Puh-lease. ” Jessica yanked the sole remaining flashlight from her sister and handed it to Amber, along with her Maglite. Then she flashed a bright smile and trotted from the room in the same way she took the field to cheer during half-time.
    Twenty-two seconds later she screamed.

Three

    We ran.
    “Jessica!” Chase reached the hall first. “Stay here!” he shouted, clicking on his flashlight as he broke toward the staircase we’d used on the way up. Drew, Amber, and Bethany veered left, taking the other two lights with them. “ Jess! ”
    On instinct I went after Chase, but he was already gone. I had no light and couldn’t see two inches in front of me. Behind me, the others had disappeared, as well. I could hear Amber, though, shouting.
    There weren’t even shadows to guide me.
    I took off anyway, using my arms to feel my way toward the end of the hall.
    “Jessica!” My feet ran out of floor. “Chase!”
    In response, the silence breathed.
    Heart pounding, I slid my hands along the wall. There was a door there. I knew there was. I’d come through it—“Chase!”
    From downstairs, I could hear him shouting for his girlfriend.
    I fumbled for my BlackBerry, turning it over to reveal a faint glow. The door had to be somewhere!
    “Jessie!” That was Amber. The burst of footsteps sounded like running.
    Another scream.
    I thrust my phone in front me as if it could protect me, almost crying with relief when I found the small knob. Fumbling, I yanked the door open and staggered through—never saw the wall of shelves. I slammed into them, forehead and waist plowing in simultaneously. The impact stole my breath. Pain sang hard. I fell back, doubled over and tried to breathe. “What the—”
    My hands shook. I lifted one to my face, my fingers stilling at the stickiness. Blood. And everything started to spin.
    I gasped for air, gagged on the smell. Stale like before, rancid now. Coppery. I went for the light from my phone, but realized I no longer held it.
    Darkness took everything . I lifted my hand but could see nothing. I dropped to my knees, feeling my way through the grime for the opening.
    Behind me, something moved.
    I made myself keep going, refusing to think too much about anything. The webs my fingers ripped through, the spiders that had to be somewhere. The sound of shuffling.
    The smell of whiskey— and worse.
    Through the darkness everything throbbed, bringing with it a low mewl…
    Me, I realized with a start. The barely human sound was coming from my own throat.
    The wall stopped me. I twisted…found another.
    Tried to stand.
    Couldn’t.
    Tried to breathe, swallow.
    Gagged instead.
    Think , I begged myself. Think. Find the phone. Call someone. Aunt Sara would come.
    But the darkness pressed from all directions, holding me, sucking the oxygen from my lungs.
    The bright flash blinded.