Dead Village

by Holly Copella

  Just like that, reality vanished, and he was trapped back in whatever world he was living at the moment. Ravin jumped up, pulled Gemma into his arms, and kissed her warmly but passionately. Devon felt their lust with a flood of emotion. It was almost enough to cause her to squirm in her chair. Sexual desire between two people was always tough on Devon. She tended to feel dirty, as if she was invading their intimacy. If their passion was strong enough, it sometimes mentally pulled her in as an unwilling participant. She didn’t need to see and, in some cases, feel a couple’s passion. Gemma was heating up fast. Devon squirmed slightly and contemplated leaving the room before sexual images of them flooded into her mind. Ravin broke off the kiss, grinned boyishly, and led Gemma from the lobby. Devon was relieved Ravin retained some of his gentleman reserve and had enough sense to take their sexual antics to the privacy of his room. Devon shuttered off remnants of their passion, stood from her chair, and approached Vander and Novak across the room. Despite their exhaustion, both men watched the couple leave and shook their heads with disbelief.

  “I don’t get it,” Novak muttered.

  “They’ve definitely been drugged,” Devon informed them and attempted to hold back her shiver. The couple’s lust lingered within the lobby after they were gone. It was an aftershock Devon hadn’t been prepared for.

  “Did either say something important?” Vander asked while rubbing his tired eyes.

  “Not exactly,” she remarked. “Ravin had thirty seconds of lucid thoughts. He admitted that he only worked with Gemma, and she was never his girlfriend. A second later, he’s back to being her little stud muffin.”

  “Well,” Novak remarked while deviously raising his brows, “if you’re going to go--”

  Vander shot a disapproving glare at his partner, silencing him. He looked back at Devon. “This is all tied in with the murders somehow,” Vander said as he struggled to keep his eyes open. “As soon as it’s light, we need to get back to the bus. We’ll see if any of the cars will run and drive for help. If not, we’ll hike to the main road.”

  “So what do we do in the meantime?” she asked while watching both men struggle to stay awake. Her adrenaline rush kept her from feeling tired; she was actually surprised theirs didn’t do the same for them. Perhaps they were used to death and killings, so they were able to adapt better than she was.

  “Being exhausted isn’t going to do us any good,” Vander replied. “It’ll be sunup soon. We get a couple of hours sleep and then head out after daybreak.”

  “Honestly, Agent Hawk, I’m not sure I want to close my eyes even for a second in this place,” she informed him while insecurely rubbing her arms.

  “Novak and I are right next door,” Vander informed her. “Despite the popular opinion poll, our killer’s not a ghost, so he’s not getting into our rooms without our permission. You’ll be safe, I promise.”

  “Yeah, you’ll be perfectly safe,” Novak replied firmly then muttered under his breath, “because I’m certainly not closing my eyes.”

  †

  Devon entered her dimly lit guestroom only a few minutes later through the open, connecting door from Vander’s bedroom. She stopped just inside the guestroom and was surprised to see Harris sitting up in bed. He appeared exhausted while resting his head against the headboard. He managed to look at her but seemed too tired to move or speak.

  “I’m surprised you’re awake,” she said to him.

  Vander poked his head through the connecting doorway, having heard her talking, and obviously wanted to make sure everything was okay. Harris attempted to focus on her, having trouble keeping his eyes open, and slowly shook his head.

  “Every time I doze off, someone knocks on the door,” Harris informed her. “I get up to look out, but there’s no one there. It was starting to freak me out. I’m glad you guys came back when you did.”

  “Well, let them knock. You need some sleep,” Vander said firmly while standing in the open, connecting doorway. “Once it’s light enough to see in the woods, we’re heading back to the bus. You have a few hours to get some sleep.”

  Harris groaned softly. “I was ready to leave ten minutes after we got here.” He studied Vander in the doorway. “What’s the verdict? Did you find your killer?”

  “I don’t even have a proper suspect list,” Vander remarked. “With the body count as high as it is, there’s no telling who’s dead and who’s missing.”

  “They’d sent several scouts out to get help from a neighboring town too,” Devon remarked. “None returned. One of them could have backtracked and committed the killings. No one would ever know.”

  “This night just keeps getting better and better,” Harris snorted and attempted a weary smile as he slipped beneath the covers. He nestled his pillow and closed his eyes. “Wake me when you’re ready to leave.”

  Before either could even respond, Harris was already asleep. Devon glanced at Vander in the open doorway. He nodded, indicating her bed.

  “You’d better get some sleep,” Vander announced. “It’s a long hike back to the crash site.”

  “What about their warning?” she asked gently. “Do you believe everyone who leaves never returns?”

  “These people have been drugged,” Vander informed her. “We can’t believe anything they say at this point. Novak and I are both armed. The two of us can handle whatever comes along out there in the woods.” He hesitated and drew a deep breath. “Although, with the mass murder here in the hotel, waiting until daylight was the smart move. There’s no telling what’s out there.”

  “What are your thoughts on that?”

  Vander drew a deep breath and sighed softly. “Personally, I’m wishing I hadn’t watched so many hillbilly horror movies.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Devon slept restlessly while fully dressed beneath the covers within her shared guestroom. Her chance for solid sleep was continually interrupted by images of the massacre on the first floor and ghostly images staring at her as if wanting something from her. It was a little after five o’clock in the morning when she felt a hand brushing the hair from her face. Devon suddenly woke with a soft gasp. Harris sat on the edge of her bed while smiling at her. Devon cried out and jumped up with alarm. Her heart was pounding so hard in her chest; she could barely catch her breath.

  “What the hell are you doing?” she finally screamed at him after her breath returned.

  “You were having a bad dream,” Harris replied with little reaction to her outburst.

  There was an urgent pounding on the connecting door, startling both. To Devon’s surprise, the door was closed and apparently had been locked as well.

  “Open this door!” Vander was heard yelling through the locked door as it vibrated with each thump.

  Devon sprang out of the bed past Harris and hurried for the connecting door. Harris casually returned to his own bed as she unlocked the door. Vander and Novak bolted into the room with their guns drawn and looked from Devon to Harris.

  “I heard screaming,” Vander announced with hostility. “Why was the door closed and locked?”

  “There was too much snoring coming from your room. I couldn’t sleep, so I shut the door,” Harris informed him as he sat innocently reclined on his bed. “Devon was having a bad dream, and I guess I startled her.”

  Devon folded her arms across her chest and glared at Harris through narrow eyes. “He was being perverted and creepy,” she muttered.

  Novak replaced his gun to his shoulder holster. The disgust was evident on his face. “I told you leaving them alone together was a bad idea,” he muttered to Vander while wearily running his fingers through his mussed hair.

  “Oh, come on. I didn’t do anything,” Harris protested while seemingly pouting.

  “Uh, huh.” Vander nodded Devon into his room. She walked past both federal agents without hesitation and entered the room next door.

  Novak suddenly eyed Vander and raised his brow in question. “So who’s sharing a bed with the girl, because
I’m definitely not sharing a bed with you?” he announced.

  “Oh, that’s easy--”

  Vander pushed Novak into Harris’ room and locked the connecting door behind him. Novak stared at the closed door with surprise.

  “Oh, that’s just cold, man!”

  †

  Devon slept peacefully on the second bed within Vander’s room. Her haunting, scattered dreams had subsided, allowing her finally to get some quality sleep. The curtains were suddenly pulled open and sunlight flooded the room. She groaned softly and buried her face into the pillow, attempting to hide from the sun. She didn’t know what time it was, but she wasn’t ready to face another morning.

  “Ten more minutes, Dad,” Devon muttered.

  “Rise and shine,” Vander announced then scoffed softly, “and don’t call me dad.”

  Devon opened her eyes and saw Vander walk across the room toward the connecting door. Realization of last night’s horror quickly returned. She groaned softly and sat up in the excessively comfortable bed. She had hoped it was all just a bad nightmare, but she wasn’t that lucky. Vander opened the connecting door to the room next door. Harris slept soundly in his bed, but Novak was missing from his bed. Vander took two steps into Harris’ room, looked in the bathroom, and then glanced back at Harris beneath the covers.

  “Where’s Novak?”

  Harris slowly woke, groaned softly, and looked at Vander near his bed. “How the hell should I know?” he muttered then turned onto his side facing away from him.

  “Get up,” Vander ordered. “As soon as we find Novak, we’re heading back to the bus.”

  “Or you can find Novak first and come back for me in an hour,” Harris muttered.

  “I can also drag your ass from that bed,” Vander snorted while casually placing his hands on his hips.

  Harris groaned softly with exhaustion and sat up in bed. “I’m up; I’m up.”

  Devon shuffled into Harris’ room looking rumpled and exhausted. “What’s going on?”

  Vander approached Novak’s bed and snatched his discarded shoulder holster. He frowned while looking at the gun still in the holster. “Novak went for a walk.”

  “I guess he couldn’t sleep,” Devon remarked and leaned against the wall near the bathroom.

  “He wouldn’t leave his weapon lying around like that,” Vander remarked and appeared preoccupied with his friend’s sudden disappearance. “Everyone get dressed--now.” He returned to the connecting room.

  Harris sat up on the bed and stared after Vander. “He’s a regular ray of sunshine in the morning.”

  “We’d better do as he says,” she remarked gently.

  “Yeah,” Harris remarked sternly, “or he might shoot us.” He grinned despite being tired. “So I guess you didn’t make his night, huh?”

  “You’re begging to be shot, aren’t you?” Vander was heard calling out from next door.

  †

  Vander, Harris, and Devon stepped out of the elevator together on the first floor and walked across the massive lobby. Ravin stood by one of the large lobby windows with his hands casually in his pockets while staring outside into the warm, sunny morning. He appeared preoccupied with whatever he was watching. Ravin’s calm demeanor was a mystery to Devon. Despite everything happening around them, he somehow managed to keep calm and together. Perhaps it was a side effect of being drugged; or maybe it was just all the sexual antics between him and Gemma keeping him mellow.

  “Have you seen Agent Delano?” Vander asked as they approached him.

  Ravin continued to stare out the window with little emotion. “As a matter of fact, I have.”

  “Where is he?”

  “Running around naked on the front lawn,” Ravin casually replied and pointed out the window.

  Vander looked outside, seemed horrified by what he saw, and then ran for the front door. Devon and Harris approached the large window alongside Ravin and looked outside as well. Both were stunned and stared with their mouths hanging open.

  “Wow, look at Agent Delano go,” Devon announced under her breath. “What the hell is he doing?”

  “Looks like he sat on a nest of fire ants,” Ravin casually replied with little reaction.

  “There’s something you don’t see every day,” Harris muttered in response and laughed lowly.

  “Oh,” Ravin said casually and pointed in the opposite direction, “here comes Agent Hawk.”

  Their heads turned in response.

  “And there goes ­Agent Delano,” Devon replied.

  There was an odd moment of silence as all three watched out the window, their heads turning in time with the track and field event just outside.

  “Think we should go out there and help catch him?” Harris finally asked.

  “No,” Ravin replied with little emotion. “This is far more entertaining.”

  All three suddenly cringed. Devon gasped with horror while placing her hand to her mouth. She lowered her hand and raised her brows.

  “Nice tackle, Agent Hawk,” Devon announced.

  Harris cringed and placed his hand to his crotch. “Oh, that’s gotta hurt!”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Devon sat on the first bed in Vander’s room while Harris leaned casually in the doorway with his arms folded across his chest. Both stared at the closed bathroom door and listened as Vander and Novak argued from within the confines of the bathroom. It was a loud and heated exchange. If the situation wasn’t so serious, Devon would almost have found the exchange comical. There was a soft tap on the door before the electronic hum. Ravin entered the room with a neatly folded bundle of fresh clothing for Novak.

  “I don’t know where he lost his clothing, so I brought him a clean set,” Ravin announced.

  The arguing continued from the bathroom, catching Ravin’s attention as well.

  “You don’t need to hover over me,” Novak yelled from within the bathroom. “I can take a shower by myself!”

  “I’m not leaving you out of my sight!” Vander yelled back. “Federal agents don’t run around naked in public!”

  “There were spiders crawling all over me! I freaked a little, okay?”

  “Federal agents aren’t afraid of spiders!”

  The bathroom door was thrown open, startling Devon and Harris. Both pretended they hadn’t been listening. Ravin didn’t bother acting innocent. Vander poked his head out of the bathroom, grabbed the clothing from Ravin, and glared at all three.

  “Show’s over,” Vander growled then disappeared into the bathroom and slammed the door.

  The three exchanged looks.

  “Anyone else find this morning’s events a little strange?” Devon asked.

  “Compared to what?” Ravin asked.

  “Okay,” she replied while groaning. “Perhaps not strange compared to the last few days you’ve had, but strange according to the standard norm.”

  “The sooner we get out of here the better,” Harris remarked. “There’s something in the water. There has to be.”

  “No one’s been drinking the water,” Ravin casually replied while giving Harris a serious look.

  “I didn’t mean that literally,” Harris remarked.

  Devon glanced at Harris. “You thought someone was knocking on the door half the night, and this morning, Agent Delano thinks there are spiders crawling all over him. That’s pretty bizarre behavior, don’t you think?”

  “Are you saying I imagined someone knocking on the door?” Harris suddenly asked.

  “Do you really believe there were spiders crawling on Agent Delano?” she asked while cleverly raising her brow in question.

  Harris stared at her a moment and considered the comment. “You’re right, that is bizarre.”

  “It’s the ghosts,” Ravin informed them then looked at Devon. “You said you saw them.”

  She stared at Ravin with a horrified look to his mentioning that in front of Harris.

  Harris looked at Devon with surprise. “You’ve seen the ghosts?” h
e asked.

  “Ghosts didn’t kill those people,” she insisted sternly. “Something’s happening here and now it’s affecting us as well.”

  “You know what,” Harris suddenly announced while straightening in the doorway. “I’ll meet you guys outside. I’ve had about enough of this place.”

  The bathroom door opened to reveal Vander as he stepped out. He glared at Harris and Devon. His patience had all but been exhausted. “We’re leaving in five minutes.”

  †

  Vander and Novak stepped out of the elevator into the lobby and continued to argue softly about Novak’s earlier streaking incident. Neither seemed willing to let it go, and Novak maintained his insistence about the spiders. Devon, Harris, and Ravin followed after them and were already bored with the conversation. Dino, Sonya, Tyson, and Darlene waited in the lobby and watched them approach. Dino wore his usual tough guy expression and practically blocked their path to the main doors.

  “You’re not seriously going out there, are you?” Dino asked firmly, masking his concern.

  “We need to return to the bus. There are injured people out there,” Vander informed him and appeared annoyed by Dino’s lack of compassion. “It wouldn’t be a bad idea if some of you came along to assist.”

  “I’ll go with you,” Darlene said with some reluctance. “I have some first aid training. Maybe I can help.”

  “I’ll go along but not without a weapon to protect myself,” Tyson remarked.

  Tyson’s willingness to volunteer startled his uncle. “You can’t go out there,” Dino firmly insisted. “You know what happened to the others. It’s not safe.”

  “I know it’s not the smartest thing,” Tyson informed him, “but if there are injured people on that bus, maybe we can bring them back to the hotel and treat their injuries. You can’t just leave them out there like that.”

  “Well, if he’s going then so am I,” Sonya bluntly announced while folding her arms across her chest.