“Monica?” Novak asked.
“Yeah, that’s the one,” Dino replied with a soft snort. “I’m going to help the others in the pool area. I need to keep busy. If you see my brother, let me know.”
All three nodded and watched Dino leave the spa in almost as much of a hurry as he had arrived. He looked like a man ready to explode on someone, and he wasn’t the sort of man to get on his bad side.
Novak appeared concerned and looked at Vander. “Do you think she’ll be okay?”
“Who? Monica?” Vander suddenly asked. He managed a soft laugh. “She’ll survive longer than any of us.”
“Maybe I should go after her.”
“Alone?” Vander shook his head defiantly. “No, that’s not a good idea. We still don’t know what’s out there.”
“Our killer is a live person,” Novak remarked. “I have my gun, and I’m willing to use it.”
“And our live person killer could have a sniper buddy sitting out there just waiting to pick off anyone who leaves,” Vander informed him.
“Exactly why I need to make sure Monica made it out okay,” Novak informed him. “We’re trained to handle this sort of situation, and I’m going to handle it.”
“Novak--”
“I’ll be back before dark,” he insisted then turned and hurried from the spa before Vander could protest.
Vander stared after him with his mouth hanging open then shook his head with disgust. “I don’t know which one is crazier,” he remarked.
“They would make an interesting couple,” Devon announced. “Providing they don’t kill each other first.”
Vander chuckled softly then guided Devon toward the spa door.
†
All twelve dead bodies, which had been floating in the pool for the last few days, had been pulled from the water and were lined up along the indoor patio. They were severely bloated from the water and displayed their own, unique variation of decomposition. The pool water remained tinged pink from all the blood, maintaining its eerie effect. Gemma, Dino, and Sonya stared at the bodies with disbelief to their condition. Harris wrote on the clipboard and cringed several times while attempting not to look at the bloated bodies only a few feet away. The smell was a foul mixture of chlorine and decaying flesh, which quickly filled the entire room.
“That is gross,” Harris muttered and cringed from the smell. “I can’t believe I’m actually doing this willingly.”
“They’re almost unrecognizable,” Dino replied while shaking his head. “They barely look human anymore.”
“I recognize them; unfortunately,” Gemma said softly while taking a deep, shaken breath.
“Me too,” Sonya almost whispered and seemed unable to tear her eyes away from the gruesome, decaying bodies. “It’s hard to believe these are the people I used to say good morning to the last two years.”
Dino looked at Gemma and his niece. He appeared sympathetic, which was almost out of character for the hardened man. “After we’re done here, why don’t you ladies get cleaned up?” Dino said gently then cleared his throat and attempted to return the tough guy act. “This hasn’t been easy on any of us, and after helping pull those bodies from the water--”
“I wouldn’t mind washing up a little,” Sonya said then looked at Gemma and smiled timidly. “We can grab some uniforms from the kitchen and shower in the spa. Maybe take a little soak in the hot tub.”
Gemma fidgeted and hid her tiny smile. “I hate to admit it, but that does sound good,” she replied timidly.
Harris looked at the bloated, dead bodies and frowned. “I think I’m going to avoid water,” he announced then reconsidered, “--for the rest of my life.”
“Just don’t take too long,” Dino informed both women. “Lock the door and keep alert. When you’re finished, meet us in the lobby.” His toughness quickly returned. “Just an hour, okay? No longer or I’ll come and get you.”
Both women nodded.
†
Monica rode the stocky, black horse toward the older couple’s once stranded car in the now barely flooded roadway. The water had almost completely receded over the last two days. There was a good chance she’d be able to start the car and drive to the nearest town. She dismounted the horse, tied it securely to a nearby tree, and approached the car with her baseball bat. She skillfully twirled the bat and held it in a threatening manner as she approached the driver’s side door. She peered inside the car then attempted to open the door. It was locked.
“Unbelievable--”
Monica stared at the car only a moment before coiling back with the bat and smashing the driver’s side window. As the glass shattered, the horse snorted while watching her. Monica cleared away the glass on the seat. The interior of the car had been severely flooded as well and a pool of water remained on the floor. Monica flopped onto the driver’s seat and felt around beneath the wheel. She removed several wires and attempted to hotwire the car. There was a slight grinding sound. The car was possibly too flooded to run ever again. She cursed softly and got out of the car with disgust. As she contemplated her next move, she glanced toward the tree line. The horse was gone! She was momentarily horrified. Her horror was quickly replaced with determination and hostility. Monica clutched her baseball bat and cautiously scanned the area. It was possible she hadn’t tied the horse properly, but it seemed unlikely. Nothing moved and there wasn’t any sound; not even from the horse. She heard the sound of air parting. She glanced at the bat and appeared puzzled. A small dart stuck out of the bat. Monica’s eyes widened with horror. She suddenly gasped and ran for the woods. Something stung her arm. She looked at the tiny dart embedded in her upper arm. Without slowing, she pulled the dart out and ran into the woods.
Monica ran for several minutes before appearing at the wreckage site. She suddenly stopped, held her head, and fell against one of the trees. The world was now spinning and it wouldn’t be long before she was unconscious. With all her strength, she straightened and stumbled toward the wrecked cars. The sound of movement within the woods was getting closer, and she would soon be trapped. She looked at the ravine up ahead with the car sticking out of it. Monica clutched her baseball bat with a look of determination and stumbled for the ravine.
Chapter Twenty-nine
Gemma and Sonya soaked in the spa hot tub and were relaxed for the first time since the nightmare started. The spa was unusually quiet, although neither seemed to mind, and with the door locked, they felt fairly safe. The last few days had been exhausting, although neither remembered too many details beyond the dining room poisoning. Both just wanted to release some stress and feel somewhat human again.
“I always wanted to try the spa,” Sonya informed Gemma, “but it was too expensive even with our employee discount.”
“Ravin let those of us in the office use it after hours,” Gemma informed her. “As long as we straightened up afterwards, he didn’t care.”
“Ravin, huh?” Sonya teased and flashed a lustful smile. “What happened to Mr. Waverly?”
Gemma groaned softly, rolled her eyes, and smiled timidly. “After three days of drug induced sex-capades, I think we’re entitled to be on first name basis.”
Sonya giggled softly then studied her and seemed curious. “How did you end up with Ravin?” She hesitated. “I mean, like me, you probably don’t remember much about what happened, but it just seems a little odd. When everything went to hell, how did you two end up together?”
“I’m not entirely sure what happened,” Gemma replied. “I remember freaking out on him in the wine cellar. I remember hitting him, and he just held me until I stopped. Next thing I know, we were going at it on the wine cellar floor. I still have no idea who initiated or how it even came about.” She sank into thought and shook her head. A strange smile then crossed her face. “I can’t even tell you how many times we went at it over the last three days. It’s just a collage of sexual images one after another.” Gemma chuckled and seemed almost humored. “It was pretty intense. I’
m just glad all that wild sex didn’t kill him.”
“Well, it is the way all men want to go,” Sonya teased but appeared uncomfortable by the conversation.
“I’m so sorry, Sonya” Gemma announced gently. “Am I making you uncomfortable with talk about sex with our boss? I didn’t mean to--”
“No,” Sonya quickly interjected. “No, it has nothing to do with you and Ravin. It’s just, well, there’s something about Ravin I think you should know.”
Gemma was interested and possibly concerned by Sonya’s tone. There was a strange noise that sounded like something metal rolling. Both women became alert, jumped out of the hot tub, and frantically slipped into the plush, spa robes while looking around. Nothing seemed out of place and nothing moved. Gemma looked at a large, rolling laundry bin toward the back of the spa. It moved slightly. Gemma gasped and grabbed Sonya’s arm. She indicated the laundry bin. Both women stared at the bin a moment. Sonya nodded toward the main door. The laundry bin squeaked as it moved. Sonya and Gemma were about to turn and run when Felicia appeared from the large laundry bin. Both women screamed then relaxed to discover it was just Felicia. The poor, exhausted woman was visibly shaken while holding her head. Sonya and Gemma hurried toward her.
“Felicia, we’ve been looking for you,” Sonya announced while looking over the laundry bin Felicia had obviously been passed out within.
“What happened?” Gemma asked as they helped her out of the large bin.
Felicia slowly shook her head. “I don’t know. In the middle of the night, I woke up in the dining room with all the bodies. I’ve never been so freaked out in my life. I thought I heard someone coming. Whether it was real or not, I panicked and ran.” She nervously looked around. “It’s all sort of hazy, but I remember hiding in the laundry bin. I guess I must have passed out or something.”
“We need to take you to the lobby with the others,” Gemma said. “Everyone was worried about you.”
“Yeah, I’d be grateful,” she replied. “What happened? Why do I feel like I’m hungover?”
“We were all drugged,” Gemma informed her. “We still don’t know who or why, but at least the drugs have worn off now. No more hallucinations.”
“I have no idea how I even ended up in the dining room,” Felicia informed them while holding her head. “Did I see correctly? Did someone position the bodies in the chairs at the tables?”
“Didn’t you do that?” Gemma asked.
“Me? Are you kidding?” Felicia gasped. “I wouldn’t do that, at least, I don’t think I would do that. I’m not really sure what’s real the last few days.”
“Yeah, we’re all kind of there,” Sonya replied. “You’ll feel better once you’re with the others in the lobby.”
Felicia remained disoriented. “Please tell me I didn’t have sex with all those men.”
“I don’t know about all those men,” Sonya replied, “but I can name at least three.”
She groaned softly and held her head. “How will I ever be able to look them in the eyes again?”
Sonya was sympathetic while gently caressing Felicia’s shoulder. “You don’t have to worry about that, Felicia,” she said gently. “None of them survived.”
Gemma gave Sonya a strange, almost horrified stare to the comment meant to comfort Felicia. Felicia just blinked with her mouth hanging open while staring at Sonya. Gemma and Sonya slipped back into their borrowed waiters’ uniforms while Felicia remained tense and paced near the spa door. As she stood with her back to the spa door, it slowly opened behind her. Felicia nervously turned toward the now opened door. A man in a cloak and mask stood in the doorway directly in front of her. She opened her mouth to scream. The killer struck her in the head with a hammer. She barely managed a scream as the killer struck her repeatedly and violently in the head, impaling her skull with each thrust. Gemma and Sonya turned to the sound and saw the gruesome attack and Felicia’s blood painting the once white room each time the hammer was flung back. They screamed hysterically. Felicia’s body finally collapsed to the floor, stopping the grisly assault. The killer briefly looked down at what remained of Felicia’s head and face then looked at Gemma and Sonya. His sights were now on them. Gemma looked around then grabbed an ax from the nearby wall. Sonya pulled on her.
“Are you insane? Run, damn it,” Sonya cried out.
Gemma and Sonya ran across the spa with the killer only a few feet behind them and gaining ground. They ran into the steam room. Sonya slammed and bolted the door just seconds before the killer slammed into it. Both women screamed, but he was unable to get in. The killer thrust his body against the door and attempted to break it open. The door didn’t budge. The killer moved away from the window, allowing both women to exhale with relief. Gemma slowly approached the door and glanced through the small window to see if he’d gone. The hammer suddenly struck the window with a dull thud. Both women screamed. Gemma jumped backward and joined Sonya, who clung to her arm. The glass didn’t break. After several attempts, the killer finally moved away from the window. Sonya and Gemma stared at the window, but neither felt confident enough to get close enough to look out. There was no sound, just eerie silence. There was a strange hissing sound that followed. Steam flooded the room, rolling in like a rogue fog. Both looked around with surprise and then alarm. The steam quickly engulfed them.
“It’s okay,” Sonya told Gemma while clinging to her arm. “It’ll only reach a certain temperature. There’s no way he can override it. He’s just trying to trick us into thinking we’ll cook in here.”
“Are you sure?” Gemma asked while nervously clutching the ax that was already becoming wet from the steam.
“Absolutely,” she replied. “Tyson said someone got stuck in here once. Dehydration is the only real threat, and that would take a while even at maximum temperature. We’ll just wait him out. My Uncle Dino knows we’re here.”
Gemma didn’t appear convinced but made an effort to relax. She set the ax aside. “So we wait--and sweat.”
Chapter Thirty
Novak climbed the ravine near the wrecked cars and looked around. The entire area was eerily silent and nothing moved. The site easily reminded one of a post-apocalyptic scene straight out of a horror movie. He removed his gun and cautiously walked through the wreckage then continued toward the party bus. The tinted windows kept the interior private, forcing him to enter the bus to search it. Novak slowly entered the bus with his gun clutched firmly in his hand. He suddenly stopped and stared with a look of horror on his face. All fourteen dead people were painstakingly positioned on the leather bench seats in seemingly natural positions. The killer had returned to the bus! As he looked toward the back of the bus, the rear emergency door was now partially open. Monica’s message for help had been crudely expunged from the window. Novak stared at the dead men and women a moment longer then cautiously walked along the wide aisle toward the emergency door. He looked at each dead person as he passed. Some had their eyes open and seemed to stare at him. The deep gashes across their throats were gruesome and disturbing, leaving wide crevasses covered in dried blood. Despite the horrifying images, he couldn’t look away.
A cell phone lie on the seat alongside one of the dead passengers with the screen still lit. Novak stared at the lit phone, uncertainly picked it up, and pressed a button. A picture of the dead people on the bus was revealed on the screen. Novak stared at the picture as terror and dread crossed his face. It almost certainly meant the killer had been on the bus just seconds before. Seconds? One of the dead men behind Novak lifted his head. Novak saw the man moving behind him through the glare on the cell phone screen. He dropped the cell phone and spun around with his gun aimed. Novak was suddenly struck on the side of the head. He fell into two of the bodies, dropping his gun, and all three crashed to the floor. Novak slowly moved to his hands and knees as his temple bled freely. The killer aimed a dart gun at his face. As the killer’s finger tightened on the trigger, Novak punched him in the crotch. The killer fell to his kn
ees and the dart gun flew across the aisle. Novak straightened on his knees and came face-to-face with Cody.
Without hesitation, Novak punched Cody in the face, sending him into the opposite side of seated bodies. Novak scrambled for the discarded dart gun, grabbed it, and aimed it at Cody. Cody tackled him, and both men rolled around the bus floor, struggling for control of the dart gun. Cody was now on top of Novak and attempted to aim the dart gun at his chest. Novak fired it before it could be used on him. The dart cracked the window with a distinct sound. Novak released the gun and punched Cody in the face. Cody was thrown backward, dropping the dart gun. Cody removed a Bowie knife from a leg strap and slashed at Novak. Novak leaped from the knife’s path as it slashed his upper thigh. He scrambled to his feet while clutching his bleeding leg, darted from the party bus, and limped toward his SUV.
Cody leaped off the bus while replacing his cell phone to his pocket and ran after him. Novak opened the rear door, grabbed a tire iron, and turned just in time to deflect the Bowie knife. The knife sparked against the tire iron, slipped, and sliced Novak’s forearm. Novak fell against the back of the SUV in agony as the tire iron fell from his hand. Cody stood over Novak, who clutched his bleeding forearm. Cody grinned most sinister and appeared to be enjoying himself.
“I can’t wait until they find the bodies of you and your girlfriend together,” Cody announced cheerfully, his face void of any sanity. “The two of you will be my masterpiece.”
Novak’s expression suddenly dropped. “Where is she?” he demanded. Despite his pain, he was now enraged. “What did you do to her?”
“She’s around,” he chuckled while mocking Novak with his evil grin. “Don’t worry. The two of you will be together soon enough, I promise.”
†
Vander paced the lobby, looked out the window several times, and then looked at his watch with disgust. He’d been pacing for the last thirty minutes non-stop. Devon watched him pace in silence. Tyson entered the lobby with several pool sticks collected in his arms and set them on the coffee table.
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