Suddenly, there was a bang. Everything in Hunter’s room shook. Picture frames and little items that lined her shelves crashed to the ground. When I looked Hunter in the eyes, I could see the terror.
There was another bang that sounded like the front door. Whatever it was, it was in the house. I looked over to Hunter, feeling guilty as hell for exposing her to this. “Does this mean we can’t be friends anymore?”
Chapter Twelve
Boom!
“What are we going to do?” Hunter asked.
“I’m gonna call for help,” I announced and got my cellphone.
“Good,” Hunter said. “Call your uncle.”
“Right,” I said. “I was going to call Payne, but Uncle Mark would probably be better. Oh hell, I’ll call them both…” I looked at my phone and then cursed. “Or not. No signal! Do you usually get a signal here?”
“All the time,” Hunter answered. “Does paranormal activity normally interfere with cellphone reception?”
“I don’t know? I’m not a spookologist. We’ve gotta get out of here.”
Hunter looked around a moment and then nodded. “Okay, follow me.”
We rushed to the door. Hunter peered out first. Seeing nothing, she signaled me forward, and we proceeded out into the hallway. I started to head back toward the way we came, but Hunter pulled my arm.
“This way,” she cried, her voice unsteady with terror.
We tried to move as quickly and quietly down the hallway as possible. Hunter grabbed my hand and led me around a corner.
I saw the hallway led to the front of the house. We ran for it, taking the turn at top speed. The hallway in front of me was a long one.
I followed close behind her, this time not bothering to take note of the beautiful paintings and antiques along the way. What I did notice was how big her house was. I don’t think I had ever been in someone’s home and run from one wing to the other.
At the end of the hallway were two sets of stairs, one heading up and the other heading down. There was a small area dividing the two, with a little window and a vase. The vase suddenly exploded.
“Not good,” I screamed, skidding to a halt. The rug under my feet went with me, and I crashed into a small bust that shattered on the ground. “Oops. Sorry, my bad.”
Hunter pulled me to my feet. “I always hated that thing. Go back this way,” she said.
Instead of heading straight back down the hallway, Hunter opened one of the many doors we had passed along the way. Inside was a walk-in linen closet. Toward the back of the room were other supplies and an elevator.
“Here, give me a hand,” I said.
The shelves the linen was stacked on were movable. Between the two of us, we pushed them in front of the doors. Half of the linen fell off in the process, but hopefully it bought us some time.
We went into the elevator and hit the down button. Inside, we held on to each other. I could feel Hunter tremble with fear. Or maybe that was me?
The elevator car began to move. Slowly. I rolled my eyes in frustration. “This has got to be the slowest moving elevator in the entire world.”
I could feel Hunter’s fear mixing with my own as she slumped against the wall. “I haven’t used this thing since I was little. Now I remember why.”
“My grandfather could take the stairs faster than this thing,” I yelled. “Where does this take us?”
“Basement.”
“Basement?” I repeated. “Is that a good idea?”
There was another explosion from above. “There goes the linen door,” Hunter yelled. “At least we know where he is. It will take him a few minutes to circle around.”
“Unless he, she or it decides to blow up the elevator while we’re on it!”
Both Hunter and I looked up at the same time. The elevator came to a halt, and as soon as the doors opened we both jumped out. We were now in a room where the laundry was done. There were two doors; both looked like doors from a restaurant. They swung both ways, and it didn’t look like there was any way to block them. We started to move away when there was a boom, and the elevator doors bent outward. Hunter and I jumped back and screamed.
“Do you have any idea what it is that’s after us?” Hunter asked. ”What are these shadow things?”
“I don’t know,” I told her. “All I see are these shadows that talk in real creepy voices and say stuff about wanting me dead. They keep referring to someone named McKnight.”
“How do you know it’s a McKnight trying to kill us?” Hunter asked, offended. “It could just as easily be a Blackburn.”
I just stared at her, stunned. “Does that really matter right now? I just told you what they said. It could be Donald Duck with a bazooka trying to take us out for all I know.”
“I’m sorry,” Hunter cried. “What do we do?”
“Wait,” I said. “They’re not after you, just me. Find a place to hide. I’ll make a run for it.”
“No way,” Hunter countered. She shook her head stubbornly. “We’re in this together.”
“Hunter,” I said. “They’re not after you, just me.”
“I don’t care,” Hunter answered. “I’m not leaving you on your own. Besides, in the movies, the psycho always gets them after they split up.”
“Fine, so which way?” I pointed to the two doors. “Where do these go?”
“That one,” Hunter pointed to the one in front of us, “leads to the kitchen.”
“Well, I could use a snack,” I said. “What about that one?” I pointed to the one behind me.
“I’m not sure,” Hunter said. “I think the cellar.”
“You’re not sure?”
“It’s a big house!”
“Okay, never mind,” I said. “I think I know what to do. Listen.”
Within a few seconds, we had moved what we could in front of the doors that led to the kitchen. It wasn’t going to hold off whoever or whatever was coming for more than a few seconds, but it was going to make a lot of noise when they did come after us. I flipped the lights out before moving.
“Let’s go,” I said.
It seemed like forever, although I’m quite sure it was really less than a full minute, before something appeared at the door that led to the kitchen. The door pushed but didn’t open due to what Hunter and I had put in front of it. My heart leaped into my throat. I knew what came next.
The explosion was quick and impressive. Everything Hunter and I had piled in front of the doors was blown away. The door itself swung open and then back again. It continued to do this for a few moments, as if expressing its admiration of the blast that had occurred.
A figure appeared in the doorway. This was no shadow creature. A flesh and blood human walked through. Whoever it was strode toward the other doors.
They stopped when they heard Hunter in the corner of the room. She had dropped something that rattled to the floor and rolled away. The person slowly moved toward her.
I jumped out and smashed a large glass pitcher over his head. The glass shattered and clattered to the ground. A moment later, our attacker fell to his knees. He wobbled there a moment before falling flat to the floor.
“Did it work?” Hunter asked. “Did you get him?”
“Yeah, I did,” I answered. I looked down at our fallen assailant and realized there was something familiar about him. He was young. A teenager. I was having a hard time making out the face in the dark. “Hit the lights. I think I know this guy.”
I heard Hunter fumbling around in the dark. “Don’t tell me some loon from the city followed you up here.”
The lights clicked on, and I looked down and gasped. “I don’t think so.”
“Oh my God,” Hunter yelled. “Archer!” She sat next to Archer and pulled him in her arms. Archer looked stunned but was still moving.
“One of your cousins, right?” I asked.
Hunter nodded. “Bristol, Archer can be a bit full of himself, but he’s not a bad guy. He wouldn’t try and kill us.”
/>
I wasn’t sure what to say. I didn’t want to end my friendship with Hunter just as it had begun, but to me it seemed clear Archer was trying to kill us.
I was about to say something to Hunter when the sounds of the shadows creatures started again. They didn’t seem close. In fact, I got the impression they were outside. I shivered, feeling something cold pass me by.
Archer moaned and began to stir.
“What happened?” His eyes were glassy as he looked around. “Hunter, is that you? Where are we?”
Hunter looked up at me for an instant before her eyes went back to her cousin. “You’re okay, Archer. You were hit over the head, but you’re going to be okay.”
I pulled out my cellphone.
“Who are you calling?” Hunter asked. “Your uncle?”
I looked at Hunter, her eyes pleading. “No, I’m calling Payne. There’s more than meets the eye here.”
Hunter looked stunned for a moment, but she nodded and tended to her cousin. Archer insisted on being helped up. We managed to get him to the front living room and onto the couch. He was still so stunned that I don’t think he realized who I was.
Even lying there on the couch with his head bleeding, Archer McKnight was a picture to behold. Hunter held Archer’s head in her lap, urging him to keep still. How many girls in school would love to trade places with her right now? Helping to nurse back the tall, muscular, brown-haired teen with the green eyes and the adorable face? Well, they could have him. I still remembered the way he tripped poor Ian the first day I’d been at Spirit High. That alone was enough to sour my feelings for him.
I looked around. The front door was smashed through. Several paintings had fallen off the walls that might be able to be salvaged. There were also several antiques that didn’t look like they’d be so lucky.
A car pulled up, and Hunter and I exchanged glances before Payne came running through the splintered doorframe. He rushed to me and pulled me into an embrace.
“Bristol, are you all right?” Payne asked.
“Yeah.” I nodded. “Just dandy.”
“Hunter?” Payne asked.
“Ducky,” she answered. “Is Grandpa with you? Oh, there he is.”
I unburied my head from Payne’s chest and turned so I could see Varick McKnight enter the room. He was dressed in black slacks and shirt. His frame filled the opening of the doorway and radiated power. Even the surviving paintings seemed intimidated by him. His sharp, blue eyes scanned the room and found us. He quickly crossed the room, his moustache leading the way.
I couldn’t help but notice that Varick passed what must have been hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of damage and destruction to his home and never even blinked an eye. His focus was completely and utterly on his three grandchildren. And me.
This was scarier than the attack.
“What’s happened here?” he asked.
“Grandpa,” Hunter said. “I invited Bristol over. We were in my room when someone or something came through that door. The two of us ran. I remembered the elevator in the linen room so we took that down to the lower level. We got off just in time…”
“In time?” Varick interrupted. “In time for what?”
Hunter and I exchanged glances.
“Before whatever it was that was after us blew the hell out of the elevator,” Hunter answered. “Bristol got the idea to lay a trap. We blocked the doors to the kitchen from our side and then hid. We figured when whoever it was came through, we could make it look like we went the other way. Well someone did come through. I let them spot me, and then Bristol brained them with a glass pitcher.”
“And how did Archer get injured?” Varick asked.
Hunter and I looked at each other. We were very aware of everyone staring at us. Payne still held me; Varick stood with his hands on his hips. Even Archer looked rapt at attention. Hunter’s eyes drifted down to Archer, her hand caressing his head.
“Archer was the one I whacked,” I answered. “The doors blew open, he came in, and I clobbered him upside his head.”
There was a moment of silence as what I said was absorbed. Then everyone started to talk at once.
“I didn’t,” Archer yelled. “I wouldn’t.”
“Archer, I’m going to rip your arms out,” Payne threatened. “You could have killed Bristol and Hunter.”
“We don’t know what happened yet,” Hunter said. “But I can’t believe Archer would have tried to hurt me.”
“Enough,” Varick commanded. It was amazing to see how everyone automatically zipped it.
“Young lady,” Varick said, “you come into my home and disaster follows. I do not know what happened, but you’ve admitted to assaulting my grandson. You may want to keep that in mind when your uncle arrives.”
“Grandpa,” Payne said. “Don’t threaten Bristol. It’s not her fault that Archer attacked her.”
“I didn’t,” Archer protested. “If you think I would do that then maybe you’re the one who needs your ass kicked, cousin.”
“Shut up, both of you,” I screamed.
Both Archer and Payne paused for a moment. Then they started on each other again. Insults were hurled, many involving specific parts of the male anatomy.
Varick repeated his order to stop. They did. I had to admire his ability to do that.
“How long, do you suppose, until your uncle arrives?” Varick asked.
“Grandpa,” Hunter said. “She didn’t call her uncle.”
Shock registered, not only on Varick’s face, but on Archer’s as well. Only Payne seemed unsurprised by this. It took Varick only a moment to recover.
“Why don’t you tell us then what you plan on doing, young lady,” he said.
It would seem intimidation was this McKnight’s special talent. I couldn’t help but wonder if the source for his power was located in his moustache. That seemed like a bad question to ask.
“I don’t know,” I said. “Someone is trying to kill me. I don’t know who or what, but I really don’t like it.”
“Bristol,” Archer said as he struggled to sit up. “I’d never hurt you. I don’t get the whole attracted to the enemy thing, but I know you’re important to Payne. I wouldn’t do this, I swear. And Hunter, you can’t believe that I’d risk hurting you. I couldn’t live with myself if anything happened to you.”
Hunter took his hand. “I know. I believe you,” she said. “I believe him,” she said to me.
“Okay, fine,” I said. “I’m sorry I cracked your head open. Seemed like the right thing to do at the time.”
“I would’ve done the same thing,” Hunter added. “It never occurred to me whoever she brained wasn’t the right person until I saw Archer. What were you doing here anyway? Why were you down there?”
“I uh…” Archer started, but he looked confused. “Uh, I don’t remember. I was supposed to meet up with Chase later, so I was trying to get my homework done. I may have fallen asleep. The next thing I remember I was lying on the floor downstairs, bleeding.”
I looked to Hunter, who nodded in my direction casually. Archer was telling the truth. Great, now I not only had something trying to kill me, but I felt guilty about smashing the pitcher over Archer’s head.
“How hard did you hit him?” Payne asked.
“Pretty hard,” I said. “Sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Archer said. “At least if my cousin has to date a Blackburn, she’s not a wimp. How did you say they were attacking you again?”
“Things were blowing up,” I said. “Out of nowhere, kablooy.” I made an explosive sound and demonstrated it with my hands.
I noticed the panicked look on Archer’s face. I would bet my last cookie that Archer had a power as well, and it was to make things go boom.
“You need to get Archer to the hospital,” I said. “He could have a concussion.”
“Don’t worry about Archer,” Payne said. “If you wanted to do any brain damage, you should have kicked him in the ass.”
“Remind me to kick yours, dear cousin,” Archer added as he forced himself to stand. “Just as soon as there’s only one of you.”
“Oh, geez, you two,” I said. “Why can’t you guys just say something like, are you okay? Or, I’m sorry I accused you of trying to kill someone. Do you have to be such…such…”
“Boys?” Hunter offered.
“Thank you,” I said. “Have you noticed the more of them you put in the same room, the stupider they talk?” I moved to Archer. “Go to the doctor and get your head looked at. I’m sorry.” I leaned in and gave Archer a kiss on the cheek. Then I stepped back and looked at Payne. “See how it’s done?”
Archer looked embarrassed by the tiny peck I’d given him. He clearly had no idea how to deal with anything but hostility from a Blackburn.
“Are you able to walk to the car?” Varick asked. “Payne, will you see that your young friend gets home okay?”
“I’ll take her myself,” Payne said.
“Take the Mercedes,” Varick instructed. “Get her home safely. Bristol, I must admit that you surprise me. Most Blackburns would not accept the word of a McKnight so readily.”
“I don’t know what other Blackburns would have done,” I said. “I just know that I believe Archer wasn’t responsible. I’m not out to get the McKnight family. I happen to be rather fond of a couple of them.”
Varick considered me. “I’m beginning to believe that. We shall have to have you over for dinner one night.”
“Thank you, Mr. McKnight,” I said. “You have a lovely home.” My eyes darted to the destruction at the door. “Or at least you did before I arrived. I don’t know what is after me, but I’m sorry to have brought this to your home.”
Then Varick did something I never would have expected. He smiled. “Things can be replaced. I’m pleased you weren’t hurt. I hope to see you again, Bristol.”
Varick led Archer out the shattered doorframe. Once he was gone, I turned to Payne and Hunter. “You get to drive his car?”
“Yeah, guess I do,” he said. “You want me to take you home?”
“What do you think?” I asked. “I’m hungry. Being attacked burns a lot of calories. I need food. And we need to talk. The three of us. Feel like tagging along?” I asked Hunter.
Vision of Shadows Page 20
