“I’m sorry Nora,” Real Aidan spoke up, sounding as if he meant every word. “Maybe this is my Challenge. Maybe we have to separate after all.”
Aidan waited for me to catch his pointed gaze before asking. “What if we kill each other? This is my fault for running us in here. I should have looked upstairs before—”
I shook my head, stopping him with a frantic flutter of my hand to keep him quiet. “You won’t kill me, Aidan.” Fear was evident in my voice and I wished I could sound confident, like Phoebe.
“You can’t,” Read announced to Aidan, his tone smothering the whispers. “Nora’s right.”
Read’s back-up gave me some relief. He’d listen to Read before he would me.
I started to nod when a book flew off the one of the shelves. The hardcover volume sailed at Robin’s head. Gasping, I slapped a hand on her back as a warning and ducked with her.
I felt the pages ruffle my ponytail before the book slammed into the bookshelf behind us.
Robin screamed so loud that my ears rang. I shouted to the Others. “I know Aidan won’t kill me because he didn’t mean for any of this to happen. How many parties do you think were invaded by a demon? How would he know?” I looked to the bookshelf for any sign of a disgruntled book before looking to Aidan.
Aidan, the real one, was staring at me aghast while the Other Nora grumbled something about being an idiot.
The second her eyes met mine, another book launched itself from the same shelf, spinning like a top.
I tried to duck again but the corner caught my bare shoulder. It bounced off of me, hitting the Ouija Board with a thud, sending the planchette sailing.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Aidan jerk to rush toward me, but something was stopping him.
The impact wouldn’t break bones but it stung. Cupping my throbbing shoulder, I picked up the book and flung it away as fast as I could. Being so close it made my nerves shake. Glaring over his shoulder at the others I realized they were dry, no longer drenched from the swamp. Their clothes weren’t as rumpled either. “If we die, I won’t blame you, Aidan.” I spoke out of the side of my mouth.
He attempted a crooked smile, though he strained.
Pointing to his legs I asked. “Can’t you come near us?”
Aidan’s fingers twitched and he stuttered through his teeth, making futile grunts in response.
“Oh God,” Robin whispered.
Read started forward, pausing when he heard me hiss a warning.
Aidan face reddened, but he managed a single step. It looked labored and stiff, as if his legs were filled with hardening cement.
Three books launched a concurrent attack. Shrieking I dropped onto the floor in a ball; hugging my knees tight enough to make my fingers cramp. I heard Aidan shout my name as one book out of three hit me in the middle of my back.
Yelping, I straightened, grabbing my throbbing spine only to be pelted again in the arm and the hand. Curling back into a ball I felt Robin’s fingers snake around my ankle. She clung to me and I at least knew she was alright. It was a small comfort when a book grazed my ribs, scraping as it went by.
I wished that Read and Aidan could somehow let me know they were okay. I waited for something to hit my temple and knock me unconscious. I waited, with dread, for Robin’s fingers to go slack.
The dissonance of pages, books, and the crashing items filled the room, making hearing a shout impossible. Peeking above my knees I watched the country-fried lamp tip over the couch, crushing itself into the cushions.
Another book cracked into the middle of my back. It took all my will to remain still and not straighten to make myself a bigger target.
That’s when Robin’s fingers let go, nails scraping my ankle. I thought I heard her scream, but couldn’t be sure.
I swatted out an arm to grab her when a book hit the back of my arm hard enough to sweep my hand back around my knees. “Robin?” I called, my voice useless.
Something glass shattered. I heard the sound of a crash, maybe a bookshelf, and then all went silent.
Waiting for a noise, I hesitated. Was it really over? Or was this the calm before the storm?
Peeking past my knees I saw scattered books, coating the floor like a second skin. Lifting my head, I looked around to see only a few hard-covered books resided on the bookshelves. They seemed stationary, for now. One of the bookshelves had toppled over the Lay-Z-Boy. The mountainous pile of books at the base of the chair made me think of Read. Was he trapped beneath?
Daring to stand, I groaned and staggered, feeling the impending bruises.
Wobbling to the books, I heard myself shout but I wasn’t the one speaking.
“Read, help him!”
Twisting I saw Robin edging toward Other Nora on the floor. Other Nora had been transformed in an instant. The dirt had vanished, leaving a smooth ponytail and dry, ironed clothes. Robin looked to Other Nora for reassurance and that’s when I realized what was happening. My friends thought she was me.
The shudder of the wall, as if someone slammed into it, turned my attention to the Aidans. They were grappling with each other and dodged another flying book from the last shelf as it sucker punched them.
Read darted forward again. He grabbed Aidan’s arms, struggling to pin them behind his back. I wasn’t sure if he had the real Aidan or the Other. Like Other Nora, this doppelgänger appeared just as Aidan had when he’d stepped into the room.
Jumping over the coffee table, I clumsily knocked over the game board. I couldn’t let the Aidan nearest me swing at Read’s apprehended Aidan if…Bloody hell this was confusing.
Scrambling over the mess I swung my arms around the Aidan that Read didn’t have and hugged him from behind. Clamping my hands together, I leaned back and ducked my head to avoid being smacked in the nose with the back of his head. I pulled him away using every bit of strength my body would allow. I believe he managed to hit every forming bruise except the ones on my back. Read and I pulled them apart. I hadn’t realized that my Aidan couldn’t breathe until the sharp intake of air.
Somehow we were successful, until the five books propelled toward us.
Robin scrambled to her feet and ran behind Other Nora for protection. I wanted to warn her, but Aidan lifted me off my feet, breaking my hold on him. Stumbling, I nearly fell, but he grabbed me around the waist. I thought I should scream until I realized he was protecting me from the books.
I heard three of them hit Aidan’s back, dropping to the floor with heavy thunks. He grunted in pain, but he didn’t whine as much as I had. Read took one in the shoulder, staggering back a few steps. He rubbed it with a grimace, losing the grip he had on his Aidan.
“The board lied to us,” I whispered, realizing he wasn’t letting me go. Could this be my Aidan or the Other Aidan? “I wouldn’t try to hurt you and I don’t blame you for anything that happens.” I could eat these words later, but they seemed important for him to hear, whether this was Other Aidan or the real one.
“No!” My doppelgänger spat venom. “That’s a lie. You always felt strange around him and you know it. You have good reason not to trust him. Ask him how he felt about you when you first met him. Nauseous? Sick? Go ahead, ask!”
I pointed at her. “If the Aidan there killed you, then I’m sorry. But, we’re not going to end up like you.” At least I hoped not.
Aidan unwrapped his arms from around me and coughed.
Pivoting in time I saw the Aidan near Read cough as well.
Read and I exchanged a curious glance as the two of them reached for their chests simultaneously.
“What’s happening?” I asked Other Nora, but she was gone, leaving Robin stunned and alone. She backed away from all of us, nearly tripping over a book at her heels.
I wanted to go to her, but both Aidans fell to their knees between Read and me. They were gasping in loud, ragged breaths.
Read scrambled for the Ouija board on the floor.
I caught the planchette on the floor and tossed it to Read.
Fumbling a little, he caught it and slapped it on the board. Placing his hands hastily over the piece he asked loud enough for me to hear. “What’s happening?”
W-H-I-C-H-O-N-E, it replied, taking a painful amount of time to spell it out.
Glancing up I saw the Aidans’ faces begin to writhe, or rather their skin. It was as if fat finger-width worms were wriggling just beneath their flesh. I tried not to stare, but couldn’t seem to look away, either. Their faces contorted and rippled, the cheekbones stretching so far that identical splits in the skin was visible on their left cheeks before the skin stretched again in another direction.
At the wall where the front door should be, Robin was screaming.
Read pointed at both of them, his eyes on me. “Which one is the real Aidan?” He had to shout over Robin to be heard.
I hadn’t considered that the Ouija board was making us pick. I glanced between them just as the Aidan closest to me tried to shout, producing an inhuman, wet gurgle.
“He’s dying, Nora,” Read warned, glancing between them frantically.
Why did I have to choose? I suppose it would be easier than having the death of a friend on his own head. I ground my teeth together. The one closest had blocked me from the books. Would the Other Aidan do that to trick us?
I opened my mouth to answer, but instead I yelped. Alongside Aidan’s temple a spine-like bone rippled up into his hairline, stretching skin until it was white. Within the confines of his arms I could see movement as if something were laced with his muscles, changing shape. His chest even arched up as if his heart were pulsating on the outside of his chest. Thump, thump, thump.
“That one!” Read pointed to the Aidan furthest from me.
“No!” I shrieked, holding out my hands as the Aidan nearest me collapsed. Well, they both collapsed, but I caught mine.
He was heavier than I thought and I fell, cradling his head as best as I could so it wouldn’t hit the floor. I landed on my tailbone and stiffened. The paralyzing pain tore through my back, but I didn’t drop his head. My fingers dug into his scalp, real bone instead of something shifting. Looking down on him, I realized nothing could have prepared me for what I saw.
His mouth was hanging open, as if the jaw had been broken. It was unhinged and slightly lopsided. His open mouth and eye sockets were empty. No eyes, teeth or tongue to be seen; there was nothing, just darkness.
Read hovered over the two bodies, inspecting both while Robin inched toward the Aidan nearest Read, balancing on the discarded books.
I wanted to be angry with Read, but I couldn’t. He asked me to choose and I waited too long. Aidan was suffering and I hesitated. This wasn’t like losing Phoebe or Cody. They just disappeared I didn’t have to see them…like this. The Aidan closest to Read moaned, his feet twitching.
Feeling the tears sting the corner of my eyes I looked back down at my Aidan and screamed.
Scrambling away I dropped his head, wriggling out of reach. The body didn’t move to grab me, but the head lolled to the side to face me again.
An oversized eyeball had been peering at me through the opened mouth. It filled the entire gaping jaw. The large eye was white except for the pupil, which had dilated upon focusing on me. It rolled around as I scurried away, peering around the room before arching up to focus on me again.
A stabbing terror streaked up my body when the eye suddenly disappeared into the hollowed darkness of Aidan’s skull. His chest pumped and the writhing skin slowed before the body stopped altogether, lying perfectly still.
The dreaded silence didn’t remain long before I heard Aidan curse.
He was sitting up with Robin’s aid. Clutching his chest with one hand, he stared at the monstrosity in his…suit. “Just like that fucking dream I had,” he choked.
I remembered he hadn’t indulged the details of his dream before our trip. I suppose I wouldn’t want to talk about it either.
Read chose right, I suppose. If this was the real Aidan. Read helped him to his feet and I felt relieved that I hadn’t had to choose.
Crawling to my feet, I realized my legs felt like I’d spent the last half hour doing jumping jacks. Aidan was helped to his and nodded to me. I tried to smile when I saw everyone was looking at me…no, past me.
Twisting, I saw the black door again. It hadn’t been there before.
Our way out!
As I took that first step the rumbling alerted us to the bookshelves all around the living room.
“Get down!” Aidan shouted.
No one hesitated this time. I landed hard on the floor between the coffee-table and the couch. I wheezed for a breath, staring at the floor as the entire room erupted with the sound of flapping paper and raucous crashes.
The heavy hardcover books slammed against the opposite walls. One hit the back of my thigh stabbing a Charlie-horse sensation through my muscles. One skidded over my head, slapping up against the couch. I was lucky to be relatively sheltered between the table and couch this time. I tried to lift my head to see where the others where, but couldn’t make them out. I could just hear Robin’s shrieks over the explosion. A book knocked me in the back of the head, shooting blackened stars through my vision and forcing me to duck again.
It seemed to last a lifetime, longer than the last assault, before the explosion faded.
Lifting my head guardedly, I croaked. “Is everyone alright?”
Aidan’s eyes were open and he was breathing, but he was grimacing.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” Read said sarcastically, having been hit by a few himself. As he sat up, several books toppled off of him.
“Robin?” I asked, standing again, the Charlie-horse had turned into a cramp and I tried to rub it out.
She murmured something noncommittal, but lifted her head with a groan. She was fine. I reached out to help her to her feet.
Staggering upright, she helped Read. I reached down for Aidan.
He accepted my hand, staring at the black door at the other end of the room. Unbalanced, he wobbled away from me and toward Robin and Read.
The body of the Other Aidan was completely obscured by layers of books, or he had disappeared, just like the Other Nora. The old shag carpet wasn’t even visible anymore.
“Skinwalkers.” Aidan whispered, eyes wide and searching.
I blinked at him. “Sorry?”
“Nothing,” he murmured, avoiding my stare. He had barely made eye contact since coming to. Was it really our Aidan?
“The door,” Robin sniffled, smiling a little. She pointed toward the black door that appeared on the opposite wall from where we came in.
Aidan produced that irritating polite smile. “I’m telling my parents to buy paperbacks from now on.”
Read chuckled. “Screw paperbacks. E-books, man. Then the next Challenge might not be so painful.” He reached for his back, the humor slipping as he winced.
The four of us stumbled and wobbled over the debris of scattered books without a backward glance.
Aidan reached the door first. “This is the same symbol, but look,” he mused, reaching out his hand to trace the waves and triangle. There had been three watery lines and now there were two.
“A countdown?” I asked, reaching forward to grab the doorknob. The motion cracked a stinging pain through my shoulder. This will bruise, I thought.
Twisting the knob, I pushed the door inward. I didn’t want to stay any more than Read. The idea of seeing my angry doppelgänger again made me squirm. The image of that eye staring at me from Aidan’s opened mouth was bad enough. No, the Other Aidan’s mouth, I corrected myself. At least I hoped it was. Aidan said a skinwalker was a monster that could reside within your skin? Someone that looks like you, talks like you—that sort of thing? The idea made me feel a lingering betrayal. What if the skinwalker was still here? And he looked just like Aidan.
The Other Nora said that Aidan felt as uncomfortable around me as I did him, but he had felt nauseous? Sick?
Shudderi
ng I stepped back, hugging myself.
I didn’t have to look up to know Aidan was staring at me from behind Read. I could feel it.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Leaving Aidan’s deranged living room behind, I couldn’t see anything at first, only vague outlines in the dark.
Dread itched in the back of my mind as I wondered what might be watching us, waiting for someone to notice it crouched in a corner.
Shoving the unpleasant thought to the side, I fidgeted in place and waited for my eyes to adjust.
Read squeezed my hand and I pressed mine against Robin’s, knowing she was looking up at me. I was grateful that it was dark, she wouldn’t be able to see my smile waver.
The small window to our right allowed a little moonlight.
Blinking away the surprise I saw the squared, heavy-set chairs sitting back to back in the middle of the circular room. Dark brick walls curled around us but the little marble door wasn’t in the room anymore.
Robin tugged at my hand to catch my attention.
With my vision filtering the dark I could just make out her wide eyes. “Have we won?” She asked, her voice rising with a false hope.
I had to be strong for Robin. Maybe she was the only reason I hadn’t run screaming, it reminded me of when Mona would get scared. I had to be the adult, the one in charge, the one with all the answers. Sighing patiently, I said. “I don’t think that guy would give up so easily.”
“Five Challenges left,” Read told her and I felt her shoulders sag beside me.
Detaching himself from the group, Aidan jogged to the arched doorway leaned as far as he could without tumbling down the steps. “It’s really dark, but if we keep to the wall, we should be able to get to the second floor.”
“Maybe we should see what’s outside first,” Read whispered.
Still attached to one another, Read, Robin, and I shuffled to the window. The moon, half hidden behind a cloud slowly emerged from the gloom. I waited to see the pond that had been behind the house but could only see the outline.
As the full force of the moonlight shone into the circular room I heard a distant scraping. Startled, I instinctively pulled Robin closer.
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