Awakening

by Catrina Burgess

  “We barely know each other.” I could feel the tears forming, but I blinked them back.

  “I know all I need to. You’re the one I want to spend the rest of my life with.”

  “You can’t mean that, we barely know each other.” A single tear slid down my face. “I can’t. I can’t…do this.”

  A voice called from the door. “Is this a bad time?” It was Freddy he was standing in the doorway a large black duffel bag over one shoulder.

  I wiped the tear away and greeted Freddy, “Hi, there are some muffins in the kitchen if you want one.’

  He looked from me to Luke. “Thanks, but I’ve all ready eaten.” He set the bag down on the floor. “I’ve come prepared.”

  I waited for Luke to say something, but he just stood there silent, watching me.

  I forced a smile onto my face. “What’s in the bag?”

  Freddy crouched down and opened it. He started to pull out items. “Duct tape, some rope, a small axe…basically anything I could think of that might help.”

  That was the problem--none of us knew what type of situation we were walking into. It was foolish and reckless for us to head up there and try to save Darla without a plan, but that’s exactly what we were going to be doing in just a few hours.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Ready or Not, Here We Come

  We were in the car heading up to the mansion. Instead of focusing on what we were about to do, I kept going over the conversation I’d had with Luke. Luke confused me--when I was around him, the way he made me feel, it was something I’d never felt for anyone before. My head kept telling me that this thing between us was all happening too fast, that I couldn’t trust the emotions swirling inside me. But did I mean all those things I had said to him? I wasn’t sure.

  I knew I couldn’t see myself fitting into the life of a death dealer. I feared the reaction I’d get from his guild when they found out the things I could do. Luke seemed to think they would welcome me into their midst with open arms, but I doubted it. I remembered the look on Luke’s face when I had created the zombies. The terror that filled him when he realized the mob at the hospital would connect us to the undead rising. People had feared Luke and his guild before, but now they would be hunted. If it was true, and the death dealers became targets, it would all be because of me. If the general public started hurting or killing their kind, how could the guild ever forgive me?

  I looked over at Luke. He was behind the steering wheel, his full attention focused on the road. I sat in the front seat next to him. Luke hadn’t said anything to me since we got in the car. I regretted the fight. We didn’t know what we were heading off to face, and we didn’t know if it was something we would be coming back from. What if those words said in anger were the last words we truly spoke to each other? I reached over and touched his arm. Luke glanced over at me, a questioning look on his face. I gave him a smile. He smiled back.

  Freddy began telling yet another story from the back seat. Luke had been quiet, and I had been lost in thought for most the drive, but Freddy had been a nonstop chatterbox. Apparently Freddy was the type to talk when he was nervous, so for a solid twenty minutes I heard stories of Darla, Luke and Freddy growing up together. I now knew why Luke had a small scar on his elbow. How Luke had, at age seven, fallen out of a tree, landed on a sprinkler and broken his arm. It probably hadn’t helped that Freddy had dared Luke to climb the tree in the first place or that after Luke scrambled up, Freddy started throwing rocks at him, just to help motivate Luke to get down. At another time and place I would have found the stories charming and funny, but now knowing where we were going, and what we were about to try and do, they were distracting and not in a good way.

  Freddy started another tale, this one about the time he and Luke had prank called Darla when she was babysitting, freaking Darla out by imitating weird scary voices over the phone.

  Luke interrupted him. “Freddy, enough with the stories.”

  The car pulled over onto a side dirt road and stopped.

  I looked out the window. The headlights shone on dense trees and foliage, but outside of the glare of the headlights it was pitch black.

  “Where are we?” I asked.

  “About a half mile from the mansion. This is an old logging road. I figure we can make our way in on foot to the edge of the property and hopefully not be seen by anyone.” Luke gestured to the left. “If we’d kept to the main road another few minutes, we would’ve hit the main gate and then through the gate it’s about a mile up a winding driveway to the front entrance.”

  “We hike through the woods and scope out the place?” I still was not sold on Luke’s plan.

  “That’s the idea, we get as close as we can and we do some reconnaissance.” Luke looked over at me. “We see how well they’re guarding the place. Maybe get a glimpse of how many men we’ll be facing. If we get lucky we stumble across Darla, and we get her out.”

  And if we get unlucky we end up dead. I didn’t say what I was thinking out loud, but Luke seemed to be able to read my mood.

  Luke said in a defensive voice. “If anyone has a better idea, speak up.”

  When neither Freddy nor I said anything, Luke turned off the headlights and the ignition. He opened the car door and got out. “Freddy, hand me one of those flashlights you brought.”

  Freddy reached into his bag and pulled out a small light.

  Luke turned it on, aiming the light toward the ground. “Darla, Freddy and I hiked up here quite a few times when we were kids. There’s a favorite picnic spot with a view of the lake not far from the mansion property. We should be able to make our way through the woods without too much trouble.”

  And when we got there? I hadn’t been able to bind Thomas to me. I had no banshee magic to wield against the bad guys. Freddy brought his bag with the axe and duct tape. How either was helpful was beyond me, but at least we had another body helping out. Three against a dozen? Two dozen? I shook my head and tried to push away all my doubts. We were here now it made sense to check the place out.

  We hiked through the dark woods. I walked behind Luke and when he suddenly stopped I stumbled against his back.

  He turned the flashlight off. “You see the lights from the house up ahead? We’re quite close.”

  He moved forward and I followed. Now walking in complete darkness I stumbled on a rock.

  Luke reached out and grabbed me before I fell. “Careful, the ground ahead is uneven.”

  “How can you see where you’re going?” I whispered.

  “I’ve always had good night vision. Put your hand on my shoulder.”

  I did what he said, and we made our way slowly through the trees and underbrush toward the house.

  The mansion was bigger than I imagined. We were at the rear of it. Tiki torches lined a back courtyard. There was some kind of party going on. People gathered in small groups, scattered around the grounds. But were they having a party? It didn’t look like a celebration. There was no food or drink. I moved closer and realized the people were all wearing masks. A ritual? A gathering of the clan? This was not what clans did when they got together. The clan gatherings were under the sun, and food and drink were abundant. They often put on games and events showing off feats of strength and skills in magic. People wagered over the games as everyone laughed and talked.

  There was no loud laughter or speaking going on. People were talking, I could tell by the way they huddled together, their heads almost touching. Whispering. Masks and silence. What were they doing?

  So far we hadn’t stumbled across any guards or security. The bad guy’s compound had been easy enough to breach. They oddly didn’t seem worried about keeping people out. From shrubs to trees--Luke, Freddy and I slowly made our way slowly closer. When we were on the very edge of the grounds, about ten feet away from the closest group of people, a trumpet sounded. The crowd who had been quiet until now broke out into loud shouts and cheers.

  What the heck was this about? Everyone turned in unis
on and started to make their way back toward the house. There was an archway above a large doorway leading inside the mansion. The group closest started to head off following the herd, but someone lingered. The person stopped, pushing back the cloak and pulling down the golden mask hiding the top half of her face. She was leaning over trying to adjust the strap on her fancy footwear.

  I looked down at what I was wearing. Black jeans, black boots and a black jacket. If we wanted to get in, we needed one of those cloaks and a mask. I didn’t have a real plan in mind, and I was as surprised as anyone when I started moving forward. Luke reached out as if to stop me, but I sidestepped his grasp.

  My whole focus was on the woman. If I could somehow get close enough… I reached down and picked up a tree branch. Just a little closer now and I’d be within reach. One more step and if she didn’t turn around, but she did, she spun around. Her eyes registered surprise and then outrage, and she sucked in a breath to shout an alarm. I raised the branch and without even the slightest hesitancy I brought it down on her head. The woman dropped to the ground. I stood, almost as stunned as she was. I looked at the branch in my hand and dropped it. The woman was laying on the ground a large gash on the side of her temple. Blood began to slide from the wound. I had killed her. I had hit her over the head and killed her. I couldn’t believe what I had just done. The woman’s head began to move back and forth, and she moaned softly. My knees almost buckled with relief. She wasn’t dead, she was alive.

  Luke was at my side and grabbed my arm. “Are you crazy? What are you doing?”

  I raised a trembling hand to my forehead. “We need her cloak to get in there.” I was still having a hard time getting my mind around the fact I had just walked up and clubbed some innocent woman. Not so innocent, a voice whispered in the corner of my mind. She was one of the bad guys, and I had to admit to the rush of adrenaline as I brought that branch down on her head. A part of me wanted to see her suffer for hurting my family. It was not like me. I was not a violent person. But I had changed. The rituals had changed me, and I was morphing into something else. Something that was seriously starting to scare me.

  Freddy was suddenly in front of us. “Whatever the two of you are doing, I suggest we move. We’re sitting ducks out here. One person turns our way, and they’ll see us.”

  I leaned down and grabbed the woman’s right arm and started to pull her toward the shrubbery. I looked up at Luke. “I need your help, she’s heavy.”

  He frowned, but without a word he reached down and grabbed her other arm. Freddy picked up her feet, and we carried the woman into the bushes.

  Once under the cover of the bushes I squatted down beside the woman. She moaned, but her eyes stayed closed, I didn’t know how much longer she’d be unconscious. Whatever I was going to do, I’d better get moving. I opened the front of the cloak and eased it off of her, then made a grab for the mask. I put on the cloak and the mask and turned toward the mansion.

  Luke was blocking my way. He stood arms crossed at his chest, a determined look on his face. “No way you’re going in there by yourself.”

  “This was your plan. You said if an opportunity arose to save Darla, we should take it.” I lifted up the mask. “This is an opportunity.”

  His eyes narrowed. “You’re not going in there without me.”

  “So find another way in.” I looked over at Freddy. “You guys can scout out the rest of the mansion. This is a gargantuan place, there has to be some side door or servants’ entrance you can get through.”

  “Luke, it’s not a bad idea,” Freddy said, coming to my side.

  “Colina, I’m not letting you out of my sight.” Luke was angry.

  “This was your plan. We have a chance for me to go in and see the layout. Try to find where they have Darla.” I could see by his expression that I wasn’t changing his mind, so I tried again. “I’m in a cloak and mask surrounded by a couple dozen people dressed similarly. No one will recognize me. I can blend in and move around unnoticed.”

  Luke shook his head. “It’s a bad idea.”

  I pulled the mask down and started forward. “I’m doing it, and I don’t need your permission.”

  Luke put his hand on me as if to stop me, but I shook it off and kept moving.

  His hand came down hard on my shoulder this time, and he spun me around. “I know we fought earlier. It was a stupid fight.”

  “This is not the time to talk about it,” I said looking over at Freddy. Freddy was just standing there watching us.

  Luke raised his hand as if in surrender. “It is if you’re about to walk in there and get yourself killed.”

  I reached out and grabbed his hand and pulled it into mine. “I’m not going to do anything stupid.”

  He squeezed my hand. “Promise me, promise me that you’ll just take a look around. If you see Darla, or any of the guys that tried to grab you at the magic shop, you won’t do anything. You’ll wait for us.”

  “I promise,” I whispered.

  He took a step forward and lifted the mask and before I could say anything he leaned in and pressed his lips against mine. It was a soft, gentle kiss. His fingers came up and brushed against my cheek. “We’re all going to get out of this in one piece. We just have to play it smart.”

  I didn’t know what to say to that. A part of me wanted to push myself into his arms--to feel his warm, solid body against mine, but I held myself back. If I hugged him now, I may never let go. I forced myself to release his hand and take a step back. Then I lifted my hand in a half wave, turned around and made my way toward the mansion.

  I knew he was watching me. I desperately wanted to turn around, to see him one last time before I headed off into…God only knew what. What dark and creepy things would I run across in the mansion? I squared my shoulders and lifted my chin. I could do this. I had to do this. I quickened my steps and headed toward the unknown.

  ****

  I was running out of time. Most of the crowd had made their way in. I hurried my steps toward the large archway. A man, also dressed in a cloak and mask, closed two exceptionally large ornate wooden doors about ten feet high just inside the archway.

  I spoke up, “Wait, wait. I’m coming!”

  The man swung the door open.

  I put on my best smile. “I’m sorry, I had a problem with my shoe.”

  The man nodded his head, and I slid by him.

  I was finally inside. Now what? They were holding Darla somewhere inside, but where?

  I made my way down a hallway and into a big room. Mirrors covered one of the walls. The floor was wood, but not any kind I had seen before. Different colored exotic wood panels created elaborate patterns and designs across the surface of the floor. Three large crystal chandeliers were hanging from the ceiling.

  I expected to see a crowd, but the room was empty. I moved across the room and through another set of doors. This hallway was smaller than the last and was entirely red--red paint covered the walls and ceiling, there was red carpeting on the floors. Hues of red, yellows and oranges covered the half dozen paintings on the walls. I made my way down the hall, and at the end I stopped in front of another large door. I was reaching for the doorknob when I felt a chill running across my arms. There was another breeze across my face and a whisper, and I knew I wasn’t alone.

  I felt one tug on the cloak, and then another and the words. “This way.” Echoed through my mind. It was then I noticed the large red and gold tapestry hanging on the wall to my right.

  I walked over to the tapestry. What did ‘this way’ mean? There was no door, at least not one I could see. I started to turn away when something pushed hard against my back, and I stumbled forward. I reached out to catch myself and instead of falling against the wall I fell through the tapestry. I came down hard on my knees on a stone floor. A secret room? I looked around, but it wasn’t a room, it was another hallway. This one was barely wide enough for a single body to move through. Light flickered from somewhere down at the other end. I got to my
feet and made my way down the small passageway. My hands trailed against the cold stone wall as I walked and the passage slowly opened up into a small room. The room was only a few feet long, and on the other side was a staircase made of gray stone winding into a spiral, heading down. Old fashioned light fixtures lit the passages at the top, and I could see light shining up from the bottom.

  So far I hadn’t met anyone. No one had demanded to know where I was going, and up until this point, if I had run across someone, I could claim to be lost. But if I came across someone now, how could I explain my descent down the dark winding staircase?

  I realized I was holding my breath as I made my way down the stairs. I got lucky there was no one to greet me at the bottom. I now stood in a hallway that ran in two directions.

  I looked right and then left trying to decide which way to go when I heard the voice again. “Close,” it said, gently lifting and then dropping pieces of my hair on the left side of my head. Decision made, I turned left and started down the hall.

  I don’t know why I stopped, no voice sounded this time, no invisible hands were guiding me. Doors lined the hallway, but for some reason, something about this particular doorway brought me to a dead stop in front of it. I tried the doorknob. It turned easily enough, but the door still wouldn’t open. Looking up the frame, I saw a padlock and hasp near the top of the door. I put my ear to the thick wood--there was a noise, and then another. Muted voices on the other side?

  It was a crazy thing to do, but I knocked on the door and said softy, “Darla?”

  Silence met my question.

  I tried again, this time louder. “Darla, are you in there? It’s Colina.”

  I waited a few seconds and then turned and started to walk away when I heard the tap. It was coming from the other side of the door.

  “Darla? Is that you?”

  Two taps this time.

  It was her, I was sure of it. Darla was on the other side of the door. I rattled the door handle in frustration. “Darla, hang in there. The doors locked. I have to try and find something to get it open. Your brother’s here. Freddy’s here. We’re going to get you out.”