[Mystic Caravan Mystery 04.0] Freaky Games

by Amanda M. Lee

  “Good.” Kade slipped his arm around my shoulders so he could tug me closer and kiss my forehead. “I’m not angry about you singing me to sleep, but I kind of wanted to be there for you when you were so upset.”

  “And I knew I needed time to decompress and work things out,” I offered. “I didn’t want you to go without sleep, because I’m an emotional mess.”

  “You’re hardly a mess. You have a right to be upset.” Kade heaved out a sigh as he glanced toward the window. “The sun will rise in an hour. What do you say about letting me buy you breakfast? We’ll discuss the Luke thing and come up with a plan, and then we’ll tackle the day from there. How does that sound?”

  I flashed a legitimate smile. “That sounds like the best offer I’ve had all day.”

  “The day is just beginning.”

  “That doesn’t mean it’s not the best offer I’ll get over the next twenty-four hours.”

  Kade chuckled as he leaned over to kiss me, sinking into the exchange until a scream from outside caused us to jerk in the direction of the desert. I hopped to my feet and barreled into the bedroom, peering through the window as Kade followed.

  “What do you see?”

  “It’s still too dark to see anything,” I replied, tearing toward the front of the trailer. “I have to go out there.”

  “You’re not going alone,” Kade said. “If this is another dust storm, trust me, you’ll want me with you.”

  I had a feeling he was right. “Okay. I … .”

  A second scream filled the air and my blood cooled when I realized who made the sound. “That’s Nixie!”

  Kade’s shoulders snapped to attention. “Then let’s go get her right now.”

  16

  Sixteen

  The wind slapped me in the face when I hit the steps, which I took two at a time. I didn’t bother putting on shoes – a mistake in hindsight – and when I glanced over my shoulder I found Kade tugging on a shirt as he followed. I guess he didn’t want to save the day shirtless. That was a pity.

  “Nixie!”

  I tilted my head to the side, my hair whipping in every direction. The dust storm was almost here, yet only the wind impeded me at present. Things would get worse when the dust hit, and while I couldn’t see it I could sense it. The storm was close.

  “Where?” Kade asked, appearing at my side.

  “I … don’t know.” I pressed my eyes shut, unfurling the feelers in my mind in a bevy of directions. I expected to find Nixie on the other side of my trailer – that was where I saw the creature the first night, and where I found the wandering woman as well – but when my mind overlapped with Nixie’s it was in the center of the circus setup.

  “She’s there.” I pointed, my stomach tilting.

  Kade stared in the opposite direction and his eyebrows flew up his forehead when he let his gaze follow my finger. “Are you sure?”

  I gave him a dirty look. “What do you think?”

  “Let’s go.” Kade ushered me forward with shooing hands. “You lead the way.”

  “That should always be how we operate,” I muttered.

  “I heard that.”

  “I wasn’t whispering.”

  Kade kept close, one hand on my hip as he followed. The storm would come from the other direction, essentially cutting us off from my trailer. The good news was we had tents to take refuge in if needed. The feeling building in my chest told me it would be necessary.

  I let my mind act as shepherd and herd us in the right direction, sliding around the corner of Nixie and Naida’s tent – where they peddled their voodoo dolls (which were really shrunken humans, but only of the evil variety) and other kitschy trinkets – and pulled up short when I saw Nixie standing in the middle of the pathway crossing.

  She was alone, her turquoise head thrown back as she stared at the sky and extended her hands, as if she was trying to call a truckload of magic and bring it to bear against an enemy only she could see.

  “Nixie?”

  She didn’t answer, instead screaming again. I furtively scanned the area, confused. I couldn’t see an enemy, or feel one, for that matter. Nixie looked to be well and truly alone.

  I stalked closer, grabbing her elbow and whipping her thin body around so she had no choice but to meet my curious gaze. “What are you doing?”

  Nixie registered surprise when she saw she wasn’t alone. “What are you doing?”

  “Following the sounds of screams.”

  “Oh … who is screaming?”

  “You are, you idiot,” I barked, annoyance getting the better of me. The colored flags attached to Nixie’s tent – fabric instead of plastic because they were cuter, of course – started flapping incessantly, indicating the storm was growing close. “What are you doing?”

  Nixie blinked several times in rapid succession. “Don’t you hear that?”

  “Hear what?”

  Nixie dug her finger in her ear, as if trying to clear a high-pressure blockage. “That. That! Don’t you hear that?”

  I shifted my eyes to Kade, dumbfounded. “Do you hear something?”

  “No.” Kade took a step away from me, peering into the murky gloom that resulted from night turning into day. It wasn’t exactly dark. It wasn’t light either. “There’s nothing here. She’s flipped her lid or something.”

  “I have not flipped my lid.” Nixie was understandably offended. “I hear it. It’s here.”

  She was so serious, her eyes flashed with fury and worry, I couldn’t help but believe her. “Where?”

  “I don’t know.” Nixie was frustrated. “I feel it. It’s close. It’s here.”

  The fact that she echoed the woman from the previous storm set my teeth on edge, and I couldn’t shake the feeling of eerie doom closing over me. “Nixie … what do you hear?”

  “It’s screaming.” Nixie’s voice was ominous.

  I peered at her profile, licking my lips. “Like you were screaming?”

  “I wasn’t screaming. I was … trying to communicate.”

  “Oh, well, good job,” Kade deadpanned. “You communicated the crap out of us.”

  I ignored his worry and kept my eyes focused on the hyper-vigilant pixie. “Nixie, I need to know where it’s at if I’m going to fight it.”

  Nixie finally snapped her eyes to me, her expression unreadable. “You can’t fight it.”

  “We can fight anything,” I countered. “You know that.”

  “You don’t understand,” Nixie argued. “The thing that’s here isn’t … here. It’s straddling two worlds.”

  I had no idea what that meant. “Is it a figment?”

  “Maybe.”

  “How do you know it’s straddling two worlds if you don’t know what it is?” I challenged, my heart pounding.

  “Because I saw inside of it,” Nixie replied. “I don’t understand what it is, but I know what it isn’t. It’s not of this world.”

  “Can you see this because you’re not of this world either?” Kade asked, his eyes sharp as they scanned the night for hidden threats.

  “No, you don’t understand!” Nixie rarely melted down, but she was close now. “It’s not like me. It’s not like you either.”

  “Then what is it like?”

  “It doesn’t matter,” Nixie said, a lone tear sliding down her cheek as she stared at a spot over my right shoulder, causing me to dart a glance and find nothing filling the space behind me. “It’s here … and it wants to show you.”

  “What does that mean?” Kade asked, instantly alert. He was a good thirty feet away now, peering between tents in an effort to discover whatever danger was about to strike. “What does it want to show us?”

  “Not you,” Nixie replied, her expression downtrodden. “It wants to show Poet.”

  “What?” I asked, my stomach twisting. “What does it want to show me?”

  “I … .” Nixie didn’t have a chance to finish because the storm finally hit, the force of the wind shifting her to the side. Kad
e instinctively moved in her direction, catching her around the waist to make sure she didn’t fall.

  That’s when I felt it, a cold presence moving in at my left even as the hot wind and sand pelted me from behind. I turned slowly, my torso stiff, my movements deliberate, and came face to face with the red eyes.

  “Poet, look out!” Luke’s voice echoed from a great distance and I had time to register his presence … and briefly wonder where he came from. Then I was officially out of time.

  The entity grabbed me, swirling wind hands wrapping around my arms and roughly shoving me. My body tilted toward the hard ground and I fell, my arms flailing to stop whatever was about to happen. It was fruitless, and I continued to fall.

  “Poet!” Kade and Luke screamed in unison, but I couldn’t spare them a glance.

  I expected to hit the ground, perhaps even bounce on the packed earth as the sand pelted me and Armageddon unleashed. Instead I fell through the earth’s crust and didn’t stop until I reached the past.

  “WHERE AM I?”

  I asked the question the second I hit the ground, paying little heed to my dank surroundings and the fact that the sand pelting me only seconds before was gone. I rubbed my shoulder, the idea that I should be hurt propelling me even though I felt no pain.

  Listen.

  I froze when the voice echoed in my head, keeping my shoulders squared as I turned and stared into the vast nothingness to my left. I was sure that’s where the voice originated from, but there was nothing there. I was also sure I heard it with my mind, but I got the distinct impression that the area to my left housed something I’d never seen before … and I was hoping it wasn’t huge spiders or anything. That would really suck. I’m not afraid of bugs in general – I’m not a big fan of them either, don’t get me wrong – but the notion of huge spiders stalking me was enough to make me want to curl into a ball and remain there until I woke up from this horrible dream.

  “Where … ?”

  Shh.

  I wanted to smack the voice. Because I had no idea who was supplying it, that didn’t seem like an option. “Fine,” I grumbled, cocking my head to the side and looking to my right. “I’m supposed to be having a romantic breakfast with my boyfriend, just for the record. I hope you realize you’re ruining my morning. I had a really long night and I was looking forward to that breakfast. I earned it … and so did he.”

  Listen.

  “Yeah, yeah.”

  I scratched the side of my nose as I peered into the blackness. After a few seconds, I made out several dim outlines and realized I wasn’t alone. The notion should’ve filled me with fear, yet I instinctively knew I wasn’t in any danger. The second that one of the men at the far end of the small chamber struck a match and lit his lantern I instinctively understood that I was perfectly fine because I wasn’t really here.

  I could see the light. I could hear the men. I couldn’t smell the smoke. I couldn’t feel the cold pervading the chamber. We were underground – at least they were – and the chamber should’ve been cold. It wasn’t, and that’s how I knew this was happening inside my head.

  “I guess I should’ve asked ‘When am I,’” I grumbled, curiosity forcing me to look over the huddling men sharing the cramped quarters. Their clothes were dated, most ragged and torn, and the fear reflected in their eyes was enough to rip out my heart. “This is the Gorgon Mine disaster, isn’t it?”

  Listen.

  “Good grief. You’re like a broken record. You’d better take me back the second I’m done listening because I don’t think Kade and Luke will find this funny.” My heart pinged when I thought of Kade and Luke. I knew they’d panic. They wouldn’t be able to help themselves. Was my body still there? Was I unconscious? Heck, was I dead? I didn’t feel dead, but that didn’t mean the creature didn’t kill me. “Am I dead?”

  Listen!

  This time there was no mistaking the creature’s tone for anything other than furious. “I’m taking a lot on faith here … but fine.” Despite my worry about Kade and Luke’s mental health, I focused on the men, crossing my arms over my chest and darting the occasional look to my left. Something was there … I was sure of it. I could feel it … watching. I could almost hear it scenting the air, although I was positive I was imagining that. Even though I felt a presence, I could see nothing.

  “What do you think is happening up there?” One of the men, a blond with dirty cheeks and brown eyes asked as he flicked his eyes to the sky. “Do you think they’re getting the rescue team in place?”

  “Of course they are, Fred.” A second man, this one sporting a bald head and handlebar mustache – two things that seemed surreal and out of place given the circumstances – patted the blond man on the shoulder. “They’re probably talking about whether or not the best way to conduct a rescue is to open the top or dig a parallel shaft. Those things take time. You know that better than anyone. We have to be patient.”

  Fred didn’t look convinced. “We’ve been down here for hours and haven’t heard a thing.”

  “That’s because the sound is muted by all of the earth that fell between us and them,” the bald man explained. “They’re coming for us. Don’t doubt that.”

  A third man, this one with black hair and eyes so dark they almost disappeared in the shadows, shifted. “I doubt exactly that,” he said, his voice distinct and weary. “They’re not going to come for us.”

  “Shut up, Stan.” I couldn’t make out who admonished the man, but the voice came from a spot over the bald man’s left shoulder. “You don’t know that.”

  “I do know that,” Stan countered, rubbing his cheek. “I saw the emergency rescue plan they have to file with the mining board in the main office when I was there to fill out some paperwork the other day. The ‘smarter’ plan is to only dig beneath the surface if they have irrefutable proof there are survivors. They don’t have that. They’re not coming after us. They’re not going to save us.”

  “That’s ridiculous!” The bald man shifted his tall frame to face off with Stan. “They’re not just going to leave us down here to die. Our families will make a huge stink if they try.”

  “Rodney, you’re missing the point,” Stan shot back. “Our families have no idea we’re still alive. Partlow will simply tell them we died in the initial cave-in. He doesn’t have to spend the money and resources to look for us because … well … they’ll never know the difference.”

  “But … no.” One of the men on the far side of the chamber spoke. I couldn’t see his face but I could hear the fear in this voice. “Even a man like Partlow – that snake in the grass – wouldn’t leave us to die down here.”

  “Snake in the grass is exactly right,” Stan said. “Trust me. As far as Partlow is concerned, we’re already dead. We lost at least fifteen men in the initial collapse. By the time they’re done telling the story, that’s how we’ll have all died.”

  “Then what do we do?” another man asked. “If they’re not coming for us, we have to find a way out on our own. That’s our only shot.”

  Stan snorted. “With no equipment? How are we supposed to do that? We can’t magically open a door to let ourselves out. We’re in a hole in the ground. There’s no door to kick open to offer us escape. We’re … done.”

  I tugged on my bottom lip as I listened to the conversation. Even though I felt as if I should be visible to them – they were solid and close enough for me to touch, after all – no one so much as looked in my direction. That further proved I wasn’t really there, instead listening to a conversation that happened more than a hundred years ago.

  “This was before they died.” I knew whispering was unnecessary, but did it all the same. “Some of the stories I read online said they lived for days, that screams were heard days after the initial collapse. I also read that some of the men killed each other. This seems tense, but things obviously haven’t deteriorated to that point yet.”

  Listen.

  “I can talk and listen at the same time.”
r />   Watch.

  “Watch what?”

  As if on cue, a breeze rustled my hair, causing it to flutter forward. I stared down, sucking in a breath when I realized it wasn’t a breeze. It was breath. It was a lot of breath. It was hot breath with a touch of moisture and a raspy quality that made my insides shudder. The breath was coming from behind me. Which meant … .

  I pressed my eyes shut and turned, expecting to find some wild hell beast staring me down. I couldn’t see what was there, but I could feel the hot breath on my face and I wanted to find a hole – a different hole, of course – to hide in.

  “What’s that?”

  Watch.

  “Did you hear that?” Stan rolled to his knees and stared in my direction, squinting as if trying to make something out in the dark.

  “What?” Rodney asked, his cheeks glistening with sweat.

  “There’s something down there.”

  “Where?”

  “I … don’t know,” Stan gritted out, planting his feet on the ground and readying himself to move. “I’m not kidding. There’s definitely something down there.”

  “You’re imagining things,” Fred barked out. “You’re trying to frighten us.”

  “And why would I do that?” Stan’s anger came out to play. “What could I possibly gain from that?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe you’re trying to keep us from getting bored.”

  “Yes, well, that sounds like a great idea,” Stan gritted out. “Listen, you idiot, there’s something down here. I heard it. More importantly, I feel it in my bones. In fact … .”

  Stan didn’t get to finish. Instead, a wispy hand emerged out of the darkness and grabbed his arm. Stan screamed, slapping away at the hand. It did no good, and whatever was down there had enough strength to yank Stan away from his friends even though the man put up an impressive fight.

  The rest of the men were on their feet, everyone talking at once. The panic was overwhelming, yet no one moved to follow Stan into the darkness. No one so much as shifted a muscle to help him. It was probably too late, I rationalized. They couldn’t have saved him anyway. Still, the pressure in my chest increased.