Dark Dreams
Page 15
The creature that landed on Slade reminded me of a gargoyle, with its greenish-black scales and rubber-like wings. It was like something out of a horror movie. I began to wonder if this was all a dream.
“Oh, my God,” gasped Susan, covering her mouth in horror.
Just when I thought the madness couldn’t get any crazier, Liam turned into a massive wolf and sprang at the reptile trying to attack Slade.
“Let’s go!” screamed Melody, grabbing my hand and pulling me toward the doorway.
Terrified, I obeyed. We grabbed Susan and then scrambled away from Faye’s office, down the hallway, and back to the main area of the club.
The music was as loud as ever, and everyone seemed oblivious to the horrors taking place on the top floor of Club Nightshade. Frightened beyond belief, we hurried down the staircase, toward the exit when our bartender from earlier stepped directly into our path
Are you girls okay?” he asked, looking concerned.
“Brian…. Oh, my God,” said Susan, shaking her head vehemently. “There are monsters upstairs. We’re leaving. Now.”
His eyebrows shot up. “What?”
“Just like she said,” I answered. “Vampires, werewolves, and gargoyles. We’re so out of here.”
He stared at us in amusement. “Let me guess, too many Cosmopolitans?”
“No,” I snapped. “Look, we’re not making this up. Go look for yourself if you don’t believe us.”
“Calm down,” he said, placing a hand on my shoulder. “You’re going to scare the other customers.”
“They should be,” I answered, as four security guys raced across the bar and headed toward the staircase.
“Let’s just get out of here,” said Susan, watching them go up quickly, “before the monsters start searching for us.”
“I agree,” I said.
As we attempted to walk around Brian, he grabbed my arm. “What’s your hurry? Why don’t you follow me to a quiet place and we can all talk about this?”
“Brian, seriously, you have to call the police,” said Susan. “We’re not drunk and there is some scary shit going on upstairs. No lie.”
He sighed. “Fine. Let’s just find a safe place and we’ll call the police.”
Susan shook her head. “No. You call the police, but we’re out of here. There’s no way in hell that I’m staying in this place any longer.”
His eyes hardened. “No, you’re not going anywhere. Now, follow me.”
“Excuse me?” I snapped, pulling away from him. “You can’t tell us what to do.”
Before he could respond, another security guard approached. “Brian, Faye wants you upstairs. Go, now.”
Without another word, Brian quickly obeyed and took off toward the stairs.
Releasing a ragged sigh, I followed Susan and Melody down the hallway by the entrance until we reached the exit. Once outside, we bolted to my car. Susan sat next to me and Melody got into the back.
“What do we do?” I asked as we locked ourselves inside.
“I’ll call the police,” said Susan, pulling out her phone.
“Hurry, get us out of here,” begged Melody, hunching down into the back seat. “I just want to go home.”
“I’m so glad you’re safe,” I said as we pulled out of the parking lot. “Everyone’s been worried about you.”
“Me too,” she replied, rubbing a hand over her face.
“What happened?” I asked, looking back at her in the rearview mirror.
“I’m not so sure anymore,” she said, leaning her head against the back of the seat. She closed her eyes. “I just remember bits and pieces of last night. Watching the band, the party, meeting Slade. I don’t know… I almost feel like I’ve been drugged.”
I frowned. “I wonder if someone slipped something into your drink.”
“Maybe,” she replied. “Maybe it was Slade. We left the after-party last night. Together.”
“Yes, I’d like to report a… violent crime,” said Susan, into the phone. “At Club Nightshade.”
I grunted. A violent crime? Well, that was even putting it mildly.
She glanced at me and shrugged.
“Oh, hi Sheriff,” she said, biting her nail. “You want us to come down to the station?” She looked at me.
I nodded.
“Sure. We’re on our way.”
After she hung up, Melody swore. “I can’t see the sheriff. I’m going to get into so much trouble. The cops are going to know that I had a fake I.D.”
“Us too,” I replied. “But I think when they find out what’s happening at the club, they might be a little more lenient.”
She snorted. “Right. Can you just drop me off at home and forget that you saw me there?”
“Melody,” I snapped, staring back at her in disbelief. “We were at the club trying to find you. We probably just saved your life and you’re worried about getting busted because of the I.D.?”
She didn’t say anything.
“People were being murdered right in front of us,” said Susan, turning back to look at her. “Once they start investigating everything, the cops are going to find out that you were there anyway. I’m sorry, but they need to know everything and I’m not lying.”
Melody groaned. “Yeah, I suppose you’re right.”
“I still can’t believe it,” I said, turning past Ruth’s Diner. “The guys from ‘Venom’ are vampires and werewolves? Seriously?”
“I guess so,” said Susan. “We all saw what was happening.”
“Do you honestly think anyone will believe us?” asked Melody.
“They have to,” I replied. “I just wish I would have taken a picture with my phone.”
“There was no time,” said Susan. “I mean, it wasn’t as if we were prepared for any of that.”
There was a loud thud on the roof of the car and we all screamed in shock.
“What was that?!” cried Susan, moving closer to me as she stared out the side of her window. As if someone was going to break it and try grabbing her.
Shaken, I pulled over to the side of the road. “I don’t know. Maybe a bird? I hope…”
“No fucking way,” whispered Susan in horror as the gargoyle from Club Nightshade, leaped from the top of my car to the pavement in front of us. It opened its mouth and let out a monstrous roar.
Terrified, I threw the car in reverse, and punched it. The tires squealed in protest as we raced backwards.
“Watch out! There’s something behind us!” screamed Melody, staring back out the window.
Before I could blink, we slammed into whatever it was and there was a loud thud under the tires.
“OhmyGod!” screeched Melody, as we rolled over whatever it was that we hit.
I slammed my foot on the brake and the car came to a quick halt.
“What did we just hit?” asked Susan, her voice shaky. “What the hell was it?”
Trembling, I looked at her. “Maybe it was that thing. It could have flown around and came at us from the back.”
“Then who cares if we hit it,” said Melody. “We just need to get the hell out of here.”
I caught a movement in the corner of my eye and Melody screamed as Susan’s door was ripped away from its hinges.
“Susan!” I cried as the winged monster dragged her out of the car, kicking and screaming.
“Help me!” she shrieked, trying to get out of the beast’s grasp.
Crying, I jumped out of the car and raced toward them. “Leave her go, you freak!” I screamed, beating on the gargoyle’s head with my fists. The scales made my skin bleed, but I ignored it, along with the pain, and kept punching.
“Chelsey!” screamed Susan, still frantically trying to get out of the gargoyle’s grasp. “Help me!”
The monster screeched angrily and then backhanded me. I flew backwards and my head hit the pavement, the pain overwhelming, but all I could think about was saving Susan. I scrambled back up and then cried out in horror as the beast leap
ed into the sky, carrying her like a rag doll into the darkness.
I closed my eyes and fainted.
Chapter Fifteen
Chelsey