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“I’ve got to get the police here,” Leo breathes out, still reeling from the entire incident. Lucien and he move forward, securing cuffs around the unconscious man’s wrists before dragging him outside. Even if he didn’t kill today, I have a feeling there’s more to be found when they search his place.
This has been happening for too long. He’ll go away for life.
Dragging a full-grown man through a narrow tunnel doesn’t look easy but the guys manage to get him outside and dump him unceremoniously on the ground. The sheriff goes to his car, calling for backup.
Part of me is terrified they’ll try and pin his death on us. He’s a local and we’re not. But with the sheriff on our side, the bruising on Raven, and the gas likely still in our system, hopefully, we’d be in the clear.
The next several hours are a whirlwind of police statements, the tunnels being searched, and us being swept away to the ER.
It’s not my favorite place to be, not after last time and not with this gift. Too much pain and grief in the air, it makes my head swim even more.
When we get the all-clear and they find nothing in our blood tests, we’re discharged. Raven has a few bandages but otherwise, we’re more traumatized than hurt.
The evening could have gone much differently.
Leo is waiting outside for us when we leave and he tips his hat in greeting. “Glad to see you all in one piece.”
“Did you find anything?” Raven asks, ignoring the statement.
“Hop in, I’ll take you home and we can discuss it,” he says, somewhat uncomfortable. This can’t be good news then.
We climb in, what other choice do we have?
“Are we in trouble?” Eli asks bluntly. The sheriff chuckles and shakes his head.
“No. You’re clear. We’ve found evidence of them breaking in and stalking, it seems they liked to capture the footage. He was watching you sleep, eat...anything there on that farm.”
The silence that follows is deafening.
“Excuse me?” Lucien manages to choke out. “He just waltzed past our cameras?”
“Apparently. Or did it before,” Leo explains. He didn’t do anything to you in the footage, but it gets worse. He had a shrine to Pandora and his other victims. You all were next.”
“What?” Raven gasps. “Like, creepy clippings and pictures and stuff?”
“And hair, pictures of them after death and during torture. It was gruesome stuff,” he admits. “I’ll have nightmares. And seeing her on that wall…” A genuine sob escapes and I reach over, placing a hand on his shoulder.
“I’m so sorry, Leo,” I whisper. What else can we say? We’re still reeling from finding out we were likely hours from being another trophy. Earl, Reese, and Daniel would have happily tortured and maimed us all in the name of sick fun.
“I’m going to throw up.” The words barely leave my mouth before he kicks on the sirens and pulls over to the side of the road with screeching tires. I throw open the door before collapsing on the grass on all fours.
Each heave has horrifying thoughts exploding in my mind. I’d have had to watch them hurt her. Cut each one of us into pieces for their own enjoyment. All the while, Earl put on a show for the town as the eccentric hunter and business owner.
And Marx was part of it. Poor Pandora endured it and is still stuck there.
We have to eradicate this demon.
“Jayce?” Raven asks as her hand rubs down my back.
“Cemetery. Where is Daniel buried?”
“We don’t even know who Daniel is,” she protests.
“I do,” Leo admits. “Earl had a brother. He was even stranger. No one questioned when he passed and only two people went to his funeral outside the preacher.”
“Where is he buried?” I demand as I stand on shaky legs, swiping a hand across my mouth and wishing I had mouthwash.
“There’s a small cemetery in town,” he says cautiously. “Why?”
