Page 47 of A Haunting at Keystone Manor

I’m shaking, thoughts running a mile a second trying to figure out a way to slow this down. I need to buy time. I need to get that knife. Just then an idea strikes me. God, I hope this works. I slowly sit up on my knees, looking up at him through my lashes. It takes everything in me to keep the disgust I feel from showing on my face. That look has gotten me out of trouble with him more than once. He places a hand on my head and runs his fingers through my hair.

“Beautiful. This doesn’t have to be so difficult. Just do as I say.” Keeping a hand on my head, he uses the other to lower the zipper on his pants. Focus, focus, focus. I’ve done this a hundred times. “Take me out, pet.” Steeling myself, I take him out of his pants. He tilts his head back and groans. Just as he closes his eyes and tugs my head forward, I grab hold of his testicles and twist with everything I’ve got.

He howls in pain and shoves me away from him. I don’t even think as I run to the table and grab the shucking knife. Just as I get a hold on it, he crashes into me from behind, sending the table toppling and crashing us to the floor. The shock of his weight on me distracts me long enough for him to throw a leg over my body, pinning me to the ground. I thank my lucky stars that I didn’t lose my grip on the knife. His weight presses me painfully into the floor, and I can’t get the right angle to stab at him, but I hold onto the knife like a lifeline, knuckles white. Overy my dead body will he get this knife from me. He pins my hand to the floor, puts his lips next to my ear and whispers, “Just remember that we could have done this the easy way. By the time I’m through with you, you’ll be begging to simply suck my cock.” I shiver in revulsion as his lips find my neck. This is a position I’ve been in countless times. No more.

He reaches under me to pop open the button of my jeans, taking just enough of his weight off my back that I have room to lean forward and bite into the hand pinning me down. I sink my teeth into his flesh and hold on for all I’m worth, tasting his blood in my mouth. He roars in outrage and sits up on his knees, giving me the space I need to roll over and swing the knife up, the blade catching him in the side right between his ribs. I twist the knife and angle up, then pull it out and stab him three more times in quick succession. Andrei topples to the side in shock and I slide out from under him, getting to my feet and running for the door.

Chapter twenty-nine

Search Party

Alex

Jake is missing. I’ve searched this hotel top to bottom, and he’s nowhere to be found. With Seth unaccounted for as well, I’m really starting to freak out. Think, think, think, where could they be? This property sits on twenty acres of land, that’s a lot of ground to cover and I’m not familiar with all of it.

Brandon is outside with the delivery guy, unloading the last few plants. I run up to him, frantic. “Brandon! I need your help finding Jake. He’s not here, do you have any ideas? What if he was kidnapped? Oh my god, do we have security cameras out here? Can ghosts show up on cameras?” I’m trying to calm my racing thoughts but clearly failing by the look the delivery guy is giving me. He pulls out an invoice, saying, “Uh, if you could please sign this.” He holds it out to Brandon who quickly scribbles his signature.

“Thanks so much, bro,” he says and the delivery driver hops back into his truck with a wave.

Brandon turns to me. “Sorry little dude, can you run that by me again? Slowly?”

I huff but try to do as he says. “Jake is not here. Do we have working security cameras that might have captured what happened? Last time I saw him was earlier today, working in the garden.”

“Yeah, we can pull up the footage. We have working cameras covering every inch of this place. If someone took him, we’ll find the footage.” He slaps a hand on my shoulder. “I’m worried too, but we’ll find him, okay?”

“Thanks, Brandon.” We head inside and he pulls up the recordings on his computer. I realize he has footage of the inside of the hotel as well. I make a mental note to go through it later and look for any creepy footage I could put on the website. That would be great for building our credibility as a haunted manor. But I push that thought aside for now.

“Right here, little dude.” We watch as someone pulls up in what appears to be a golf cart with the Keystone logo. “I didn’t know we had one of those, right on.” Brandon interjects. I look closer at the footage. Unfortunately, it’s a little grainy so it’s hard to make out who this is at first.

I realize quickly that I’m looking at Andrei as he walks up behind Jake and startles him. Puts his hands on him and finally hits him over the head to knock him out. Andrei catches Jake and with little effort throws his body over the back seat before driving off.

“That motherfucker, did you see that? He took Jake. Okay, where could he have gone? He’s a ghost, right? Surely he doesn’t have enough energy to drive that golf cart too far. I doubt he could leave the property. So, where do we look first? This place is huge!” I grab a fistful of my hair and tug, trying to think of something, anything.

“Should we call the police?” I ask.

Brandon shakes his head. “You guys are all dead. How would that look to the police if you showed up on security footage? We can’t get the police involved in this, little bro.”

“What about the shed on the edge of the property? That could be where the golf cart came from. We could check there first. Are there any maps of this place? I know there's a warehouse next to it, but if there are any other buildings I haven't seen them.”

He shakes his head.

Fuck. "Okay, grab your keys. Let’s go check out the shed first.” Brandon jumps up and we hurry out the door. Hold on, Jake. I’m coming for you. If he’s not there, we’re screwed.

The drive to the shed takes forever. The road up the property is gravel, and the terrain uneven. And it’s just so fucking far. Brandon is driving as fast as he reasonably can, and we’re bouncing around the cabin of his shitty little SUV. One particularly deep pothole sends me flying upward, head connecting with the roof. “Ow! I’m going to dematerialize until we get there. You’re a menace!” I yell.

Brandon looks over at me, “Sorry dude! Hold on to your butt, we’re almost there.” I see the shed coming into view, but I don’t see a golf cart. Before Brandon can put the SUV in park, I have the door open and I jump out, running for the shed door. “Please be in here, Jake!” I beg no one in particular.

I swing the door open and look around the cramped space. Old tools line the walls, and cobwebs hang from the ceiling. Gross. A muffled cry makes me jump, and that’s when I see a body in the corner of the shed. Black hair and that stupid fucking silk robe that I've never been happier to see.

“Seth! Oh my god, you’re alive!” I run over and crouch in front of him. His hands are tied behind his back, and there is duct tape over his mouth. He looks up at me, tears in his eyes as I rip the tape off his mouth.

“Oh, thank god. Get me out of here before he comes back!” he says, sucking in a lungful of air. He tries to get up but can't with his hands secured behind his back.

“Here, turn around, let me free your hands,” I instruct. He turns and I look around for something sharp. Finding a small knife, I cut the rope, grabbing one of his hands in the process. He cries out, and I flinch.

“What’s wrong? Did I cut you?” I really hope I didn’t hurt him.

Voice shaky, he replies. “No, he broke my left hand. He wanted information about Jake, but I didn’t want to give it to him. You have to believe me, I swear I didn’t mean to!” He’s crying again now, and I grab his face and force him to look in my eyes.