Page 64 of Haunted Spurs

"Hey," she says, waving a massive, razor-sharp chef's knife. "We figured we should look for... a knife."

"Okay... have you seen the others?"

Levi's voice is low, controlled. He looks around, scanning our faces. He's clearly putting together a plan.

We all shake our heads, exchanging tension-filled glances.

"It was a ghost town upstairs when we came down," I reply, gripping the baseball bat tight in my fist, using my other hand to make sure Selene is glued to my side.

"Dammit, guys... we're a lost cause."

The drawling voice belongs to Cole. I recognize him by the sliver of black ink peeking out on his chest, a detail I've learned sets him apart from his twin. He drags a hand down his face, shaking his head. "We are literally doing everything you're not supposed to do in a horror movie."

Carolina arches an eyebrow, gesturing dangerously with the massive chef's knife. "What's wrong, gorgeous? Enlighten us."

Cole leans against the counter. "I can list them all for you: we played Truth or Dare. We woke up a spirit. We split up and had shower sex."

"Wait a second..." Cade's eyes go wide, his gaze darting from his brother to Carolina. "You had shower sex?"

"Not talking about me, idiot," Cole huffs, rolling his eyes. "But Dustin and Sierra were obviously going at it."

"Well, yeah. I can fully confirm that," I chime in on the absurd discussion, because somehow Cole's surreal logic is the only thing keeping us from spiraling into a full-blown panic. "We didn't hear anything else from our bedroom wall all night."

Selene gives me a sharp elbow right in the ribs, a silent command to shut the hell up. But when I look down at her, I notice an unmistakable ghost of a smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

Indya sighs heavily, rubbing her temples, and snaps us all back to reality. "Okay, the cinematic breakdown is great, but... what do we do now?"

Silence falls again.

"W-we're getting ready to attack him, and that's fine... but what if we tried to leave the house?" Lizzie whispers. Josh throws an arm around her shoulders, pulling her against his chest.

"That sounds like an excellent idea," Emma declares, nodding vigorously. "Let's get out of here and look for help on the main road."

"The others are still in here somewhere," Levi corrects her, his jaw set in a hard line. "We can't leave them in here with that psycho."

Suddenly, Ollie starts moving frantically.

The click-clack of his nails against the kitchen tiles scrapes against the silence. He drops his snout to the floor, sniffing convulsively, and pulls forward, nearly throwing Selene off balance as she grips the leash.

I put a hand over hers to help hold the harness back.

"Hey, easy, buddy... what are you doing?" I whisper to him.

Ollie ignores me. He pulls frantically toward a small, painted wooden door shut at the back of the kitchen. It looks like a closet or pantry door.

"No, buddy. Stay."

Ollie doesn't give up, drawn by whatever is in there.

I bend down, slide one arm under Ollie's belly and the other under his chest, and hoist his eighty-plus pounds clean off the floor.

Then, we hear it.

A dull thud, followed by rapid footsteps echoing from the main living room.

We all bolt out of the kitchen together, weapons raised and ready to strike.

From the darkness of the entryway, four figures emerge, running full tilt. It's Sam, Katherine, Emerson, and Susan.