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CHAPTER5
ELIJAH
I spinto face the sound as the screaming increases in volume. I step into the hall as more voices join the choir of terror. I look at Penelope’s face and see her eyes are hollowed out. Her jaw falls open though no sound comes out. Instead, she stands there, swaying, wobbly on her own legs, staring in the direction of the screams.
“Hey, Penelope, listen to me. You’re okay. I’m right here.” I drape an arm around her neck and use the other hand to free my gun from my hip. “I want you to stay here. Lock yourself in the room.”
“No, it’s… It’s coming from the lobby,” she whispers, pointing a hand down the dimly lit hallway. “Should we call the police?”
I tilt my head and stare at her. “You really must be out of your mind babe. We’re all here already. Whoever is down there picked the wrong day to cause problems. Stay here, I’ll be right back up.”
A forced smile pulls at the corner of her mouth. “Right, it might just be people frightened by the power outage. But either way, I have to go check it out. That’s a part of my job. It’s not as scary as I’m making it sound in my head. It’s just that I’ve been through some things and now I can’t always trust my own judgment. But I can do this, I know I can.” Her face flushes red and she tucks her hair behind her ears.
My chest fills with fury at whatever Conrad put her through. I feel the anger bubble and build inside of me until I can hardly stand it. I take her hand in mine. “Fine, if you insist on coming down, stay behind me. You’re safe with me. I’ll always take care of you, I need you to know that. Now come on, let’s go.”
As much as I want to believe the screams are simply a result of the power going out, it doesn’t add up. The screaming didn’t start until several seconds after, and even if people were initially startled, no way would they keep screaming. No. There has to be another reason and I’m sure Penelope is smart enough to have put that together too. My chest tightens.
We make our way down the hallway. I keep her body tucked slightly behind mine. I wish she’d just let me handle this. But I’ve known her long enough to understand that as scared as she might be, there’s no way she’s stepping back. As untimely as it is, I’m happy to see the fight in her return.
We walk toward the lobby for what feels like an eternity. Our feet creep gingerly along the floor and I’m careful not to make a sound. My hands are on my gun and I curse myself again for not having my flashlight and other gear on me. I’m trained to handle every level of emergency and disaster. I know how to keep myself steady. But adding such a fragile heart as Penelope’s into the mix is pushing me to my limits.
As we creep around the hallway’s corner, I make out several shadowy figures crouched behind the lobby’s desk. A couple of them are in uniform, some of the lodge’s staff, but the rest are in civilian clothes.
The question is, what is it they’re all hiding from back there?
My throat runs dry and a heightened sense of awareness takes over. One of the uniformed women looks at me, her wide eyes gleaming in the faint emergency lighting. She presses her finger to her lips, motioning for us to keep quiet. I look over and see Penelope is seeing the same thing, her body stiff as a board next to mine.
“Why do you think they’re all hiding like that?” Her voice is faint but I can hear her fear in each shaky word.
“Shh, just stay behind me.”
My eyes sweep the room until I spot Sheriff. He’s crouched low with his gun drawn. A group of people huddle behind him. When we make eye contact in the darkness, he uses his head to motion toward the front door.
I stretch to follow his gaze. It’s all darkness and fear until my eyes fixate on the one undeniable out-of-place piece of the puzzle. Cold sweat beads on my forehead. I glance over my should and find Penelope's gaze following mine in my peripherals. She sees it too.
Golden eyes lurch in a dark corner of the lobby, gleaming menacingly in our direction.
