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Then everything starts weaving and swirling around me and I find myself in a vast, shadowy hall with a bearskin rug stretched before a flickering fireplace. The room appears to be empty, the ceilings so high my neck hurts trying to look up. In the far distance, I can see a trio of arched doors that I presume lead to other parts of the building.
For a few heartbeats, I gaze up at the enormous sloped windows, their glass blacked out so it’s impossible to tell whether it’s night or day. I don’t like this room; it feels warm and grand yet somehow curiously devoid of life. All around … silence. An icy, dead silence broken only by the spit and crackle from the fireplace.
Cautiously, I cross the hall and head toward the first of the large, heavily engraved doors. It’s locked, so I try the second. Still no joy, so I try the third. This time, I’m in luck.
Pushing open the door, I enter a small, white room. In the centre sits a bigstone platform surrounded by candles with a picture of the Virgin Mary at the head. A black-velvet shroud covers the entire surface, and for some reason, the sight of it fills me with dread. I want to run, want to look away, but it’s like I’m bound by an invisible force. Something ominous is calling out to me, drawing me irrepressibly forward.
Hesitantly, I approach the shroud and pull it back to reveal an eight-cornered coffin. With trembling fingers, I slip my hands beneath the lid and open it. My heart thuds in my ears, every nerve ending tingles.
There’s a corpse inside the coffin, a corpse withmy face. Ghostly white. Lips as red as blood. Sockets of coal for eyes.
I cup one hand over my mouth. “Oh, my God!”
Then I sense that I’m being watched; a horrible feeling, like icy fingers stroking my skin. Touching me. Caressing me. I am not alone.
I can feel it.
Consumed with terror, I spin around expecting to be dealt a blow, expecting to see someone orsomethingbehind me.
What I see is far worse than I ever could have imagined.
With a loud gasp, I pop open my eyes and settle back to the current moment. My breath comes in ragged bursts, and my hair is plastered to my face. I shake my head, desperately battling Nick’s hold over me. I cannot,will not, allow him to manipulate me like this. Gritting my teeth, I focus hard and manage to throw off his influence like an unwanted cloak, digging my way back from the pit to come up fighting on the other side.
Unsteadily, I get to my feet and slide onto the edge of the bathtub. For a while, I’m lost in a strange world, a world filled with vampires and werewolves and just about every kind of monster imaginable. But no matter how terrifying that world is, no matter how strange, nothing beats the insanity of the world outside this bathroom.
Finally, I snap out of it and stumble over to the sink, careering to and fro like a drunk. With a cold deadness in my heart, I gaze at my reflection and flinch. I look so worn, so haggard; like I’ve aged about ten years in the last hour.
I guess that’s what shock does to a person.
Turning on both taps, I wet my face, pat it dry with a towel, then take a long drink of water. Wiping my mouth, I put down the cup and frame some words in my mind, but nothing makes sense. I stand for what seems like hours, listening to the wind in the trees and the silence of the house. Behind the locked door, Nick has stopped speaking, stopped breathing; he hasn’t made a peep in ages.
I start to feelclaustrophobic again. The room seems to be getting smaller; the walls closing in on me like some crazy optical illusion. I clutch my throat and gag. It’s like there’s an invisible rope pulling tighter and tighter, strangling all the air from my lungs.
My mind is made up.
Vampire or no, I can’t stay locked in this bathroom forever.
Taking a deep breath, I raise my eyes Heavenward and pray for protection. Perhaps these will be my final seconds on Earth. Perhaps the moment I open that door, Nick will pounce on me and it will all be over. Who knows? All I know is I can’t spend another minute in this stifling prison. Bracing myself for the worst, I jerk forward and force my feet to move. I stall for a moment, remembering Nick’s horribly deformed face, the deranged look in his eyes, his razor-sharp teeth and lose my nerve temporarily.Hold it together. Hold it together.I shut my eyes, calling forth every ounce of courage I can muster.Come on.You can do this.
Slowly, I turn the lock and step out into the landing.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Fear In The Night
The house is silent as the grave. Cautiously, I step out of the bathroom into the landing, eyes shut, preparing to meet with my maker. I stand in the doorway for what seems forever, heart slamming against my chest, dutifully waiting for the axe to fall; waiting patiently for the man I love to put me out of my misery.
Minutes pass.
Slowly, I open my eyes and survey the panorama of the first floor landing. No sign of Nick anywhere. With doors on either side, there’s now only one direction to go. Tentatively, I edge toward the banister, my knees weak with apprehension. Soundlessly, I make my way downstairs one step at a time, hoping and praying that the wood doesn’t creak.
Shit.
This is the longest walk I’ve ever taken.
Slowly, slowly, I continue to descend until finally, I touch back down in the hallway. I breathe a sigh of relief. So far, so good. The floor tiles feel cool against my feet and I vaguely remember leaving my boots somewhere in the living room, along with my bag and phone.
Dammit.
