Frenzied Read online

  Shit! That was really loud.

  Ben moved back, breathing heavily. He turned and stared at the glass pane for a moment before turning back to her.

  He leaned over her, and she felt his lips brush her ear lobe. “We can’t do this here.” His voice was throaty. “But this isn’t over …” He kissed her cheek before standing back from her. He turned away.

  She stood up and stared at his back. His shoulders trembled a little.

  “Okay,” she whispered.

  There was something about the dark room and close quarters that drew her to him like a magnet. All she could hear was his breathing. She could feel him near her, and there was nothing to distract her from his presence.

  “Can we turn on the light?” she asked, needing the distraction.

  He walked to the door and peered out of the window. “Yeah, there’s a blackout blind on this. I think we can.” He pulled the blind, plunging them in total darkness.

  Her pulse raced until he flipped on the light switch. She blinked at the brightness for a moment before taking in the contents of the room.

  “What the hell?”

  Black candles rested on every surface. There were sigils decorating the floor and walls. She turned and glanced down to look at the table behind her, and her eyes widened. She jumped back with a yelp.

  The desk was a leather-covered altar with engraved bowls tipped over on it. Strange-looking roots and odd powders were scattered across the surface. Behind where she had been sitting, a bloody heart was pinned to the table with a dagger stabbed through it.

  She shot a glance at Ben. He was still standing by the door with his hand on the light switch. His eyes were wide, and his face was pale as if the blood had drained out of it. He shook his head and frowned at the strange room.

  “Seriously, what the fuck is going on in here?”

  Lucy watched Ben as he picked up the books from the floor and peered at the titles. Then she scanned the room, unsure of what to think. It looked like a scene from a horror movie.

  There were two desks facing each other. One looked like any other desk with a monitor, an inbox and a plaque on it labeled, ‘Colin Ketis—Manager’. The second table was adorned with an array of strange items; a bloody heart being the worst of them. There was a brown leather pelt covering the table with strange markings branded into it. In the middle of the table, the heart was impaled by an old-looking, wooden-handled dagger. Surrounding that were bowls of herbs, roots, black candles and pieces of animals; teeth, bones and fur tails.

  “This is insane.” She broke the silence.

  “And the creepy keeps on coming.” Ben nodded and held up a book titled, ‘Norse Mythology: Odin’s Warriors.’ “I think we should read these.”

  “You think this killed all those people?” She gestured around the room. She didn’t believe in myths. They were bedtime stories for the superstitious. Even though her memories were still a blank slate, she was certain she was a logical person who believed in science.

  “Something killed them. And just look at this room. We’ve got to assume it’s all connect—”

  A loud scream outside the room silenced him. They both turned to face the door.

  It was a woman screaming. “Help me! Someone p-please …”

  Lucy winced at the wailing. Whatever was killing people was going to hear her and come running.

  We need to help her, and shut her up!

  She turned to Ben. He was frowning at the door. “We need to help her,” he said.

  “We can’t go out there. That creature will be there by now.” She felt guilty as she said the words. The woman’s screams continued, breaking off with sobs.

  Ben stared at the door, his jaw set in determination. “We have to.”

  She nodded. He was right. She wouldn’t be able to live with herself if she left her to die. “Okay.” She picked up the mop pole from the floor and gripped it in her hands. “Let’s go.”

  He glanced at her, and then the table behind her. “I’ve got a better idea.”

  He pulled the dagger out of the heart and wiped the blade off on his jeans. “I’ll go get her while you stay here and find out more from these books.”

  She scowled and placed her hands on her hips. “Why don’t I go get her, and you read the books?”

  “Because you can’t pick her up. We don’t know how injured she is. I can carry her back here faster.”

  It did make sense, but she realized that on some level she was a feminist. She hated the idea of being the little woman who hid behind a big strong man. But it was more than that. She hated the idea of Ben going out there alone.

  What if he doesn’t come back?

  “I don’t want you to go.”

  “I’m going either way. The faster I get going, the less chance of that thing getting there before me.”

  She frowned. He was right again, but every essence of her being was screaming for him to stay here with her.

  He lifted her chin and brushed a kiss over her lips. “I won’t be long. Stay here, and lock the door if anything but me comes back.”

  Lucy nodded. Her throat ached, and she couldn’t form any words. It felt like a goodbye.

  He turned and peered through the glass pane for a moment. Then he opened the door, brandishing the knife as he stepped out into the hallway. He gave her a reassuring smile before closing the door behind him.

  She hurried to the window, peering around the corner of the black-out blind and watching him rush down the corridor until he was out of sight.

  The room was silent, barring the ongoing screams outside of it. After a few moments, the screaming abruptly stopped.

  She froze in silence.

  What does that mean? Has he found her? Has something else?

  Her chest ached. Please come back.

  She rubbed her eyes and tried to gather her wits. She had made a promise to find answers. She should at least try. Staring at the door wasn’t going to help anyone.

  She picked up the books and carried them to the manager’s normal desk, taking a seat behind it. She peered at the computer.

  Maybe I can do more than read.

  She turned on the monitor, discovering the computer was turned on and still logged in. There was a screensaver made up of bubbles floating across the screen. She moved the mouse. The bubbles disappeared and were replaced by a standard Windows desktop.

  Okay, internet.

  She opened a web browser and hit the home button. ‘Server not found,’ appeared on the screen.

  Crap, no internet.

  She clicked on the Start Menu and went to the control panel. Inside ‘Network and Internet’, it showed that there was no connection. She tried the internal network, but it was also offline.

  Turning off the monitor, she slumped back in the chair.

  She stared at the phone on the desk for a few moments before her mind registered that it was a telephone. She snatched up the handset and listened for a dial tone. It was dead. She pressed nine for an outside line, but it remained silent.

  Shaking her head, she dialled the police anyway. Nothing happened. She sighed and fished her mobile phone out of her pocket, staring at the device. The screen was black. She tried turning it on again, but it was completely dead and nothing happened. Crap.

  Glancing at the door, she listened to the clock on the wall tick loudly.

  What’s taking him so long?

  Before she fell into a pit of despair, she grabbed the first book on the pile and read the title, trying to get into research mode. The words ‘Germanic Neopagnism: Dark Rites’ were emblazoned across the old brown cover. She flipped open the book and peered at the copyright page. It was published in 1885.

  Oh, this is going to be a nightmare.

  She shook her head and flipped through the pages, glancing at the bold chapter titles that jumped out at her. ‘Odinism’ ... ‘Aryan Ancestry’.

  I don’t even know what I’m looking for.

  She tried to think about it logically
.

  If someone did this and used this book, then they must have read it a few times.

  She closed the book and examined the spine. There were many creases down the spine, but the thickest one was down the middle of it.

  Someone read that chapter a lot.

  She flipped open the book to around where the deepest crease was, and it flopped open on a chapter labeled ‘Berserkers.’

  She skimmed the words and widened her eyes when she read the second paragraph.

  ‘These Norse warriors fought in an uncontrollable, trance-like fury and were reported to be able to transform into wild beasts. Similar to the Iliad myth, these creatures were also described as having superhuman abilities.’

  Lucy continued reading.

  ‘The Berserkers were considered Odin’s special warriors …’

  Oh, come on, Odin and Norse gods, really? This is such a waste of ti—

  Her eyes froze on the next line.

  ‘With red or bloodshot eyes and beastly bodies, these Berserkers often took on the form of the wolf, bear or bull.’

  The memory of red glowing eyes through the windowpane flashed across her mind. She stared blankly at the book.

  This is ridiculous. You can’t summon a myth into existence.

  She dropped the book on the other side of the desk, and her eyes fell upon the next one. It was an ancient-looking, leather-bound tome with one word carved into the cover. Seiðr.

  She stared at it for a moment. It was bound together with leather twine that was old and cracked. She untied the twine and peered inside the book. The words on the pages made no sense. It was like no language she had ever seen before. Oh great.

  She flipped through the book, shaking her head. The pages were yellowing and fragile. Every page the book opened on was dotted with Post-It notes that had slanted handwriting scrawled over them.

  She started reading the notes. They appeared to be lists of ingredients, like a recipe book. She rubbed her brow, glancing up at the clock. Forty minutes had passed since Ben had gone outside. She frowned.

  That’s too long.

  Worry took over her thoughts, and she couldn’t concentrate on the research.

  Where is he? What if he needs my help?

  The idea of finding Ben in the corridor with dead green eyes and gaping wounds on his body caused a lump to form in her throat. After a few minutes of worrying, she convinced herself that if she didn’t go and find him, his death would be all her fault.

  She scooped up the three books on the table and dropped them into a laptop bag that was beside the desk. She swung the bag over her head and dropped it on the opposite shoulder, so that the strap crossed her torso. Then she picked up the mop pole and clenched it in her hand.

  Screw this. I’m not waiting around while he’s in trouble.

  Ben felt like part of her team now. Team: Survive this bullshit.

  She wasn’t leaving him behind.

  She hurried to the door and peeked around the blind to see into the corridor. She nearly screamed when she saw a pair of green eyes staring back at her.

  Ben!

  He smiled, and she hurriedly unlocked the door. Her heart hammered as she opened it and ushered him inside. “Quick. Get inside.”

  He stepped into the room and glanced around before his eyes settled on her. He touched the cut on her forehead, saying nothing.

  She jumped at his cold hands. “Are you okay? What happened? Where’s the woman who was screaming?”

  Her pulse raced as he closed the door behind him.

  He smiled at her. “She was dead when I got there.”

  She slapped him in the chest. “What took you so long? I was scared to death!”

  He rubbed his chest and narrowed his eyes at her. “It took me a while to find her.”

  “Oh.” She didn’t know what to say, and he was unusually quiet for once.

  At least he’s okay.

  “Come on.” He gripped her wrist as he opened the door.

  “What are you doing? That thing’s out there.” She pulled back.

  “It’s okay. I found us a safe place to hide, but we need to go now.” His grip on her wrist felt like iron.

  “Are you sure?” The hairs on her arms stood up as goosebumps popped up all over her body. Something was wrong, but she couldn’t put her finger on what it was.

  This whole situation is messed up and wrong.

  He leaned over and kissed her. It was a hard, punishing kiss. “You trust me, don’t you?”

  She shook off the feelings of doubt. She did trust him. “Okay, but let’s hurry.”

  He nodded before dragging her out into the hallway behind him.

  Lucy glanced unsurely at Ben as he rushed up the staircase, still gripping her wrist and pulling her behind him.

  “Are you sure it’s safe to go this way?” She eyed the blood spatters on the white walls. There were no bodies, but the stairwell looked as if it had been the place of a massacre.

  “Yes.”

  It was the first time he had spoken to her in such a clipped tone. She frowned as he pulled her after him. He hadn’t said much at all since they’d left the manager’s office. Just one-word answers to everything she asked.

  Now probably isn’t the best time for an in-depth chat, she rationalized.

  She narrowed her eyes as he dragged her through the door into the third-floor corridor. He didn’t even check the hallway for monsters. His feet thumped heavily on the tiled floor as he rushed her towards the cinema doors.

  Why isn’t he being more cautious? We sound like a herd of elephants.

  There was a tingling sensation up her spine. Something felt very wrong, but she couldn’t decide if it was fear causing her to think irrationally or not.

  She chewed her bottom lip when they stopped outside the doors to theatre seven. Blood was splashed all over the walls, but again there were no bodies.

  “Where are all the bodies?” She glanced around.

  “I don’t know.” He smiled at her. “But it’s safe in here.”

  She nudged open the door with her foot and peered into the dark cinema. She couldn’t see much, just the back of a row of seats. “How do you know?”

  “I checked it out earlier.” He gestured for her to go through the doors.

  “But what if—” She didn’t finish as he took her in his arms and urgently kissed her.

  “Just trust me,” he said when he pulled away from her. “We need to hurry.”

  She nodded. Why not? She’d trusted him so far. She stared into his eyes. He seemed a bit off. But given the situation, that wasn’t a surprise.

  She walked into the theater and turned to see him closing the doors behind her.

  “What are you doing?” she cried.

  His face blurred and reshaped before her eyes, his nose becoming a snout and his teeth elongating into vicious-looking fangs. “It’s feeding time, and the young ones are hungry.” He growled out in a guttural tone.

  He slammed the door, and she heard something heavy slide against the other side of it.

  No, no, no!

  She almost went into shock, her mind racing over what had happened to Ben.

  Was he playing me all along?

  The betrayal seemed all the worse because he’d made her care about him first. She’d lost a friend as well as being tricked by a monster.

  She tried the door, pushing against it, but it didn’t budge. He had locked her in here, trapped her like bait for the creatures.

  She heard a distant growl from behind her and spun around, her pulse racing. She didn’t have any weapons. The mop pole was still in the office, and the dagger …

  She frowned. Ben hadn’t had the dagger with him.

  I guess with fangs like that, he doesn’t need one.

  She jumped at the sound of a roar nearby.

  Shit, shit, shit.

  She froze, pinned to the door in fear. The short staircase that led up into the theatre was a protected box with walls on both side
s of her and the locked exit behind her. The only way to go was forward, but stepping up into the theatre aisles seemed like a death sentence.

  She jumped again when there was a loud crash to her left. Snarling and growling followed. There were more loud crashes and two distinctly different growls. After a few moments, a loud howl filled the air, followed by squelching noises and ripping sounds.

  They’re attacking each other. Good. I hope they kill themselves.

  After a few minutes of listening to sickeningly loud lapping noises, the room went silent. She didn’t dare move or breathe.

  Please let them both be dead.

  She trembled when she heard a sniffing noise above her. Gulping back the urge to scream, she looked up to see a canine face staring down at her with bared fangs.

  The creature was the size of a large man, but that was where the similarity to a human ended. Its snout was wrinkled up in a vicious snarl, baring its long fangs. Saliva and blood dripped from its mouth and splattered onto the tiles in front of her.

  Lucy spun around and began backing away, her eyes locked on its trembling haunches as it tensed on the railing above the doors.

  With a roar, it launched off the barrier towards her. She turned and fled up the stairs, leaping over the row of seats in front of her and falling down the tiered aisles. She put her hands over her head to protect herself from a painful landing.

  Her leg caught on the back of a seat a few aisles down, jerking her back. She landed heavily on a row of seats, banging her head on the back of the row opposite before sliding off in a ball of agony and falling to the floor between the rows.

  She groaned and rolled over onto her back, clutching her head as pain blossomed around her wound. She fumbled for a handhold to pull herself up, finding what she thought was the arm of a chair. She tugged on it to stand up, but it shifted in the seat, and a corpse fell on top of her.

  She choked on a scream as she stared up into the gooey red mess that had once been the face of a woman, judging by corpse’s clothes. It was hard to tell because her face had been ripped off, leaving only bone and empty eye sockets. Her shoulder bones were visible through her torn dress, revealing a gnawed body with bits of flesh hanging off it.