The Lies Behind That Smile

Chapter Twenty-Six

Another shrill cry echoed through the square, piercing Nikki's frantic heart. The Hunters were out there in the dark and from the sounds of it, they were on the move. Stealthily, she ran up the stairs, ducking past the windows being sure to keep out of sight. She had no way of knowing if the Hunters could sense her but she was going to find what she had come for, even if it led to her death.

Emerging at the top of the staircase she entered through a doorway into a space laid out identically to the room downstairs. However upstairs held more bookshelves and the majority of texts were still waiting to be plucked from the shelf as opposed to the mess downstairs. Mindful of the assassins lurking outside, Nikki gracefully walked around the room. She trod carefully, stopping every few moments to cock her head and listen to the silence through the heavy thudding of her adrenalin fuelled heart.

Standing on tiptoes she searched the top shelf nearest her, reading what little she could - the majority of the books written in strange words she couldn't fathom and the lack of light mad it difficult to make out the text. Tracing her fingers down the length of a dozen more spines Nikki found her temper shortening. What are you doing? You don't even know what you're looking for. She huffed angrily, frustration and fear eating through her resolve. Damn it Zeke, where are you?

Letting out a sigh, she laid her head against a shelf, the wood course and unpleasant against her skin. This was an impossible task. She was searching for the unknown in a library where the majority of the texts were in a foreign language.

"What am I doing here?" she whispered. Tears threatened to spill but before she could fully entertain her growing melancholy the familiar sound of beating wings pulled her from her slump. As a large telltale shadow passed by the east window, Nikki froze and held her breath. Instinctively she pulled her cloak tighter, straining to pinpoint the Hunters location but once again, silence reigned outside the building.

With her heart thrashing wildly inside her ribcage, Nikki tried desperately to hear something, anything, which might give her a clue where the Hunter was but these creatures were practically ghosts. If it wanted, it would remain undetected until the second it attacked.

A bead of cold sweat dripped down Nikki's neck and her body shivered in response. Her gut told her the beast was near and she fought hard to ignore her natural instincts to run. Then she heard it. Her heart leapt and she bit hard on her tongue to quell the frightened yelp as the door downstairs opened. The bottom of the wood grated slowly along the dirty stone, the sound echoing through the ghost town as a warning. It was coming.

When the scratching of wood on stone ceased, Nikki found herself gripping onto the bookcase as a wave of dizziness washed over her. She was doomed, cornered in a nest of vicious, merciless assassins without any means of escape. The best she could hope for now was a swift death.

But what about Josh? What if the wraith went after him next? What if by giving in, she was signing his death certificate? A shudder wracked her frame as she pictured the Hunter tearing Josh limb from limb. No! She couldn't let that happen, she had to fight, if not for herself then for Josh.

Quickly, Nikki scanned the room, searching for an escape. There was one exit, her only other option was the window opposite the door. As deftly as she could, she navigated around the fallen books to the far side of the room.  Willing herself to stay calm she slid past the last bookshelf and glanced back. The Hunter could appear at any given moment. Keeping her eyes on the door she felt her way, dancing her fingertips along the last of the books until suddenly they found nothing. Peering through the gloom she discovered a tiny alcove between the bookshelf and the wall. At a push she might be able to squeeze into it and if she could fit, it should be just deep enough to hide her, but she would be cornered.