Kisses From Death | Book 1

E I G H T

E I G H T
Knife to the Back

THE HALLWAYS OF Riverside Creek Boathouse had never seemed quieter than this very minute. The corridors were deserted, somehow allowing a small breeze of air to flow through even with all the windows slammed and locked shut. There was a creak in the wood whenever one of our feet landed on the old floorboards, but other than that, the place was eerily silent.

The quietness was something I was not familiar to. I am used to the thundering parties, heart racing raves, and euphoric dances. Being trapped in a deserted building situated in the middle of nowhere was definitely something to be nervous about.

"Is this not weird to any of you?" Minnie whispered under her breath, her hand latched onto Bella's own ones.

No one dared to reply, allowing the silence to hang in the air like a cloud of smoke, covering all three of us as our eyes darted back and forth. In contrast to the past few hours which was bursting with life, the hour now seemed dull, absolutely boring, even, as my own scrutinizing eyes scanned each nook and cranny before taking a quick glance at the time.

The one hour grace had long passed, the clock now at 1:34 as we continued to venture past each similar looking corridor. The place was just an enormous labyrinth, leaving every aisle looking like the last which confused me to no end.

How was I supposed to fight an all-powerful being when I couldn't even navigate myself out of this haunted house?

No one said a word, but it was agreed that all three of us were far too lost within the house to find a possible safe way out. After all, we had not even cracked the first riddle, leaving only our legs to guide us solely based on pure instincts.

As each second ticked by without anything even the least harmful appearing, Bella seemed to doubt the piece of paper even further. By now, she was about to burst into a fit of laughter, and if we were in any other situation, she would have pointed a finger straight into my face before laughing 'I told you so!' with a mocking tone to her voice. After all, it was difficult to catch the usually 'all-knowing' me in my own game.

Although for once, I doubt that I am imagining things. My mind might be a slur right now, but they always did say that when your mind isn't well, learn to trust your heart. Whether or not Bella wanted to believe in these celestial beings, I for one know that they are real.

"Don't look so smug, Bella. I know that they are real and I know that we are doomed if they come after us." I snapped, slightly annoyed that one of my best friends did not believe me while the other was still slightly skeptical.

"Nothing has happened to us, Addison, and we've been past like three thousand different hallways already!" Bella seemed victorious, the corners of her lips turned up into a smile as she waved her hand nonchalantly as if dismissing my statement.

"We've only been walking for ten minutes, Bella. If something had already happened to us, you can definitely say that we have the worst luck in the world." Minnie quipped.

"I'm telling you, this riddle is real." Stopping in my tracks, I frowned. "Listen, I've seen some really weird things tonight and it's not just a masked killer on the rampage. I saw a cloaked figure literally sucking the life out of a poor man. He seemed to literally be drained, muscles reduced to nothingness. And the creature floats above the ground like a grim reaper. It was haunting."

"Now you're just hallucinating."

"It's not a joke. The creature was black in color, had bones without flesh and it brought on this ridiculous cold that froze the walls and the ground. It looked straight at me right after he was done killing that man." I shivered at the memory.