Kisses From Death | Book 1

T W E N T Y - T W O

T W E N T Y - T W O
His Laugh

"IT'S A LITTLE too quiet in here, isn't it?"

"Bella, the whole place was as quiet as a cemetery since this game started." Lucius snorted, rolling his eyes before leaning against the wooden walls. I held in a little snort of my own at Lucius's statement. The place was definitely quiet, except for the occasional screams of horror when they were being murdered.

"Alright." Placing her palms up in mock surrender, Bella shook her head defensively. "I was just commenting. No need to set fire to my character."

From where I stood, I could see Cassiel and Gabriel both roll their eyes, the former shaking his head slightly in annoyance. None of them uttered a single word though, too busy keeping watch as we, according to the boys, neared the kitchen.

"She's right though," I piped in. "It is awfully quiet. Not a single movement or scream. It's like everyone is dead and we're the only living survivors." I shivered, pulling the sleeves of my sweater down to cover my fingers.

I could feel Cassiel's eyes on me, his large summer green eyes observing my every movement. When I turned to look at him, ready to ask him what was it that he was staring at, he turned away, lips pressed tightly into a thin line.

It seemed as though the universe was always prepared to prove me wrong, however. As we ventured down the hallway in a journey to reach the kitchen, we heard a small whimper a few doors down. My heart skipped a beat while my mind immediately registered the fact that there was still life hidden somewhere in the walls of this boathouse. Excited to have the chance of saving a life, I turned over to Minnie, tugging her hand.

"Minnie, did you hear that?" I asked, straining my ears.

"Hear what?"

"I heard someone a little down the hallway. Maybe a whimper. But it seemed weak, almost."

"There's still someone alive. We have to go help them!" Elated beyond comprehension, Minnie quickened her speed as she rushed down the hallway. I struggled to keep up with her, jogging at a quick pace as the rest of the group called for us in surprise.

"Where are you going?" I heard Cassiel ask.

"Someone's alive! We have to go—"

I barely even finished my sentence before I was cut off, my feet jolting to a stop as my jaw dropped to the floor. Just a few steps in front of me, Minnie had stopped short, her hands covering her lips as she held back tears. I swallowed a bile in my throat, resisting the urge to gag as I gently laid a hand upon Minnie's shoulder.

Laid on the ground was a woman that could not be more than twenty years of age. Her eyes were wide open, lips slightly parted as she stared at the ceiling with her glazed-over eyes. There was no sign of blood. Instead, the only thing that had proved that her death was caused by one of the projections of the four horsemen was the fact that her entire body only contained skin and bones.

Just like how I saw the projection of famine drain every single drop of energy away from that victim when I first woke up, this woman was the exact mirror image. Her wrinkly skin clung onto her bones, not a single ounce of muscle or fat in sight. She was so unbelievably thin that she resembled a rag doll, one that had distorted proportions too far away from being healthy. The woman's cheeks were carved in, hip bone showing distinctively from her now droopy jeans.

My stomach churned at the image, causing me to turn away, tightly squeezing my eyes shut.

"No," Minnie cried out. "We didn't make it. We couldn't save her."