The Downward Spiral Book 1

Ch.14 Escape

"Oh my God is that smoke?!"

The sharp end of the knife already drew blood from my neck but he yanked it away for a moment.

"What?! What's going on now?!" The pastor spat out irritably.

The entire room was filled with terrified screams as my vision faded in and out.

Clouds of smoke were building up from the corner of the room and now that someone mentioned it, despite me being dipped in hot water, it was feeling stuffy in the room.

"Children stop! Listen to me!" The priest bellowed over the microphone but it was too late.

Everyone was screaming and running in all directions like chickens with their heads cut off to get to safety. The cult members holding the rabid person were taken off guard and he turned on them, taking them both and killing them instantly before leaping after the screaming people.

"Stop it at once!" The pastor yelled impatiently. "Settle down!"

All my energy was depleted, but I still tried to remove this disgusting man's hand off me.

"No matter. I can still help you, my child." He beamed in a menacing tone. The dagger was on my neck again.

"No.." I murmured.

Bang!

The pastor's hands shook and his grip loosened on me. He kept that creepy gaze on his face but after seeing the bullet hole through his chest, I pushed him off and toppled to the floor. His lifeless body fell backwards into the tub of water with a splash and floated there.

Ray came to my side and Camila appeared at the end of the stage, hopped up on it and looked between the two of us.

"You two alright?"

I nodded. I glanced down at the revolver in her hand and it was smoking from the barrel.

So she was the one who...

"Come on," She held out her hand to me. "Let's get out of here."

"Wait, follow me, I know a way out of here." Ray shouted once Camila helped me up and looped my arm around her shoulder.

I used my free hand to cover my mouth from the smoke as we stumbled behind Ray, the room now filling up with the toxic gray fog and making it almost impossible to see in.

My brother held open the door he came through with the others and we found our way back outside. Camila and I headed towards our vehicles on the opposite end of the church but Ray sped past the opposite way that led into another parking lot.

"Ray?! Where are you going? We parked over here!" I called out to him.

"Just trust me, come on!"

We followed him out of the parking lot to find a lone van parked off the side of the driveway.

My brother went over to the back of it and pulled both of the doors open. A bunch of the members' robes were sprawled on the metal floor but other than that it looked completely empty inside.

Camila and I gave him a confused look before we saw that the robes grew a lump and were shuffling from left to right.

"Hey are you alright?" Ray asked the thing as he crawled inside the van. He pulled away the robes and revealed puffy eyed Sofia.

"Dios Mio! Sofia!" Camila cried and dove at the little girl, squeezing her in a big hug.

"Cammy!" The little girl wailed and gripped onto her big sister. Her tiny arms were shaking horribly.