Blackwater Springs

Chapter Thirty-One

1

"Bradley!" Audrey's high-pitched scream bounced off the walls. She tried to move, to run after him, but she was stuck. Her legs were suctioned to the floor by the same goop she'd dreamed about what seemed like years before.

The entity was still dragging Bradley backward; they were almost to the top of the staircase now. Audrey sobbed and tried to lift her legs. The effort was in vain. She was forced to watch the house separate her from Bradley. She screwed her eyes shut so as not to watch the scene unfolding in from of her eyes.

The demon laughed when it amd Bradley reached the top step. It was a booming, unearthly sound that shook the entire house and made Audrey hold her breath. She didn't open her eyes, but heard a door open and slam shut somewhere above her. Once again, she was alone in the house, and it was her fault. Tears leaked from under her lashes and rolled down her cheeks, reflecting silver from the moonlight. She would have sank to the floor, had she been able. "It's not fair!" she cried, not caring if any of the supernatural beings in the house heard her or not. "It's not fucking fair!"

Footsteps behind her made her breath catch in her throat. She stood as still as possible and didn't make a sound, even though the light that streamed in from the bay window and bathed her would give her away. I thought I was alone? The first image that came to mind was John, back from the dead to exact his revenge on her. A low whimper escaped before she had time to press her lips together.

The shuffling steps continued, moving closer and closer. Audrey closed her eyes again; if this was the way she was going to go out, she didn't want to see it coming. The steps stopped directly behind her. Audrey's muscles tensed as she waited for the touch that was sure to come. Minutes passed, and still Audrey stood on edge. She could feel the presence of someone standing behind her, but the only sound was her own shallow breathing. Her muscles relaxed a bit, and she allowed herself a quick peek behind her.

The sight she met knocked the wind out of her. A pair of red-ringed, cloudy blue eyes bore into Audrey's. Long strips of bone-white skin hung off the face in strips, giving the figure a melted look. Audrey wanted to scream, to run, but couldn't. The scream came out as a whimper instead.

"Sh," the thing put a long, bony finger to Audrey's lips. "You have to come with me, we wont have much time."

Audrey shook her head. There was no in hell she was following this...this thing. She was a little surprised to find the voice was female; from the looks of it, she'd expected a more androgynous tone.

"You have to, or you'll die like your friend."

Which one, she thought, Alan or Bradley? "Can't," she choked out.

"Why not?" Audrey pointed to her feet. "Oh, I see. Well, that's no problem at all. Here, let me see what I can do." She knelt by Audrey's feet and stroked the tops of them with her bony hands. Audrey resisted the urge to pull away, gag, or both. The woman began chanting under her breath, so low that sms couldn't make out the words. Within seconds, she was able to lift one leg, then the other. The black goop melted into the floor.

Audrey gaped at the woman. "How'd you do that?"

The figure chuckled. "Just a little something I picked up along the way. I was pushin' eighty when I passed."

"So you're..." Audrey wasn't quite sure how to word the question without seeming rude.

"Dead," the woman finished for her. "Yeah, I been dead for quite a while now. Enough about me, though. We gotta get out of this house so's we can come up with a plan to save Bradley."