Endless (Shadowlands 3)

Fisher shrugged. “You don’t go into battle without backup. Now, let’s go rescue my girlfriend.”

And then he took the first step into the mist. I clenched my teeth and followed him, knowing that Joaquin and possibly Tristan—if he could get away—were already on their way here, but it didn’t matter anymore. This wasn’t going to take long. By the time he got here, it would all be over.

The second the fog enveloped me, I was alone. Fisher should have been dead ahead, Krista to my right, but I couldn’t see either one of them. Then, suddenly, a hand closed around mine and Krista reappeared. She smiled wanly and I smiled back.

“Here goes.”

Together, we began to count our steps.

“One…two…three…”

The whispers began.

“…she’s brought a friend…”

“…pretty, pretty…”

“…bite the toes off one by one…”

Krista’s grip on my hand tightened. Fear coursed through me, pulsating through my veins, my temples, my wrists, my heart, but I knew I couldn’t stop. Darcy was depending on me. My dad and Aaron needed me. I imagined their faces, their smiles, their eyes, and kept walking. I’d survived this once before. I could survive it again. For them.

“Four…five…”

A cold finger swept along my cheek. Krista yelped and swatted at the back of her neck.

“What was that?” she whined.

“It’s nothing. It’s just messing with us,” I told her, willing the terror out of my voice.

“What’s messing with us?” Her grip on my hand was like a vice.

“The bridge,” I said through my teeth. “Just keep going. We’re almost there.”

“Six…seven…eight…” I counted on my own this time.

“…still so clueless…”

“…doesn’t know what she’s…”

“…dark as pitch, that one…”

“Rory?” Krista mewled, looking over her shoulder at nothing. “This was a bad idea. I wanna go. Let’s go, okay? Please?”

Then she screeched again, and I saw her hair rise up behind her, some invisible thing in the mist pulling at its matted strands.

“Oh my god,” she whined, her breath broken. “Oh my god, oh my god, oh my—”

“There’s nothing there,” I promised her. “Keep moving.”

“Nine…ten…”

The mist to my left swirled, then started to pulse. In and out. In and out. As if someone was standing just inches away, breathing. Watching. Krista held my hand with both of hers now, pulling me awkwardly against her side.

“Fisher?” I whispered.

The response was a laugh so dark and evil it couldn’t have belonged to a human being. At least not a living one. My brain went momentarily fuzzy, and I was sure I was about to pass out from the fear. But Krista clung to my side, steadying me with her terror and forcing me to be the brave one. I knew I couldn’t go down. If I went down, all was lost.

“You don’t need them. Your family. You don’t,” Krista whispered furtively, staring at the pulsating mist. “You’ve got me now. And Tristan, Joaquin. Darcy and your dad were going to move on anyway, right? Why don’t you just let it go? Just let it go so we can get the hell out of here?”