Page 9 of Wicked Ties
A large tower with a bolt of lightning crashing into it stood at the center of the card. Rocks tumbled from the top of the tower in the picture. He wagged it at me, and a devilish grin spread over his face. His eyes glazed over in milky whiteness and when he released the card, it hovered there just in front of him. No one around us seemed to notice, or if they did, they didn’t dare turn in his direction. A stream of smoke drifted up from his fingers and wound around the card, spinning it like a tornado.
It shot from his hand and up toward the sky. Bright green lightning forked out from the card and thick gray clouds rolled across the sky. Thunder rumbled, making the ground shake beneath our feet. People all stopped to stare up at the sky, watching this massive storm roll in. When more green lightning blazed the sky, screams broke out below and people began to run toward the penitentiary. He tilted his head and those milky white eyes focused on the top of the building. A bolt of lightning struck the tallest tower, and people began to run in the opposite direction.
A dark chuckle escaped his lips, and he let his head fall back, looking up at the sky. “Who doesn’t love a little chaos?”
He wound his hand around mine and tugged me toward the door in the opposite direction of everyone else. When he tucked his hand behind his back, I moved in closer, letting him lead the way in. People parted for him, and we plowed through the front door. I could’ve shoved them all out of the way with my pinky, yet I let Maze lead the way.
When we walked into the visitor’s center, he grabbed a map, but I shook my head. “Don’t need it.”
At his questioning look, I shrugged. “I know where it is.”
“How?”
“Demon memories.” I turned around in a circle, looking at the six hallways to choose from.
Maze opened the map. “According to this, there are six sections . . .”
“Lock Down, Quarantine, The Shop, The Infirmary, Blood Yard, Solitary.” I closed my eyes and waited for something to call to me. Some direction. And then I felt it, that pull deep in my stomach. The one that took me over when I first became a demon. Now that the blood was gone from my system, only the lingering memories had a hold over me.
“This way.” I turned down the hall toward the quarantine row.
When we reached the opening to the corridor, I froze. Heavy, ominous power sank down on my chest. It was oppressive, like breathing in smoke. Maze lingered next to me. His eyes glowed white. He squeezed them shut and shook his head.
“Lots of messed up things happened here.” He glanced up at the cells lining the second floor. “Lots of things . . .”
A chill ran over my entire body like something had walked right through me. It wasn’t warm and welcoming. Anger that wasn’t my own burned through my body hot and heavy. It staggered me to the point where I had to reach out and grab the wall. The frame crumbled under my grip, and I stumbled forward. Maze caught me around my waist and pulled me to his chest. Our breaths heaved as we both struggled with the overbearing ominous energy.
“You good?” His big hand slid across my stomach and back as he steadied me.
“Yeah. I’m good.”
I began to move forward, taking my time as we walked toward the end of the row, where I knew the door to the underworld stood. Maze lingered beside me, and we barely spoke, barely breathed. Above us, on the second floor that overlooked the hall, the doors rattled and shook as they slid open and closed on rusty bars. Metal pieces groaned and flakes of rust fell off, floating all around. The sound of rattling chains filled the air. I took another step, and the temperature dropped. With each breath I took, fog blew from my mouth.
The lights flickered and then went out, bathing us in complete darkness. Maze’s magic flared to life, glowing bright green and illuminating us. But up ahead it was pitch black. Like walking in a tunnel with no end. Maze angled himself between me and the darkness without blocking my way.
“You know I can crush a truck?”
“Yeah, but can you see it coming before it hits you?” In a split second, he tilted his upper body to the side at an awkward angle. My hand shot out, and I snatched a broken pipe out of the air from where he’d just been standing.
We locked gazes. “Shit.”
Maze grabbed one a second before it went into my head. He dropped it on the ground, and it clanged there. Then pipes of all shapes and sizes began to fly in our direction, like spears trying to impale us. We took off running toward where I knew the entrance would be.
“Left!” Maze grabbed my arm and yanked me to the right just as another object flew right by my chest.
“Right!” He shoved me back the other way, knocking us both to the ground. He landed on top of me with a grunt.
His eyes widened. “Roll!”
He wrapped his hands in the lapels of my jacket, and he rolled to the side, pulling me on top of him just as a rusty ladder fell from the ceiling and clanged to the floor beside us. Dust flew into the air, covering us both. His warm chocolatey scent enveloped me, and I sucked in a deep breath. A loud creaking sound echoed from above and I flipped over, pressing my back to his chest. I lifted my arms and caught a large piece of ductwork before it crashed down on us both. The metal dented around my hands and crashed to the ground on either side of us.
His chest heaved. “Good catch.”
I tossed the metal away from us and sighed. “Thanks.”
When I jumped to my feet, I offered him my hand and pulled him up beside me. He turned with my hand in his and headed toward the back of the hall. “RUN! I hate haunted places! Damn it!”
We bolted farther down the hall. All the while, Maze guided us through a minefield of sharp objects meant to kill us both. My heart hammered in my chest but with him guiding us, I knew we’d make it. When we reached the end of the hall, we both froze, gazing at a thick stone wall.
