Page 38 of Fanged Temptation

“I’ll explain later!’ she snapped, pulling back to haul her shoulder at the door when the wood creaked and groaned. “Right now we need to get out of here. Do you have any matches?”

“What do you need matches for?!” I rushed forward to join her at the door when another thud from the other side had it rattling on its hinges.

Another blow thundered against the barricade, sending my teeth chattering, and Maxine hissed in frustration. “We need fire.”

I blinked at her. She wants fire? We’re on a fucking boat and she wants to light a fire?

“We don’t have many options here!” Maxine shouted over the banging, sensing my hesitation. “Please, Leah!”

A hollow thud shook the flimsy barrier of the door. Another splintering crack followed, and I pictured the wax creatures on the other side, pushing in with their grotesquely perfect smiles.

“I—I have flares?” I gasped, pushing off from the door where Maxine stood bracing her shoulder, scraping her heels on the floor. The tremors of another impact shuddered through the narrow cabin, nearly sending me stumbling again.

“Flares work.” Maxine spoke through gritted teeth, swearing as another jolt whipped her head back and forth on her shoulders.

I lurched to the opposite side of the bedroom and crouched beside a low cupboard. My hands fumbled with the latch, adrenaline making my fingers clumsy. Outside, the pounding escalated, accompanied by chilling half-laughs and warped murmurs.

Finally, I yanked the cupboard open. Blankets tumbled out, followed by some spare batteries. At the back, I saw the weathered box of flares and swallowed the bile in my throat, hauling it out between my knees.

The door gave another thunderous groan and Maxine released a sharp exhale. “When they break through, light them up.”

“No pressure,” I muttered, popping open the lid. The flares inside glinted a muted red, each with its own short ignition strip. I glanced at Maxine, terror tearing through my chest. “I’ve never used these like–”

Before I could finish, the door exploded inward, shards of broken wood flying across the room. I scrambled backward, snatching up a flare as Maxine tumbled to her hands and knees. Five wax figures piled in, limbs jerking with disjointed synchronicity. Their waxen faces had twisted into caricature grins, some partially warped from Maxine’s previous strikes.

“Now!” Maxine shouted, springing to meet them. She swung her arm in a wide arc, slamming one minion across the jaw so hard that its head warped and dented around her fist.

I lifted the flare. The ignition strip quivered under my sweaty fingers, but I yanked hard, sparks spitting to life. A blinding burst of orange flame flared at the tip, sputtering with acrid smoke.

The nearest wax minion lunged at me, too-smooth features contorted into that uncanny grin. With a terrified shriek, I thrust the flare forward. The bright flame licked at its outstretched arm, which instantly began to drip and sag like candle wax under a blowtorch. The thing recoiled with a distorted gargle,a mechanical scream of rage.

Maxine seized the opportunity, catching one creature by the back of its head and slamming it face-first into the burning flare. The stench was nauseating, acrid chemical and hot plastic, butthe effect was immediate. Its waxy skin softened, melting under the intense heat.

She snatched a second flare from the box at my feet, striking it to life and brandishing it like a flaming sword in the half-dark.

When the ceiling light was smashed out we were plunged into a hellscape of flickering red firelight and choking smoke. I lit another flare, sparks cascading onto the floor, and my heart seized with every flicker of flame near the curtains or bedding. Myrtle was a mighty fine home, but she wasn’t fire-proof.

One of the creatures swung at me with a deformed fist, connecting with my shoulder hard enough to knock me down onto my backside. I bared my teeth, thrusting the flare upward, driving it into the creature’s abdomen. Its midsection convulsed, melting away in rivulets of sludge.

Through the haze of heat, I caught a glimpse of Maxine, her hair wild, droplets of wax clinging to her skin like molten candle drips. Even half-feral she moved with an obvious grace, dipping, and weaving, slashing and cleaving – occasionally glancing over her shoulder to catch my eye.

Then I caught sight of a spark dancing across the ruffled curtains, creeping upward like a living thing. The smell of scorched fabric filled my lungs, and horror set in. Flames licked the edges of the flimsy walls and smoke rose in dark plumes.

The boat rocked as new bursts of fire found fresh fuel—wood, bedding, anything it could devour.

My pulse spiked, adrenaline giving way to dizzy terror. Already the heat intensified, acrid smoke filling the tiny cabin. I could barely make out Maxine, wreathed in haze, fending off the last twisted remains of one of the wax creatures.

“We have to go!” I choked, but my words were swallowed by a crash as part of a ceiling panel caved in, sending sparks raining down. The smoke was too thick, clogging my throat, burning myeyes. My knees buckled and I sputtered, trying to draw a breath that never quite filled my lungs.

I swayed and stumbled, hacking and coughing, crawling through the smog as black spots crowded my vision.

Then two lithe arms wrapped around me, and I felt Maxine’s breath against my ear, though I could hardly hear the words above the roar of the flames. The next thing I knew, she was half-dragging, half-carrying me through the boat’s narrow corridor. Embers flew like fireflies, small flecks of red-hot ash in the swirling dark.

The searing heat pressed in from all sides and I choked out a sob. My beloved boat was going up in flames. Hot smoke scraped down my throat, and it took everything I had not to collapse into a blubbering mess then and there. Maxine pulled me along relentlessly, keeping me upright even as my vision blurred.

We finally reached the back deck and Maxine shoved me onward, one steadying hand at my back. The cool night air hit like a slap against my heated skin, frosty compared to the inferno inside.

The next instant, she swept an arm under my knees, lifting me up princess-style, and hurled me into the water, my body slicing into the harbor with a shocking splash. The all-encompassing cold closed over my head and for a heartbeat, my lungs seized up – until instinct took over. I kicked my legs, forcing myself to the surface with a frantic gasp.

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