Page 270 of The Invite
I pause and punch the wall. The vivid pain sharpening my focus.
“He couldn’t have gone far, Grayson. Maverick is guarding the entrance while Wolf and Kaid are searching the ground floor.”
That slimy fucker is like a worm slipping away at every turn. Yet he’s my last priority right now. Finding Nessa safe and sound is my only mission.
Landing on the second floor, a light bulb flickers over my head. I slow down because it’s dead quiet—too eerie for even my taste—and pitch black. The structure and style are the complete opposite from the other areas of the castle.
The halls are smaller.
It reeks of death and plague.
Instead of music, haunting screams and cries echo from the corners. It’s unbearably loud like they want our ears to bleed. I’m propelled forward by my fierce need to find Nessa.
I throw open the first door.
Strobe lights flicker from the ceiling, shining down on the vertical caskets resting against the wall. Naked bodies hang inside them.
Walking to the nearest casket, I peer inside and squint. The man’s chest is sewn from the top of his chest to his stomach.
Something about the figure screams something is seriously wrong. I can’t put my finger on it. Gazing around, I carefully watch each individual.
“Jesus… Fuck!” The bodiesaren’tfake. It explains the wretched smell.
I was right.
Nessa just entered a field full of landmines.
Stepping out, I hastily search the other rooms. Each is worse than the last. One was a medieval torture chamber with a live act playing on the large projector screens. The pressure in my chest becomes heavier when I fail to find any signs of Nessa.
Where are you, little prey?
She could be having a hallucinating episode and I won’t be there to help her. I knew I should’ve locked her away at my place.
A gust of wind snaps my attention to the mirror on one of the walls and someone is standing behind me. I blink and it vanishes. I whip around in confusion, and that’s when I see a figure sprinting away.
It’s Kenny.
Is he going after Nessa? Did they run into each other?
I dash after him and take the last turn. A single room awaits and the door is wide open. Storming in, I gaze around.
My lips curl, cringing at the view. One can call it a version of house of mirrors. Except for tall mirrors, the space is filled with mannequins wearing Joker masks.
I close the door and lock it.
Let’s see how you escape now, Kenny.
The torment he’s inflicted on my Nessa flashes in my mind, turning my vision red. Leaning against the doorway, I survey the room, looking for any movement or shadows.
“I know you’re in here, Kenny boy,” I drawl loudly. “Come on out, now.”
A mannequin in the far left corner shakes, causing my gaze to snap toward it. Stealthily, I stroll in that direction.
“Just give in, Kenny,” I coax, distracting him while I get closer. “Even if you get out of here, we know where you live.”
I reach the first row and glance left and right. It’s empty.
“Last chan—”
