Page 63 of These Unhallowed Halls
Temps’ eyes flared wide, but then she smiled—tiny and still shaken—before a laugh melted out of her.She flung herself into my arms, and I held on tight, letting her just squeeze me.
“I…I think…that I should be sadder.Really, I’m just shocked.He really did that.The woman isn’t going to be in my life anymore, but…she’d said such horrible things to us.She…She was a bad person.”
I nodded against her shoulder.“I know.It’s…It’s like we’ll never get to see her for the mom she could have been to you.It’s no secret I hated the woman.I don’t—Fuck, I’m sorry, but I don’t mourn her.I mourn that you lost the chance to have a better mother.”
“Dammit, that’s the most accurate thing you’ve said in your life, Lizzie.”Temps eked out a sob on my shoulder, and then pulled herself back, meeting my stare for a moment longer before she could stand on her own and nodded back at Caleb.
“I’m sorry, Temperance.”He stroked her cheek.“And I’m afraid I don’t have any better news.When I got to my apartment, someone was waiting.He was clearly sent by the carnival: decrepit clown costume and all.Something is going downtonight.We need—”
“The sacrifice,” she cut in.“We heard the Ring Leader talking about how ‘He’ was going to walk tonight.Shit, you’re right.I think Big Bad Evil Thing is going to make an appearance.”
I thought back to what Jeb Junior had said, the impending doom he was so on about.“He’d asked the followers to bring in more people.Like it was some important thing to have as many people in the tent as possible.”
“I can imagine that whatever this thing is, it’ll be hungry when it wakes up.”Caleb’s eyes circled before he landed back on us again, abruptly noticing our clothes.“What the hell are you wearing?”
Both Temps and I laughed, and I immediately peeled off the jacket that went with this horrible overdress-like thing that still itched my skin like a son of a bitch.
“Ugh, I need out of this.I feel like a damn toddler wearing Osbegosh overalls but designed for the Junior Yuppies of America meeting.”
“I’m almost grateful for them, though,” Temps pulled off her weird suit jacket too, tossing it to the ground, “because no one noticed us in the tent.”
“Well, that probablyisa good thing, considering the cult is looking for more people.Gods, each member was probably recruiting from their own family.Ugh, that’s fucked up.”
Agreeing with Caleb, I looked back the way we came, the point of the circus tent visible through the gaps in the building.Forty-some people were in that tent, pulling in their children, mothers, and fathers who—
Oh, no.
“Dad!Shit, we have to get back to the house, Temps.There’s no telling what your mom did to him before coming to get us.I mean, why wasn’t he there?Fuck, what if he’s—”
“Hey, it’s okay.We’ll go now.”She turned to Caleb.“Can you do the bamf thing?We need to get back to our house.She’s right.The people there were hypnotized.I’m…I’m worried she really could have done something.”
“Of course.”Caleb glanced to the side, his brows down over his eyes.“You think you can get us there, buddy?”
There was a brief pause, and then Caleb nodded, taking our hands and pulling us in close.“Hang on.”
In a flash, we were standing in the front yard of our old house.The white two-story, with its charming trim and blue door, looked quiet, just like it always did, and it still struck me that in the blink of an eye, we’d traveled to the outskirts of Rockport, where it sat.
Jumping into action, I rushed forward up to the front door, pounding on it and trying the knob.But it was locked.
“Dad!Dad, are you okay?!”
“Step to the side, young morrighan.” I looked over my shoulder.Caleb’s eyes glowed yellow, his hand shifted again, and I nodded as I scooted over, knowing that Cerberus was driving the car right now.
He reached for the knob, squeezing it in his clawed grasp, and then turned hard.The sound of something metal breaking was loud, and then the door swung open.I pushed past him, rushing inside to find my father.
Please, Gods…he’s not that big of a dick.Don’t let him be dead.
It didn’t take long to stop short, my hands flying up to my mouth as I took in the sight of the living room.The place was a mess, cushions and pillows scattered to the floor, the coffee table broken, and shelves and shelves of those dumb knick-knacks emptied onto the floor.
In the center of the room, my father sat tied to a chair, his mouth gagged and his forehead bleeding.
“Dad!”
I was there in seconds, going for the ropes to get him untied.Caleb got behind him quickly, using one of those long claws to slice through the ropes.I didn’t even know we had something like that.Was Barbs secretly into knots or some shit?Still, it was probably a lot more likely that she’d brought it with her from the carnival or dug around in the little-used shed outside to find it.
Taking off the gag, which I realized was made of stockings, I held my dad’s cheeks.“Dad?Dad, are you okay?”
He blinked several times, my touch seeming to rouse him.When he looked at both me and Temps, he sighed, a cry croaked out as he shook his head frantically.
