Page 5 of Kiss of Fire

Something was wrong.

Through the small square of glass in the door, she should have been able to look into the entrance lobby. But she couldn’t see anything. It was just black.

She squinted. Why were the lights out? Was there a power cut? There was nothing on the other side of the door except darkness. Was it smoke? Was there a fire?

No, not smoke. More like shadows.

Shadows which pulsated and squirmed as if they were alive. As if they knew she was there. They surged forward until they came to the locked door, pressing right up against the glass. Raya stared at them, frozen. The shadows seemed to look right back at her.

The metal door bulged.

She stumbled backwards, not knowing where she was going, just that she had to get away. She couldn’t let those shadows touch her. The keys slipped from her frozen fingers.

“Where do you think you’re going, bitch?”

Someone slammed into her from behind and she was tackled to the floor. Pain jarred through her head as Griggs pinned her with his knees.

“Let me go! I have to get away!”

Raya thrashed beneath him but he was too heavy. Her head was pounding, the egg-shaped bruise sending shards of agonizing pain through her skull. Her vision blurred as she contorted her neck to look at the door. It was shaking. Tendrils of smoky blackness were squeezing out from around the frame and through the keyhole. She remembered the words of the Mary-thing.

We’re coming.

“Griggs, let me go. It’s here, it’s come for me!”

He was oblivious to the shadows behind him. He leaned down to hiss malevolently into her ear.

“You’ve done it this time, you psycho bitch. They’re gonna keep you sedated for the rest of your life. You won’t know what fuckin’ day of the week it is.”

He yanked her to her feet and she managed to sink her teeth into his hand. He swore violently and slapped her. Her head ricocheted sideways at same time as the steel door blew off its hinges.

The orderly finally looked behind him.

“What the fuck?”

Shadows spilled into the corridor and something followed them. Something huge.

Raya had the terrifying impression of a giant beast made of smoke. A creature with neon blue eyes.

She couldn’t speak, couldn’t even scream as the monstrous form filled her vision. It was here. It had found her.

The creature looked directly at Griggs. The orderly stumbled backwards, shaking with fear. Dark coils reached towards him and suddenly he was flung through the air as if he was a ragdoll. He hit the far wall and crumpled in a heap.

Raya sank to the floor, limbs weak and trembling. She mustered what was left of her courage.

“What do you want?” she screamed. “Why are you here?”

The beast turned its fearsome gaze on her. When it spoke, its voice vibrated through her very bones.

“I have come to offer you a bargain. If you agree to my terms, I will take you from this wretched place and give you whatever you desire. Or stay. The choice is yours.”

A bargain? With this thing? The thought was incomprehensible. Whatever the hell this unnatural behemoth was, it was dangerous. She could feel the power and rage boiling off it.

Yet it hadn’t attacked her. It had thrown Griggs off her. And it had given her a choice.

No-one had given her a choice for a very long time.

Dreaming. She must be dreaming. She’d hit her head and was concussed. This was just a nightmare. Or one hell of a hallucination.

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