Page 54 of Bed of Thorns

The hard crack of lightning flashing across the sky was blinding, a falling limb barely missing my mama’s car. She was going to kill me if anything happened to it. Swerving, I managed to avoid debris in the road as I continued driving, fighting with everything I had to catch my breath. When I finally reached the last road leading to Fernando’s office, a mixture of elation and anxiety replaced the terror.

Edmond’s truck wasn’t in the parking lot. Was I wrong about him coming here? I rolled forward, noticing Fernando’s vehicle parked haphazardly, barely in a spot. Then there was a large SUV parked a distance away, almost as if the person had been intent on hiding his arrival.

As I rolled down the street, another bolt of lightning highlighted the parking lot. There were no lights on in the building that I could see, but I knew Edmond was inside. I could feel him. He was angry. He was…

Nothing was going to stop me from getting to him. I rolled into the parking lot, jerking into a parking spot, forced to slam on my brakes given my high rate of speed. The hard thud as the tires hit the concrete barrier jolted my system, goosebumps popping along every inch of naked skin. My stomach remained in knots, my heart skipping beats.

I’d never felt this much anxiety. Never.

Thunder rolled, the crisscrossing jolts of current lighting up the sky. I heard sirens in the background, the eerie sound adding to the sick dread of what I’d find inside. Edmond had been so different the last few days, snipping at me for the first time.

He’d pushed me away when I’d wanted to talk, walking away from me, which he’d never done before. And his eyes. They’d been so cold, as if darkness had grabbed his soul, yanking it away.

“Edmond,” I whispered as I rushed from the car, heading toward the building. I could barely see from the torrential downpour, my tennis shoes soaked, sloshing against the pavement. I took another deep breath before opening the door. There were two floors, Fernando’s office located in the back on the second. I shifted in the darkness, only the emergency lights providing any guidance as I made my way to the stairs.

It was obvious the power was out, the shadows appearing from every corner just as terrifying as what I’d find. After making it to the top of the stairs, I crept along the wall, listening for any sounds. Within only a few feet, I could hear angry voices. I stopped short, trying to understand what I was hearing and who was cursing.

Thud.

Bam.

The walls vibrated, the sound of glass shattering and clattering with another rumble of thunder.

“No. Don’t do it!” Edmond snarled.

Another thump.

I was jarred, paralyzed from fear.

“You fucked with the wrong people,” the deep voice hissed.

There was a third person, a voice I didn’t recognize.

Move. Move. My pulse racing, I headed down the hallway, glancing over my shoulder as if someone was coming up behind me. Cringing, I rounded the last corner, eyeing the open office door, the location of the argument.

Pop! Pop!

Bam!

Oh, my God. What was going on?

As I moved toward the door, the terror returned, the feeling suffocating.

“Whoever you are, you’re going to die!” Fernando yelled.

The mysterious person grunted. Then I heard a strangled, horrific sound just as I stepped in front of the open door.

Pop! Pop!

Then I screamed.

A scream rushed into my throat, and I jerked up, beads of perspiration trickling across my hairline. What in the hell? The nightmare had been so real, the images vivid, but the second I opened my eyes, they faded away, leaving only a blanket of darkness.

But the horrible feeling remained, a sickening knowledge that would never leave the back of my mind.

Blood.

So much blood.

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