Chapter 19

Chapter

Nineteen

I lunge forward, desperate to escape whatever is breathing hot and ragged down my neck. My heart pounds as I reach for Tessa’s arm, but my hands are slick with sweat and blood, and she slips away from my grasp. She has to be running with me, right? She wouldn’t just stay and let Lyle get her. I don’t dare look back to check. My breath is fast and shallow, my pulse thundering in my ears as I sprint through the twisting maze of hallways.

Behind me, the crashing sounds grow louder, echoing off the walls in a relentless pursuit. His voice—Lyle’s voice—shouts my name, filled with a sickening determination. He’s coming, tearing through the passages like a predator on the hunt. I push myself harder, my legs burning with each step. If I can just find the exit, get out of this nightmare...

“Tessa?” I pant, my throat dry, whiskey-less.

Oh, God. Why isn’t she answering me?

A door looms ahead, slightly ajar, and without thinking, I throw myself inside. My fingers fumble for the knob, and I yank it shut behind me, plunging myself into darkness. I stumble backward, my hands colliding with wooden shelves. A closet. Small, cramped, but it’s a hiding place.

I sink to the floor, curling into myself, pressing my back against the rough wood. My body shakes with adrenaline and fear, my breath coming in short, uneven gasps. I clamp a hand over my mouth, trying to stifle my sobs. Tears burn my eyes, blurring my vision even in the pitch-black. I squeeze them shut, feeling the hot, wet trickle of them down my cheeks.

The darkness wraps around me like a heavy blanket. Every sound feels magnified—the pounding of my heart, the raggedness of my breath, the heavy thud of footsteps outside. Panic claws its way up my throat, threatening to choke me. I press my forehead to my knees, rocking back and forth, trying to steady myself, trying to stay quiet. The air in the closet is stale, filled with a rotting scent. This place, this whole place is rotten.

I don’t know how much time passes. Seconds? Minutes? It feels like years. My mind is racing, spiraling, thoughts colliding in a frantic loop. I try to think of anything but the darkness pressing in on me, the sounds of Lyle running back and forth outside. But images flash behind my closed eyelids—Marissa’s lifeless eyes, Jonathan’s blood-filled mouth, Griffin’s agonizing screams.

A sob escapes, and I bite down on my knuckles to keep from screaming. The taste of blood fills my mouth, metallic and sharp. I can’t do this. I can’t stay here, waiting, hiding, while Lyle is out there—while Tessa is out there. But what if she’s already gone? What if Lyle caught her? And what if she’s right? What if this is all my fault? What if Lyle is doing this because of me?

I dig my nails into my arms, trying to ground myself, to focus on the pain instead of the terror. But it’s no use. The fear is too strong, too overwhelming.

I lean my head back against the closet wall, squeezing my eyes shut, whispering into the dark, “Please… please, just let this be over.”

Outside, Lyle calls my name, his voice twisted and mocking. His footsteps grow louder again, his voice closer. “Tori! I know you’re here!” The sound of him fills my head. He’s going to find me. He’s going to kill me.

I hold my breath, my body tensing. He’s right outside the closet now. I can hear his breathing, heavy and ragged, just inches away. My heart races. I pray and pray. I’m not a religious person, but I’m on my hands and knees right now, begging. I want to live. I want to live. Please, God, please.

And then, just as suddenly as he arrived, his footsteps move away. The sound of his voice fades, echoing farther down the hall.

I wait, counting each second, each distant step until I’m sure he’s gone. My hand reaches for the doorknob, hesitating. I can’t stay here. I have to find Tessa. I have to know she’s okay. I have to find Hayes, and we need to get out of here.

Slowly, I push the door open, peering out. The hallway is lit now, the bright fluorescent light blaring overhead. I step out, blinking against the sudden brightness. The funhouse is revealed in all its plastic horror—cheap decorations, animatronic monsters, peeling paint.

I move cautiously, my eyes darting down the corridor, searching for any sign of Tessa. A shape catches my eye—a figure crumpled against the wall up ahead. My stomach twists as I creep closer, dread clawing at my insides. It’s Tessa. She’s sprawled on the floor, her head tilted unnaturally to the side, her eyes fixed on me, glassy and empty, like one of those porcelain dolls.

A pool of dark blood spreads beneath her, soaking into the grimy floor, the thick liquid oozing slowly outward. Her hand dangles limply at her side, her fingers curled, blood dripping steadily from their tips. There’s so much blood. Too much.

I drop to my knees beside her, a sob ripping from my throat. “No, Tessa… no…” My hands hover over her, afraid to touch, afraid to confirm what I already know. The warmth of her skin is gone. She’s cold. Too cold. My hands, stained with blood, linger just above her, trembling.

Tori!

TORI!

Voices shout my name, but I can’t make out whose they are. My head pounds, a relentless throb that blurs my thoughts. My mind is swimming, disoriented. I blink, but I can’t see past the tears streaming down my face, my vision swimming.

The voices grow louder, frantic, closer. Panic grips me. I think it’s Lyle. I can’t let him find me. I scramble to my feet, my legs weak and shaking beneath me, and I run.

I barrel through a mock vampire’s lair, the air heavy with the smell of old fabric and stale air. An animatronic vampire lunges from a wooden coffin, its plastic fangs bared in a comical snarl. I scream, instinctively throwing my arms up, stumbling back as I slam into a door. The door gives way under my weight, and I tumble through, crashing to the floor.

I land in a room full of mirrors, the floor cold and hard beneath me. My blurry reflection surrounds me from every angle. Then I hear him—Lyle’s footsteps pounding closer, his voice booming as he closes in. But he isn’t alone. Hayes is with him. Hayes is here!

“Hayes!” I scream, scrambling to my feet, my heart twisting with relief and fear. “Get away from him!” I throw myself forward, my body slamming into Hayes, shielding him. I can’t let Lyle hurt him, too. I won’t.

But as I crash into Hayes, I catch a glimpse of my reflection in one of the mirrors. I freeze, my breath catching in my throat. Staring back at me isn’t my face—it’s hers. Liliana’s. Her eyes are wide, filled with a cold, malicious gleam. Her lips curl into a cruel smile, mocking me.

“I’m not the monster here. You are,” Lyle says.