Chapter Nine

I couldn’t find Kayn anywhere.

I knew he was following me, hiding from plain sight. I wanted nothing more than to corner him and ask him what the hell he was up to now. However, I was growing tired and needed to catch a breather.

Besides that, I wasn’t here to run after him or play hide and seek.

Bowmore’s movie theatre stood out with its colossal tangerine-orange sign of a finger pointing to the sky.

A part of the finger was broken off, and someone had stuck a bunch of political stickers onto it. Movie posters and a few cut-out actors was displayed on either side of the entrance, and there was another door leading into the arcade area. 

The interior of the movie theatre was well decorated, clean and the staff was friendlier than any other place I’ve ever been. When I went over the counter to purchase a popcorn and a slushie, I couldn’t help but feel the weight of being watched.

I glanced around, focusing more on the darker corners where someone could easily fade from sight.

Kayn  was so getting an earful the moment I found him.

I decided on a zombie rom-com. I wasn’t exactly in the mood for it, but my options were limited between that, two adult movies and one of a sad pufferfish.

The theatre was empty when I entered, a trailer of an upcoming movie playing out on screen. I decided on a seat in the far back so I could see if someone walked in.

A few minutes into the movie a couple walked into the theatre, holding hands. Not acknowledging me, they moved toward the front and took a seat.

My eyes kept wandering back toward the entrance as I devoured my popcorn and sipped on my slushie to a point where it was nothing but a lump of dry ice.

Mumbling my annoyance, I leaned down to place my slushie into the cup holder. As I straightened back up, drowsiness swarmed me.

My body began feeling too heavy for me to function, and I slumped into my seat, feeling myself drift into a place of darkness…

“Excuse me?” A high-pitched voice echoed from somewhere above me. “Hello?”

Someone was shaking me. My limbs felt like lead and when my eyes fluttered open, the theatre lights were on and the screen was black.

“It’s a pretty damn good thing I have to clean tonight otherwise you would have been locked in, kid,” said the man as he peered down at me. He was wearing a mustard-yellow overall and carried a large plastic bag with him. 

I blinked, feeling dazed. It took me a moment to realize where I was. When it dawned on me, I sprung up so fast my body trembled from the sudden adrenaline spike and I nearly toppled over.

“Careful kid.” The man reached out to steady me. “Are you alright? You seem a bit bleak on the face.”

I scanned the area nervously, my heart inside my ears. “What time is it?”

“It’s a little past nine.”

My eyes bulged. “As in night?”

“Yes.” Concern marred the man’s features. “Would you like to phone your parents?”

I should have been home hours ago. Mom had to be losing her mind with worry. I rubbed my forehead, trying to figure out how I managed to sleep this long. Or how I fell asleep in the first place.

Maybe I was coming down with something.

“Could I do that?” I asked. “Please.”

“Sure thing kid. Follow me.”

“I really need to get my own cell,” I mumbled as I trailed after him toward the front counter where the man pulled out a cellphone from behind it.

He handed it to me. “Here you go.”

Mom was hysteric—yelling into the receiver and asking where I’ve been. When she finally calmed down long enough to listen, I explained the situation to her. I told her I would head straight home.

I thanked the man who escorted me to the door. “Take care now. You sure you will be alright?”

I smiled faintly, “I’ll be okay, again, thank you.”

A chilly gust of air circled around me as I stepped out into the night and the glass doors clicked shut behind me.

I found it odd that there were no nightlife at this hour, except for the splash of light from the grocer’s open doors, which I could see from two blocks away. The wind howled like a horror movie intro, sending leaves, a few empty cans and candy wrappers tumbling down the dark, ominous looking, deserted street.

I shivered, picking up my pace and tried not to focus too hard on the fact that I was entirely alone out here, my converse sneakers tapping against the pavement.

I had to glance over my shoulder several times to make sure I hadn’t mistaken the echo of my own shoes for an another pair that matched the rhythm of my own.

A rush of air stirred the hair at the back of my neck and my skin broke out in goosebumps. The feeling of being watched became heavy, and I couldn’t shed it.

I glanced back again, stopping still for a heartbeat to hear the tapping noise moving toward me, then stop apdruptly.

I knew then I was being followed.

I began walking again.

Kayn, I thought.

It was only then I remembered he was following me earlier and it wouldn’t surprise me if he was out here trying to scare me.

Everyone said this was one of the safest places in the world. Except for him. He would clearly do anything to get me to leave this place.

“That’s it, jackass. I know you’re following me.” I flung around and the footfalls died down once again. “Kayn, seriously. Stalking people is illegal.”

Dead silence.

I dropped my arms to my sides, sighing. “Come on I know it’s you. I saw you earlier.”

Another heavy gust of wind brushed against my bare arms and face. I shivered, rubbing my arms and staring into the darkness for any sign of movement. “You know what, I’m going to have a nice long talk with your mom. It’s sad I have to tell her that her son is a psychopath.”

Regardless of my bold threat, fear clawed deep inside my chest. Kayn wouldn’t hurt me?

Or, would he?

There was no one nearby to help if anything happened. This was a perfect opportunity for anyone with ill intentions to make a strike.

“Fine, it’s your choice, dumbass,” I spoke in a nonchalant tone, but my throat was tight with fear and I struggled to breathe. My feet felt like weights as I forced myself to turn and start walking, contemplating whether I should make a run for it or not.

If Kayn was trying to scare me and I ran, he’d be successful in his fright attempt. A bigger part wanted to give in and take off, but I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of my fear.

I’ve never felt so conflicted in my life.

A dull thud sounded behind me and that was enough to destroy every bit of dignity I had left and broke into a run.

I only made a few feet before a thick, slimy thing looped around my ankle and plucked me downward. An burn spread across my palms as I blocked my fall against the pavement.

Peering down, I

reached for the thing around my ankle and shrieked with panic.

It was a large octopus thing attacking me.

At least, I think so.

The adrenaline was so thick inside me I couldn’t process what was happening, or what I was seeing.

I had to be dreaming.

Yep, that had to be it.

This had to be a dream. I was probably snoring viciously inside the theatre, matching up to the zombie growling fest unfolding on screen. It was the only way to explain this.

The creature inched closer, the grip of its tentacle tensing around my leg. I gasped out a cry of pain, attempting to tear the thing off from me.

That’s when I saw him.

Standing in the middle of a nest of tentacles protruding

out from the pavement, surrounding him like some kind of wayward shield.

His long, silver hair shimmered of an unnatural nature, his skin pale and taut. Eyes the color of ice were set on me, observing me as I rolled around and kicked in effort to fight off his tentacles.

The one corner of the man’s lip tipped up into a malevolent smile.

“Humans are so frail and weak. It’s a pity you’re not so smart, either.”

“Humans?” I mouthed to myself, stopping for a moment to alloww the scene to unfold in front of me. I was in the middle of nowhere, out in the dark, alone and fighting off some kind of octopus man.

This couldn’t be real.

Another tentacle hooked around me, jerking me back to my senses. 

“Let. Go. Of. Me!” I rolled sideways, fighting the tentacles slithering across my body, wrapping their way around me. They were a sickly shade of a decaying bone color,

covered in moss, and a few seashells grew out of the flesh, cutting my skin where they made contact.

“I will wipe out every, single, last one of your kind, girl,” he snickered. “You will be the example left behind as a forewarning for them, staining these streets.”

I barely processed what he had said, when he turned, vanishing into the darkness and the tentacles followed, dragging me after him.

I opened my mouth to scream, but this time no sound came out. There was too much pressure around my neck, and as I lifted my hands, I felt a tentacle coiled around firmly my neck.

I was completely ineffective and unable to fight back.

Except...

I began lifting my shoulders up, and slammed down. Hard.

Only one of the tentacles withtracted. The tentacle man’s laughter echoed from somewhere inside the darknes, and he clucked his tongue.

A tentacle vaulted down, slapping me through the face, and my cheek planted against the pavement.

I tried resisting the darkness luring me in, but I felt night wrap around me like a thick cloak. For a moment I was convinced I was unconscious, lost in a sea of stars and blurred objects.

I felt the pressure around my body slip away, and an animal-like screech sounded. The noise cut painfully into my eardrums, but

I was unable to cover my ears, my arms dead weight at my sides.

Whatever was screaming—it was the cries of someone in pure agony.

Then, silence.

Darkness.

“Carly?” I heard a familiar voice. A gentle pressure formed against my shoulder. “It’s okay, you’ll be okay.”

I attempted to lift my head, but the person held me down. “Don’t move too fast. You hurt your head.”

The voice was calm and soothing. A soft heat formed at the base of my neck as a hand cupped it. “Here, let me.”

Another hand looped around one of my arms I absentmindedly held up in the air. My eyes fluttered open and for a few seconds all I could see was a blurry face hovering over me.

“Do you think you’ll be able to sit up?” he asked.

I tried to nod and gasped as a sharp pain shot through my head. “It—the...the thing. Where is it? Where is he?”

“The man? He’s gone,” he answered. “He ran off.”  

“Man?” I blinked, regaining my vision. The first thing I see is a pale, beautiful face. Aquamarine eyes. “Kayn?”

“It’s okay. Be careful, you got hurt badly.”

“He had—” I coughed as Kayn helped me sit up, allowing me to rest against his chest. “He had tentacles.”

Kayn remained silent for a moment, allowing me to finish my coughing fit and gently rubbing my sore back. “What are you talking about?”

“The man who attacked me. He had tentacles. Like the ones on an octopus.”

“Carly, I think you’ve been drugged.”

“You were following me earlier. I thought it was you.” I tried to move my head to look at him, but it hurt too much so I buried my face onto his shoulder instead. “Why did you follow me?”

“I was in town and saw you,” he said. “I was actually trying to avoid you.”

The pain inside my head began throbbing so badly, I was convinced my brain was about to explode. It felt like we were floating, and the world began to spin around us.

“I know you’re lying,” I managed, my body feeling limp against his.

He lifted a hand, gently grazing my cheek. “Help is on the way,” he whispered.