Part 23 (2/2)
”Bye-bye, William!” crooned Viktor, his tone rapturous. Honestly, I expected a little more respect from him, but I guess some wounds from long ago were still fresh. ”Maybe we'll meet again, eh? Perhaps eventually in the afterlife?”
Not if I can help it, you sorry sack of s.h.i.+t!
It was the last calm thought I had before Vera and Nicolas reached my chair.
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Cades Cove: The Curse of Allie Mae.
The Cades Cove Series, Book One.
(Please read on for a sample).
”M-m-u-u-r-r-der-r-r-er-r-r!”
David opened his eyes, awakened by the whisper that pa.s.sed over his face. The room was completely dark, and not even the parking lot lamps' glow penetrated the murkiness. He noticed the curtains' unusual thickness when he turned up the heater before retiring, a.s.suming it was the motel's way of compensating its guests for the spa.r.s.e insulation. At least one couldn't be bothered by any car or truck lights coming in late, as most of the motel's patrons seemed to be in the long-haul transportation business.
The television was blank and silent, and David couldn't make out its outline. The heater's comforting hum was also absent. It left the room in a hostile stillness. Suddenly, the sound of a deep sigh filled the air above the s.p.a.ce between the two beds. Something floated there.
He raised himself, fully aware of his distinct disadvantage against whoever was here with him. Peering into the darkness where the sigh came from, he reached for the lamp switch next to his bed.
”Don't do it!”
The feminine voice surreal, the accent and the fact it sounded both near and far was familiar.
”Allie Mae?”
The air around him was already chilled from the lack of heat, but it now grew even colder. The presence was drawing near to him. A brilliant blue eye appeared, aglow in the darkness less than a foot away. The eye was especially beautiful, and it squinted. Perhaps it scrutinized him, or more likely, its owner was seriously p.i.s.sed.
”What do you want from me?” David tried to remain calm despite his terror, but found it impossible to control the unsteadiness in his voice.
The eye moved closer, and as it did he became aware of a soft gurgling sound. It reminded him of the tiny streams he used to find in the mountain valleys of Colorado. Cold drafts of air brushed against his face, and the eye came within a few inches of his own eyes, as if the head shrouded by darkness positioned itself to kiss him. The smell of raw meat filled his nostrils. He pushed himself back against the bed's headboard.
”To take back what you've stolen,” the voice replied. It was softer and almost normal, erupting from the gurgling noise and sending an icy spray upon him. ”And, kill the wicked seed once and for all!”
”I didn't steal your bag of treasures, and I'll happily give it back!” He clutched his bedspread tightly, and shrunk away from the eye, the smell, and the gurgling. ”I'll do whatever it takes to make things right!”
”It's too late to give it back,” replied the garbled voice, sending forth another spray of chilled droplets onto his face. David cringed in response and closed his eyes. ”It's too late to give back my life, Billy Ray-y-y-y!”
A splash of icy liquid against his throat and T-s.h.i.+rt emphasized the fervency of this last statement. Ever fearful, he opened his eyes. Another eye as grotesque as the first eye was lovely had since joined it. Its mutilated cornea and iris glowed as a ruptured ma.s.s of fire and blood within the torn edges of the socket.
”I'm not Billy Ray! My name's David!!” he shouted.
”Ya are what ya are and always will be, Billy Ray-y-y-y!” the voice hissed in anger. ”Y'all and yer seed have killed and taken whatever ya've pleased! But, no more!! There ain't no more hidin' from yer sins!!!”
”No, you've got the wrong guy! I've never done anything to you-”
”M-m-m-u-r-r-r-der-r-r-er-r-r!!”
He threw up his hands to protect himself as she shrieked her condemnation over and over, the echo resounding loudly throughout the room before returning to where he lay huddled against the headboard. Iciness gripped the base of his bed and steadily moved up toward him, chilling the bones in his feet, legs, and thighs as it touched him. Out of the darkness the two eyes suddenly looked up at him from his waist, revealing the ent.i.ty now caressed his body like a famished lover, moving from his feet to his genitals and on up to his face. He whimpered in horror as something cold, wet and slimy crept inside his s.h.i.+rt toward his throat.
Screaming in terror, he slapped at himself, falling out of the bed. He grabbed the nightstand, pulling the top drawer out while groping for the lamp's pole. A pair of frigid arms embraced him from behind, and even icier hands pinched his nipples. Coldness beyond anything he'd ever known flowed through him from behind, freezing his lungs to where he couldn't breathe. He began to pa.s.s out. Turning on the light switch was the last thing he remembered.
David awoke lying on the floor between the two beds. The nightstand lamp was on, and his head throbbed worse than any migraine he could remember. He groggily stood up and moved over to the clock, which still faced his bed. It read 3:38 a.m.
After replacing the nightstand's drawer in its slot, and checking to make sure the heater still worked, he set the thermostat and blower on high and went into the bathroom. He intended to splash water in his face and take something for his pounding headache. But, when he looked in the mirror, he could only stare at his reflection.
His face and T-s.h.i.+rt were covered with blood.
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Kindle US.
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About the Author:.
Aiden James resides in Tennessee with his lovely wife, Fiona, their two sons, Christopher and Tyler, and a feisty terrier named Gypsy. An avid researcher of all things paranormal, he spends much of his time investigating haunted locales throughout the Deep South. Please visit his website: .
BOOKS BY AIDEN JAMES.
CADES COVE SERIES.
Cades Cove.
The Raven Mocker.
THE TALISMAN CHRONICLES.
The Forgotten Eden The Devil's Paradise.
GHOSTHUNTERS 101 SERIES.
Deadly Night.
The Ungrateful Dead THE DYING OF THE DARK SERIES.
The Vampires' Last Lover.
The Vampires' Birthright Blood Princesses of the Vampires Scarlet Legacy of the Vampires.
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