The Haunted - Jessica Verday [49]
And swallowed it whole.
I sat up, feverishly clutching the covers in the dark. It was here. It was in me. It was… a dream.
I took in my surroundings. Closet, bathroom, desk, door. No hulking shapes. No dark shadows. No red eyes. But just to be on the safe side, I reached over and flipped on my light.
A warm, buttery glow filled the room and swept aside my wave of panic.
Looking down at my twisted sheets, I slowly unclenched my fingers. My legs were sweaty and stuck together when I moved. I took several steps toward the bathroom and fumbled for the light switch. The tile was cool on my bare feet as I shuffled in and stood in front of the sink, gripping both edges.
Staring at the reflection in the mirror, I turned my head from side to side and looked at my throat. There weren’t any… marks, or anything. Feeling slightly foolish, I opened my mouth and looked inside. Nothing dark or scary there either.
I shuddered as I thought about that thing swooping toward me. Forcing its way past my throat. It had screeched the most god-awful sound.… I shuddered again and ran my hands under some cold water. Pressing them to my cheeks, I tried to calm my racing thoughts. It was only a dream, but it had felt so real.
A single thought crossed my mind, and without questioning it, I followed through.
Leaving the bathroom behind, I changed into some jeans and a dark hoodie. Then I went over to the window seat and looked at the ground outside. There was a section of flat roof right below my window, attached to a hanging trellis. The drop down to the ground didn’t look too bad, and I was pretty sure I could make it.
I raised the window halfway and leaned my head out into the darkness. I’ll have to be careful not to bump into anything down there and wake up Mom and Dad.
I pulled my head back in. What was I thinking? Could I really sneak out of the house? If they caught me, I’d be so dead.
I glanced back over at my bed and tasted burnt ash again. No way. I didn’t care what happened. I wasn’t going back to bed, and I didn’t want to stay here.
Lifting the window a little bit higher, I threw my leg over the edge. One toe touched the roof, and I put my other leg through. Balancing on tiptoes, I pulled the window back down, leaving it open just enough so that I could get back in, but not too much so that it looked suspicious. Belatedly, I realized that I probably should have stuffed some pillows under my sheets to make it look like I was still there in case Mom came in to check on me.
But I wasn’t going to climb back in just to do that. Besides, I wouldn’t be gone very long anyway.
Moving over to the edge where the lattice was, I stuck my feet into the crisscrossed holes.
It settled when I put my whole weight on it, and I froze, but a second later it was still. I gripped it and gave a tug to double-check. It held firm.
Climbing down was a lot easier than I’d expected, and my feet hit solid ground in no time.
It looked like everything was clear, and I moved stealthily across the yard and out into the street.
Most of the houses were dark except for a porch light, and a wicked thrill went through me at what I was doing. When the massive iron cemetery gates rose up before me, I took another peek around, then slipped through them.
The cemetery was beautiful and eerie in the moonlight, the bleached-bone color of the aged tombstones turned milky and luminescent. The pathways were dark, but my feet knew the one that would take me to him. It was peaceful and quiet as I passed by small metal fences and lopsided angel statues, but then I felt a tiny frisson of fear when I pictured red eyes and things on wings swooping after me.
I quickened my pace to a half run, and I reached his mausoleum. Slipping through the door, I saw that there weren’t any candles lit. What if he’s not here? What if he goes wandering at night?
Terror started to clog the back of my throat, and I willed my eyes to get used to the darkness. The total, complete darkness, which was black… and empty… and