Chapter 391
“Cass, what’s up with your sister’s IAC?” Elliott asked. He must’ve had the same idea as I did. “I can see Aaron, but not her.”
“I’m not sure,” I admitted. I took a deep breath and sent out a signal to try to shield Cadence from Holland, but there was definitely something odd going on. “I’m trying to block Holland and get Cadence back on, but I feel like she’s focusing everything she’s got on disrupting Cadence right now.” It didn’t make any sense. Maybe if I was closer to Cadence, I’d be able to do something. I should be stronger than Holland. Or maybe I just couldn’t focus. Either way, my concern was growing.
I decided to pay attention to what was in front of me now and worry about my sister if Aaron said I needed to. We made our way through the entrance, and Elliott stopped in front of a small ticket booth that looked like maybe it was part of guest relations at one point. Elliott easily broke the lock off the small, dilapidated building and announced, “This is where I leave you. Be careful.”
Brandon placed both hands on his hips. “I wish I was in on this,” he said, shaking his head.
“I’d happily swap you out for Smith, but I don’t think that would be in Cass’s best interest,” his dad replied.
“Or you could just let me go in.” I smiled up at him and batted my eyelashes, and Elliott narrowed his green eyes at me.
To Brandon, he said, “If she moves, shoot her.” He shook his head at me, and I knew he was just joking, but it was irritating that he wouldn’t just let me go. I’d find a way—eventually. I was too valuable a weapon to hang out in a little shack while all the important stuff was going on in the amusement park. I stole a glance through Jamie’s IAC and saw that he was moving closer to the rollercoaster. How cool would it be to chase a Vampire up there?
I took a seat in what used to be a chair, and Brandon began his pacing. The door was closed, but not relocked since the padlock was broken. I didn’t care—nothing here could kill either one of us, I was pretty sure. Besides, it would make getting out a lot easier.
Through Elliott’s IAC, I watched him approach an old funhouse, one of those kinds meant to scare little kids, with clowns everywhere. I imagined the inside would have those weird mirrors that made you look really wide on the bottom or really tall. Meagan was waiting in the shadows for Elliott to team up with her, and it occurred to me this was exactly the pair that had gotten shot by Cowboy Sam at Sierraville.
Across the park, Jamie was in pursuit of a group of Vampires now, the Roatan Guardians alongside him. I watched in awe as he scaled the side of the rollercoaster, propelling himself up over one railing to the next until he was hundreds of feet in the sky. I was impressed and jealous. Elsewhere, Smith was being lured over to the kiddy rides by a Vampire disguised as a clown. I had been doing my best to prevent any shapeshifting, but that one was just too funny to interfere with, so I let it go. It wasn’t as if Smith was going to be helpful anyway. I just hoped he didn’t get stuck in one of those flying elephant cars.
Meagan stopped her advance toward the funhouse abruptly, and I sucked in my breath. She’d seen something. I missed it, but whatever it was, she was scared.
Through his IAC, I heard Elliott ask her aloud, “What is it, Meag?” and Brandon and I exchanged glances. He hadn’t seen it either.
“I thought I saw... something,” was all she said. She was visibly shaken, and I slid to the edge of my seat. Something wasn’t right.
“What did you see?” Elliott asked, now in front of her. He had his Beretta out, and they entered the building, slowly, cautiously.
“I’m not sure,” Meagan admitted, but there was definitely an edge to her voice. I’d seen the woman get shot a couple of times myself, and she’s not a baby. Whatever she saw must’ve been terrifying.
“Well, let’s investigate,” Elliott suggested, choosing one of the hallways to proceed down.
The inside was dark, and the floorboards were uneven. They squeaked with each step, alerting anything that might’ve been hiding that they were no longer alone. I knew Elliott and Meagan could see because of their enhanced vision, but I felt like I was watching a scary movie where a ghost or demon was about to jump out of the shadows at any turn.
The hallways broke in different directions, one of them slanting at an unusual angle. I imagined it was for effect when this place was originally built, but now it just seemed to go along with its uninhabitable state. I stood up. There was a creaking sound down the hall from where they were walking, and Elliott moved his gun in that direction, but when he looked ahead, there was nothing there.
And then Elliott saw what Meagan had seen.
We all gasped at the same time. The figure turned the corner, disappearing into the shadows, but we had all seen his familiar gray hair and wrinkly face.
Elliott said it first, spat it out of his mouth like it was a curse. “Sam.” It made sense that he would be here if Holland could figure out where to send him since both of his victims were here--together. How she’d figured it out was beyond me, but one thing was for sure. Sam wasn’t walking out of here alive.
At the moment, Sam was a distraction, though, and before any of us realized what was happening, something was wrong with Elliott. He didn’t see it himself, and neither did Meagan, but the next thing I knew, my friend was falling to the floor unconscious. Feeling around in his brain, I picked up the same sensations I had when Paul had been drugged and imagined a Vampire must’ve snuck up on him while he was looking at Sam.
Meagan screamed his name, and Brandon shouted, “Dad!” I assume both out loud and through his IAC, but it made no difference. Elliott was out—and Meagan was all alone in a funhouse with the man who shot her, no Guardian to protect her.
