Page 77 of Miles's Pact
"Okay?" Duckie asked, and I nodded quickly, not wanting him to realize how scared I was.
Something brushed my leg, and I skittered back as much as I could with my hand still gripped in Duckie's.
Glancing down, I found a vine creeping toward me, and I knew it was going to wrap around my leg and drag me into those trees.
"Let's check out the next room," I said, and Duckie beamed at me.
"Sure! I'm glad you're having fun."
Ha. The things I'd do for this man...
We went out of the room, pausing in front of the next one.
This one had no door at all, and the plaque introduced it as "The Crypt."
"Fun," I mumbled, and Duckie chuckled as he hurried inside. I was grateful he was holding my hand, because I didn't think I could get through this thing without that anchor to the real world, to the reason I was doing this.
The crypt was full of coffins, some lying open, others closed, as well as stone statues. The air here was chill, practically freezing, and the sound of a crow cawing could be heard every few seconds.
Suddenly, the crows fell silent, and a wooden creak filled the air, pulling my eyes to the coffin whose lid had slid a few inches to the right.
My eyes were riveted to the gap that had opened up, waiting for something to leap out of the coffin, my whole body thrumming with the need to leave this room.
A hand clasped my shoulder, and I yelped, jerking back so hard Duckie lost his hold on my hand.
Suddenly, a thick fog filled the room, blocking my sight as I looked around, desperate to find Duckie again.
"Duckie!" I shouted, but it was like the fog swallowed my voice. Fuck, fuck, fuck. This was beyond creepy. This was downright terrifying.
A hand clasped around my arm, and I almost ripped it away before realizing it was Duckie.
"Found you!" he said, giving me a look I couldn't quite read.
"Duckie, thank God—" I sucked in a breath as his face started to transform, turning pale and bloody. He grinned at me, revealing sharp vampire fangs, and I stumbled back, ripping myself out of his hold.
Logically, I knew it must be Bettino, the shapeshifter, taking Duckie's form. But my fear was getting the best of me, and if I didn't find Duckie soon, I was going to curl up in a corner and let it swallow me whole.
I should've told Duckie I wasn't up for this when he first asked me.
Duckie
This was so cool.
I'd been to a haunted house once before, when I'd been seven. Back before everything had gone to shit. I remembered how fun all the jump scares had been, how Dad had screamed with fright while Mom and I laughed in delight.
But Cam's haunted house was so much better. It was spookier, for one, and all the little paranormal contributions made even me feel a little scared.
I pushed through the fog, aiming for the spot Miles had pulled away toward. Mateo had told me Miles wasn't a big fan of horror, and I'd been trying my best to keep him from gettingtooscared. Holding hands helped, but he had to be scared as fuck right now.
"Miles?" I asked as my hand brushed something warm, and I waved some of the fog away, smiling when I spotted him. "There you are."
"Can we get out of here?" he asked, his brown eyes a touch wild, and I nodded instantly.
Taking his hand in mine, I linked our fingers before leading him through the fog and out of the room.
"Do you want to skip the rest of the rooms?" I asked, and he pursed his lips.
"You want to see them, right? We don't have to."
