His lips curl up into a smirk, “that’s fair.”
We head down into the pitch-black tunnel, flashlights poised. Sloan comes with us this time, taking in the grotesque surroundings with a grimace.
We make it to the circular room, but there’s no trace of the demon dog, save for the piles of bones. I sweep the flashlight over the heptagram, trying to see it better.
“Do you think this has anything to do with your demons?” I ask to no one in particular.
The guys shrug, already pairing off to go down the tunnels that branch off from the room.
Garrison and Sloan go down the tunnel off to the right, bats raised as they stalk off into the dark.
Graham and Lukas take the middle, leaving Emmet, Walker and I to go down the last one. Great, this will not be awkward at all.
This tunnel is narrower than the one that leads down here. Its dirt floor is full of divots, and I’ve already tripped in one. The silence eats away at us as we walk for what seems like forever.
I finally crack and burst out the one question that’s been burning to get out, “Why did you lie about Pierce being alive?”
Emmet clears his throat. “I didn’t.”
I expected some sort of apology or reasoning like he wanted to hurt me come out of his mouth. I didn’t expect him to double down on it.
I wheel around at him, flashlight shining into his face. “What the fuck, Emmet?”
He raises his hand, blocking the light from his eyes. “I didn’t lie. He’s in purgatory.”
“How the fuck do you know that?”
He bristles, lips thinning like he’s wondering how much to tell me. I don’t know what to think, or feel, or even believe. He’s fucked with me in more ways than one, but would he really lie to me about this?
Just as he’s about to answer me, a rustling comes from down the tunnel. I shine my light and see a raven shoot out, missing our heads by inches.
“Fuck. Wait, do you hear that?” I strain my ears, hearing a soft lapping sound. Walker and I give each other a quick look. I don’t have time for Emmet’s mind games right now. A pulsing feeling rushes through my body. I recognize it immediately, remembering that day at the beach and the pull I felt then.
We round the corner and see a cave in of several large boulders that span the height of the tunnel, with several large chunks of rock missing.
“Oh my fucking God. The cave.” I gasp, feeling the pull in my chest. The demon dog must have been getting out from this tunnel since the collapse.
The demon inside of me stretches out, feeling the call of the veil. It floods my senses. I try to push it off, but it stifles me, catching me off guard.
I feel myself walking, hand outstretched towards the rocks, before the demon takes me over entirely.
ChapterSixty-Three
EMMET
SONG: DARK STAR BY FRED TEXIER, JONATHAN MAYER, ATOM MUSIC AUDIO
My flashlight catches the moment Salem’s eyes turn pitch black. I lunge at her, pulling her away from the wall. My demon rears up trying to make me bend to its will. I struggle against it, pulling at Salem.
Snow swirls around us, coming in through the opening in the rocks.
Walker shoves me off her.
“She’s not herself. Don’t you recognize where we are?” I yell.
He looks at me, wide-eyed, then back at Salem. He reaches for her, but she sees him coming, hitting him with a blast of black smoke that winds around his throat, shoving him back against the wall.
He claws at the smoke, his eyes rolling back into his head.
