I counted to thirteen, then lifted my hands from her body, certain that she was gone. I flinched as snow flew up and hit my face. I looked up to see Annie glaring down at me and her dead body.
“Thanks a lot, asshole. Now what?”
Rule 57 - Priest
Listen to your body.
The relief I'd felt when the spirit possessing me receded was short-lived. I could feel the pressure of Mr. Vincent’s spirit returning. It had used its energy to heal me, but it was coming to again. Annie's ghost was glaring at me, but I didn't have time to argue with her. I needed to get back to my room. I spun around and started back to the hotel.
"You can't just leave me like that!" Annie followed me.
I rolled my eyes. What was she going to do? She was dead.
"You know, if you'd just let me go down the hill, I could have figured out a way to save our asses."
"Fat chance." I smirked. "If anyone is going down that hill, it's Laney and I."
"You think the spirits are going to let you leave? They've already gotten inside of you. I can feel it. I knew something was wrong!" She waved her finger and followed me back to the hotel. "Your eyes changed. They get glazed and... evil-looking. But now, now I can feel it." She shivered.
"What do you mean, feel it?" I paused at the doors andturned to the spirit. She looked up at the building and raised her hands slowly.
"I'm part of the Vincent now. It's a hive mind. I can feel the darkness, the hatred, and the jealousy. It’s a tingling." She turned her head to me and her eyes went white. "You don't have much time before he returns. I suggest you go find that mask, Priest."
I left her on the stairs and ran inside. Voices called to me in the lobby. Annie was right. I could feel Mr. Vincent's spirit returning. My chest burned as he tried to rise up inside me.I turned up to the stairs and was stopped by a strong hand on my arm pulling me back down. I turned to see Juniper glaring at me.
"We need to talk."
"Tristan's already dead. I'm not trying to be the next one. Laney and I are leaving."
"You can try, but unless we give the hotel what it wants, it won't let you leave."
I swallowed, my mind flashing back to Annie's corpse in the snow. Have I not given the hotel enough blood?
"You don't have much time, do you?" She reached out and put a cold hand on my chest. "He's coming back. What are you going to do?"
I brushed her away. "If I can get that mask back on, he won't be able to control me. Now excuse me, you're right. I'm running out of time."I reached the suite and began tossing my things around, looking for that stupid rubber mask. It was the only thing keeping me from losing my body and mind completely. When Vincent came back, I was done for. Had someone taken it from my room? Where the hell was it?
"What are you doing?"
I spun around to face Laney. Her eyes were red and her cheeks were swollen from crying."I'm looking for something. What's wrong?"
"Priest?" Her face crumpled. "Is that really you?"
I hurried to her, putting my arms around her and pulling her close. "Yes, it's me. I don't have much time. I need to find that Michael Myers mask."
"Why? So you can kill more people?" She shoved me away from her. "I know about Moth and Tristan and Marco. You can't keep doing this Priest!"
"Laney, I need to hurry."
"How convenient."
"It's true! Laney, I made a deal with the spirits here and they want to take over my body and I don't have much time."
She crossed her arms. "I know. Moth and Tristan told me. But I want to know the truth. Was it you or were you possessed when you killed them?"
"Why does it matter? They're dead regardless." I ducked under my bed.
"Priest, I need to know. Did you kill them or was it..."
