Page 46 of Stay Scared

He turns immediately, but the figure disappears through a maintenance door.

“I told you he was following me.”

“I believe you.”

He answers without hesitation.

Cade lowers the skull into place and starts toward the door.

“He was in the photograph too.”

His boot grinds against the floor as he stops.

“In your apartment?”

“He was there.”

He turns back toward the maintenance door, and whatever remained between us disappears.

A status panel beside the bench flashes beneath the red lights.

PERFORMER CUE OVERDUE: 09:12.

Cade looks at it. “The ceiling-drop performer is nine minutes late.”

The attraction responds before he reaches the door.

A body drops from the rig above the bench.

The harness catches several feet above the floor. A dirty hospital gown hangs from the performer’s body, and a smooth mask covers the upper half of his face.

He swings toward Cade with both arms extended.

Cade catches him around the waist and lowers him immediately when the performer collapses against him.

One side of the hospital gown is nearly black. A drop strikes the concrete beside Cade’s boot, followed by another.

The metallic smell reaches me.

There is too much blood for the attraction.

Cade tears the gown open near the performer’s ribs, exposing a narrow wound beneath his arm that releases another wet surge with his next breath. The performer tries to speak, and Cade removes his mask carefully.

The man underneath is young. Sweat has flattened his hair against his forehead, and makeup streaks one cheek.

“Who did this?” Cade asks.

The actor struggles to focus. “Black mask. Wrong one.”

Cade tears off one glove with his teeth and clamps his bare hand over the wound. The flirtation vanishes from him.

“Medical, respond,” he says into his earpiece. “Ride tunnel two. Penetrating wound beneath the left arm.”

Static answers.

“Control, send medical to ride tunnel two.”

Nothing useful comes back.