Dead End (Peri Jean Mace Ghost Thrillers Book 8) by Catie Rhodes

Author:Catie Rhodes [Rhodes, Catie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Long Roads and Dark Ends Press
Published: 2017-07-15T05:00:00+00:00

My lungs emptied, and my scream ended. I ran to the overturned metal folding chair at Hannah’s feet, uprighted it, and wrangled it into position. Pain flashed as I ripped off a couple of fingernails. I ignored it and scrambled onto the chair.

Inside me, the hag pulled toward Hannah. I didn't understand what the little horror was up to but didn’t have time to figure it out. Mysti pushed a pair of scissors into my hand and grabbed my legs to hold me steady.

I grabbed Hannah around the waist, the material of her linen blouse rasping against my cheek, and did my best to lift her. The buckle from her belt dug into my forearm. For a second, I thought I didn’t have the strength.

Then I put some slack in the rope. Hannah’s body flopped and swayed, limp, dead meat. With my free hand, I snipped the braided nylon rope she’d used to try to end herself. She fell against me. I overbalanced, and we tumbled to the floor. Hannah landed on top of me, and my head slapped hard against the wood floor.

The hag cast about, frantic, pressing toward Hannah with all its might. Its plan came to me in a flash. The hag would grab onto Hannah’s life force through me, consume it, and be able to overpower me. That wasn’t the worst part. Once the hag ate Hannah’s life force, she’d be gone forever.

“Fight it.” Mysti leaned over both of us, pulling Hannah off me. “Don’t let it get her.”

Reaching for strength I wasn’t sure I had, I wrapped the mantle around the hag and held it fast with all my might. It slammed against the walls of my body. I rocked with each attempt it made to get to Hannah.

“Let me go,” it screamed inside my head.

“You’ll have to kill me first,” I managed to grunt.

Dillon appeared and yanked away the noose, revealing an angry red circle around Hannah’s neck. Mysti shoved her out of the way and began CPR and chest compressions.

“C’mon, Hannah,” she snapped every time she came up for air. “Peri Jean won’t talk to your ghost if you let yourself die.”

The hag’s keening at sight of Hannah, and a good meal, made it hard to concentrate. I curled on my side, hands over my ears, and let my conscious slip into the hag’s.

Through its eyes, I saw Hannah’s life force rising from her still body, not responding at all to Mysti’s efforts. Somehow I knew Hannah didn’t want to come back. She wanted to be done with this. The hag leered gleefully at the destruction of my friend. As I watched, the life force rose further. Time was running out.

Helpless tears coursed down my cheeks and scooted down my neck to soak into the crew neck of my T-shirt. It couldn’t end like this. There were so many things I still wanted to do with Hannah, so many conversations I wanted to have. But I was occupied fighting the monster inside me and could do nothing.

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