Enraged: An Urban Fantasy Novel (Unturned Book 4) by Cornell Rob

Author:Cornell, Rob [Cornell, Rob]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Tags: urban fantasy, paranormal, thriller
Publisher: Paradox Publications
Published: 2017-06-04T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirty

Mom’s new Jeep was parked in the driveway of the Ann Arbor house. I followed its tracks in the snow up to the house, cut the engine, and stared out the window at the far trees. The naked branches made me think of burnt bones. The dust of snow looked like ash.

With the engine off, the car quickly cooled. Before long I could see my breath as well as smell the vomit on it. I didn’t feel like getting out. Seemed like too much effort. The cold worked its way through my coat, numbed my hands, stung my cheeks. But I sat there. I stared at the ash and bones, and the internal image of Horton’s bubbling face as he screamed through a shroud of blue flame. Or I saw the little girl, her smile, the way she giggled into her hand, how proud she looked to catch me off guard by telling me about her momma’s special relationship with Horton.

I would have stayed in the car until I froze to the seat if Mom hadn’t come out of the house. She held her long, tan coat closed instead of bothering with the buttons. Her face pinched against the cold. A wind had picked up and it flung her hair in all directions.

I watched her approach the car, stared at her like an odd curiosity. Who is this woman coming toward me? How very strange.

She rapped her knuckles against my window. “Come inside,” she said, voice muffled by the glass and the wind.

I nodded slowly, unbuckled my belt, pulled the keys from the ignition. I moved as if I were caught in the slow motion of a nightmare where you’re trying to outrun the Thing coming after you.

The keys slipped from my fingers and clinked to the floorboard. I waved a hand—to hell with it—and left them there when I got out of the car.

Mom took my arm and we went inside together.

She had the fire going. The smell nearly wrung the last of the bile out of my stomach. The scent of flames had always comforted me. I had spent a number of days of my childhood in front of this very fireplace, watching the flames dance, casting shadows across the floor as my grandmother read to me.

That scent had never sickened me before. Sure, burning vamp flesh had a horrible stench, but it was the flesh, not the flame. Right then, though, I couldn’t even stand the look of its light.

I shuffled down the hall toward the guest bedroom. While the overcast sky deadened the sunlight outside, I didn’t expect to walk into perfect darkness. It took me a second to orient myself and remember Odi was sleeping in there. I immediately backed out and shut the door. I didn’t think I’d let any residual sunlight in through the door, and I didn’t hear a peep from Odi, so I didn’t worry about it.

I had wanted to crash out on the bed. But having Odi sleeping under the bed at the same time… Just, no.

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