I am a writer. I wrote my first novel in 2011. I’ve started 14 more since then, finishing about half of those. One of these days I’ll actually try to find someone to publish them (or just do it myself). Onward!
(If anyone would like to be a beta reader, feel free to drop me a line).
Maxwell came to visit Andi in the hospital.
Her and Jenny had been given a shared room. The hospital had plenty of rooms and both of the women luckily had insurance that would have even covered a private room, but neither of them wanted it.
They had just been through too much in the past few weeks to want to be alone. Andi still had that feeling running up and down her spine that Percy couldn’t possibly be dead–well, dead again if her suspicions were correct–and that he’d just come after them yet again.
Somehow, they made it away from the train. They left just as the emergency crews were starting to arrive and cordon off the area. Anyone still there was being checked over by the medical crews first and then the cops after that. With how Andi looked–covered head to foot in a tarry, black paste even after some had begun to dissipate–she was sure they would have had all sorts of questions for her.
Worse yet, Officer Williams was one of the first cops on the scene. She didn’t think that she would ever see him again, not if she had anything to say about it. Not after he had stopped by and all but accused them of Ms. Morris’ death. It wouldn’t be good, not at all, for them to be here, now.
She jerked her head up.
Great.
Maxwell stood there, towards the doors on one side–the side without the demon banging at the door. She How had he gotten over there? Hadn’t he been thrown out of the train on the opposite side just a little big before? For that matter, hadn’t he been thrown out a window? He looked absolutely none the worse for the wear. He could have just stepped onto the car, a normal passenger.
The three of them fanned out immediately, forgetting that less than an hour before they’d been doing their best to kill one another. It didn’t take long to realize what had happened thought.
Laura’s car was gone.
It didn’t take long to figure out what must have happened.
“One might imagine that the two of you have a good reason for being here?” Maxwell’s voice was smooth and disturbingly calm. He didn’t seem at all perturbed by the forces arrayed against him.
Of course, his demon was bigger after all.
Andi blinked. “Break into…” she said under her breath.
“I wasn’t sure you were coming back,” Laura said, speaking right over her.
“We did come back,” Andi said slowly.
Laura nodded. “I see that.”
“No. Earlier. We were already here.”
thwip
There was a sudden blur and a quick sound, something like the sound a whip might make.
thwip
Another blur and this time a thin red line appeared across the demon’s ink black flesh.
They arrived back at the winery nice and early. Too early in fact; the winery wasn’t scheduled to open for a solid hour after they got there.
“Think we should just head on out?” Jenny suggested. There was no one else even parked at the winery. Granted, serving only sandwiches, wine, and cheese meant they didn’t have to do much so far as setting up.
Andi considered. She didn’t want to head out there without Laura. Just in case they didn’t find anything demonic, the situation was going to be all sorts of awkward. But on the other hand, if Laura wasn’t here, they didn’t have to figure out how to get her to look the other way when they just walked through the walls…
“Let’s do it.”
“You don’t know the passcode?” Andi asked. She knew that Laura had said she was locked out, but somehow she still expected her to know the code. How else were they supposed to get in?
Laura shook her head though. “I was hoping you might have a better idea.”
Andi couldn’t think why. The problem was, she did have a few better ideas. But they relied on either revealing their demonic powers or getting Laura to leave and on doing a bit of damage to the Clerk family shed. Neither was a particularly palatable first option.