Cave of Terror (20 page)
"No! Leave us alone.” I sprinted after Mandy and Brad, not wanting to be left in the dark with the evil freak of nature.
You know you want something bad to happen to her. You're no different than me. It's just hidden behind years of repression, but it's there. You can feel it pulling at your very soul. Don't deny it, embrace it. It's quite liberating.
"I'm nothing like you,” I muttered under my breath.
Menacing laughter swirled around me as I entered the tight tunnel, Mandy and Brad just in sight ahead of me.
Suddenly, my vision fuzzed and the tunnel walls seemed to squeeze in around me. I desperately gasped for breaths as my lungs sucked together like vacuum sealed bags. Air the consistency of marshmallows now filled the space around me.
Oh, God, not now!
Beads of perspiration covered my entire body, leaving me clammy. My stomach clenched and roiled. I spasmodically swallowed, but no saliva remained in my mouth. A painful twinge started at the base of my spine, my muscles burning and twisting.
The lights went out.
Complete blackness enveloped every inch of the area. Even my enhanced senses made no difference. I grabbed at the flashlight in my back pocket. It made a clunking noise as it fell onto the cave floor, rolling away from my grasping fingers.
Unable to catch my breath, I couldn't scream for help. I shuffled sideways, trying to locate the wall. My hands shook as I reached out and touched the rough surface. Using the wall as a guide, I felt my way along the path. The ends of my fingers throbbed and a scraping sound replaced the soft brushing of my hand against the uneven surface. I drew my hand back. My fingernails had grown long and sharp.
No, not nails—claws.
A light dusting of fur popped up along the surface of my skin. My fangs dropped without warning, cutting into my bottom lip. But, they seemed longer and sharper. A rumble started deep in my chest and rippled up, bursting from my lips in a sickening feral scream.
"What was that noise? Cheyenne? Where are you?” Mandy yelled. “Nick, turn on the lights. I can't find Cheyenne. She's not behind us. And what was that noise? I swear if this is a joke, I'm hurting someone. It's not funny."
I had to get a grip on myself and fast before Nick flicked the lights back on. Dragging in deep breaths, I focused on my breathing.
This is quite entertaining. Will she be caught with her pants down and reveal the real Cheyenne? Or will she revert back in time to be the perfect little human? Oh, the anticipation is too much. It's rather delicious.
He chuckled and a noise much like the friction of hands rubbing together sounded near me.
I flinched, expecting to be assaulted in some way.
The lights flipped on, leaving me standing there in full view staring straight into Mandy's horror stricken eyes.
I twirled around and hunched down on the ground. Fur no longer sprouted from my skin and the claws seemed to have disappeared. My lips didn't sting from the pressure of my fangs. Maybe Mandy didn't see anything. But her eyes...
Too scared to turn around and face my best friend to find out what she had seen, I stayed huddled on the floor of the cave like a frightened child.
"Oh, my God! She's had an attack. Someone help! She's claustrophobic.” The patter of feet closed in on me. “Cheyenne, are you okay?” Mandy squatted next to me and placed her hands on my shoulders.
Ryan materialized without any warning and knelt down opposite Mandy. “Can I do anything?” Concern softened his tone. He slid his hand up and down my back in a comforting gesture.
More footsteps sounded. “What's wrong?” Nick asked.
"You turned out the light and she's claustrophobic, you stupid ass,” Mandy bit out.
I raised my hand to stop Mandy's soon-to-be-tirade. “I'm okay. I just got dizzy when I walked into this part of the cave before the lights ever went out. No big deal."
Ryan and Mandy helped me up. And of course, Val and her buddies stared at me with smirks on their faces. Nice to see they had such concern for my welfare.
Val turned to Kimee. “Kind of ironic a bat girl can't handle being in a tight place, especially a cave.” They all giggled in the silly teenage girl way I had always hated and took great pains not to imitate the ridiculous behavior.
Mandy narrowed her eyes on Val. “You can be such a bitch, Val."
Val turned her nose up in the air. “Whatever."
"I'll take you home,” Mandy stated in a tone I knew meant there'd be no arguing.
"I can take her home,” Ryan said.
Not sure I could deal with Ryan at the moment, I hoped Mandy kept with her usual stubborn nature and refused to allow it.
Mandy shook her head no. “That's okay. I'll take her."
"Just let Mandy take her, Ryan. We can all go somewhere else and hang out,” Val said. She glanced at Ryan and smiled, then turned and sneered at me.
If I hadn't been shaking so bad from the strange experience, I would've smacked the sneer right off her face.
"Let's go.” Mandy hooked her arm through mine and tugged me out toward the entrance.
I looked back. Ryan stared after me, yet he made no attempt to follow. And there you have it. He didn't even bother to fight harder to be the one to take me home. Not that I'd have accepted his help, but it would have been nice if he'd pushed more, especially in front of Val. I guess her offer to go somewhere else appealed to him more than being with me.
My heart sank deep into my chest.
"I'll call you later,” Brad called out to Mandy. “Hope you feel better, Cheyenne."
Bye, Cheyenne. I'll be looking forward to your next visit.
I didn't bother to acknowledge Constantine.
Once we reached Mandy's car, I crawled into the passenger side, slumping in the seat. Between the strange shifting of my body, the claustrophobic attack, and Ryan's lack of attention toward me, the excursion into the cave had been a real bummer.
How ironic—the very thing I had feared ended up being the least of my worries. Sure, Constantine had taunted me, but he didn't do anything else. Maybe I should've let his vile crew have at Val.
Shocked at my own thoughts, I just sat there. Did my growing powers have anything to do with my sudden aggression? Never would I have had such violent thoughts before. Okay, maybe a little, but not like this.
"Doing okay? I mean from the attack?"
"Yeah, I think so.” I leaned my head against the window and sighed.
"Okay, what's wrong? Please tell me you didn't let Val get to you?"
I didn't say anything. I
had
allowed Val to get to me. But, how could I not?
"Do you feel like going anywhere? Or do you want me to take you home?"
I lifted my head. “I don't want to go home, yet. And I'm hungry."
"How about Chuy's?"
Since Chuy's ranked as my number one Tex-Mex restaurant, Mandy knew I wouldn't refuse. “Sure."
As usual, Chuy's had a long wait. I didn't care. We got lucky and found a table in the bar area. Mandy grabbed some chips and salsa from the back end of the Cadillac sticking out from the wall. We ordered drinks, but when I grabbed my purse to pay, I realized I'd left it in the car.
"Can I have the keys? I have to go to the car and get my purse.” I must have been in bad shape to forget it. I had several expensive things in there, not to mention the purse itself.
Mandy dug in her purse, then slid the keys across the table.
"Thanks. I'll be right back."
As soon as I walked outside, every one of my senses screamed a warning. I glanced around, trying to pinpoint the source. Everything seemed normal, but the hairs on the back of my neck told me different. In my current mood, I dared whatever lurked out there to bring it on.
I didn't have to wait long.
"'Ello, sweetheart. You left the cave so suddenly I thought I should make an effort to check up on you."
Well, of course—night, a parking lot, and I was alone. Why wouldn't Constantine make an appearance? It seemed to be his signature calling card.
"What do you want this time?” No fear or anger coursed through me. He had no intention of harming me, so I paid him little heed. I didn't even attempt to make eye contact with him. A slight vibration ran along my body, which told me he occupied his humanoid form.
"I told you. I just wanted to make sure you were well. I was concerned.” He wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me close to his body. “Do you find that so hard to believe?"
I jerked out of his embrace and said between clenched teeth, “Yes, as a matter of fact I do. Get lost. I'm not in the mood for your games. Tell me what you want, then move on."
He must have been stunned by my reaction because he had no witty retort. I kept walking toward Mandy's car, giving him my back. When curiosity got the best of me due to the unnatural silence, I turned. He had disappeared. Well, at least one thing had gone right in this less than spectacular day. I grabbed my purse out of the car and headed back toward the entrance of the restaurant, my steps a bit lighter now.
No sooner had I entered, when my uplifted mood plummeted clear down into the pits of hell. In front of the hostess stand stood Val, Kimee, Rachel, Whitney, and ... Ryan.
I blinked several times. I had to be hallucinating. Surely, life couldn't be this cruel. Red glazed over my eyes when I realized the vision before me happened to be real. The bones in my back started to twist and crunch. My fangs dropped and black fur replaced the hair on my arms.
Oh, my God!
I ran straight for the bathroom, making sure not to alert Ryan of my presence or anyone else for that matter.
Please let there be an open stall with a door that locks.
Thank God no one else occupied the bathroom. I rushed into the handicapped stall and slammed the door shut, sliding the bolt in place. I took deep breaths, fighting the change that held my body hostage.
No. No. No. No.
I counted to ten while staring at the ‘Susan was here’ message on the stall door written in red lipstick. One ... two ... three ... four. The fur stopped sprouting. Five ... six ... seven ... eight. The crackling in my bones ceased. Nine ... ten. My gums quit itching and burning. I let out a long slow breath.
"Cheyenne? I saw you run in here.” Mandy paused. “I also saw Ryan."
Here we go with one of Mandy's lectures on how Val is the bad one, not Ryan. Whatever.
"Do you wanna leave?” she asked.
No lectures? “Yeah. Do you mind?” No way would I trust my reactions at this point. Anger rested just below the surface, but at least I wasn't a sobbing mess.
"No. I can't blame you. What are the odds they would show up at the same place as us?"
Yeah, something sure felt wrong about the whole situation. First, Constantine shows up, then disappears. Minutes later, Ryan shows up? There had to be some connection. I found it hard to believe that every time I had an encounter with Constantine, Ryan appeared either before or after. Well, except at Starbucks. No, that wasn't true. Ryan had called as soon as I walked in the door after the Starbuck's incident. Too many coincidences.
"You can come out now.” Mandy tapped on the door.
"Give me a minute.” I had to make sure my body had stopped changing and returned back to normal. No more claws—check. No fur on arms—check. I pressed the pad of my finger against each eye tooth. No fangs—check. I twisted side to side. Body working okay—check.
"Is something wrong? Something you need to tell me?” Mandy fished for information, but her voice held an underlying note of seriousness like she knew more than she let on.
"No."
"I think you do. Something has been going on with you—ever since Halloween. Something has changed. You've changed."
"I don't know what you mean.” Barracuda Mandy wouldn't let up. What did she know exactly?
"Oh, I think you do. But if you're not ready to talk about it, fine. I can wait.” She tapped on the door again. “You coming out or what?"
I took a deep breath and unbolted the door.
"About time. What were you doing in there?"
"Trying to calm down. Hello."
"You calm
now
?” She looked me up and down. I got the sense she scanned me for some specific reason, making me feel kind of naked. She knew something. Had she seen more in the cave than I gave her credit for? I shuddered at the thought.
"You cold or something?"
"No, I just got a chill."
"Okaaay!"
I brushed past her and headed out the door. Mandy's footsteps sounded right behind me. On the way out, I grabbed our pager from the table and tossed it onto the one where Ryan and his concubines sat. “Thought you might want that. You seem to want everything else you think I have,” I said to Val, not bothering to glance in Ryan's direction.
"Wow, that was harsh,” Mandy said as we walked out the door. “I'm sure Ryan got sucked into going with the viper club."
"How about you quit making excuses for him? It's not like we're dating or anything. If he wants to be with Val, then I guess it's his business."
"Okay, fine. Just one thing. He doesn't like Val. I don't know why he's with her, but I do know that much.” I gave her a look of pure disbelief. “Okay, okay.” She raised her hands in surrender.
My phone rang before we even made it to the car—Ryan's ring tone.
Mandy frowned. “Aren't you going to answer that?"
"Nope."
I paced my room, waiting for Nicoleta to arrive. Since she insisted I let her know every detail, I called her last night to inform her of the strange new things going on inside my body. I decided not to tell her about going into the cave again, especially since I had no business going in there at night to begin with. But, I figured I should tell her about Constantine physically appearing at Starbucks and actually introducing himself to me. Rather important information I would think. My parents probably wouldn't allow me to go anywhere now, so I really dreaded telling her about it.
The doorbell rang and I raced down the stairs to get the door. I pulled it open and gasped, expecting to see Nicoleta but receiving a shock instead.
