Kiss Me, Curse Me - By Kate Shay Page 0,53

everyone! Everyone ! Out of your rooms, now!” she screamed at the few who lagged behind.

Finally they were all present to witness the agony, inhale the fear. “Sammy and Singapore are both dead. All hell is breaking loose in this town. We are closed for the night.”

One interrupted, “But . . . we’ve never closed, not for anything.”

“These girls are gone.” Betty cried openly in front of them. “We will honor their deaths. Girls, I don’t know what is coming next. I fear that this is not over. In fact, I know that it is not over.”

As Betty hung her head in sorrow and grief, Doc walked in the front door with Rose, quickly shutting the door behind him, locking it. Loud banging rang out all around them.

“They’re trying to get in,” a panicked Rose said.

“Who?” Betty’s tears stopped.

“The town,” said Doc. “You killed their preacher. They want your head.”

***

The first set of cabins had proven to be empty just like the village.

“Where are they all?” Patty stepped off the last cabin step and followed the rest of the men on the trail toward Dyani’s place.

“I haven’t a clue,” said Doby. “And they mobilized quickly. They all left at the same time. Candles are still lit, food on the stove, things dropped on the floor as if they all just vanished into thin air.”

“They’ve got to be somewhere, a whole village just doesn’t up and vanish,” said Ed. “I’ve seen these folk. They’re up to stuff. They hide. They’re around, we just can’t see them.”

“That’s called paranoia, Ed,” said Doby, leading the way through the denser trees.

Hank kept his mouth shut, looking over his shoulder frequently, brow furrowed. All he could think about was that disturbing man and the fact that he was following them. He didn’t actually see him back there, but he could feel a presence watching them. Ed’s theory was making sense to him.

“We’re not looking for them anyway,” said Doby. “We only have one man to catch here. . . excuse me, teen to catch.”

All went quiet as they walked on longer. Teen wasn’t the right word for Ahanu, Hank thought, recalling his opponent’s strength. Ahanu had completely overpowered him in a second, and it wasn’t as if Hank was just some string bean. “I don’t know,” said Hank, checking his back for the twentieth time. But this time, he saw something, a movement. “What? You got the heebie jeebies?” Ed badgered.

“Man, just shut up,” said Hank. “We just gotta get through this thing. Get this guy. Get the hell out of here already. That goon is back there. He’s crazy or something.”

“Maybe you’re crazy or something,” said Ed, just plain mean.

“Quit it, you two,” said Doby. “We’re here.”

The cabin looked unassuming.

“There’s no way she left. She’d wait for her son,” said Hank as the three made their way onto the tidy patio. There were new hanging pots of flowers swinging above their heads in the warm, early-night breeze.

Doby knocked on the door, not expecting an answer, and they didn’t get one. “Hello? It’s the sheriff here.”

Hank looked back at the forest, seeing a flash of yellow eyes vanish behind a black tree trunk, “I don’t like this.”

Doby and Patty moved to the windows, while Ed and Hank focused on the trees behind them. Ed’s cockiness was fading as he too took on a posture of unease. “I’m with Hank here. We’re not alone.”

“I know that,” said Doby, focusing inside at the shadows. He called out, “Open up. Let us in. We know you’re in there. We’re just here for the boy, that’s all. Just hand him over, and we’ll go on our way. We just need to talk to him.”

“I’ll say,” said Hank staring at the same spot on the trail. He pointed for Ed to look.

“I don’t see anything,” said Ed.

Hank leaned into Ed and whispered, “You don’t have an extra bat on ya, do you?”

Ed frowned but eventually pulled a long hunting knife from his ankle sheath and gave it to him. “I want this back. Was my dad’s. Never knew the man. He used this in the war, killed a few Japs with it. I do know that.”

The knife looked worn, looked like it had split some skins. Hank thanked Ed, admiring the solid handle before tucking it under his belt.

The door creaked open. “Come inside. You need to get out of the open. He’s coming.”

“Who’s coming?” asked Doby, as all four of them squeezed into the front living room.

Dyani locked the