Nightfall (Devil's Night #4) - Penelope Douglas Page 0,16

to the movie theater shone ahead, and I knew before I could read the words that they were having an all-night monster marathon. Kong, Frankenstein, Killer Ants, The Fly…

During October, the theater was only ever closed between eight in the morning and noon for cleaning and restocking, showing new releases and old favorites the other twenty hours of the day in celebration. Sort of a month-long horror fest.

Jogging up to the ticket booth, I slipped on my shoes, now soaked with my shoestrings dangling, and reached into my bag, pulling out some cash.

“Just give me the all-night pass,” I told the girl, slipping her a wrinkled ten through the little hole.

I wouldn’t be here all night, but I could be here as long as I liked, at least.

Grabbing my ticket, I hurried inside the door and passed the concession stand, heading upstairs to theater three.

Walking fast, I opened the doors, keeping an eye around me in case my brother found out I’d left and followed, and then I slipped off my bag as I made my way down the aisle. Some animal screeched onscreen, and quickly, I dropped into a seat, looking around to make sure I was safe.

Not only was I safe, but I was alone. There was no one in here, except me.

I relaxed a little.

It was a weeknight and a school night. Made sense that the place would be empty. It was weird that they still ran the film even if no one bought a ticket, though.

I set my bag on the floor and reached inside, thankful that the contents were still dry, and pulled out my phone, checking on my grandmother again.

She still laid in the dark, on her bed, the monitor in the room beeping steadily and raising no alarms. Sometimes I worried about leaving her alone with Martin, but he really didn’t care to deal with her more than he had to.

I clutched the phone in my hand and sat back in the seat, wincing at the pain I forgot was there as I looked up at the screen and saw Godzilla.

A small smile turned up the corners of my lips.

I like Godzilla.

And before I knew it, I had popcorn and sat there staring at the screen, my eyes attached to every frame as my brother faded away, school faded away, Will Grayson faded away, and lit class faded away.

Because Godzilla was great.

And Lolita hurt my head.

Emory

Present

“Will?” I climbed up on my hands and knees, patting the stone floor and feeling the grime under my hands.

Where had he taken me?

I blinked in the darkness, trying to see, but it was so black. I touched my face. Where the hell were my glasses?

Shit.

I could see decently without them or the contacts that I sometimes used, but not with the darkness making it even more difficult. I rose up off the ground, the uneven stones under my shoes curving into my soles.

I looked around, shoving my hair behind my ear. Nothing pierced the darkness. No sliver of light. No moon. No lamps. Nothing.

I’d fought and thrashed and hit, and the next thing I knew, we went through a door, down some stairs, turned a corner, and everything suddenly went dark.

Will, my God. It had been years since he got out of prison. Why had he waited until now?

I breathed in the cold air, the scent soaked with soil and water, as I spun around.

He’d changed. He looked exactly the same and worlds different at the same time.

His eyes…

Was he going to let something happen to me?

“I told you I wasn’t lying,” someone said, and I stiffened.

It sounded like Taylor Dinescu’s voice in the room, but I couldn’t see anyone or anything.

“I knew you weren’t,” another man said on the other side of me. “Girls smell different. She was all over the house when we walked in.”

I twisted around, facing the new voice.

But then another one spoke up from my left. “I say let her run,” he taunted. “She’ll die out there anyway.”

I spun toward him, breathing hard and holding out my hands. Where were they?

Where the hell were they?!

“Before we’ve gotten acquainted, Rory?” the other one I didn’t know asked. “Come on. I’m bored. She’s welcome to stay as far as I’m concerned. Aren’t you bored?”

“No,” Rory replied in a clipped tone. “I like things just the way they are.”

Laughs echoed around the room, Taylor joking, “You may have all you need here, man, but I sure don’t.”

“Where’s my glasses?” I yelled. “Turn on the fucking