Shadow Lake Vampire Society - Wendi Wilson Page 0,36

stacking it on top of the first. My balance was precarious— the bricks wobbled beneath my weight—but I managed to stay upright as I slowly raised my head high enough to see through the window.

The glass panes were foggy with age, but I was able to make out three figures inside what looked like a tiny storeroom lined with shelves. I leaned to the left, hoping for a clearer view, and the bricks shifted beneath me. I gripped the windowsill for support and managed to maintain my position with a sigh of relief.

I refocused on the scene inside the small room, my brain not really registering what my eyes were seeing. I could make out Chef Chloe and Sarah standing side-by-side in front of a chair. Perched in the seat was a child. Was that… Johnny?

What in the actual hell?

Chef Chloe was saying something, but all I could hear was the low drone of her voice—not any actual words. Johnny listened intently, his face lax and dreamy-looking, like he was on the verge of falling asleep. As I watched, he nodded slowly, his eyes falling closed.

Sarah leapt forward, a ferocious growl vibrating in my ears at the same moment. In reflex, my body jerked backwards, and I lost my balance. The cinder blocks shifted again, and I was falling. Every muscle in my body tensed, preparing for impact.

But before I crashed into the sea of dirt, rocks, weeds, and cinder blocks, everything went black. A half-beat later, the world shifted, and I was somewhere else, entirely.

I was lying on a floor made of smooth boards. I could feel the grain of the wood beneath my fingers, smell the oil used to make it shine. A tremendous weight landed on top of me, unrelenting and suffocating, and despite my best efforts, I couldn’t push it off.

I bucked my hips and tried to roll the weight off of me, but it was no use. My blood froze in my veins as a face suddenly loomed over me. The features were distorted, and I blinked a few times to try to clear my vision. But it was no use. I couldn’t see who it was.

I fought harder, trying to dislodge the attacker on top of me, kicking my useless feet and scratching with useless fingernails. Dark laughter rang in my ears before pain exploded in my neck. I screamed and thrashed with all my might, but the pain only intensified.

Within moments, I felt like I was floating, drifting up and away from my body toward a ceiling with rustic, exposed beams.

Was I… dying?

I turned my head in an effort to look down, but it wouldn’t budge. Try as I might, I couldn’t look back at the carnage I was sure remained of my broken body.

“Piper!”

A flash of white pain exploded in my head, and I groaned. Rocks and sticks were poking me in the ass, my ankle was throbbing, and I felt a strong urge to throw up.

“What happened? Are you okay?”

The deep voice sounded familiar, but my fuzzy head couldn’t pinpoint whose it was. A fresh wave of pain coursed through my skull as if I was thinking too hard, and I groaned again. The sound only made the throbbing worse.

Suddenly, a face appeared above mine, and I remembered my nightmare. That face. It was him.

An ear-splitting scream burst from my lips, and I descended into darkness.

Chapter Fourteen

“Johnny!”

I woke up screaming, my heart pounding so hard I could feel it throbbing in my fingertips. My body lurched up, and my eyes popped open as every system in my body prepared to fight or run.

There was an attack. The boy… They were hurting him… And then…

Visions swirled in my head as I stared at my surroundings. I’d been at the back of the mess hall peering in the window, yet I was definitely somewhere else now. This room was almost completely dark, no windows, no discernable light. The air smelled musty as if there was little circulation. Beneath me, a soft material—a mattress perhaps—squeaked as I tried to feel my way off of it.

“Piper?” Footsteps headed in my direction.

“Stay back!” I held out my hands to defend myself as a lamp clicked on.

Light momentarily blinded me. Squinting against the sudden brightness, I glanced up to find Levi standing beside my bed. Terror and confusion warred in my chest as I lurched back.

“Don’t come any closer,” I shrieked.

Levi brought me here and put me in this bed? The implications of that made my mind