Read Online What a Ghoul Wants by Victoria Laurie - Free Book Online
Authors: Victoria Laurie
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away
from the source, which I knew remained ominously in front of us. “Move!” I growled
when the constable stood rooted to the spot by his own fear.
He had taken one step back when all of a sudden a figure appeared just fifteen feet
or so from us. I let out a startled squeak, as did the man behind me.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw the constable raise his flashlight and illuminate
a set of tattered rags, which hung loosely about the gaunt figure of a woman with
pale white skin, marred by several long scars, and when the beam of the light shone
on the woman’s face, we all gasped anew.
Wide wild eyes stared at us with an intensity that chilled me to the bone. Her long
hair was so matted, tangled, and dirty that it was hard to tell what color it was,
and as I stared at her in shock, a wicked smile spread across her evil face, revealing
a rotted row of brown teeth and cracked, bleeding lips.
I backed up into the constable again, but he wouldn’t budge—likely so terrified by
the horrible figure in front of us that he’d gone temporarily immobile.
The hag’s eyes narrowed and she trained her evil stare at me before she strode purposely
forward to stop just a few feet from us. I could smell the fetid odor of her breath
and I nearly gagged on it. She spoke then, her voice raspy and thick, but I couldn’t
understand a single word she said. When I didn’t respond, she lifted a thick black
chain that I hadn’t noticed she’d been holding. I stared at it for a few beats before
inching my own hand up to move the beam of the constable’s light along the black metal
as it trailed to the floor and away about six or seven feet to attach to a metal collar
secured about the neck of a Merrick Brown who looked as frightened as I felt. Maybe
even more so.
I was so stunned to see him standing there that for several seconds my brain couldn’t
quite make sense of it. He seemed to be struggling with the circumstance of being
there too, because in a desperate tone he asked, “What’s happened to me?”
At this the haggard woman in front of us whirled around and flew at him; crossing
back across the bridge, she charged Merrick, who cowered at her approach but did little
else to defend himself as she raised her hand and smacked him with far more force
than I could’ve imagined she was able to wield. She then uttered something guttural
and spat at him and he shuffled back a few paces. Behind me Heath yelled out, “Hey!
Leave him alone!” and the crazed woman merely looked over her shoulder and smiled
wickedly before smacking Merrick hard again.
I wanted to do something to stop the assault, but my brain was finally putting the
mystery of Merrick’s appearance into place. “Heath!” I yelled. “Grab the constable
and run!”
I then turned and shoved the constable so hard that he nearly fell backward. Heath
reached out at just the right moment to catch him by the shoulder and pull him along,
and we moved swiftly toward the stairs.
“Go, go, go, go, go!”
I shouted, feeling the presence of the hag bearing down on me, and just as Heath
made it through the doorway, I felt her grab hold of the collar of my sweater and
yank me back so hard that I lost my footing.
I fell to the stone floor, landing flat on my back, and the impact knocked the wind
right out of me. I reached out blindly and tried to call out to Heath, but I had no
air. A freezing cold hand latched on to my upper arm and gave a tremendous pull and
then the hag’s face filled my vision, her eyes wicked and cruel. I tried to swat at
her, but she ducked my hands, squeezing my arm even harder and giving me a swift kick
in the ribs to boot.
“Heath!”
I managed, and in an instant he was there. I felt his strong arms grab hold of my
legs, giving me a good tug out of the clutches of the spook before he lifted me into
his arms, hugging me tightly to pivot around and push me forward toward
from the source, which I knew remained ominously in front of us. “Move!” I growled
when the constable stood rooted to the spot by his own fear.
He had taken one step back when all of a sudden a figure appeared just fifteen feet
or so from us. I let out a startled squeak, as did the man behind me.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw the constable raise his flashlight and illuminate
a set of tattered rags, which hung loosely about the gaunt figure of a woman with
pale white skin, marred by several long scars, and when the beam of the light shone
on the woman’s face, we all gasped anew.
Wide wild eyes stared at us with an intensity that chilled me to the bone. Her long
hair was so matted, tangled, and dirty that it was hard to tell what color it was,
and as I stared at her in shock, a wicked smile spread across her evil face, revealing
a rotted row of brown teeth and cracked, bleeding lips.
I backed up into the constable again, but he wouldn’t budge—likely so terrified by
the horrible figure in front of us that he’d gone temporarily immobile.
The hag’s eyes narrowed and she trained her evil stare at me before she strode purposely
forward to stop just a few feet from us. I could smell the fetid odor of her breath
and I nearly gagged on it. She spoke then, her voice raspy and thick, but I couldn’t
understand a single word she said. When I didn’t respond, she lifted a thick black
chain that I hadn’t noticed she’d been holding. I stared at it for a few beats before
inching my own hand up to move the beam of the constable’s light along the black metal
as it trailed to the floor and away about six or seven feet to attach to a metal collar
secured about the neck of a Merrick Brown who looked as frightened as I felt. Maybe
even more so.
I was so stunned to see him standing there that for several seconds my brain couldn’t
quite make sense of it. He seemed to be struggling with the circumstance of being
there too, because in a desperate tone he asked, “What’s happened to me?”
At this the haggard woman in front of us whirled around and flew at him; crossing
back across the bridge, she charged Merrick, who cowered at her approach but did little
else to defend himself as she raised her hand and smacked him with far more force
than I could’ve imagined she was able to wield. She then uttered something guttural
and spat at him and he shuffled back a few paces. Behind me Heath yelled out, “Hey!
Leave him alone!” and the crazed woman merely looked over her shoulder and smiled
wickedly before smacking Merrick hard again.
I wanted to do something to stop the assault, but my brain was finally putting the
mystery of Merrick’s appearance into place. “Heath!” I yelled. “Grab the constable
and run!”
I then turned and shoved the constable so hard that he nearly fell backward. Heath
reached out at just the right moment to catch him by the shoulder and pull him along,
and we moved swiftly toward the stairs.
“Go, go, go, go, go!”
I shouted, feeling the presence of the hag bearing down on me, and just as Heath
made it through the doorway, I felt her grab hold of the collar of my sweater and
yank me back so hard that I lost my footing.
I fell to the stone floor, landing flat on my back, and the impact knocked the wind
right out of me. I reached out blindly and tried to call out to Heath, but I had no
air. A freezing cold hand latched on to my upper arm and gave a tremendous pull and
then the hag’s face filled my vision, her eyes wicked and cruel. I tried to swat at
her, but she ducked my hands, squeezing my arm even harder and giving me a swift kick
in the ribs to boot.
“Heath!”
I managed, and in an instant he was there. I felt his strong arms grab hold of my
legs, giving me a good tug out of the clutches of the spook before he lifted me into
his arms, hugging me tightly to pivot around and push me forward toward
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