Page 43 of Rescue

“I feel something in here,” Paige says suddenly, her voice loud in the quiet. Somewhere far above there’s a fluttering of wings. “I swear I do.”

“Like what?” Daltrey asks, his voice tight.

Paige’s eyes grow a little larger in the darkness. “Like… a spirit.”

“Come on, Paige,” I say, trying to tamp down the little rush of fear her words have stirred up in my chest. “You’re just being dramatic.”

“I know what I feel,” she says, tilting her chin up in defiance.

“What, uh, does it feel like?” Daltrey asks, and I can’t help but notice he takes a half step closer to me. I would give him shit about being so obviously freaked if I could just get my heart to stop pounding so hard.

“It’s very… cold. I feel… it’s angry.”

“Shut up,” Cash says. “You’re making that up.”

“I think it wants us to go,” Paige says, grabbing Reed’s hand. “I really think we should get out of here.”

“Fine by me,” Daltrey says, heading for the door.

“Where’s Daisy?” I ask, looking around the dark room.

Reed shoots Daltrey, already standing over by the door, a withering glance. “You know, your pregnant girlfriend?”

“Dais?” Daltrey calls out. “Babe?”

“We need to go,” Paige says, her voice panicked. “Daisy?”

Fingers brush mine, and I clamp my hand over my mouth to keep from screaming. “Sorry,” Haylee says, slipping her hand into mine.

“It’s okay,” I whisper back.

“Daisy?” Paige calls again. “Oh, God, where is she?”

“Shh,” Dylan says, holding a finger to his lips. “Do you hear that?”

We all freeze. Sure enough, there’s a sound in here. Like something sliding across the floor. “Oh my god,” Cash says. “Shit. What is that?”

“We need to go!” Paige cries.

“We need Daisy!” Daltrey shoots back.

“Oh, sure,nowyou’re concerned,” Levi says. “A minute ago you were halfway out the door without her.”

“Shh!” Dylan says again. “It’s getting closer.”

The slithering noise does sound louder. Leaves crinkle against the stone floor and—

“Ahhhh!” Someone—or something—screams, and we all take off running to the door. Daltrey is through it first, Cash close on his heels. I run with Haylee, holding her hand. She lets out a little shriek, followed by a laugh, and suddenly I’m laughing too.

“Why are you laughing?” Paige screams, running past me through the door. “The poltergeist is here!”

We reach the relative safety of the graveyard beyond the tomb, and I stop running, leaning over to catch my breath, still holding Haylee’s hand. From the corner of my eye I see Cash still running past our waiting tour guide, dodging tombstones as he puts as much distance between himself and the poltergeist as possible.

“What are you running from?”

We all spin to see Daisy standing in the door to the tomb, grinning at us.

“Was thatyou?” Daltrey cries.