Page 21 of Journey To Sunrise

She nodded sleepily. I gave her a sharp glance, but she seemed so tired, that I felt I could leave her for the five minutes it would take to go to the truck.

“I’ll be right back.”

Chapter Five

Chloe

As soon as the door closed behind him, panic set in. The fire no longer felt soothing—it looked like it could jump out of the hearth and engulf me. My gaze careened around the room. Nothing seemed familiar. Somebody could get in at any second. I needed Zarek, but it would be even worse going outside.

It didn’t matter; I would be safer with him. I shoved off the couch and ran limping towards the door. I tried to open it, but it wouldn’t budge.

“Hurry!” Finally, the door opened.

I winced with pain as my bare feet met hot pavement.

“Zarek!”

No answer. I called his name out louder.

Why didn’t he answer? I looked up and saw the blue of the sky. It was the same blue that had painted the sky that day at Cherokee Lake. I clamped my hand over my eyes and took a deep breath. Then I peeked down at the burning pavement. I could handle looking at my feet.

My breath caught as I saw the flowers beside the path. They were red like blood.

“Zarek! Where are you?” I hollered even louder.

Why wasn’t he responding? Maybe something bad happened to him.

I looked up. The lodge wasn’t ahead of me. I was moving in the wrong direction. I was moving towards the ski slopes. I stumbled, crashing to my knees. I was so small and the trees were so tall, towering around me, laughing down at me.

It wasn’t safe.

“Zarek!” This time I screamed. I knew it was useless; he wouldn’t hear me.

I clapped a hand over my mouth. I wasn’t supposed to scream. It would bring Evie, then they’d hurt her. But if I didn’t scream, they would keep hurting me, and the pain in my foot and my knees were nothing compared to what would come next.

I whimpered and covered my head.

“Chloe?”

Wave after wave of color dripped across my vision. Birds screeched, they were going to claw at me. I ducked, trying to get away from their vicious talons. They were going to make me bleed even more.

I heard screaming.

Oh God, someone was being tortured.

“Chloe.”

“What did you do to her, Zarek?”

Was that Trenda?

Blessed darkness.

* * *

Chloe

I lifted my forearm up in the semi darkness and turned and twisted it until I could see the pretty vein clearly. It popped out just a little, so easy to see even in the evening light. How often had I admired it? Contemplated it? Oh, I never really was going to do anything like harm myself, was I? That’s not what an Avery did. But it was a pretty vein, so inviting. And wouldn’t it make everything easier?