Secrets In The Bones: The Curse of Blood Bay

Twenty-four

Gravel kicked up, echoing our hasty departure, hearts racing to the rhythm of the uneven road. Michael and Ellena exchanged hurried words, his foot glued to the pedal. My gaze clung to the rearview mirror, fear and adrenaline dancing a chaotic tango. Luckily, the bewildered old couple we left behind appeared too dazed to recall the bizarre scene, let alone lodge a complaint.

I cautiously released the guy I'd wrestled with, watching blood trickle down his neck—close-call aftermath. In a blink, our inner beasts had taken a bite from innocent lives, a twisted nightmare I hadn't expected. The line between our human side and primal instincts blurred, pushing us to the edge.

What haunted me more was the vampire's effortless orchestration of the freak show without being present. It left a weird hollowness in my stomach, my body still jittery from the memory. In the rearview, the old couple faded away. Still, worries about the repercussions lingered, turning this town into a mad, supernatural game where we were mere pawns.

This town, I swore, was a melting pot of madness, and we were just pawns in some messed-up supernatural game. A flicker of hope teased me as I replayed the words of our mysterious guide. Maybe, just maybe, the vamps were in the dark about our full capabilities. Perhaps they spilt more beans than they meant to in their quest for control. Michael might be second-guessing his decision, but we needed him now more than ever.

At that moment, when our claws were itching to make an appearance and our destinies hung by a thread, I felt an unexpected surge of strength. Those creepy yellow glimmers around Michael triggered a determination in me. We were a force to be reckoned with, and adding Skip to the mix? Could be unstoppable. We had to grab every advantage we could, even if it was as rare as finding a silver lining in these ominous clouds.

Two versions of the same map lay on my lap, each spinning a different tale. One showed a tiny town, a blip on the map, just forty miles west of Peterhead. In the grand scheme of things, it barely registered. The other map, a stark blank canvas, screamed the aftermath of a fire—a place wiped off the map. Strange for the level of destruction it hinted at.

Sure, a fire had swallowed up two hundred homes and countless lives, but rebuilding wasn't impossible. Yet, a weird feeling lingered, suggesting hidden truths beneath the burnt ruins. I hesitated to voice my suspicions; they pointed to a dark underbelly of this town's mystery. Secrets, I thought, could be buried deep in those bone-dotted ruins.

Something else, an eerie feeling, gave me an ominous vibe. Something was on the horizon, something I couldn't put my finger on but could feel in my bones. The day's events had set the stage, and I couldn't shake off the creepy thought that a trap or a town reduced to ashes awaited us. Nightmares in the making, yet secrets might be tucked away within those gruesome remains, holding the key to untangling the mysteries.

Amidst my swirling thoughts, the puzzle of the mysterious fluid we encountered nagged at me. The stuff hidden in drinks from our hosts demanded answers. And Ellena needed to be on high alert—her safety was the top priority. Glancing at her through the rearview mirror only amplified my concerns.

Ellena had transformed, no doubt about it. Quick shifts in her eyes and skin tone played mind games with me. Her once lively self now clung to us like a lifeline. In her otherwise radiant blonde hair, strands turned this eerie shade of white—nothing natural about it. And that change wasn't the only spooky thing; exhaustion now clung to Ellena. Dark circles framed her eyes, and a look of weariness had taken over. The pieces of this crazy puzzle were falling into place.

A forgotten detail resurfaced among these observations—the tiny pinprick I noticed before. It could have been an injection or a withdrawal, but both options were unsettling. With Michael in the mix now, Ellena couldn't afford to wander off. I even contemplated attaching a bell to her ankle at night to keep tabs on her. While I was dealing with my gunshot wound drama, someone jumped at an opportunity, and it gnawed at me.