Hell's Army

Chapter Twenty-four- Surrender

Katie tore open the doors of the last shelf. Nothing. She ran a hand through her hair, glancing back at the kitchen door warily. It had to be here somewhere. She got up, and her reflection followed her across the pots and pans, all the way to the steel sink squashed in the corner. The cabinet doors squealed like injured mice as they opened, salt shakers proudly lining the shelves. Bingo.

She piled them into her bag and hurried out into the corridor. "Follows?" she called.

Silence.

A hand settled on her shoulder, and she whipped around. Follows stared at her.

"Hell, loiter, much?" she muttered. She held up her bag. "I've got it." She grabbed his arm. "Come on, we have to go."

His arm fell limply back at his side, and he said quietly, "Mr Suite said we should stay here."

"What?" she snapped impatiently. They did not have time for this.

He looked straight past her as if he were a statue, said, "We should listen to Mr Suite."

"Crap," she whispered. She was too late. They'd gotten him.

Before he could say another word, she was running.

"Katie, wait-" he called out before the door slammed shut behind her.

She nearly crashed into Mr Suite as she tore down the corridor, narrowly dodging a batch of petunias sitting peacefully on the coffee table.

"Good evening," Mr Suite said. "I hope you have a pleasant-"

"Go screw yourself," she snapped.

She wrenched the door open and looked right into Daniel's face.

"Katie!" he said. "What's going on? Where's Follows?"

She reached out and clamped a hand over his mouth. "Shut up."

Dragging him to the kitchen door, the kneeled down and peered through the crack.

Mr Suite, Maybellene, the butler and the little boy were standing in a circle, stiff and still as stone. Katie's heart jolted as Follows slipped through the back door and took his place beside them.

"It's time," Mr Suite said.

"But the girl-" Maybellene cut in.

"She knows," Follows said grimly.

"It doesn't matter," Mr Suite muttered. "Soon-"

"We will have her," the little boy said, eyes cold as ice.

"We will have them all," the butler said.

Daniel's arm tightened around Katie's wrist.

They all nodded in unison like toys in a store window. "Yes, mother," Mr Suite said.

"We love you, mother," they all murmured.

Katie snatched Daniel's shoulder, and the two of them ran down the flight of stairs.

"Katie, what's going on?" he demanded.

"You were right," she muttered, handing him a shaker. "There's something wrong with the staff here. And if we want to get out of this alive, we have to fight."

He raised an eyebrow. "With salt?"

She pushed him into the sitting room, Harriet and Lance's heads snapping up like startled deer. Sam rolled her eyes and went back to fiddling with her stockings.

"Uh, if I could have everyone's attention?" Katie said as all eyes turned on her. 'So, here's the thing- I know things have been pretty mental lately, and I know you all want answers." Everyone was looking at her now. She took a deep breath. "The people outside- they're not people. They're demons. Sort of. And if we don't do something right here, right now, they're going to get out, and they're going to hurt people." Her arms fell limply at her side. "So, yeah."