Total pages in book: 43
Estimated words: 40759 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 204(@200wpm)___ 163(@250wpm)___ 136(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 40759 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 204(@200wpm)___ 163(@250wpm)___ 136(@300wpm)
The room looked like a Victorian boudoir, with red velvet furniture, red-painted walls, black lace everywhere, gilded mirrors, and an enormous bed—huge, built for orgies. There were several chaises, and by the window, a place to read.
“Listen,” he said, rounding on me. “Whatever you do, don’t go outside once you see the fog. It’s not safe.”
He didn’t have to worry. I wasn’t going back outside. “May I sleep on a chaise?” I asked, because while they looked small, it was better than sleeping on the floor.
“Of course,” he said, chuckling. “As long as you can stand the noise.”
I didn’t understand what he meant until the door opened and several female creatures came in. They weren’t human women, but they could have been taken for that from the waist up. From the waist down, they were snakes, wolves, goats; others weren’t even human-looking at all, simply what looked to my eyes like animals. Baz stripped quickly, was naked in moments, and I saw that he was covered in old scars and fresh wounds. He was bleeding in places and covered in dirt and grime. Even so, he climbed onto the bed, and the others followed, some almost feeding on him, licking and biting. When the snake woman mounted him. I turned away.
Beyond the main room was a smaller one, and I could see the floor was covered in blankets. Large pans of water and seven platters of raw meat had been placed on the floor. I took the dogs through, and as they ate, my own stomach growled. My portion, that Baz had ordered, was in the room as well, set higher on a windowsill so I’d understand that it was for me. It was the same raw meat as the dogs had, only a smaller amount. Since the only raw food I indulged in was sushi, I added mine to the dishes of the two dogs that liked me. Luckily, thanks to Malic, I’d placed several energy bars in my cargo pants before we left, because as he’d reminded me the night before, what did angels eat? “Take some bars with you,” he’d suggested, and now I was so very glad I’d listened.
A pitcher sat on a shelf, left there probably by whoever had put the food and water out for the dogs. The water was clean, and I drank greedily after eating two bars.
The dogs were asleep as soon as they ate, and I felt pretty safe in the room with only one way in or out and with seven of them between me and the door. When I sat down in a corner—I wasn’t about to sleep on the blankets with the dogs; they might get hungry in the middle of the night and take a bite out of me—I was surprised when the two that had first approached me, and I’d given my supposed dinner to, brought their blankets over to me. I hugged them both, and they lay down beside me, one on each side, and finally, I was warm. I closed my eyes just to take a quick nap.
I had a dream about falling and woke up alone. The door was open, and when I got up and peeked into the main room, I saw that several of the creatures who’d been in bed with Baz were now dead. I had no idea if that was why he was gone, but staying in a room with mutilated corpses and standing pools of blood didn’t seem smart. I had to get out.
Moving quickly and quietly, steeling myself not to vomit, I slipped out into the hall and went back down to the lobby. Or tried to. The issue was, the stairs weren’t the same at all. I had to descend them like a ladder, using the edge of the steps like handholds. It was slow going but finally I reached the opposite side of the same lobby. I was surprised, I was certain I’d wind up somewhere completely different.
Going to the door and looking outside, I saw a bonfire several women were dancing around. Looking to the parking lot, I noted animals that could have been coyotes making their way slowly toward the revelers. Thinking I should warn them, I was going to open the door and run over, when the first of the animals reached the fire and rose up on its back legs before stretching grotesquely to the size of a man. The dancers, whirling in a circle, unclasped their hands so the creature could join them, then simply continued on like it was all completely normal. Turning away from the door, I was surprised by a woman standing there, staring at me. She was beautiful, at least the half of her face I could see. The other side of her face was shrouded in darkness.