Page 122 of Conjure

Fuck this.

I stride past Gwen and give the back door the same treatment. Nothing works. It’s the same story with the windows. None of them open. I even toss a chair at the glass, but it strikes it with a resounding thwack and falls to the floor. Ramming my fist into the glass did little good, either. Now I’m left with injured knuckles and blood on the glass, but not even a crack. Nothing.

Gwen rests her shoulder against the doorway. We stare at each other across the room. “It’s useless,” she says, trembling. “Camryn is missing. Wilfred’s farm is the closest for miles. By the time we finally get out of here and find help for Lily…” She drifts off as her gaze drops. “It’ll be too late.”

“There must be something we can do.” I walk back into the living room, and Gwen follows.

“Perhaps your mom will arrive back soon. She could hopefully open the door and?—”

“There’s nothing wrong with the doors!” I shout, picking up a fire poker and throwing it at the nearest window. “We’re being hunted, Gwen. It’s trapping us here.”

She wipes away tears, nodding. “I know.”

“Can you not stitch her up or something.”

The look she gives me is flat. “I told you last time—I’m not a nurse. I don’t know how extensive her injuries are. If we remove the knife, we could do more harm than good. It’s not worth the risk.”

I sink my fingers into my hair and groan. When I lower my hands, I nod. “Fine…”

Gwen watches me walk closer.

“If this thing is hunting us, we need to figure out what it’s doing.”

Crossing her arms, she stares unseeingly at my chest. “I guess it’s biding its time, feeding on our fear. Growing in strength.”

“Or maybe it’s playing with us. It’s a demon. They kill for entertainment.”

“Maybe,” she says before breaking down into tears. I pull her to me and wrap my arms around her, nose buried in her hair, my eyes trained on a photograph of a smiling Camryn at graduation last year.

“She can’t just vanish,” Gwen sniffles.

“We’ll find her. I promise.”

THIRTY-SIX

DOMINIC

I’ve lostcount of how many times I’ve searched through every room.

Now we’re back in the living room. Lily is napping. Sweat clings to her pale skin.

No one speaks.

I sit with my elbows on my knees, fingers in my hair. But it doesn’t matter how much I pull on the short strands, the growing panic won’t subside.

Orange hues stream through the window behind me—a stark reminder that we’re running out of time.

Where are you, Camryn?

I pull harder. Nothing works.

“We can’t just sit here,” Gwen whispers, her voice barely audible above my screaming thoughts.

“What do you suggest we do?” Aron asks, framed by the setting sunlight as he gazes at the trees.

“We need to break down the door somehow. We need to find help.” She checks her phone signal again, when Aron begins to laugh. Putting her cell on the table, she looks over her shoulder. “What’s so funny?”

“What’s so funny?” He turns around and pins his dark eyes on me. “We’re going to die here tonight, all thanks to our newfriends.”