Page 20

Chapter

Twenty

Erin

M y chest is so tight my ribs are primed to squeeze both lungs into ash.

This time, he didn’t bother to tie me up before he left to investigate.

Now is my chance if I want to make a run for it.

Probably one of the only chances I’ll get before Syros returns and finds me gone.

Only the thought of going out at night alone, while he’s distracted, makes me sick to my stomach.

You’re a brave, independent woman. You have to hurry!

I shake my head and the insanity from it. Even if I make it out of the house, there’s no way I can make it past Syros and whatever the hell is stalking through the woods. I couldn’t even escape Syros last time. However, sitting here and waiting for him to return doesn’t sit well either.

An idea strikes.

I scramble out of the makeshift bed, ignoring his demand to stay put, and hurry toward the corner of the room and the ledge holding the radio.

I have to be quick.

My hand shakes as I bring it down, kneeling on the floor while I fiddle with the knobs.

If I managed to make contact once, it might take a miracle to do it again. But the connection exists, between this world and mine—there’s some thread of energy bridging the two planes of existence, and I have to believe Tyler is still waiting on the other end for me to contact him.

Static sounds as I adjust the radio back to the right frequency. I turn the sound down as low as I can, hoping the noise doesn’t draw the attention of either monster outside.

The static shifts into silence, and I suck in a breath.

“Hello? Tyler? Are you there?” I whisper. My insides clench, waiting for an answer that might never come. “Say something if you can hear me.”

This is stupid .

I glance at the door, tense, ready for the curtain to whip aside at any moment. For Syros to, once again, catch me in the act.

This is insane .

And then—

“Erin? Oh, thank god.” Tyler’s low reply is followed by a groan of relief. “I’ve been waiting to see if you’ll come through again.”

My stomach shifts sickeningly, but the smile on my face is genuine. The thin grin pries my lips apart, and I stare at the radio like it’s my lifeline. In this case, it is.

Contact has been established against all odds. I sag forward, my nerves raw and my blood replaced by ice.

“Thank you for waiting for me. I’m here.”

A swell of static accompanies my words.

“What?” Tyler is louder than before and I wince, halfway prepared for Syros to come storming inside, claiming it was all a test. “I can’t hear you. Where are you? It’s hard to hear, the connection is bad.”

How much of our earlier conversation actually got through to him? Shit, I hadn’t considered that before.

It’s impossible to know.

“I have no idea where I am, but the portal closed behind me,” I tell him. “It’s a miracle we can even talk now.”

“Do you know any way to get it to re-open?” Tyler presses. “Or can you search for another opening? There has to be a way for the Grim to get into our world. Not just on the solstice. If you can find it—”

I shake my head before I remember that Tyler can’t see me. Urgency weighs me down, making every inhalation unnecessarily heavy.

“I haven’t had a chance to explore,” I interrupt. “Right now, I’m someplace safe. I’m just not sure for how long.”

Hearing myself say the word out loud rocks me. I can’t help but think about Syros and the house he’s made for himself in these dark woods, full of beasts and quicksand pits.

Am I really safe?

Yes, I guess I’ve started to think about his hovel in those terms.

At least I know what I’m dealing with, somewhat, when I’m here. Especially when the sounds from outside make me want to cringe and huddle underneath the furs, closing my eyes until the battle passes.

A roar explodes outside, ripping through the air and making my hairs stand on end.

Shit .

Something’s wrong.

Whatever is happening with Syros and the other monster outside, it’s nothing good. And I have to hurry.

“There has to be a way for us to connect through more than these radio waves,” Tyler says. An edge has entered his voice. “We have to be able to find a bridge between our worlds. I’m gonna get you back, Erin. If it’s the last thing I do, I’ll get you back.”

The poor guy sounds ready to cry, like his guilt has finally gotten to him enough to prick through even the strongest wall of stoic machismo.

College kids .

“I’m not sure how we can do it, but there’s got to be a way,” I say, my own dread seeping into my voice. “Otherwise, I’ll be forced to wait for the winter solstice.”

“Will you be able to survive that long?”

The starkness of the reminder isn’t helpful, and it clangs around in my head and heart like someone unraveling a pile of chains.

“I’ll either have to survive or we find another bridge. Those are the options right now.” The idea of radio waves tickles the back of my mind.

I glance at the door again, my eyes wide enough to have them burning. “What if there is somehow a way to amplify the static, not just on my side but on yours? Could we cause a rift big enough for a person to walk through? My physics is rusty.”

Rusty? Try nonexistent.

That kind of theory isn’t really my forte.

“I have no idea how to do that. I barely know what you’re talking about,” Tyler replies.

So, it’s a long shot and I’ve never heard of anything like that happening before. At least, not in any of the research I’ve done.

The theory of other worlds on top of ours has always been just that—a theory. Other paranormal investigators haven’t been able to gather concrete evidence to prove or disprove it. Until now.

Yet, Tyler and I made a connection on this channel. And where there is connection, there is a possibility to expand it. He’ll have to be the one to do the research, though; I’ve got none of my books or notes on this side.

“None of my college courses have prepared me for this. It’s entirely out of my scope, Erin!”

His voice cracks.

“Okay, don’t panic, Tyler.” How am I the one trying to calm him down? “We’ll find a way. You have all of my equipment there.”

Tyler laughs, hysterically, and says, “I want to save you, I do. So tell me what I need to look for and I’ll do it. I’ll even talk to my old physics professor if you want, and he failed me out of his class. But I’ll do it.”

“I appreciate your willingness,” I say dryly. And I do.

Another roar sounds from outside, and I flinch at the violence in it.

“I’ll work on it from my end, nonstop. What do you have there with you?” Tyler asks.

I scan the room and start taking a mental inventory of all of Syros’ trinkets. Good thing I’ve always been pretty handy.

All my childhood years of Girlscouts, don’t fail me now.

There aren’t exactly a whole lot of options when buying the sort of electronic scanners most paranormal investigators use. I’ve ended up making a lot of them myself, outside of the cameras we placed around the woods and the one I’d left for Tyler.

My father used to hate when I’d take apart his clocks and things to check their insides and see how they work. Syros has to have something in his collection I can use. Even the watches will be useful.

It’s a matter of seizing the opportunity in front of you.

There must be more things tucked away that I haven’t had a chance to explore yet, hidden and just waiting for me to use them.

But seriously—do I really think we’ll be able to do this?

Tyler isn’t exactly a professional when it comes to paranormal investigation. The fact that he stayed behind once I took off is great, and him sticking around? Being willing to help me? A pure miracle.

Is it really so odd to think we can amplify the static to create an actual bridge?

I suppose stranger things have happened.

I clear my throat. “I have a few odds and ends,” I tell him. “We’ll figure something out, as long as you are willing to stick around a little bit longer.”

A beat of silence stretches into two, and then he says, “I’ll do whatever it takes to get you back, Erin. I feel responsible for what happened.”

My brows knit together. “Why would you be responsible?”

Another terrible roar sounds from outside. A dull thud like two bodies colliding makes me wince. Whatever is happening, Syros is fighting, and the tendril of terror inside of me grows into a sensation that’s impossible to ignore.

Uh oh.

“I should have never let you run into the woods that night. If I’d been stronger, if I’d insisted, we would have stayed in town and locked our doors—” Tyler starts.

“I wouldn’t have listened to you.”

I’d just like to see the poor guy try and stop me.

One of the beasts—I can’t tell if it’s Syros or not—growls. The sound is immediately cut off and a low whining screech of pain follows.

“Tyler, I’m sorry, I’ve got to go.”

My attention is firmly on the door and it’s impossible to look away. Not when one of them is whimpering in pain. What if Syros is hurt?

If another Grim takes him down, there’s no guarantee I’ll be able to live through it. Not to mention I’ll lose my access to his collection.

It’s better to stick with the monster you know, rather than the one you don’t, right?

My spine snaps straight, my teeth on edge, and my hair lifts in a wave of goosebumps. It sounds like a knock ‘em out, drag’ em out fight, and it’s almost too terrible to consider what might happen if Syros is the injured one.

I barely spare a thought before I shut the radio off, cutting off Tyler’s worried reply. I’m on autopilot, fear propelling me toward the door, and before I know it, I’m reaching for the thick curtain draped over the opening.

The sounds outside are getting louder, more vicious, and I can’t take it anymore. I know it’s dangerous to leave, but I have to see what’s going on. To assure myself that Syros is fine.

Steeling myself, I pull back the curtain and poke my head out. Syros is face to face with another monster, and whatever it is, it’s not a Grim; it’s much worse.

The creature has to be at least ten feet tall, towering over Syros with long, white limbs that stick out starkly against the dark forest. The thing’s skeletal fingers are tipped with foot-long claws, its bulbous head packed with several eyes and mouths. To my horror, each mouth is filled with razor-sharp teeth.

I watch silently, heart galloping in my chest as they circle one another… sort of. Syros is crouched, his head shifting left and right like he can’t zero in on the beast that’s right in front of him. Like he can’t see him.

The new monster steps to the left and Syros looks right, giving the creature the opening it needs. It lurches forward, slamming into Syros and knocking him back onto the ground and pinning him there.

I clap my hand over my mouth to cut off a scream, my eyes falling to Syros’ form. Only then do I notice his wounds, several small ones in his chest and arms that are oozing blood that glistens in the moonlight.

He’s hurt.

My stomach gives a sickening twist.

Syros swings at the monster pinning him to the ground, missing every time. Not only do his attacker’s limbs help it stay out of reach, but it doesn’t seem like Syros knows where to aim.

A sickening realization slams into me, and I lose my ability to breathe.

Syros can’t see his opponent.