Page 40 of Walking in Darkness

A woman who hurried across the street in front of me.

Two men who leered as they approached but were smart enough not to touch.

Breaths rasping from my lungs, I made it to the next street.

This one was nearly deserted, though there were two young girls on the opposite side on the corner. One had curly brown hair and was dressed in a miniskirt. The other appeared to be maybe three or four years younger than her, blond and wearing shimmery black shorts.

Both wore heels and were hugging their arms over their faux-fur jackets to provide some warmth as they waited to garner attention.

But it was what radiated from them that nearly stopped me in my tracks. What nearly made me switch direction and go straight to them.

The shouts of their thoughts.

Only they were dulled by the drugs I could almost smell running through their veins.

Sticky and sweet and vile.

But they made them no less profound.

The hiss of the Kruen that whispered the cruel evils into their hearts.

“You were destined for this. This is right where you belong. With the foul. Did you think you’d make something of yourself? You were born this way. You’re just like your mother. Disgusting and pathetic and weak. Ignorant and stupid.”

A wicked voice laughed low in the brown-haired girl’s ear. “Don’t think you’re smart enough to walk away. You owe your life to Thadeo. You wouldn’t have a roof over your head if it wasn’t for him. Your only value is your body, and he’s paying you exactly what you deserve, which is next to nothing.”

She fought them. The thoughts that fired through the distortion that blurred through her consciousness. Fought to rise above them. To break through them.

And the blonde ... the one who seemed much younger ... She was close to succumbing, her thoughts torrid and bleak.

“Of course it hurts. Because you deserve it. You earned it. Asked for it. Begged for it. Why do you think your mother’s boyfriends came to you? Youwere always a little slut. They could smell it on you. You’ll die this way, and soon. You should just put yourself out of this misery. It’s okay to welcome it. It’s the only relief you will ever find. You can’t take this any longer. It’s time. It’s time.”

I stumbled over her agony as her thoughts blistered through my mind. It was as if I could actually see her memories without touching her.

A terrified little girl. Man after man in her room. Telling her she was special. That she was pretty. That it was their secret. The pain. The prayers. The pleas.

Oh God, oh God.

Nausea coiled in my stomach, and my fingers tingled with an unbearable urge to touch. To end the battering mayhem in their minds.

It grew as their thoughts spiraled through me in a deluge of devastation.

It became impossible to turn from them, and I was moving, crossing the street without giving myself permission.

Drawn to them.

“You look like you took a wrong turn,” the older one—the brunette—tossed out as I approached. “You should get out of here before it’s too late.”

It was like she couldn’t tell if she wanted the warning to be spiteful or if she actually wanted me to run.

Except I was on the sidewalk, and my hand that wasn’t gripping the gun stretched out with the need to touch, though there was still a foot of space between us.

“Stay here. Please don’t leave. I’ll be right back,” I whispered to her through the disorder.

The screaming in my ears growing louder.

Both theirs and Pax’s.

I could almost hear Pax chanting,Hurry. Hurry. Hurry.