Frenzied (4 page)

“Hey, it’s okay.” Ben’s voice soothed her mind, and his warm embrace soothed her senses. “We’ll be okay. We just need to find a way out.” One of his hands roamed up and down her back, rubbing away her shivers.

She turned her head to thank him, only to find her lips an inch away from his. They both froze, breathing in and out together in a moment of silence before his lips descended onto hers.

She knew it was crazy. She knew there was no rational reason for it. But right here and right now, she wanted him to kiss her and hold her—she needed it.

She kissed him back, pressing her body closer to his. She heard a soft groan from him in response before one of his hands cupped the back of her head, pulling her closer. His other wrapped around her waist, gripping her as he hauled her body against his. His lips mashed against hers with wanton need.

Her fingers roamed across his broad shoulders, gripping them when he lifted her up into his arms. She wrapped her legs around his waist and moaned as his tongue teased hers.

He turned around and sat her on the table, breaking off the kiss to nibble her neck with light teasing kisses. “You’re so beautiful,” he whispered between kisses.

His hands hovered on her waist as she arched back on the table, knocking books off it with her hands.

The books hit the floor with a loud thud. The sound echoed around the room, and they both froze.

Shit!
That was really loud.

Ben moved back, breathing heavily. He turned and stared at the glass pane for a moment before turning back to her.

He leaned over her, and she felt his lips brush her ear lobe. “We can’t do this here.” His voice was throaty. “But this isn’t over …” He kissed her cheek before standing back from her. He turned away.

She stood up and stared at his back. His shoulders trembled a little.

“Okay,” she whispered.

There was something about the dark room and close quarters that drew her to him like a magnet. All she could hear was his breathing. She could feel him near her, and there was nothing to distract her from his presence.

“Can we turn on the light?” she asked, needing the distraction.

He walked to the door and peered out of the window. “Yeah, there’s a blackout blind on this. I think we can.” He pulled the blind, plunging them in total darkness.

Her pulse raced until he flipped on the light switch. She blinked at the brightness for a moment before taking in the contents of the room.

“What the hell?”

Black candles rested on every surface. There were sigils decorating the floor and walls. She turned and glanced down to look at the table behind her, and her eyes widened. She jumped back with a yelp.

The desk was a leather-covered altar with engraved bowls tipped over on it. Strange-looking roots and odd powders were scattered across the surface. Behind where she had been sitting, a bloody heart was pinned to the table with a dagger stabbed through it.

She shot a glance at Ben. He was still standing by the door with his hand on the light switch. His eyes were wide, and his face was pale as if the blood had drained out of it. He shook his head and frowned at the strange room.

“Seriously, what the fuck is going on in here?”

There were two desks facing each other. One looked like any other desk with a monitor, an inbox and a plaque on it labeled, ‘Colin Ketis—Manager’. The second table was adorned with an array of strange items; a bloody heart being the worst of them. There was a brown leather pelt covering the table with strange markings branded into it. In the middle of the table, the heart was impaled by an old-looking, wooden-handled dagger. Surrounding that were bowls of herbs, roots, black candles and pieces of animals; teeth, bones and fur tails.

“This is insane.” She broke the silence.

“And the creepy keeps on coming.” Ben nodded and held up a book titled, ‘Norse Mythology: Odin’s Warriors.’ “I think we should read these.”

“You think
this
killed all those people?” She gestured around the room. She didn’t believe in myths. They were bedtime stories for the superstitious. Even though her memories were still a blank slate, she was certain she was a logical person who believed in science.

“Something killed them. And just look at this room. We’ve got to assume it’s all connect—”

A loud scream outside the room silenced him. They both turned to face the door.

It was a woman screaming. “Help me! Someone p-please …”

Lucy winced at the wailing. Whatever was killing people was going to hear her and come running.

We need to help her, and shut her up!

She turned to Ben. He was frowning at the door. “We need to help her,” he said.

“We can’t go out there. That creature will be there by now.” She felt guilty as she said the words. The woman’s screams continued, breaking off with sobs.

Ben stared at the door, his jaw set in determination. “We have to.”

She nodded. He was right. She wouldn’t be able to live with herself if she left her to die. “Okay.” She picked up the mop pole from the floor and gripped it in her hands. “Let’s go.”

He glanced at her, and then the table behind her. “I’ve got a better idea.”

He pulled the dagger out of the heart and wiped the blade off on his jeans. “I’ll go get her while you stay here and find out more from these books.”

She scowled and placed her hands on her hips. “Why don’t I go get her, and you read the books?”

“Because you can’t pick her up. We don’t know how injured she is. I can carry her back here faster.”

It did make sense, but she realized that on some level she was a feminist. She hated the idea of being the little woman who hid behind a big strong man. But it was more than that. She hated the idea of Ben going out there alone.

What if he doesn’t come back?

“I don’t want you to go.”

“I’m going either way. The faster I get going, the less chance of that thing getting there before me.”

She frowned. He was right again, but every essence of her being was screaming for him to stay here with her.

He lifted her chin and brushed a kiss over her lips. “I won’t be long. Stay here, and lock the door if anything but me comes back.”

Lucy nodded. Her throat ached, and she couldn’t form any words. It felt like a goodbye.

He turned and peered through the glass pane for a moment. Then he opened the door, brandishing the knife as he stepped out into the hallway. He gave her a reassuring smile before closing the door behind him.

She hurried to the window, peering around the corner of the black-out blind and watching him rush down the corridor until he was out of sight.

The room was silent, barring the ongoing screams outside of it. After a few moments, the screaming abruptly stopped.

She froze in silence.

What does that mean? Has he found her? Has something else?

Her chest ached.
Please come back.

She rubbed her eyes and tried to gather her wits. She had made a promise to find answers. She should at least try. Staring at the door wasn’t going to help anyone.

She picked up the books and carried them to the manager’s normal desk, taking a seat behind it. She peered at the computer.

Maybe I can do more than read.

She turned on the monitor, discovering the computer was turned on and still logged in. There was a screensaver made up of bubbles floating across the screen. She moved the mouse. The bubbles disappeared and were replaced by a standard Windows desktop.

Okay, internet.

She opened a web browser and hit the home button. ‘Server not found,’ appeared on the screen.

Crap, no internet.

She clicked on the Start Menu and went to the control panel. Inside ‘Network and Internet’, it showed that there was no connection. She tried the internal network, but it was also offline.

Turning off the monitor, she slumped back in the chair.

She stared at the phone on the desk for a few moments before her mind registered that it was a telephone. She snatched up the handset and listened for a dial tone. It was dead. She pressed nine for an outside line, but it remained silent.

Shaking her head, she dialled the police anyway. Nothing happened. She sighed and fished her mobile phone out of her pocket, staring at the device. The screen was black. She tried turning it on again, but it was completely dead and nothing happened.
Crap.

Glancing at the door, she listened to the clock on the wall tick loudly.

What’s taking him so long?

Before she fell into a pit of despair, she grabbed the first book on the pile and read the title, trying to get into research mode. The words ‘Germanic Neopagnism: Dark Rites’ were emblazoned across the old brown cover. She flipped open the book and peered at the copyright page. It was published in 1885.

Oh, this is going to be a nightmare.

She shook her head and flipped through the pages, glancing at the bold chapter titles that jumped out at her. ‘Odinism’ ... ‘Aryan Ancestry’.

I don’t even know what I’m looking for.

She tried to think about it logically.

If someone did this and used this book, then they must have read it a few times.

She closed the book and examined the spine. There were many creases down the spine, but the thickest one was down the middle of it.

Someone read that chapter a lot.

She flipped open the book to around where the deepest crease was, and it flopped open on a chapter labeled ‘Berserkers.’

She skimmed the words and widened her eyes when she read the second paragraph.

‘These Norse warriors fought in an uncontrollable, trance-like fury and were reported to be able to transform into wild beasts. Similar to the Iliad myth, these creatures were also described as having superhuman abilities.’

Lucy continued reading.

‘The Berserkers were considered Odin’s special warriors …’

Oh, come on, Odin and Norse gods, really? This is such a waste of ti—

Her eyes froze on the next line.

‘With red or bloodshot eyes and beastly bodies, these Berserkers often took on the form of the wolf, bear or bull.’

The memory of red glowing eyes through the windowpane flashed across her mind. She stared blankly at the book.

This is ridiculous. You can’t summon a myth into existence.

She dropped the book on the other side of the desk, and her eyes fell upon the next one. It was an ancient-looking, leather-bound tome with one word carved into the cover.
Seiðr
.

She stared at it for a moment. It was bound together with leather twine that was old and cracked. She untied the twine and peered inside the book. The words on the pages made no sense. It was like no language she had ever seen before.
Oh great.

She flipped through the book, shaking her head. The pages were yellowing and fragile. Every page the book opened on was dotted with Post-It notes that had slanted handwriting scrawled over them.

She started reading the notes. They appeared to be lists of ingredients, like a recipe book. She rubbed her brow, glancing up at the clock. Forty minutes had passed since Ben had gone outside. She frowned.

That’s too long.

Worry took over her thoughts, and she couldn’t concentrate on the research.

Where is he? What if he needs my help?

The idea of finding Ben in the corridor with dead green eyes and gaping wounds on his body caused a lump to form in her throat. After a few minutes of worrying, she convinced herself that if she didn’t go and find him, his death would be all her fault.

She scooped up the three books on the table and dropped them into a laptop bag that was beside the desk. She swung the bag over her head and dropped it on the opposite shoulder, so that the strap crossed her torso. Then she picked up the mop pole and clenched it in her hand.

Screw this. I’m not waiting around while he’s in trouble.

Ben felt like part of her team now.
Team: Survive this bullshit.

She wasn’t leaving him behind.

She hurried to the door and peeked around the blind to see into the corridor. She nearly screamed when she saw a pair of green eyes staring back at her.

Ben!

He smiled, and she hurriedly unlocked the door. Her heart hammered as she opened it and ushered him inside. “Quick. Get inside.”

He stepped into the room and glanced around before his eyes settled on her. He touched the cut on her forehead, saying nothing.

She jumped at his cold hands. “Are you okay? What happened? Where’s the woman who was screaming?”

Her pulse raced as he closed the door behind him.

He smiled at her. “She was dead when I got there.”

She slapped him in the chest. “What took you so long? I was scared to death!”

He rubbed his chest and narrowed his eyes at her. “It took me a while to find her.”