Dead End: Midnight Hollow by Penn Cassidy (free novel 24 TXT) 📗

My whole body shuddered at the thought, but crickets only met his suggestion, along with raised eyebrows all around.

Well, if no one else was going to do something, I would. I wasn’t going to be a sitting duck out here. Jason was right. I wasn’t ready to have a movie based on a true story made after me. I cleared my throat, smoothing my dress down the front of my body, and made my way down the aisle, only to be blocked by Michael. He held a hand out, clamping down on my shoulder.

“We don’t know what’s going on yet. It might be safer to stay on the bus and wait, and you're definitely not going outside in the dark alone.” He was holding my shoulder to the point that I couldn’t move. It didn’t hurt, but was it just me or did he seem stronger than he should be? His eyes were deadly serious, enough to make me question if he might be right.

I matched his stance, not backing down, because fuck if I was going to let him intimidate me. The only way to get answers would be to get our asses off this bus. Despite my hestiance to explore the unknown, I wasn’t about to be trapped in a vehicle again. I wouldn’t let them see me like that. Closed spaces made it difficult to breathe sometimes, and if I let it, it brought so many horrific memories to the surface I would rather not relive.

I started to breathe a little harder now that I was thinking about it, now that the images from the crash that I wasn’t one hundred percent sure even happened came barreling back in. “I can’t be here…” My eyes shot to Michael, and I knew he could see the panic on my face. There was no hiding it, but right now, I didn’t care. I just needed to get out of this metal death trap.

He didn’t say anything for a minute, just stared down at me before glancing over my head, off into space as if deliberating. He nodded to himself and then stepped to the side for me to pass. The space was a tight fit, so my body brushed against his, and a small whisper of his husky voice caressed my ear, saying, “I’m…here.”

My feet couldn’t carry me off the bus fast enough. I barreled past Jason, not even bothering to say anything, and flung myself off the bus. I gulped in the strange fog filled air like my life depended on it, bending down with my hands on my knees. The smell of fall hit me like a train—hay from the surrounding fields, a small hint of burning wood, and the decay of dead leaves.

There was a shuffle of moving feet behind me. I guessed they all decided it was indeed better to get the hell out of that bus. Maybe they chose not to become sitting ducks for the local axe murderer…not that quaint little Sunset Hollow had a local axe murderer, but who knew?

A soft hand grasped mine, tearing my attention away from the undulating fog. I’d been zoning out for a second, but then I looked at Maddie. Her eyes were scanning our surroundings, her grip growing tighter and a little sweaty.

“It’s too dark out here, Toby… It’s not right. I’ve been out here a bunch of times to pick peaches in the orchards, and it’s never been this dark.” Her eyes met mine, brimming with tears, until she blinked rapidly as she glanced up to get rid of the water works on the way. “I need you to tell me it’ll be okay. Please…even if it’s a lie.”

“We’re going to be fine, Mads. I promise. Let’s just head towards town before Pennywise shows up with a red balloon,” I said, trying to make a joke and snorting awkwardly, but she didn’t even move let alone laugh as she continued to look up at the sky.

“So not funny, Redrum,” Freddy snapped, stepping up to my side. I nearly jumped out of my skin. Damnit! How the hell did he sneak up on me? He was normally lumbering and heavy footed, since he was such a big dude.

I chose to ignore him in favor of staring at the side of Maddie's profile in confusion. Is she okay? She wasn’t talking like her normal, bubbly self, and it almost looked like she was shaking. In fact, she was shaking. Her hand was covered in sweat, and her fingers gripped mine like a vice. Her head tilted back even further, and I followed her gaze. Holy fuck! I stumbled back a step, and a yelp ripped from my lips.

“What the hell is wrong with you guys?!” Freddy snapped. “Hello, Earth to freak!” He waved his big hand in front of my face, but I couldn't look away from the sky. It was all wrong. So fucking wrong.

I blindly reached up and grasped his chin, pointing his face upwards. He shut up real fast, but in less than a heartbeat, I could have sworn I heard him whisper, “Her skin is so soft… What the fuck—”

I shook my head. There was something wrong with his voice. It was only a soft, echoing whisper in my mind, like he was talking to me from the other side of the street. Whatever it was, I didn’t have time to think about it.

“I don’t think we’re on Earth anymore,” Jason said at my back. His voice shook and he sounded uncertain, which freaked me out because Jason was usually the voice of reason. He never let his emotions get the better of him in all the years we’d been friends. Right now, Jason was afraid, and that made the rest of us afraid too.

“I’m going to wake up any moment now, and there definetly won’t be two fucking moons in the sky!” Michael said as he paced back and forth, looking panicked. He was gripping his