The Dawnvel Druids by - (summer beach reads TXT) 📖

Chapter Four- Lady Killer

It didn’t feel real. How could a teenage girl be a stone-cold killer? And yet Bobby had just seen her stab some poor man in the heart, causing an explosion of grey gore.

Wait, how can blood be grey?

Addled by fear, Bobby kept completely still.

“They just get dumber,” Simone said.

He heard a strange noise, what sounded like multiple stones falling to the ground. Bobby tried to get his breathing under control and not think about how easily Simone could kill him. He was all skin and bone whilst she was as tall as him and far more athletic, plus she had a knife.

He tried to be utterly silent, yet he thought his heart might give him away. It was louder than a drum, smashing against his chest in a bid to escape. Bobby wanted nothing more than to turn and sprint up the stairs and away, but then Simone would see him. Even if he outrun her, she and the rest of the Perfects might then come after him.

Panic was threatening to overwhelm him, but Bobby distracted himself by noting the murderer’s appearance. He’d need to tell the police everything about her when he reported this. If he managed to get out alive that was.

45

Her hair was coiled and marker-pen black, her face an unblemished dark gold mask. A far cry from his Bobby’s face full of freckles, reminiscent of a cookie.

She was both athletic and curvy, with cheekbones sharper than broken glass.

Simone looked like she should be on the cover of magazines, not savagely slaughtering people.

What’re you doing? His mind screamed at him. It’s pretty weird to think a murderer’s hot, mate.

Cold sweat dripped from his forehead to sting his eyes and he didn’t even dare wipe his brow in case it made a noise. If only he could reach the campus outside he’d be safe. She couldn’t kill him in front of witnesses, could she?

He’d been so stupid to come down here. He should’ve just ignored what he’d heard and returned to his dorm, he’d needed the toilet anyway. But no, he had to check no one had accidentally hurt themselves. Now it had probably cost him his life. But since the murder, his bladder seemed to have emptied. Quickly Bobby checked to see he hadn’t wet himself. Phew. He guessed witnessing a homicide was a good cure for needing to pee.

He stayed in place for what felt like hours, yet he knew it could’ve only been minutes. His best chance was to wait until Simone was long gone before running to his dorm and calling the police.

The rumours had been right all along. Simone was a serial killer. She’d already murdered that teacher, and now another dude had snuffed it.

46

She must’ve left by now. He had to look. He really didn’t want to, but Bobby knew the longer he waited, the more chance Simone could kill again. She may be on a murder spree. He’d heard about this stuff, but couldn’t believe he’d ever be caught up in it.

Bobby just grit his teeth and did it. He meant to look out slowly but instead he darted out of his hiding place.

The basement was empty.

Thank god. Wait, why is it empty? What happened to the body?

Did he imagine it all? No, he’d stumbled upon something massive here, some sort of supernatural conspiracy he needed to unravel. Part of him wanted to run for the hills for sure, but another part of him needed to find out what was going on.

He moved to the corner of the room to examine further, but only saw shards of rock where the body should’ve been. The hell?

That still wasn’t evidence, but he’d have to just tell the police what he could.

Whilst Simone was out there, she was a threat to everyone. She needed to be caught.

He turned to leave and saw Simone standing a metre behind him.

The dagger was gone from her hand, but in its place was a wand. She opened her mouth to speak, but he was already running around her, sprinting for the staircase.

“Damn it,” she growled.

47

He made a noise halfway between a moan and a scream as Simone reached the stairs before him, moving faster than he would’ve thought possible.

Her hand snaked around his collar and held him in place, her strength inhuman.

Bobby made to scream, it probably would’ve been a very high girlish scream that would be embarrassing under different circumstances, but she clapped a hand over his mouth.

“Time to forget what you saw, little boy,” she drawled.

She raised the wand and held it up to his face, it’s tip glowing blue. Bobby acted desperately, biting her hand before swinging wildly and connecting with her jaw. She barely flinched at his punch, however, and his hand really hurt, as if he’s smacked a brick wall.

He felt bad about hitting a girl, until he remembered she was a crazed serial killer. He tried to run again, but she seized his t-shirt and pinned him against the wall, his frantic struggles having no effect on her. It was like she was the damn terminator.

“You’re a murderer. And now you’ve killed another student,” he rasped.

Her face blanched at his accusation, as if his words hurt her more than his punch.

“That was no student, believe me.”

48

“I saw it happen.” He tried to buy himself time, maybe someone else would come down here and she’d be caught. “Get that wand away from me too. I saw Zander use it against that red…creature, and then-”

“Wait, what did you say?” she interrupted, looking at him as if seeing him for the first time. “You saw the Shade?”

“If that’s the name of that ghost thing, then yeah. I saw it twice. I saw Zander shoot white light at it too, with the same wand you’ve got now. Did you steal it from him?”

“Shut up,” she snarled. “This is mine. Zander’s wand is missing. But if you were able to see the Shade, that means…” her words trailed off as something dawned on her. “The demon said it would happen, but I didn’t think it would be so quick. You’re the one, the replacement.”

Bobby grabbed her arms with both hands and tried to break her grip, but it was futile. She had she-hulk strength.

“How long have you been a druid?” she asked, to his utter bewilderment.

“Who are your parents? What’s your family name?”

“I don’t understand a thing you’re saying,” he whimpered. “Just don’t kill me.”

“Who are you?” she roared.

“Bobby,” he roared back. “I’m Bobby Biscuit, bitch.” He had no idea what he was saying, adrenalin flooding through him.

“What kind of last name is that?”

49

“I-uh- it’s not. I don’t have a proper last name okay. I liked biscuits as a toddler so the orphanage gave me that name, that’s all.”

Her eyebrows furrowed. “Your parents died?”

“Maybe, I don’t know. Someone dumped me outside a hospital when I was like a week old. That’s all I know. Happy now?”

“No, of course not,” Simone stammered, her fierce grey eyes softening as she looked upon him. “Sorry, I needed to know if you belonged to one of the druid families in our records. You must’ve been sent here in Zander’s place. Damn, they don’t waste time, do they?”

“Madman!” He found himself yelling, even though she was a woman.

“You’re mad. Let me go.”

“What do you mean?” Simone seemed to realise for the first time that he truly had no idea what she was saying. “You are a druid, aren’t you?”

“No I’m not a bloody druid, you psycho.”

“Terrific,” she sighed. “I’ve heard this can happen. You have no idea what you are. Look, you’re not in any danger, not from me anyway. Just try to calm down.”

“Shut up you loon. Let me go.”

“Listen, come with me quietly and I’ll explain everything.”

“Kill me before anyone hears me shouting more like,” he cried.

“Right,” Simone said through gritted teeth. “If you don’t stop struggling, I’m gonna to have to knock you out.”

50

“Okay, I’m sorry. I’ll come quietly.”

“Good.” Simone let go of him. “Now--”

Bobby seized the opportunity the second he was no longer pinned against the wall, darting away from her and launching himself up the stairs.

Impossibly, she was already in front of him again. He ducked under her outstretched hand and ran down the corridor. He was almost at the doors when she caught him by the collar and yanked him back. He seized a fire extinguisher hanging by the wall and swung it behind him.

He hadn’t meant to hurt her, even if she was a murderer, but the extinguisher smashed straight into her face. She fell to the floor with a thunk.

Bobby didn’t wait to see if he knocked her out, flinging himself through the doors and outside. It was practically pitch-black now.

Knowing how fast she was, Bobby took a gamble and dived behind the dumpster nearby.

Seconds later, he heard her come through the doors after him.

“Bloody idiot,” she cursed.

He heard her run past him, heading towards the lake. Bobby waited for several minutes, and then ran in the opposite direction.

He yanked his phone from his pocket, intending to dial 999. No! His phone was out of battery and his charger was in his room.

Curfew was in full effect now, so the campus was deserted. Bobby considered tracking down a security guard and telling them there was a

51

murderer running around, but they’d assume he was crazy. It would be safer to call the police, explain it all to them . Even if the man’s body had mysteriously disappeared.

He ran as fast as he could across campus and to the dormitory block. There, he raced up the seven flights of steps to his room. He was wheezing by the time he got to his door. He fished out his keys and opened it hurriedly.

He’d already whipped his phone back out of his pocket, preparing to plug the charger in when he saw Simone sitting on his bed, waiting for him.