In The End Box Set | Books 1-3 Stevens, GJ (story books to read TXT) 📖

It did, but only just, the width of the top rung barely at the edge.

Hands clawed to the air. Bloody fingertips scraped and tapped at the metal. We had to race. We had to get across before something tall, something with long arms came along and grabbed a leg or tipped our bridge as we clambered over.

“I’ll go first,” I said, looking to Alex.

I slipped on the first touch. Falling forward, I watched the river of upturned foul faces, their outstretched clawed fingers racing toward me as I descended.

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Despite her efforts, she couldn’t catch me. Couldn’t stop my fall as I raced down face first to the rungs.

I collapsed to the metal, my hands grabbing a hold either side, gripping hard. The sting of the skin on my arm tightening as I took the weight.

The two halves of the ladder clattered against each other, the metal jumping before snapping back.

I held firm, waiting for the ladder to turn and twist and fall into the crowd who would frenzy over my body, pulling flesh from my bones.

The ladder stayed put, despite the claw of nails down my face as it felt as if hundreds of fingers willed me to the ground.

“Go,” came Alex’s voice from my back.

I shot a look behind to see her kneeling, her weight on the edge of the ladder, holding it firm.

I pushed up with my arms outstretched, the tips of my feet on top of the rungs and surged forward, giving full respect to the ladder as it stayed in place. With my feet slipping against the metal, I recovered over and again until I found the rough purchase of the solid roof the other side.

Turning before I calmed, fear rained down as I worried for the strength of the wood underneath my feet. It hadn’t collapsed yet and held my ground, watching as Alex followed on her hands and knees to scamper to where I stood.

As the ladder slipped with her last step, falling until I bounded over, forgetting my fears, I skidded to my knees and felt the sting of skin coming loose, but I had the cold metal in my hand and stopped the fall.

Alex helped me to pull it free from the tangle of hands and arms and heads slapping it side to side.

She helped me to my feet. She helped lift the ladder, settling it down to the roof. Together we peered back to the wreck of the roof we’d left behind, the felt ripped away with two great holes where there hadn’t been before.

I pushed away the guilt at what we’d done to someone’s house, knowing we had to save our lives and turned my back to survey the next challenge.

The pitch wasn’t too steep. If we could get onto the roof, it was shallow enough for us to climb with probable ease and little fear of slipping down, but for the life of me I couldn’t figure out how the hell we could rest the ladder on the angle.

At least we had time. At least we were safe for now. I turned on the spot, Alex mirroring my search for inspiration. With a shake of her head, I knew she’d come up as empty of suggestions as I had.

I looked to the windows just above our heads and saw the single panes of glass in the main house of the extension roof we stood on. I looked to Alex, annoying myself for seeking confirmation as I quickly turned away, but not soon enough to see her raised eyebrow.

Nodding, she came around me, opening the stepladder and setting it underneath the nearest window. I rose, squinting to the darkness inside.

A double bed sat in the centre with the quilt ruffled, the sheet cast half off. I could see a mattress. I could see a dark, abstract pattern on the white. I saw the near-naked man sitting cross-legged on the bed, his gaze fixed at me through the window.

I stumbled down a rung of the ladder, breath rasping and body shaking but already disbelieving what I’d seen; questioning if the man who’d rested on the bed really had blood trailing from his mouth to matt down his front. Already asking myself if those two shapes beside him, covered in a dark blanket, were just folds on the duvet. Wondering if my look to the carpet as I’d instinctively dropped had actually seen the great inkblot, or the bleached white bones piled in its centre.

As if from a remote location, Alex asked what I saw to make me draw back. She asked if I was okay when I didn’t reply.

Instead, I looked up as a bloodied face appeared at the window, its forehead surging toward the thin layer of glass and our only protection.

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The scream came next, sending daggers across our senses. A shrill call in tune with the outward spray of glass.

I stumbled back, pulling the ladder with me as I lunged for safety. Still, I fell.

Alex caught my weight and together we collapsed to the roof, the cold metal following.

With no chance to recover from the shock or to be thankful the roof held in place, I peered up through the rungs while I pushed the ladder from my chest. Willing my ears to close off from the pain of the shrill call, I fixed on the window as the creature burst out in a blur, sending the remaining shards in its wake.

My legs wheeled in circles as I struggled to my feet, Alex’s arms in the same frenzy, her words shouting disbelief.

Scrabbling to her feet with her hand on my arm, at my side I saw her twitch her view between me and any sight of the creature who’d jumped right over us