THE LOW-SLUNG BUILDING sprawling in front of us was on the brink of collapsing in on itself.
It lay end to end in square architecture made for order and expedience instead of artistry. Windows lined the graffiti-covered brick wall illuminated by my headlights. Most of the glass had been broken, replaced with plywood gone gray from exposure. The brown, knee-high grass and weeds weren’t enough to hide all the trash scattered on the ground.
I asked, “What is this place?”
It looked creepy as hell.
The Man in Black tucked the finger bone compass into his coat. The coal of hatred in my heart flared again. “It is the lair of an old … acquaintance.” He opened the door, stepping out of the car.
Daniel scooted across the seat, his fingers on the door handle. “You coming, Charlie?” He looked expectant, his face unlined by concern. He looked like my kid brother climbing out of the car in the parking lot of the county fair, all wide-eyed and excited.
Jesus, he has no idea how jacked any of this is.
For a moment, a split second, the urge to crank the car, jam it in reverse, and run, run as fast and as far as my broken-down Honda Civic would take me, sat hard in my chest. It lay so heavy my heart felt as though it beat inside a plastic bag filled with syrup.
The Man in Black watched me through the windshield.
He shook his head.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m coming.” I unbuckled the seat belt.
My door creaked, the sound rolling along the front of the building. I’d parked between a jacked-up, piss-off, stereotypical redneck truck that towered over the Honda, its wheels almost as tall as me, and a sleek, high-performance convertible so new it sparkled even in the dim, yellow light of the streetlamp. My eyes scanned the tiny parking lot. Cars of all makes and models, in all states of repair, filled almost every space, crowding next to each other like family at a reunion before the bickering started, before grudges fueled by alcohol sparked fistfights.
Daniel touched my arm.
He needed to stop doing that.
His voice was soft, low. “The Master’s waiting, Charlie. We should go.”
“Don’t touch me.” My face felt hot. I lashed out. “What’s with this ‘the Master’ crap? Don’t you know what’s going on here?”
Daniel glanced at the Man in Black. His hand moved, hovering next to my arm but not touching it. He blinked, long and slow, his eyes closing then opening, locking with mine.
They were clear and bright.
And oh so green.
The anger inside me melted, just a little.
He looked away, running fingers through his bangs in a nervous gesture. “I don’t know what’s going on. All I know is that I feel … weird around him. Something I’ve never felt before. I want to … I don’t know the word to describe it, but if he needs something, anything, I want to be the one who gives it to him.” A look passed over his face. “Things are pretty screwed up in my head.”
Damn.
My mind tried to sort it all out. I’d seen Nyarlathotep do things, things I couldn’t explain, and he said Daniel had to worship him. I thought about the eighteen-wheeler and the look on Daniel’s face as he waited for it to run him down.
Realization thundered in my mind.
He doesn’t have any choice. Not one drop.
Daniel’s hand touched my arm again. I didn’t pull away this time. I couldn’t. “The only thing that’s not screwed up in my head is how sorry I am for whatever happened earlier. With us. I’ll make it up to you, I promise. Whatever I have to do.”
He really means it.
Fingers slid down my arm, warm when they brushed the skin of my hand. “I like you, Charlie. A lot. I hope I didn’t mess that up.”
Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit.
Daniel wouldn’t look at me, his eyes turned just slightly away.
The Man in Black was suddenly there, next to us without moving. “We have things to do.” He turned, his coat flaring out to brush against our legs. Gooseflesh rose where it touched. “Come, Acolyte; come, minion; follow me.”
Daniel dropped my hand and stepped in behind the Man in Black.
That coal of hatred flared hot and sharp behind my breastbone as I followed the two of them into the building. I swore in my heart that somehow, some way, I would fix this. I would find a way to get Daniel away from the Man in Black, no matter what I had to do.
Walking into the run-down, burned-out hotel, I hoped I’d have the courage to keep that promise.