Convinced the police would be right behind me, I didn’t stop running until I got back to my house.
To my surprise, no one followed me. Had they not seen me? I’d been so sure they’d either heard me or saw me rushing out the back gate.
I doubled over to catch my breath.
“That was close.” Sarah reappeared beside me. “You looked ridiculous running away.” She laughed.
“Glad this is so amusing to you,” I puffed and clutched my aching sides. “Where have you been?”
She shrugged. “I am still there when I disappear. You just seem further away.”
“Who is this?” I took out my phone and held up the picture I’d taken of her photos.
“That’s my best friend, Mel. But I think she’s on holiday at the moment.”
“Did you go to a rave last night?”
“I still don’t remember.”
I blew out a breath. “Well, I guess we’ll have to go there tonight and find out.”
I’d never been to a rave before. Sure, I partied in my teens, but not hardcore partying like my sister did.
I felt way out of my depth, so Mara agreed to come with me. Music pulsed and pounded through the air. I didn’t see how I could find answers here when I couldn’t hear myself think.
“Wow. I’m not sure I miss being this young,” Mara remarked. “Want a drink?”
No, I wanted to go home but I knew I couldn’t.
People danced and grinded to the music. I glanced around but I couldn’t see Sarah anywhere. Curses, I needed her here.
“Sarah?” I called out. “Sarah, are you here? I need to talk to you.”
No one paid attention to me, and my voice became lost in the thrum of music. Energy pulsed through the air too.
“I see her,” I yelled at Mara, but she’d wandered off into the crowd to find us some drinks. I didn’t want to muddle my brain with alcohol so I wouldn’t be drinking.
“Sarah?” I called again. “If you’re here, we need to —”
The pulsing thrum of music and gyrating bodies vanished. It changed to an eerie silence.
What the hell? Where had all the people gone?
Instead, grey mist surrounded me. Almost like being stood in the middle of a fog bank.
“What the hell is going on?” I remembered something I read on that blog earlier. About the spirit world or Limbo as the author called it. A place where ghosts lingered before they moved on. Or sometimes remained trapped in.
How had I got here? Was this part of my weird new ability or was Sarah somehow showing me this?
“Sarah? Are you here?” I called out for her, and my voice echoed around. “Sarah, if you’re here, come out.”
Shadows drifted past me like watchful bystanders. I shivered. Whatever this place was I didn’t want to linger here for long.
“Sarah, are you trying to show me something?” I glanced around but couldn’t find any sign of her.
More shadows came closer, and the darkness swallowed me up. I yelped as it whirled around me. Goddess, I wanted to get out of this.
“Come on, Sarah.” A woman, maybe early twenties, with long red hair appeared in the shadows. “Let’s go. This rave is over. We need to find a new party.” The redhead helped Sarah up as they stumbled along.
Sarah swayed, clearly drunk. “I need to go home.”
Her friend scoffed. “Don’t be such a party pooper. Come on, this rave was crap anyway. We need to find some real fun.”
Sarah sagged against her friend and seemed to lose consciousness.
Next, I found myself in the back of the car, still surrounded by shadows. Sarah lay there unconscious.
Guess that was why she didn’t remember much. She had been completely out of it.
Her friend sat playing with her phone and it beeped with an incoming message.
I moved closer to see if I could get a better look. But unfortunately, I couldn’t make anything out.
The redhead squealed. “Hey, Sarah, wake up!”
Sarah mumbled something but didn’t really respond.
Was her friend an idiot? Didn’t she see Sarah needed to get home and sleep this off?
“No, you can’t do this,” I said. “She’s in no fit state to party.”
The redhead didn’t react to my words. She probably couldn’t hear me since this had to be a memory or some kind of glimpse of the past.
The car drew up outside a building. The redhead dragged Sarah out and slapped her. Sarah winced and cried.
“Come on, wake up. You can’t go in there looking like a bloody zombie.”
I wished I could reach out and yank Sarah away from her friend. But I couldn’t. All I could do was watch this nightmare unfold.
The redhead dragged Sarah up the front steps and into the tall brick building. The place looked like it had been abandoned for a while judging by the broken boarded-up windows and overgrown weeds. I hurried after them and a feeling of dark energy washed over me. I felt this before. I’d once caught my sister trying to summon a demon. She’d always been rebellious.
The energy made me shudder and I wanted to get out of there. I couldn’t stop. I had to stay. I had to find out what really happened to Sarah no matter how much it scared me.
I ran to keep up. Most of the building remained hidden by shadows so I couldn’t tell what it looked like, not even where it was.
Pity. I hoped to figure out where it was. Then maybe I could call the police and leave an anonymous tip or something. Give them a heads up about where Sarah had been.
Then they’d be one step closer to finding her killer.
Curses, why couldn’t I see more?
I took my phone out to snap some photos, but nothing happened. Was I here in person, not just in my mind? I couldn’t be sure. Either way, I wanted to remember every detail, or I’d never help Sarah move on.
The redhead dragged her down the hall. The sound of people chanting echoed through the air and the dark energy intensified.
“Come on.” The redhead dragged Sarah over to a group of robed figures who carried her into a glowing circle.
“What’s going on?” I asked. “What are you doing?”
Again, no one paid any attention to me, and I cursed myself for stupidly reacting.
Someone knelt and cut symbols into Sarah’s skin.
“Stop!” I cried. “You can’t do this. Stop.”
The chanting grew in intensity and a glowing portal formed. Energy shot out, then struck me down.
I gasped as I peered back at the rave. The pulsing music pounded against me like a heavy drum.
Sarah had been sacrificed and my sister had been in that group of witches.