Chapter 97

SHINE BRIGHT

Jasmine staggered out of the bedroom to find Hallam Buck attacking her mum.

She screamed.

Hallam and her mum looked at her. They stared for a second. Hallam looked horrible. His face was pasty and black rings encircled his eyes and his cheek was torn. Something tarry dribbled from his mouth, and he was covered in blood and sweat. Jasmine went cold with fear. He’d already tried to kill her once. He had been going to cut her with a knife. And now he was back to do it again.

Mum said, “Run, Jasmine, run! Go find Charlie!”

For a second she wanted to stay and help her mother. But when Hallam’s face darkened and twisted into an expression of hate and he tried to lunge for her, Jasmine yelped and bolted out of the door.

After running into the middle of the road, she stopped and looked back and thought of going to help her mum.

But she was scared. Her legs buckled, and she fell to her knees. She stared towards the door of her grandfather’s house and cried. She yelled, “Mum . . . Mum,” and then looked around, hoping someone would be there to help her.

There was no one.

Night had fallen on Barrowmore. Apart from a few youths, most residents stayed indoors these days. Dread gripped the estate. The murders had seen people curfew themselves and their children. In the dark was no place to be. Not these days.

Jasmine got to her feet and started to go back towards the house. A hand fell on her shoulder. She nearly jumped out of her skin. Turning quickly, she gawped up at the figure who’d come out of the dark. He was soaked. His hair was plastered to his scalp. His eyes were wide with the horror of the things he’d seen.

He said, “Don’t go back in there ‘cause he’ll kill you.”

“H . . . how do you know who’s in there?” she asked Spencer Drake.

“Because I’ve just seen him kill your grandad, and he said he was coming to get you or your mum.”

Jasmine said nothing. The information seeped into her brain. She processed it—her grandad was dead—and then slotted it away, because she couldn’t cope with it right now. She had other stuff to worry about.

“We got to help her,” she said, trying not to think of her grandad.

“It’s too late now.”

“But my mum’s been—”

“It’s too late. He’s already taken her.”

“They never came out.”

“They don’t need to. I seen all kinds of places on Barrowmore these past few days I never knew existed. Secret places. Places to hide. Places to wait. I wish I hadn’t seen, but I have seen, and it’s done something to me.”

“What about my mum?”

“Come on, Jasmine, we got to hide somewhere—they’ll find us.”

“Who’ll find us?”

“Come on,” he said and grabbed her arm.

“What are you doing? Don’t, I’ll scream . . . ”

He stopped and looked at her. “You’re in danger, yeah. We all are. I mean, I’m already dead. Or I will be soon. So we got to hide till we can think of something to do.”

“I got to find Charlie Faultless.”

Spencer gawped. “You know where to find him?”

Jasmine shook her head.

“But ain’t you psychic?” he said.

She looked up at him. “How do you know that?”

“Jack . . . him . . . he told me.”

“You were there when he was going to kill me. Have you come to kidnap me again and take me to him?”

“No, honest. Honest, I ain’t. Your grandad dragged me out of there, and he was going to give me a hiding, get me to talk. But I would’ve talked, anyway. I would’ve told him anything. I don’t want nothing to do with the evil stuff that’s been going on here no more. Nothing. I got to do something about what I’ve done. I . . . I got to redeem myself, your grandad said. Before I face judgment. So . . . so I can try to help you.”

“Why is Hallam helping him?”

“Hallam’s sick. Sick deep inside. And now he’s got more poison in him. Black poison that just kills your soul, I think.”

She looked around. “It’s really quiet.”

“Everyone’s scared.”

“You think my mum’s already gone, then?”

He nodded.

She started to walk back towards the house.

“No,” said Spencer.

She ignored him and kept going. Fog swirled at the front door, and it wafted out into the street, making it difficult for her to see in the house. She backed up, scared.

“It’s him,” she said. “It’s him, Spencer.”

“He’s not there, now. He’s just left his stain on the place, that’s all. He corrupts everything. But you can see him. You can find him. That’s why he wanted you dead. You and your mum.”

“I don’t know how to do it.”

“Yes you do. Just think hard.”

“I can’t. I ain’t special.”

“You are. He says . . . this Jack . . . he says you’ve got powerful souls and you shine. And it’s because you shine so brightly you can shed light, he says, on secret things. Things other people can’t see. Things like evil. Things . . . things like him.”

“Where’s my mum?” she said.

“You got to find her by finding him.”

“I can’t.”

“You got to. And you got to do it quickly.”