Radley's Labyrinth for Horny Monsters, Annabelle Hawthorne [smart ebook reader TXT] 📗

in, and the parking lot in front of the building had swallowed up all the cars. Looking down into the void, Dana could see distant stars beneath, shimmering dimly.

“Oh, God no!” Dana ran back out to the balcony, screaming Alex’s name, hoping to find her. The room fell apart behind her, and soon only the balcony was left. The world crumbled like sand around her, the building breaking into dust and blowing away. Floating in the void, she saw a sky full of stars. One by one, they vanished, cosmic matches being snuffed out. Cold terror formed in her gut, and she clung to the railing as the final star was extinguished and she fell into the void.

She sat up, a scream frozen in her throat. She clawed at the air, eventually grabbing onto the edge of the table she appeared to be lying on. Inhaling deeply, she looked around, trying to figure out where she was.

“I see you’re back.” It was the man in the suit. He was perusing an old paperback that still had the used bookstore sticker on the cover. “How was it?”

“How was…huh?” Dana put her face in her hands, fighting back tears. What had just happened?

“Being dead.” He turned the page, then folded the corner neatly before closing the book. “You’ve been dead for…” He checked his watch. “About two hours now.”

“Dead? Me?” Dana looked at her hands. They were paler than normal. Rubbing her fingers together, she realized that they felt slightly numb. Her sense of touch had been muted.

“Yep. You’re dead.” He stood, then moved closer to her. “I spent quite a bit of time on you. You see, you are here to serve a purpose, and I need you in perfect condition. Well, with one exception.” He tapped himself on the chest. “No heartbeat. Not anymore.”

“You…took my heart?” Dana placed her fingers to her neck, searching for a pulse. Nothing was there. As she moved her fingers around, panic set in.

“No, nothing as gross as that.” He snapped his fingers.

Dana’s landlady entered the room. It occurred to her that she must be in the basement of her landlady’s home. Staring up at the unfinished rafters, Dana wondered if she could make it up the stairs before anyone stopped her.

“Is it time?” the landlady asked.

Dana couldn’t think of her name anymore, a memory that had been gobbled away by the situation.

“It is. You did a splendid job.” He motioned with his hand, and the woman collapsed on the floor, a smile on her face. He turned to Dana. “You see, I have need of your services. Two hours ago, I killed you. Naturally, your soul left your body and went somewhere else. That’s how it is for people like you, so eager to reunite with loved ones. I allowed you some time with your beloved Ms. Winters before reanimating your corpse and trapping your soul inside of it. If you do my bidding, I release you and your happily ever after continues.”

“Wait. I’m trapped in my own body?” Dana looked at herself. “I don’t feel that different.”

“For now.” He yawned. “I apologize. I’ve been up all night tracking you down, and the magic has tired me. My name is Daryl. I’m your creator, your messiah, your god. And if you don’t do exactly what I ask of you, I will leave you like this for the rest of eternity, going mad inside of a rotting body.”

“Leave me like what?” Dana was suddenly aware that she was neither hot nor cold. The room just sort of existed around her.

“Ugh. You’re a little slow, aren’t you?” Daryl crossed his arms over his chest, a look of arrogance on his face. “I’ll give you the CliffsNotes. I am a very powerful man who has used forbidden magic to turn you into a zombie. And not one of those shitty brain eaters you see in the movies. Well, not yet anyway.” Daryl laughed. “Now, I’m only going to ask this once. Do you want to see your beloved Alex again?”

Tears forming in her eyes, Dana nodded.

“Good. Then you will do exactly as I say.”

The Minotaur glared at Beth, each puff of his loud, hot breath causing her heart to pound. He contemplated her from a distance, his hand tightening on his weapon. His large, curved horns glistened in the moss light, and he let out a blast of hot breath through his nose, his golden nose ring twitching.

“What do I do?” Beth asked Abella.

“Run! Get away!”

“That’s just it.” Beth stepped off the pile of rubble. “I’m too tired to run. This place is full of traps, and if I try to get away, he will catch me.”

“Then fight!”

“I don’t want to do that either.” Beth wasn’t stupid. The Minotaur had the physique of an action movie star, carved of solid muscle. He wore only a loincloth, which left very little to the imagination. “I have no idea how to fight.” She held the spear to her side and dropped it, the wood clattering to the floor.

“Beth!” Abella yelled.

“It’s okay,” Beth said. “It’s going to be okay.” She was watching the Minotaur closely. Though he carried a giant ax, he wasn’t holding it aggressively. While intimidating, it occurred to her that the Minotaur seemed more curious about her than aggressive. “My name is Beth. Do you have a name?”

The Minotaur snorted, tensing up.

“No, it’s okay. I’m not here to hurt you or cause problems. I was brought here by someone else against my will.”

The Minotaur tilted his head. When he spoke, his voice was a low rumble that made Beth think of James Earl Jones’s voice with a rough edge to it. “You aren’t here for the treasure?” He looked uncertain.

“No. I don’t even know about the treasure, and I don’t want to know.”

“Are you the new Caretaker?”

Beth recognized the term as one Abella had used. “No. The new Caretaker is here, but I’m not him.”

“She wants the new Caretaker.” The Minotaur lowered his ax. “Can