Chapter 157 Chapter 157
Valerie soon regretted not bringing a warmer jacket. It had been hot inside the club, but outside in the middle of the night, it was rather cold. She was only wearing a thin, short dress that left her legs exposed to the cool air. The heels she had decided to put on were going on her nerves, too. If she had known she would walk through some abandoned residential area, she would have put on sneakers.
A few lonely houses lined up left and right of the street. Everything looked decrepit. She sensed strange hints of magic lingering in the air and shuddered. It was impossible to identify it since she had never encountered anything comparable. Maxwell, on the other hand, had an idea of what it was, and judging by his dark stare, it wasn’t good.
“What’s wrong?” she asked him.
“Someone used blood magic here not long ago,” he muttered. “I don’t know whether that person is still somewhere in this area. Stay close, okay?” She swallowed hard, instinctively seeking his proximity. Her hand found his in the darkness.
“What are you guys talking about?” Paul asked, glancing back at them over his shoulder.
“Just… Halloween stuff,” Valerie answered and shrugged.
“Weirdos,” he mumbled and resumed his conversation with Tom and Lisa.
They soon turned into a street that was leading farther away from the nightclub. Far enough that they could only see its faint lights in the distance. A few trees grew left and right of the small street. Except for the chattering of the group, it was eerily silent here. Valerie didn’t feel good about this—she didn’t like the darkness. She preferred seeing the dangers that lurked in it, but with a few ridiculous smartphone flashlights, that wasn’t possible.
After she nearly tripped over a crack in the asphalt, she cursed her dumb heels, making Maxwell crack a smirk. “I told you not to put on those shoes,” he said. “But of course you wouldn’t listen to me. Stubborn little sugar.”
“You could carry me,” she suggested.
“Nah. Too lazy.”
She wanted to complain, but at that moment, they reached their destination. Before she even saw the building, a chill ran down her spine. The sixth sense she had developed for the supernatural world told her that this place was not safe. Something was lurking here, and whatever it was, it freaked her out.
“Guys, I think it’s better if we leave,” she said in a last attempt to stop those idiots.
“Yeah, I also don’t want to be here,” Hope said, biting her lip. She was looking around uneasily, sensing that something was off, but not knowing what it was.
“Cowards,” Lisa sang and laughed arrogantly. “Do you want to run home and hide under your blankets? Go ahead then!”
“We’re going in for sure,” Tom said.
They moved past a broken fence surrounding a big property. And now, their flashlights finally reached the building they wanted to visit. It was tall and had a tiled roof, looking fairly old. Since it must have been expensive to build, it was strange that it had been abandoned. Its looming shadow did not appear inviting at all. The front door was kicked down, and the windows broken.
“That’s it.” Lisa said, turning to the rest of the group.
“What is this place?” Valerie asked. She furrowed her brows and tried to get a better look at the building in the faint light of their lamps.
“This house used to be an orphanage a few decades ago,” Paul explained. “Apparently, the entire ground floor is covered in odd symbols.”
“Who cares about some dumb orphanage?” Maxwell said annoyedly. He wanted to go back to the party, not explore a moldy old house.
“Can you stop complaining for once?” Lisa yelled angrily.
“Hey, hey, calm down.” Hope said and went between them. She gave Lisa a warning gaze, and the woman calmed down a little.
“Who wants to go in first?” Lisa asked, letting her gaze drift over the group. “What about you, Valerie?”
“Fine,” Valerie said. She disliked Lisa’s attitude and her bossiness, but she didn’t complain since going first would allow her to make sure the place was safe. Which it probably wasn’t…
“No way, you’re not going alone,” Maxwell said and grabbed her wrist to keep her from leaving. “I’m coming with you.”
“Aww, are you scared?” Lisa taunted.
Maxwell’s patience ran out. He lost his temper. “Shut the fuck up, you bitch,” he snapped.
“What did you just call me?”
“Bitch,” he repeated just to spite her, shooting her a smoldering hot glare. “Mind your own business.”
“How dare you…?” she stuttered, her mouth opening and closing like that of a fish. She was at a loss for words. People most likely didn’t treat her like this usually.
“Come on, Maxwell. Let’s just go,” Valerie sighed.
“Don’t forget to look into the basement.” Tom called after them, but Valerie barely heard him. Her attention was captured by the otherworldly aura that surrounded the building. It made her shudder, bringing an uncomfortable coldness she could not shake off.
Whatever awaited them there, she hoped that it wasn’t dangerous.
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The sound of Valerie’s heels on the concrete floor was loud in the suffocating silence of the night. Her heartbeat sped up, frantic and nervous like that of a hare running from a lion. She did not have a good feeling about this, and she was sure that it was a stupid idea to come here in the middle of the night.
The loud chattering of the group of students somewhere outside was smothered by the thick walls of the building. Maxwell and Valerie were cut off from the rest of the world. The darkness was impenetrable, a veil that hid the inside of the house from view.
Maxwell flooded the hallway with soft, warm light that chased the darkness away. However, what he uncovered was not something that Valerie desired to see. Perhaps she would have even preferred the darkness over this. They were faced with the unsettling sight of curses and odd symbols written on the peeling wallpaper. The color was hard to name, looking like a mix between a muddy brown and charcoal black.