The invisible struggle inside Lance�s brain ceased, the winner being his gut instinct. Although he couldn�t quite put his finger on it, something about what lay in the old house seemed to agree with the aura of wrongness that suffocated Whispers.
Turning back, Lance walked in the opposite direction. The waves washed away his pattern of footprints.
Suddenly, he was overcome by an intense feeling of fear and anxiety. It�s the kind of anxiety you get when a cruel person in position of power is angry with you.
A chorus of howls erupted nearby.
Footsteps approaching. Quick breathing. Fast movements. Growling.
Lanced whirled around.
Nothing behind him.
Nothing to his left.
Nothing to his right.
Nothing in front of him.
Yet he still heard the Lost Souls.
Lance�s walk turned into a jog and his jog escalated to a run. He splashed through the water. The wind beat against his body. Finally, he reached one of the jagged cliffs. He leaned on the rocks, trying to stop shaking.
Then he saw it.
400 feet above him, a Lost Soul hovered at the top of the cliff.
In one swift motion, it crawled sideways down the rocks. In a matter of seconds, the beast had its claws wrapped around Lance�s throat.
"You�are�mine�now�Lance�"
Lance choked on his own scream.
The Lost Soul pushed him against the rocks.
"It�s�okay�to�appear�"
Huh?! Lance thought worriedly.
Two Lost Souls rose up from the water.
Two more emerged from behind a group of huge rocks.
Another two jumped off the cliff and landed effortlessly beside Lance.
Lance momentarily snapped out of shock and took action.
He kicked the Lost Soul in the knees, releasing himself from its claws.
Lance tripped over the rocks, regained his balance, and scurried across the sand. The 7 Lost Souls chased him.
Yeah, Lance figured he couldn�t outrun the hideous monsters.
Survival would have to be a battle of wits.
Unfortunately, using his wit meant having to stop, survey, and think.
There was no time for that.
One Lost Soul fiercely tackled Lance.
Lance crashed into the ocean.
5 feet of water briefly submerged him. He lifted his head, choking on salt water.
The Lost sat on top of him, pinning him into the wet sand.
"Help," Lance wailed weakly.
Two Lost Souls roughly jerked his arms behind his back.
They tightly bound his wrists with scratchy rope.
Two others bound his ankles.
The Lost Soul pinning him down yanked Lance�s head up by his hair.
Lance moaned softly.
"Don�t kill me," he murmured.
The Lost Soul laughed, amused at his feeble pleas for mercy. Anybody else would have given up.
"I�m�not�going�to�kill�you�We�are�bringing�you�to�the�master�"
Lance�s head was shoved underwater.
His lungs burned like fire.
Stars danced before his eyes.
He was paralyzed.
Lightheadedness overwhelmed him.
I can�t breathe! I can�t breathe! I CAN�T BREATHE!
And suddenly�everything went black.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The evil entity grinned, pleased with his seven slaves. In a matter of several hours, they�d managed to round up three of the five guys.
"Take Chris and JC to the Fear Chamber."
Four of his slaves began dragging two limp bodies up the curvy, winding staircase.
A mutated Reese pointed to Lance.
"What�of�him�master�"
He looked up at the ceiling and laughed joyously.
At last, what he�d needed for over a century would finally be his.
"Now, we begin the Process."
The Lost Soul glanced at Lance�s unconscious body.
He felt deeply sorry for the singer.
Oh�Lance�It thought. You�don�t�deserve�the�misery�you�re�about�to�be�put�through�