Page 72 of Hellbound

Marian yanked her arm out of the traveler’s grasp as Tori quickly shut the door behind them.

“The hell are you doing?” Marian snarled.

“I’ll tell you everything,” the traveler replied. “Just not out there.”

A thousand questions sprang to mind, but the compulsion to ask them faded as Marian registered fear in the traveler’s voice. Her instincts wailed danger, but she sensed no threat from Tori. Marian knew the look in the traveler’s eyes well.

The terror of a hunted woman.

Marian opened her mouth to speak and stopped as the smell of days-old fast food instilled in her such a sense of déjà vu that she couldn’t think around it. Empty wrappers and plastic bags covered every surface of the dingy little motel room with its drab brown bedspread and matching carpet. There was a small television sitting on a dresser, and a floor lamp with an ancient-looking yellow shade.

The smell of grease summoned another wave of nausea.

“Do you … live here?” Marian asked as she pressed a hand to her lips, fighting to swallow the saliva flooding her mouth.

Tori did up the locks quickly, then drew her hood back, letting her black curls tumble down around her sagging shoulders. Her eyes, though bloodshot, burned with intensity.

“I haven’t told a soul where I am. How did you of all people find me?”

Marian squinted through the sickness, summoning her anger to help push her through the pain. “No way. You ghosted me, so I’m asking the questions. First, where the fuck is my money?”

The traveler flinched, breaking eye contact.

“I don’t have it.”

Marian took a menacing step toward her. “Why not? Did shit go south with your demon? Is that who you’re hiding from? Why didn’t you contact me? I waited for you like a fucking idiot.”

“It’s—” Tori began, her voice quivering. “It’s complicated.”

Marian walked closer. An empty wrapper crunched under her feet.

“It really isn’t. You played me. The question is, why?”

Tori blew out a loud breath as she pulled the soda out of her hoodie pocket. “You have no idea what you’re talking about.” The can snapped open with a hiss, and Tori gulped it down while Marian stewed in frustration.

“Then tell me what the fuck is going on here,” Marian shouted.

Tori waved her empty hand frantically.

“Keep your voice down! I didn’t give the demon what she wanted, OK?”

If only the traveler’s answer made a lick of sense. They’d found the room Tori had been searching for. Hadn’t they?

“What are you talking about? You mean your sketch?”

Tori crushed the aluminum can in her hand. Soda splattered across the television as she gestured violently at Marian.

“She didn’t want a sketch! She wanted you.”

The traveler collapsed on the edge of the bed, the old mattress creaking under her weight as she dropped the crumpled can and buried her face in her hands.

“And I knew that from the start,” Tori moaned. “That’s why I sought you out. To lure you to her.”

Marian froze as understanding dawned swiftly and cruelly.

This wasn’t just a lie. This was betrayal.

What did you expect from a stranger?