I'm really intrigued by this book and cannot wait to read and review it :-)
Book Excerpt:
“How did you get trapped down here?” I asked as everyone took a
seat to get a moment of much needed rest.
“We were on a tour of an old graveyard. We got separated from the
group when Logan, my sister, decided that she wanted to know if one of the
ghost stories was true.”
“Which story?” Kelsey, our neighborhood ghost expert, asked.
“Something about a voodoo queen. Or maybe it was the one about a
man who killed his family in a huge fire, and then found out that his wife
hadn’t actually cheated on him or something like that.” Her face scrunched up
as she tried to remember. “She was really into those stories.”
“Just continue with how you got trapped down here,” Garrett said,
pushing the conversation in the direction we needed it to go.
“The floor opened up in the tomb we were in. We were swallowed up
by the ground so suddenly there was no time to scream. I crashed onto the
floor, and knocked myself out. When I woke up Logan was carrying me, trying to
find a way to the end of the tunnel. We took the first turn we came to, and we
didn’t make it very far after that.” Rebecca raked her hands through her bloody
hair in frustration. Her body began to shake violently as she touched the still
wet blood that was matted in her hair and looked over her body for the first
time. She began to breath heavily for a while and after a moment her shaking
turned into heavy tears.
“Rebecca, focus. What happened to you?” I was growing impatient
with her for some reason. I could understand why she was crying, but she was
starting to irritate me with her lack of determination to get out of here. It
was as if she couldn’t see what could happen to her again if she didn’t
straighten up. I wasn’t going to let Ash and Kelsey get hurt because Rebecca
didn’t want to share.
“We read a piece of paper. It said something about choosing our
fates, and whether we wanted to play this game or not. Obviously we chose not
to play, and then the next thing I know, we were having trouble breathing, and
then I blacked out. When I woke up, we were tied to tables with all those tools
around us.” Rebecca shivered at the memory as she tried to tell us what
happened to her and her sister.
“What do you mean?” Garrett asked curiously. He hadn’t seen what I
had seen, and it was something I wouldn’t be able to forget anytime soon.
“I remember waking up to the sound of her screams and someone
laughing,” she said, ignoring Garrett’s question. She gripped her hands in her
hair, "I can still hear the sound of the table legs scratching the floor
as she screamed and writhed due to the pain. No matter how many times I asked
her, she didn’t tell me what was going on. Then when he got me off the table,”
Rebecca stopped and turned to face me. Her brown eyes were questioning me, as
if to tell me I should continue the story.
I sighed, running my hand through my hair. I couldn't look
directly at her as I answered. “Her eyes were cut out of their sockets."
Kelsey’s grip tighten around me as I spoke.
Rebecca’s sobs grew heavier. “I was the one who wanted to go on
that stupid tour, and now she’s dead!” Her body hunched forward. “This is
all my fault,” she choked out.
“And you’re still trapped. I need you to focus so we can get out
of here,” I replied, trying to keep her focused on the task at hand.
We didn’t have time for tears; we had to keep moving. There was no
water or food, and we didn’t know how long we had been down here all ready. How
long could we last without food and water, and still be able to think through
the clues that were supposed to lead us out?
My guess is that that was the point; we weren’t supposed to get
out of here. This was just a sick game created for someone’s enjoyment.
My heart began to beat more quickly at the thought of us being
trapped in these dark tunnels with a psychotic murderer on the loose.
Kelsey used a shaky hand to push her brown hair back from her face. Her
green eyes regarded me, and as I looked into them all I could see was worry and
fear. Two things that I didn’t want her to ever have to feel again. I leaned
down to her, ignoring everyone else in the room, and placing my lips to hers.
“If it’s the last thing I do in life, I’m going to get you and Ash
out of here. You two have nothing to worry about as long as I’m around.” I
stood back to full height and turned towards Ashley. “I don’t want you to
worry. You should know that both Garrett and I would risk our lives for you.”
Garrett nodded his head in agreement. “For both of you,” he
reassured.
Rebecca watched our exchange with sad eyes. “You two are good
guys. I had a good guy. He was tired so he stayed at the hotel while we left
for our tour. I’m happy he wasn’t here. I wish my sister hadn’t been either.
Kelsey walked over to stand in front of Rebecca. She raised her
hand and placed it gently on her shoulder. “Don’t worry Rebecca,” she soothed.
“We’re going to get out of here. You’ll see your family, and your boyfriend
again. We’re going to play, and we’re going to win.”
Suddenly a deep voice boomed in the room, startling us all and
causing Kelsey to fly back over to me, her arms wrapping around me so tightly
they felt like a vice. Ashley was cowering in Garrett’s arms, and Rebecca’s
eyes shut tightly while her body folded into herself.
Four words. That’s all the voice said. “Here are the rules.”
