The Shelf (Dead-End Ave) Read online

  “Liar,” she shrieked, and the sound carried on the air, over the edge. “You won’t let me go, because you want to kill everyone with Aeryal’s blood. But guess what? I’ll never tell you where the box is, but you’re not killing me either. I’m a survivor, Rikgso.” The drop was still behind her, dark and inviting. She wondered if hitting the ground would hurt much from this distance.

  The demon behind Gerald’s eyes looked angry for the first time since they been on the terrace, and then it was gone, replaced again by amusement. “So am I, little one. I have survived hundreds of years, and it will be a hundred more before I am gone. Consider giving me the box. Now!” He lunged and Bri stumbled backward, thrown off-balance.

  She teetered on the edge, terrified screams stuck in her chest, too frightened to rise to the surface, for fear of making herself fall. And now she knew she would find out if that drop hurt, because she was going right behind Korey, and there was no one around to help her. She felt her body falling backward, and she closed her eyes, praying for a quick end.

  Then she heard Aeryal’s soft voice in her head. ‘You have to do what we couldn’t. End him.’

  There was a sudden surge and Bri’s eyes few open as she pitched forward, back onto the terrace. Landing on her hands and knees, she cried out as her good knee struck something, hard enough to shatter the bone.

  Surprise flashed across Rikgso’s face, but he charged her again, and Bri looked down to find the staff that Korey had been brandishing below her knee. Agony shot through her broken knee, but she knew what she needed to do. Meeting the demon head on, she seized the handle and dragged to her feet.

  Plunging the artifact deep into his chest, Bri cringed, but kept it firmly into place. The wail emitted from Gerald’s throat was demonic and inhuman, and the heavy tones filled the air. Bri trembled as Gerald’s fingers grasped and clutched at the artifact sticking out of his chest. Dark crimson blood seeped out of the side of his mouth as he flailed.

  “Bri,” he rasped. “No…,”

  Violently, Bri shook her head. She wouldn’t let him sway her. Not because he looked like her good friend. ‘It’s not him, not him,’ she reminded herself. The demon’s evil had to go, that night.

  Furious flashing of the eyes as it seemed as if a battle was being fought behind them, Gerald wrestling Rikgso for control of the body. Her hand never wavered as she kept the metal in place. Red light began to leak from the gash around the staff, as slowly the crimson eyes began to dim.

  Then it was as if Gerald, not Rikgso was looking out at Bri again. “Bri,” he whispered brokenly, so low she had to lean in to hear him. Suddenly he sagged and she caught him as he fell, his weight taking her to the ground as well.

  The last time their eyes met, Bri saw grief and instinctively knew that she would never forget that sight. Then his eyes fluttered shut.

  Moving his still body off of her, Bri eased her left leg out of the way and pulled his body back to her. Shaking, she cradled his head in her lap as the tears slid down her cheeks. Gerald’s youthful face, still with its slight frame that hadn’t even yet began to broaden into adulthood, stared up at her. He had been enamored with her, from the very first day that he met her, and because of that, he was now dead, because of her.

  Why?

  Aeryal. Shanice. Korey. Gerald. All dead.

  ‘At least now, the curse is over with and no one else can be hurt. Rikgso is dead,’ she thought, carefully avoiding the fact that there was no one left for the demon to hurt.

  More tears fell onto Gerald’s face.

  ‘Bri.’

  Despite herself, she glanced up, tears clouded her vision. Why not? She’d already experienced a million impossible things for the day. What was one more? “Aeryal?” she whispered.

  ‘I’m here, bestie, I’m here.’ Then the feel of soft arms settled around her own, though she couldn’t see them.

  “Aeryal,” she said brokenly. “They’re both dead, because of me. And Shanice too, I think. And I’m sorry for everything your family went through. I was so stupid not to believe you when you tried to tell me. Forgive me. Gerald only wanted to hang out with me, just one date, and Korey…..I’m sorry about him too. He was your boyfriend, and I kissed him….I-,”

  With an ethereal finger across Bri’s lips, Aeryal shushed the long ramble. ‘You don’t have anything to apologize for, Bri.’

  “But Korey…,”

  ‘I know.’ Aeryal’s curls bounced as she nodded. ‘Check on him for me, please. He doesn’t deserve to just lie down there like that.’ The soft arms withdrew from around her and Bri felt instantly cold.

  With a guilty wince, she gently placed Gerald’s body on the stone tile, and pushed herself up. Her best friend was right. Here she’d sat, hugging the dead body of Korey’s killer, possessed or not, and she hadn’t even thought about what to do about Korey’s body.

  She would have to call his parents, she thought suddenly. It was a shame that she hadn’t met his father when she had wanted to.

  Standing, she and Aeryal were face-to-face. Though Bri could see right through her, she could read her expression clearly. Her friend’s face was one of sadness and pride, and as Bri watched, heart plummeting, Aeryal faded almost to nothingness.

  ‘This is the last time I can come to you. Good-bye, bestie. Sweet cherries?’

  Bri blinked back more tears, but didn’t dare cry. She would NOT miss one second of seeing Aeryal again for the last. “Good-bye, bestie. Sweet cherries and besties forever.”

  Then her friend was gone.

  Squaring her shoulders, Bri trudged toward the stairs, readying herself for the awful task that she had ahead.

  ****

  Shadows wrapped the bramble at the bottom of the cliff, but even so, Bri could clearly see the sprawled legs lying amongst the tangle. She knew she was dragging her feet, but it was Korey lying over there and she was in no rush to see him. Not to mention, her broken knee made it near impossible. At least, the gash on her right leg was no longer running blood, and its ache had slackened to a dull throb. But for her other leg……well, Bri had already come to terms with the fact that her dancing days were over.

  Which brought her to the next thing; exactly what was she supposed to do when she got to Korey? Drag his body back upstairs? With the shape her leg was in, that might be next to impossible.

  It was just as she feared. In fact, it was worse.

  The large pool of blood was spread out along the rocks below his body. Easing down beside him, Bri watched as blood stained her leg. His blood. She took his hand.

  “Korey,” she sighed, “where should I begin? I’m so sorry for what happened. If I could trade places with you, I would. I can’t, though. Wherever you are, I want you to think about me. I love you.”

  There was no answer, but she didn’t expect one anyway. Throwing her head back, she studied the stars above them. The twinkling beauties filled the sky with so much hope and promise, but there was none down on the ground with Bri. Stroking Korey’s smooth skin, she whispered, “I won’t be dancing anymore, either. At least my last dance was with you.”

  This time, no tears fell; she was all cried out. Letting her eyes slip closed, she clutched his hand and thought back to the first time they had ever spoken, on the field trip. A faint smile tugged her lips as she remembered him dragging her off the wall and accusing her of being crazy.

  “I’ll miss you,” she mumbled, without opening her eyes.

  She wasn’t sure how long she knelt there beside him, but finally, she couldn’t ignore the gross factor of sitting in his blood anymore. Opening her eyes, Bri moved their linked hands over his stomach and unclasped, allowing his to slide onto his body. It was more respectful like that.

  Scrambling backward out of the blood, Bri frowned as she didn’t have far to go. Somehow the blood, which had previously covered the ground around his body, must have begun seeping into the ground. Because now only the stained rocks were evidence of where the blood had pooled; just a little
remained below Korey’s body.

  Which was actually almost too depressing to think about. When you died, everything left your body alone to rot: your spirit, your blood, everything.

  Staring at his handsome face, she wondered again how she would break the news to his family. Without warning, Korey’s eyes popped open and stared right back at her.

  “I’m hallucinating,” she mouthed hollowly. She gave herself a brisk shake, which didn’t help as she then watched the remaining blood move back under his body and out of sight.

  His mouth worked, trying to speak, and Bri knew she should move, run, or at least put some space between them for goodness’s sake, but she couldn’t. It had already been a crazy night, and she didn’t think that she could run from one more thing in her life.

  She’d seen it all, and now she had a strange feeling that she was watching Korey come back to life.

  He sat up, still looking at her. She did let out a quick gasp, though, as she realized that no blood even remained in his clothes; apparently, his body had absorbed it all back in.

  “My body hurts,” Korey finally said, in a raspy voice.

  And Bri was shaking again because something had clicked. And she suddenly knew what Rikgso had seen in her brain that night. “Korey,” said Bri in amazement, “you’re what he wants. Your blood. You’re an immortal.”

  Warning bells went off in the back of her head, and she struggled to her feet, taking the hand that Korey extended to help her up. “Come on, there’s something we have to do. The pendant is still with Gerald’s body.”

  They climbed all the way up again, the trip taking noticeably longer as she was half-supporting Korey on her good leg, broken knee still on fire. When they reached the top, terrace level, Bri’s teeth clenched as she surveyed the stone tile.

  ‘I should have figured it out sooner. Now he has the pendant, and soon enough, he’ll come after Korey.’

  The terrace was empty. Gerald’s body was gone. An involuntary shiver wracked her body as her mind raced.

  “Let’s get out of here, Bri,” Korey told her, already looking considerably stronger.

  She shook her head. “No, what if he comes back? Someone should-,”

  “Don’t argue with me,” he said softly, “we’ve done enough of that.” Cupping her face as he spoke, Korey’s eyes were honest. But what she saw in them was echoed in her own brain: they had a long road ahead.

  Rikgso was still out there.

  Looping one long arm around her shoulders, Korey led her away, both of them limping, out of the night.

  END

  For all of Bri and Korey’s FANS:

  Keep reading to preview the next two books in the Dead-End Ave series, blurbs complete with the unofficial cover releases. With Dead-End Ave, unofficial means…. ‘stay tuned to Tintdteen.com for the OFFICIAL updates – covers, characters, wallpapers, excerpts, and more!’

  Kish Knight

  COMING SUMMER/ FALL 2014

  The Shelf 2:

  Cursed times Three

  Leilani has met the guy of her dreams: …….Korey.

  Only one problem, though….that

  girl called Bri seems to have his attention. And Leilani will be Korey’s girl, no matter what it takes. That mysterious box with the strange carvings that she ‘borrowed’ from his house might do the trick. Somehow, the box has a voice….and it seems to be telling her he might have to die before he can be all hers.

  Perfect….

  The Crescent

  Nahla was the only survivor of the plane crash. Her new life

  is about to begin with people who claim to be her real

  family. It is perfect, exactly what she needs: a new set of suckers to bury her problems in. The thing is, the Farrington

  family seems to have more problems, more secrets, more deaths than even

  Nahla has seen.

  She may not survive this new family….

  Author Bio

  Debut teen thriller author Kish Knight, fantasy and contemporary novelist and creator of the YA Horror series, Dead-End Avenue, was born and raised in the US Virgin Islands. Always fairly imaginative, some of her early childhood writings included stories of puppies, blood and baby bottles. Luckily, her morbid interests were soon after refined, through a teenage fascination with Christopher Pike and R.L. Stine. After gaining her M.Arch in Savannah, Ga, she remained there, enjoying the ghost stories and old-world charm. She finally returned to the Caribbean after missing the sunshine and beaches. Her current round of busywork involves developing a plethora of design documents for the Dead-End Avenue novels. Her professional organizations include being a supporting member of the Horror Writers Association and the Rave Reviews Book Club. She is also the author of the contemporary YA series, Senior Year: Geeks. When not at her laptop, she might be found swimming, kayaking, seeking out new stray animals to befriend, or plotting ways to take over the world (and the book market).