Teaser: Almost Alone

This is an unedited passage copied from "Almost Alone," a Test of Mettle story from Bloodshed, the third installment of the 11:34 series. The story takes place fifteen years after "Demon Preserve," when Melinda lost her fiancé in a horrific death. Little did she know, Chuck went to battle with a powerful demon. The demon has returned, but this time, it is after her.

Melinda stared at the door, unable to make heads or tails over any of it. Demons? Ghosts? She exhaled so harshly, the sound startled her frayed nerves. The throbbing in her arm returned full force, causing her to wince. Pulling out her cellphone, she clicked on the flashlight. It illuminated a sparse interior complete with a fireplace, kitchen, and living area with a couch and small, round table with two chairs. Along the wall that she bumped into, she found a light switch and flipped it. Nothing. She tried a couple more times with the same result. She swiveled the light and stopped on a gray, metal box mounted on the wall in the kitchen. There was a red arm on the side of the box. She flipped it, and the electrical box hummed. Returning to the light switch, she tried once more, and ceiling-mounted lights filled the dwelling with an impressive amount of light. Before she could turn off the flashlight, the lights winked out, blanketing her in darkness, save for her cellphone. A blue glow leaked in from the cracks of the cabin door. Melinda activated the camera and pointed it at the door, figuring that, if she was going to die, she could record her demise. It was all she had left. The glow intensified. Unable to use her broken arm, she squinted into the brightening light, concentrating on recording the action as best she could. The light faded and, in its place, stood a familiar, yet ghostly figure. The cellphone slipped from her fingers and clacked onto the wood floor. It couldn’t be. She stared, disbelieving. Her lips moved but the words puffed out. Finally, she managed to say the one word that eluded her.

“Chuck.”