Chapter Twenty-eight

Paula couldn’t believe her eyes. When the doorbell rang and she opened the door, she had never in a million years expected to see who was standing there. Now she stood, blinking, unable to speak.

“Aren’t you going to invite me in?” Karen asked, her smile practically blinding in its brilliance.

Paula just stepped aside, too stunned to say anything.

“I’ve missed you terribly,” Karen said, coming inside the house. “I knew how important this family reunion was to you, and so I wanted to be here. I want to finally meet your extended family.” She took Paula’s hands and looked her decisively in the eye. “Because nothing is worth losing you, Paula. Nothing.”

A week ago-even a day ago-Paula might have struggled with such words. Of course she had missed Karen terribly, too. But it had been better-safer-to have her far away from the family curse and the forces that oppressed them. Now, however, with the danger having been averted, Paula could simply rejoice. Finally she was able to break through her shock and throw her arms around Karen. She kissed her over and over.

“I’ve missed you, too,” she said. “Oh, baby, everything has changed. Everything!”

Karen smiled. “What do you mean? How has everything changed?”

Paula beamed. “We can have a baby!”

Karen’s jaw dropped. “What-how-what is different? What has made you change your mind?”

“So many things,” Paula said, stroking her beloved’s hair.

“Karen!”

They turned. It was Linda, followed by Dean and the children. Happy laughter ensued, with Zac and Callie running into their Aunt Karen’s arms.

“We’re so happy to see you,” Dean said.

“Especially now,” Linda added, “when we can finally live free and clear!”

Karen was smiling, but her pretty brown eyes danced with confusion. “What’s happened?” she asked. “You seem to be in the midst of a celebration.”

“We are,” Paula said. “Come meet Uncle Howard. And after that, sweetheart, I have quite the story to tell you.”

She looked up and noticed Carolyn and Douglas coming down the marble steps.

“Carolyn! Douglas!” Paula called. “I’d like you to meet my partner Karen.”

Carolyn smiled, approaching with her hand extended. Paula watched her, and observed Douglas a few feet behind her on the stairs. But then, almost as if in slow motion, she noticed something else: a dark figure suddenly rounding the stairs. In a blur, the figure leapt upon Douglas, taking him down. It all happened so fast, Paula didn’t even have time to scream.

But Karen did. Linda did, too, grabbing her children and running with them into the parlor. Dean, meanwhile, instinctively sprinted to his cousin’s aid.

The creature on Douglas’s back was a man. He was dressed in dark clothes. Paula finally found her voice to scream when he raised a knife, an enormous shiny silver blade, and held it aloft over Douglas’s back.

Carolyn, too, had leapt forward, landing on the man at nearly the same time as Dean. The three of them struggled. Karen kept screaming, clinging to Paula. Their happy mood had changed to terror in a matter of seconds.

Carolyn had grabbed the man’s hand, preventing him from plunging the knife down between Douglas’s shoulder blades. Meanwhile, Dean had straddled the man’s back and was attempting to pull him off of Douglas. But the intruder seemed to have superhuman strength. Carolyn he shook off like a pesky fly. And with a grunt and a backward thrust, he was able to send Dean crashing into the banister.

But it gave Douglas time enough to slip out from under his attacker. He scrambled to his feet as the man growled like a wolf and retrained his eyes upon his prey.

Karen had backed up behind Paula and was frantically pressing numbers on her cell phone. But as the man flashed that enormous knife, Paula realized he wasn’t just after Douglas. He wanted to kill all of them.

It was the room.

The curse was not over.

They had to get out of there. Since the maniac blocked their way to the front door, there was only one other option available to them. Taking hold of Karen’s arm, Paula yanked her toward the parlor. Carolyn and Douglas were rushing that way as well.

But that left Dean on the stairs.

The man let out an inhuman roar. He seemed like an ape at the zoo, banging its chest in a raw display of power and aggression. The doors of the parlor opened a crack, and Linda urged them inside. Paula frantically looked around for her brother, but she was pushed along by the force of Carolyn and Douglas and Karen. They literally fell into the parlor as Linda locked the heavy oak doors behind them.

But then she realized her husband was not with them.

“Dean!” she screamed.

“Daddy!” Zac and Callie began shrieking.

“I’ve got to go back out there and get him,” Paula said. She had always protected her baby brother. She couldn’t abandon him now.

“No!” Karen said, clutching at her sweater. Her eyes were wide with shock and terror. “You can’t go back out there! He’ll kill you!”

“What’s wrong with the phones?” Douglas shouted, desperately trying to call for help on his cell phone.

“Useless,” Carolyn said, looking down at her own.

“Mine has no power either,” Karen cried. “What’s going on here?”

They heard a scream.

“Dean!” Linda shouted.

“I’m going out there,” Paula said. With sudden force she grabbed one of Desmond Young’s rifles from the wall. Uncle Howard had told her that he kept them loaded. “The rest of you take the children out through the window,” she instructed. “Run as fast as you can down the cliff path and get the sheriff.”

“Paula, don’t go out there,” Carolyn said. “You have no idea how dangerous that man is. I know him. He’s a killer.”

“Then he’s human,” Paula said. “Not some apparition from that room.”

Carolyn shuddered. “He’s human. At least, he was.”

Paula gave her a tight smile. “Then he’s not so dangerous that a bullet through his heart won’t stop him.”

“No!” Karen was crying hysterically. “Please, Paula, please don’t go out there!”

“Oh, baby.” Paula lightly touched Karen’s face. “There’s no way I can just leave my brother,” she said, before opening the door and heading back out into the foyer.

When she was a girl, Uncle Howard had taught her how to shoot, and she’d always had very good aim. She’d have to trust that she hadn’t lost the talent. Holding the rifle out in front of her, her eyes scanned the foyer for the maniac. He was nowhere to be seen. Uncle Howard was somewhere in the house. Perhaps he was in danger.

Then she spotted Dean.

Her brother lay on the floor in a pool of blood. Paula hurried over to him. The blood was gushing from his shoulder, and he was struggling to stand. Thank God he was still alive.

“I’ll get you into the parlor,” Paula said, helping him up, “and they can bind your wound.”

“Should’ve known you’d come for me,” Dean said, his voice weak. “But you shouldn’t have risked it.”

“Where is he?” Paula asked.

“He went outside.”

From the parlor now there came screams. Paula rushed forward, flinging open the door, rifle at the ready.

“We were getting ready to go out the window,” Linda said, “but he was out there, trying to get in.”

“Where is he now?” Paula barked.

“He’s gone around the house,” Douglas shouted.

The terrace, Paula thought. He’s going to come back in through the French doors on the terrace. Uncle Howard was out there. He’d kill Uncle Howard.

She hurried down the corridor to the dining room, looking furiously around. She saw no sign of anyone. But the French doors were open. He’s back inside the house…

Cautiously she moved from room to room, the rifle ready in her hands. Her breathing was labored. Everything was on high alert. Her vision, her hearing. The fine hairs on her arms stood at attention.