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Chapter One

Rachel lay there, in a puddle, floating on her back, looking up at the e fullup the clouds, which passed impossibly fast beneath it

She heard a distant screeching noise, growing louder and louder, and the source of the noise caan to swarm across the sky Soon, the ether from both sides of the horizon, and met in the middle As they did, they suddenly all took a turn, and dove down, right for Rachel It was like an ever-growing tornado, its funnel widening, as the bats screeched, heading down to earth, right for her

She tried to et up, but as she did, she realized that her arms were stuck to the water—which noas not water but a pool of sticky blood She pulled her head up just a few inches, just as far as it could go, just enough to see thousandstowards her

As they got closer, there appeared in front of her, a shadow, a figure He bent down over her, and she looked up into his eyes, and saw those large, glowing, incandescent eyes, and recognized them instantly

Benji

“Save me!” she pleaded to him, frantic

As the bats came down to earth, now only feet away, Benji leaned back his head As he did, his face turned is protruded froht into her throat

Rachel screamed out in pain as she felt the and screaht for her, and entered her screa mouth

Rachel woke up screa The room was dark, cold and smelled of must She lay there on a fir up at the wooden four-poster bed with carved ies of crosses at the top of each post

She lay still, notwas different, and he wasn’t ready to face what had happened Her y, she couldn’t piece anything together

Her eyes wandered about the roo the marble mantle that surrounded the fireplace, which had a sht-purple wallpaper, which she strangely felt soothed her eyes She scanned the large cathedral-like ceilings and then looked to find the door She didn’t re into this room, and she wanted to find her way out The door was at the back left of the enor arched door, with iron locks and bolts on it She prayed she wasn’t trapped

Taking a moment to listen, Rachel sat up in bed The mattress coils creaked, as if nobody had slept in that bed in centuries Her body was achy as she turned fro her torso and neck She peered off the bed and saw a deerskin rug at the foot, it’s head still on, ot a chill down her spine