Beneath the Veil Read Online Free PDF Page B

fruit.
    “Got some good ones,” he said.
    He handed two figs to Barry and then started munching on his own. Once they finished their meager meal, they sat and watched the dancing flames of the fire.
    “Man, I am tired,” Jackson said, rubbing his lower back.
    “Go get some sleep,” Barry answered. “I’ll be up a while longer.”
    In the glow of the firelight, the cabin appeared almost homey. The dust covering the room was no longer visible and the tired walls were somehow renewed. Barry walked around the room. A photograph hung on the wall and a Winchester rifle was mounted above the fireplace.
    “Jackson,” Barry said.
    Jackson was slumped back in a chair already asleep. Barry walked into the kitchen and found an iron skillet next to a stack of plates. A shattered mirror hung on the wall.
    “None of this was here before,” he said.
    “Jackson,” Barry called out again.
    He walked over and shook Jackson’s shoulder, waking him.
    “What’s up?” Jackson said.
    “Someone’s been here,” he answered.
    Jackson looked around at the change in the cabin then stood up quickly knocking the chair backwards onto the floor.
    “Who is there?” a voice asked from the bedroom.
    Barry pulled the rifle down and backed towards the front door with Jackson beside him. A man and a woman emerged from a darkened bedroom doorway. An ember popped in the fireplace, causing Jackson to stumble backwards into the wall. Barry raised the rifle and pointed it at the couple.
    “What do you want from us?” he asked.
    “From us?” the man asked. “You are in my house.”
    “We made a mistake, we don’t want any trouble,” Jackson responded.
    “Son, it ain’t about what you want,” he answered.
    The man stepped forward into the light of the fire, his eyes where white and ringed with red. pallid skin hung loosely from his boney frame. He smiled revealing a jagged line of broken yellow teeth, then sniffed the air and licked his lips. Barry pulled the trigger as the man stepped towards them, but the rifle wouldn’t fire. He tried again, then threw it at him. Jackson flung open the front door then ran out and tumbled down the steps. Barry followed him out and pulled him to his feet. The man and woman were out the door and almost on them. Barry and Jackson ran as fast as they could, stopping only when they reached the main road.
    “Are they gone?” Jackson asked, gasping for air.
    “I think so,” Barry answered.
    “What were those things?” Jackson asked.
    “Not sure,” Barry said. “But we need to find Jen and get the hell out of here.”
    Barry tapped Jackson’s shoulder and pointed to a cemetery where a group of men dug into the ground with picks and shovels. He stepped back into the shadows and motioned for Jackson to follow.
    “Looks like they’re planting something,” Barry said.
    “We better get off this road. We might be spotted,” Jackson said.

C H A P T E R  S E V E N T E E N
    J en sat against the wall with her knees pulled up to her chest and her head down. She hadn’t slept since getting captured. A door opened somewhere above, followed by the sound of footsteps and muffled voices. The steps came closer and she heard Willow’s voice.
    “Please, leave her,” the girl pleaded.
    Jen pressed her back against the corner of the cell and listened then something hit the outside of the door with tremendous force.
    “Jen, he’s coming for you!” Willow shouted.
    Willow stood with her arms outstretched blocking the door. She was visible now having taken a physical form. A man dressed in rags walked towards her with his twisted mouth, exposing small jagged teeth. Nearly out of her mind with fear, Jen grabbed the chair and wedged it against the door. She heard chains drop to the floor and felt the door press inward. A sick gurgling sound came from the other side and then something impacted the door. Tears poured down her face as she held the chair in place with shaking hands. She heard rapid