Xenopath - [Bengal Station 02] Read Online Free PDF Page B

when something leapt out of the darkness and yelled in her face. It was a disembodied head, blood spilling from its open mouth.
     
    She yelled at the top of her lungs and almost jumped into Abdul’s arms.
     
    “It’s okay!” he laughed. “It’s only a hologram.”
     
    She knew that, but somehow it didn’t make the experience any the less frightening.
     
    Next, a ghostly laugh crept up on them and Pham felt fingers brush the back of her head. She turned, but couldn’t see anything. When she faced forward again, a vampire bat was flying straight at them. This time, even Abdul yelled out and ducked.
     
    For what seemed like an hour, though it was probably only minutes, Pham gripped Abdul’s hand, squeezed her eyes tight shut and hurried around the rest of the castle. She heard all kinds of horrible noises, and felt bony hands plucking at her clothing, but at least she couldn’t see anything now.
     
    “There,” Abdul said. “What did you think of that?”
     
    She opened her eyes. They were standing just inside the exit. Outside was the familiar, reassuring park. Pham wanted nothing more than to leave the ghost train and continue their journey to the star-ship—if it existed.
     
    In a small voice, she said, “I didn’t like it.”
     
    Abdul smiled at her, and she liked him for what he said then. “It is scary, isn’t it? Even though you know it’s all machinery, it’s still frightening.”
     
    He was about to duck out of the open mouth when he stopped suddenly and pulled back into the shadows.
     
    “What?” Pham said, her heart beating fast with new alarm.
     
    “Shhh. There’s someone out there.”
     
    Pham peered past him. At first she didn’t see anyone. Then, on the other side of the concourse, she saw a man in a black suit walk straight towards the ghost train.
     
    They ducked and drew back. “Maybe it’s the owner of the park,” Pham whispered.
     
    Abdul was silent. He found Pham’s hand and squeezed.
     
    The man paced across to the ghost train, then stopped and turned. He glanced at his watch, then looked around the concourse.
     
    Pham felt relieved. He hadn’t seen them. He hadn’t come to arrest them for trespassing.
     
    The man walked back and forth, away from the ghost train, then towards it, then away again.
     
    Abdul leaned towards Pham and whispered into her ear, “When he turns and walks away again, follow me, ah-cha? Down the side alley there’s a toilet block. In the floor is a hatch—it leads to the level below this one.”
     
    “Ah-cha,” Pham replied, her eyes on the man. He was walking towards them. She felt Abdul tense beside her as the man arrived at the ghost train, paused and turned.
     
    Quickly, so quick that Pham was left behind, Abdul ran from the mouth of the ghost train, jumped down the steps and turned left and out of sight. Startled, Pham made to follow him—then stopped.
     
    The man hadn’t walked as far away this time. He turned and walked back towards where Pham was cowering. Okay, so when he turned away again, then she would jump down and follow her new friend.
     
    Except, this time when the man arrived at the ghost train, he turned and stood right at the bottom of the steps, so that there was no way for Pham to get past him.
     
    Surely he wouldn’t stand there forever?
     
    From time to time he looked at his watch. Maybe he was meeting someone, and when they arrived they would leave and let Pham escape.
     
    A minute later the man looked up, across the concourse, and started walking away from the ghost train. Perhaps he’d seen the person he was due to meet?
     
    What happened next was so sudden and horrific that Pham didn’t have time to scream. It was so much more frightening than anything she had experienced in the ghost train that it made her blood turn cold and sent her rigid with shock.
     
    A blinding blue light shot across the concourse and hit the man in the chest. The light wavered a little, which was enough for it to