Midnight Ruling (32 page)

Joel stared at Cooper and me while Damien stayed imperturbable. He didn’t even bother turning around to see us; his focus was on Joel.

Reaching down, I scooped up a handful of snow and threw it.

Cooper followed suit. His aim and speed exceeded my own. Without Cooper’s throw, the monster would never have turned to us and I’d have had to try something more drastic.

The warmth stirred and quivered to escape.

Another of Cooper’s snowball splattered against the side of the monster’s head. The monster rolled pale, angry eyes to us.

To Cooper, I said in a softer tone, “We have to lead it to the water.”

“Why?”

“I have a theory. You want a conference meeting? Just do it.”

“I just…” He fidgeted before reaching down and scooping up another snowball. He plucked chunks of ice off of his clothes and shoved them into the clumped snow. “We’re not jumping in the water, right?”

“What?” I snapped, annoyed.

“I can’t swim,” he said in a smaller voice.

At my bewildered stare, he shook his head, as if he could erase what he’d just said.

With a heave, he thrust the snowball. It knocked into the monster’s elbow, and the creature emitted a howl that rattled my eardrums.

It dropped Phoebe.

I slapped frozen fingers over my gasp. I watched my friend discarded, ignored, and falling. My knees trembled, and I felt an alarming need to give up. If I lost her, I would have failed, again. I didn’t care what Damien said before. There had to be a way to get her back.

Phoebe’s stiff form spiked into a snow bank, wedging up to her hips. Her tensed body didn’t move, but it didn’t appear to break either. Was she dead though? Again? She appeared to be frozen solid.

“Nora!” Cooper cried, grabbing my shoulder. As he spun me around with him, I saw the Freeze Tag Monster thunder toward us.

Tearing my eyes away from Phoebe, I realized it had made several steps while I was distracted.

With a curse, I twisted and ran behind Cooper, who headed straight for the bubbling, hot water.

I could practically feel the warmth as we neared. My stiff clothes and frozen limbs were getting harder and heavier to move.

“Split up when we reach the edge!” Cooper shouted. “We shouldn’t fall in with that thing.”

At least one of us had a plan. I could have dove into that water without thinking twice.

I gave him a sloppy thumbs-up.

As we neared the hole, the footsteps behind us were heavier, shaking beneath my feet so violently I thought I might lose my balance.

Glancing over my shoulder, I shrieked.

A large, hairy hand stretched fingers toward me, the pale eyes focused on me.

“Cooper!”

At the same time, the tiger leapt from behind Cooper straight at me, claws outstretched.

I had no time to react as the muscular body slammed into me.

Knocked to the side, I spun madly on the ice for what felt like minutes rather than seconds.

Skidding to a stop, I sat up in time to see the monster grab Cooper from behind.

Shouting, I struggled to my feet.
No, no, no
, the voice in my head pleaded.
Not two of them.

The tiger that was crouched two feet away growled. Baring a set of defined, predatory teeth, she eased in front of me, blocking my way.

“Let me get him!” I shouted at the intelligent eyes, and in my struggle to stand, I fell again.

The ice beneath me cracked.

I started to get up again, my hands slipping on the slick, watery surface that became thinner by the second.

The tigress launched herself forward, bumping her shoulder into me. The impact sent me sprawling while her claws gripped in her favor.

“It has Cooper!” I pointed. I knew she could understand me.

She stared at me, unmoving, body tensed as I crab-walked away from her. Each time I tried to lurch forward, she’d knock me back in a tailspin. The crack in the ice was starting to gap. Water gushed onto the melting surface, spreading and making it all the more slick.

Cooper’s yelling stopped abruptly.

I ducked my head to look past the tiger.

The monster’s lips formed a twisted, malevolent smile as Cooper went rigid, just as Phoebe had. A sheer glaze reflected light off of his face and shoulders.

Standing, I tried to move around the tiger, only to have her snap her jaws at me, threatening me with a spine-tingling growl.

But not once did she swipe at me, I noted. She didn’t want to kill me, just keep me away.

The crack behind her was volcanic, shuddering and shifting the ice. I ducked my head again to see the ice break away the edge, beneath the monster’s feet.

Surprise registered just before it plunged into the warm waters.

My head snapped to the side to see Phoebe still frozen in the snow bank. Joel stood several feet away beside Damien. Joel’s face twisted with nausea as his friend disappeared under the bubbling lake with the monster.

I looked back at the demon, desperate to see what I could do.

He wouldn’t look at me. Damien had his hands behind his back and was watching as if it were something interesting, even pacifying.

I wanted to scream when I heard the thrashing.

The monster bobbed to the surface.

In his hand, flailing for purchase, was Cooper.

I crawled closer. The water was only a few feet away, the warmth drawing closer, melting everything.

The tiger emitted a throaty hiss as if to say,
You’re not getting by.

Twisting, I turned in the opposite direction and stumbled into the snow toward Phoebe. I wasn’t going to give up on both of them.

Phoebe just needed to warm up. “Joel!” I shouted. “Help me.”

Damien’s mouth twisted, his bottomless gaze finally shifting from the waters and meeting mine. I held it for several seconds, wanting him to see the hatred. The power, as he called it, ripened and threatened.

Joel stumbled toward me, seemingly grateful to be leaving the demon behind.

When we reached Phoebe, we pulled her out of the snow bank at the same time. She was still stiff. She felt like an ice block, though my hands were too frozen to feel the full effect.

Her unblinking eyes stared past us. My still wet hands sometimes stuck to her as I dragged her, with Joel’s help, to the swirling pool of water.

Glancing behind me, I saw the tiger move aside, allowing us to pass.

“I’ll jump in with her. When she comes back up, grab her,” I whispered, not wanting to be heard. “Then Cooper.”

Joel didn’t say anything, and I didn’t have time to ask him if he understood as we reached the edge.

Behind us, the monster surfaced again, looking as though he’d drifted further out.

Wasting no more time, we lowered Phoebe into the water.

Joel stepped back so not to fall in as I hopped in with her. My back was aflame the moment I hit the water again. Taking a deep breath, more for the pain, I was pulled under the water with Phoebe.

At first, we sank.

As the warmth tingled my skin like needles, I refused to let her go, dropping with her. The sheet of ice against her flesh was melting rapidly until I felt her cold arm twitch under my hand.

Relief enveloped as easily as the warm water. I reached behind her and grabbed her around her waist, her natural buoyancy returned, and we swam. She tried kicking with me but was slower.

Breaking the surface, we both breathed deep, spitting water that tasted metallic.

Joel, on his belly, reached out and grabbed Phoebe’s arms, but she didn’t climb out right away. Exhausted, she rested her head against the icy edge. I’d have to trust that he’d take care of her, though something whispered in the back of my mind - a doubt.

Pushing away from the iced surface, I heard the tiger yowl again. She didn’t sound happy.

Swimming to where I last saw the monster, I dove under the water, half expecting to hear a splash. Tigers could swim, after all, but I never heard one.

I aimed down; the little light faded, leaving me blind.

I bobbed back up for air before diving again and again.

I waited to see if it’d surface, but the monster didn’t come up.

Searching blindly for any sign of Cooper, I was able to widen my pattern the warmer and faster I became.

He couldn’t die like this. I couldn’t let it. It was my fault that he was even here.

Surfacing, I took three gulps of air and heard shouts from the edge. I turned and saw it was only Joel and Phoebe waving for my attention.

Seeing me, Phoebe pointing to the right.

I saw the lump of clothes floating maybe ten feet away.

Splashing through the water, I caught up with him. As I neared, I saw swirling blonde hair against the bubbling surface. He was on his stomach, face down.

Reaching him, I turned him over onto his back. His eyes were closed, his mouth open, and his body still surprisingly cold as I crossed my arms over his chest from behind.

Swimming on my back, I dragged his weight with me toward the shore, feeling tired but grateful all at the same time.

If I got him to Phoebe, she’d make him breathe.

As if listening, Cooper jerked against me. In a deft twist of his body, he turned and grabbed my shirt.

His face was frightening. His eyes were wide and bloodshot, and I saw raw fear racing within them. He tried to speak over horrible sounds.

Gargling, it was an almost inhuman sucking sound. He didn’t draw in air before becoming reckless. In his desperation to climb out of the water, he dragged me under with him.

Curling my legs, I tried to kangaroo kick Cooper away.

His grip tightened with each thrash that dragged me down with him.

At one point, he shoved me down to climb over me, to reach the surface, but still clung to my shirt.

The light faded above, and I was starting to understand that I had no control.

Cooper wasn’t letting me go.

Bubbles escaped as I tried to shout at him, warn him to calm down.

Convulsing, Cooper tried to climb over me again.

This time, he let go.

His sneaker shoved at my shoulder, pushing me down and propelling him up but not enough to sate the terror.

Twisting wildly, his arms and legs weren’t moving in sync, and his ascent was slow.

Swimming back, I tried to put some distance between us.

Seeing me rising to the surface, he swung for me, narrowly missing my leg.

Kicking past, I followed the light, breaking the surface and sucking in air in sharp, angry gulps. Filling my lungs, I dared to shove my face under the water to find him.

Cooper’s water face was just below. He grabbed my ankle and pulled.

“No!”

The bubbling scream cut off short, and I was forced to kick at him again.

He’ll kill us both if he doesn’t stop!

My second kick aimed true, colliding with his nose.

The impact had him let me go, and I splashed away desperately.

My body was tiring quickly. I didn’t think I could put up another fight and win. But at the same time, I couldn’t just leave him.

I took one giant breath in and ducked under the water.

Cooper wasn’t there.

Turning in a slow circle, I looked for shadows in the soft light, seeing nothing.

Scared, I felt the warmth that often stirred inside me. It was hot compared to the water, uncomfortably so.

Diving deeper, I tried to swim hard, my limbs growing heavy.

Hesitant, I swam to the surface again.

When I looked to the shore for help, Phoebe and Joel stood there, gawking. Behind them, Damien stood with his tiger, watching.

My insides felt close to bursting, and I let it go. I felt it ripple outward, seeping through my pores and prickling my skin.
Must find Cooper
, I thought, shivering.
Find him, please.
I didn’t know how I could plead with it, but otherwise I had no idea what to do. This power Damien said I had didn’t seem to have any reasoning or direction. It just burned every inch of skin as it left.

Wanting a distraction, I turned in another circle and looked for Cooper’s shirt. I looked under water again until I couldn’t hold my breath any longer.

“Where are you?” I pleaded, unsure if I was asking the powers or Cooper or both.

I swallowed more of the metallic water, choking on it. I was having trouble keeping my head afloat, and I tipped my head back, hoping the air in my chest might help keep me above water.

I stared up at the grey sky. Snow twirled in slow, fat flakes.

I didn’t want to go back to the edge, but if I didn’t, I might as well have let Cooper drag me down. Maybe I should’ve let him pull me with him.

Fuck Damien and his rules.
He said he’d stop my power before. Did that mean it didn’t work? I still felt what was left, like an eel wriggling through my stomach.

Reality began to set in, and I took that first stroke toward the others.

It felt like a betrayal. I left Cooper behind. Dead or not, I abandoned him, and that somehow made me feel like I’d choked a puppy to death.

Guilt raged with each tired stroke.

I hoped in vain to see one of them point or shout that they saw him. I could see them watching the surface with the same hopeful anticipation.

Everything felt strained by the time my hand slapped onto the melting icy edge.

Phoebe and Joel helped me onto the ice, and we scooted away from the edge before it could drop us in the water.

“What happened?” Phoebe demanded.

The question angered me. I wondered if she thought I’d killed him on purpose.

I looked to her, the cold curling into my flesh.
No use saving a drowning man
. Phoebe’s echoed words sounded bitter, even to me. Shivering hard, I didn’t think I could have answered her even if I wanted to.

Sobering, Phoebe’s lips pinched, and she looked away.

Joel started to pace in the snow.

“Look,” Phoebe said.

In the distance near the snow bank, a black door solidified in mid-air.

After a long moment of fidgeting, Phoebe cracked every last one of her knuckles and drew herself to her feet.