Bad Apple (The Warner Grimoire) Read Online Free

Bad Apple (The Warner Grimoire)
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the pain only grew, vibrating up his to his shoulder. He looked at Zoey, her tiny eyes wide.
    “I’m okay,” he said quickly, shoving his hand in his jacket pocket. The pain was fading, but some strange warning went of in the back of his mind, an alarm rattling loudly, but he couldn’t for the life of him tell why .
    “ Danger ,” his internal alarm suddenly screamed, taking a voice in his mind. “ Get going . Hurry now .”
    It was the voice from his dreams.
    He swallowed his fear. “Here,” he said, offering his other hand to Zoey. “We should go.”
    “ Something’s watching you ,” the Other Voice whispered. “ You’re not safe here anymore .”
    They were just in front of the firehouse when the pain in Simon’s hand returned, dropping him to one knee. His vision started to blur. Zoey was shouting at him, but he couldn’t understand her. His head felt like it was filling with water, sloshing up against the inside of his skull. He couldn’t breathe again.
    He couldn’t lift his head, couldn’t speak. He motioned towards the firehouse, and Zoey ran to the front door and tried to pull, but the door wouldn’t open.
    “It’s locked!” Zoey pulled harder on the door, but it stayed closed. She pounded her fists against the door, but no help came.
    Simon was starting to fade. He focused on Zoey, not ten feet away, telling himself the whole time to hold on . They were close to home, all he had to do was hold on until the pain went away again. It had to, it had to fade. Things had to be all right.
    Darkness crept into the edges of his vision. He looked around and didn’t understand how one of Crowley’s main streets could be so empty at this time of day, how it could be only him and Zoey in front of all the shops and the firehouse. “ Get going,” the Other Voice screamed again.
    Simon dug down, summoned the strength to lift his head. Zoey was still there, frozen mid-knock. He struggled to follow her gaze, and when he looked around the voice in his head stopped dead--they weren’t alone anymore.
    A large muddy-brown dog stood by the corner of the firehouse, its face a snarl of twisted features. A tangle of scars and mange covered its stubbed snout. The ears, which would have dangled on any other dog, stood at flicked attention, horn-like, on top of the patches of black that surrounded the coal-black eyes which stared straight into Simon. Below its massive jaws was a collar, bone-white, and the sight of it made Simon’s blood run cold. The dog stood motionless at the end of the block, never taking its eyes off Simon.
    Terror seized Simon. The dog could snatch him or Zoey in its jaws in a heartbeat. All it needed was one tiny provocation, and it would be on them, and its eyes flicked between the two of them, eager to find an invitation to attack. Simon felt the creature enjoying this.
    “Zoey,” Simon gasped. “Don’t run.” He struggled to talk, his voice coming out a weird, twisted garble. He forced a painful gulp of air into his lungs and pointed towards the tavern. “ Walk . Walk to the Paw. If you run--” he gulped more air. “If you run he’ll chase you.” He prayed this would work, that the beast’s instincts would hold until Zoey was safe.
    “I can’t!” Zoey’s little voice was frantic. “I can’t cross the street alone!” She ran to Simon’s side. “Get up!” She cried. “Come on, Simon! Get up!”
    Zoey had set the dog in motion. It snarled and bolted straight towards them, its teeth bared. Light glinted off the dog’s collar.
    “ Light ,” the Other Voice in his head screamed. “ Light!”
    The tightness around Simon’s throat suddenly vanished. Cold air flooded into his lungs, the pain already melting away. No bite came. Simon opened his eyes. The dog was laying several feet away, stunned and on its side.
    Zoey clung limply to him. “Zoey!” He quickly scanned her for bite marks. “Zoey! Are you okay?” The dog was beginning to stir again. Simon worried it would
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