Spiral (Spiral Series) Read Online Free Page B

also reminded me of a snake, one that was slithering forward. Dressed all in black, he blended into the background of the cavernous room, which resembled a burned out ballroom with the Snake Man as the fire that destroyed everything in its path.
    I started to stammer out a response to the Snake Man, but suddenly a door burst open to my right. Instead of replying, I did the smart thing. I ran. My muscles bunched in my short legs as I ordered them to top speed. I had never been much of a runner, but then again I had never had to run with my life hanging precariously in the balance. My only focus was the door in front of me. It said safety as clearly as if the word had been written on it in big, bold letters.
    Reaching the door, I threw myself into the next room. My white hair flowed around me in waves as I dove. Shoving the hair out of my eyes so that I could see better, I could make out a light, cast by a shining throne, that burned away the shadows and the pain. The throne was made entirely of silver husks, or what looked like silver husks. They were the most stunningly beautiful thing I had ever seen, but my life was in danger and accuracy wasn’t my highest priority at the moment. Staying alive was. Husks, poles, or dancing bears, the throne was beautiful.
    I found my breath again after my mad sprint, my legs throbbing as I stared at the throne. It was glorious and wonderful, all spiraled strength that looked like it could never be broken. I imagined men, strong men, taking hammers to the spirals and the throne not breaking, although why anyone would want to mar something so beautiful was beyond me. It was a beacon of light in a dank room in a dismal place. At this moment, it was MY beacon of light.
    I slammed into the marble floor, my shoulder crunching under the impact and my body and mind both thrown violently back into reality. What was I doing there? Why was the Snake Man chasing me, and what did he want?
    Most of the time I was all but invisible. Almost four years of high school had proved that much. The only time anyone noticed me was when they bumped into me. But that didn’t seem to apply here. If the Snake Man had been as uninterested as my classmates, maybe I wouldn’t have been about to die.
    Somehow I knew that’s what was about to happen. I. Would. Die.
    Scrambling to my feet, I raced towards the shining white throne. The word safety popped into my mind over and over again. Behind me I felt the presence of the evil man as he started after me. He was going to come on, relentlessly chasing me until he had me in his clutches. Not only did I know in my bones that he was evil, but the very air around him pounded with murder and pain, an electric current that threatened to burn everything in its path.
    And what was in its path was . . . me. I had to try not to get burned. I didn’t think it was possible, but if I failed, I hoped my dad would understand. I would miss him if he didn’t. He would miss me no matter what.
    The man wanted me dead.
    Even as I moved closer to the throne that would save my life, I felt it slipping further out of my reach. I cried out, extending my hand to catch my fall . . . and then I saw my hand. A war was taking place on my skin. Flesh was being ripped away, stripped to the bone, red gore laid bare on my body. But it wasn’t hurting. Even as skin disappeared, more came to take its place, bright and perfect, flawless, like the skin of a newborn baby crying in its mother’s arms. I wished I had time to cry. I wished my mother were there and not dead in the ground.
    The throne was still as far away as it had ever been, despite the fact that I was frantically moving toward it. All around me the room echoed with the laughter of the Snake Man as he chased after the small, white-haired girl: me.
    “You cannot run. You came here. You shouldn’t have. There is no point in running.” His voice felt like snakes crawling all over my flesh and eating away at my soul as I moved to protect