Total pages in book: 43
Estimated words: 39991 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 200(@200wpm)___ 160(@250wpm)___ 133(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 39991 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 200(@200wpm)___ 160(@250wpm)___ 133(@300wpm)
But he’d obviously had to run, which more than likely meant the draugr had been here, too.
Ivor clenched his hands into fists.
He could only hope that Rowan stayed one step ahead of that creature. That he was smart.
He damn sure needed to be.
Chapter Six
Rowan
Rowan missed his Kindle. He had his phone that he could read on, but it just wasn’t the same. His Kindle had become a type of security blanket. Though it didn’t really matter because he couldn’t concentrate to read anyway.
Fear was a part of his every waking moment, and nightmares had taken over his sleep, so he mostly just dozed. He was now in his fourth motel, and they’d all become a blur of cheap paintings and uncomfortable beds. He was still in the same clothes he’d worn to work last, and though the idea of trying to shop scared him, he was going to have to give in and buy some clothes.
This particular room was worse than the rest. It felt like the heater was spitting out dust, making him thirsty as hell.
Making sure he had everything on him—just in case—he left to get a soda from the machine he’d spotted in an alcove near the motel’s office. His steps were slow and methodical, exhaustion pulling at every muscle. He’d never been on the run like this before, but he couldn’t shake the need to keep moving.
He was also upset because he’d lost his job when he hadn’t shown up for work the second night. He’d tried to explain it was an emergency, but Angler wouldn’t listen. The chef had flat out fired him. Rowan had loved working there—well, loved the other people and the way he’d mostly had freedom to create unique desserts. Finding another job like that one in his small town was going to be damn hard. He would spend the rest of the evening looking at job postings on his phone. He’d luckily had a charger in his car so that was one thing he could be thankful about.
These motels were eating into his meager savings, and he had no job.
What the fuck was he going to do?
Cold soda in hand, he started to step out of the small alcove but halted as the most rancid smell invaded his nose. It was worse than the garbage bins the day before trash day. And terrifyingly familiar.
Gaze darting around, he spotted the zombie creature lurching through the parking lot. It truly was a nightmarish creature with its visible bones and empty eye sockets. He seen it move fast, but this slow, creeping stagger made him shudder.
How had it found him?
He quickly stepped back, watching and waiting as it headed toward his room, then halted and veered his direction. The alcove had two open ends, so he ran to the back of the motel and then past several rooms until he reached the side. He nearly tripped over a fallen branch but caught himself against the wall. His heart was pounding hard, fear giving him tunnel vision as he hurried around the side of the motel and ran to the front. The zombie was just entering the alcove, so he ran to his car and peeled out of the motel’s parking lot.
His hands were sweating on the wheel despite the cold.
This time, he drove through two towns before he got yet another motel room.
What the fuck? What did that thing want and again, how had it found him?
Rowan collapsed on the bed, which was covered in a flower-print comforter, and stared at a water stain on the ceiling for what felt like hours. His eyes felt gritty and he was still thirsty, but now he was too afraid to leave the room for a drink.
He couldn’t just keep running forever.
What he needed to do was find those two paranormal men who’d saved him before. Maybe they knew what was going on. He doubted they’d been there accidentally—not at that time of night. It had been like they knew he was going to be attacked.
He sat up. Of course they’d known. That meant they’d know what this thing was and why it was after Rowan. So, that’s what he’d do. Running to different towns obviously wasn’t working because the zombie was somehow tracking him.
But first, he was going to try and get some sleep. Get a shower. Just in reverse order. Pushing off the bed, he dragged his feet to the bathroom and flipped on the light.
He looked like complete shit. Dark circles ringed his eyes, his face so unnaturally pale his freckles stood out like pins on a snowy map. His hair hadn’t been brushed in days, with a particularly bad tangle near his temple.
Letting out an exhausted breath, he stripped down and turned on the water to heat. He was about to take off the arm ring when goosebumps sprang up all over his body.