Death Invites In Gold E-Book

Rachel Bross

• Herausgeber: Next Chapter
• Kategorie: Abenteuer, Thriller, Horror
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2022

Beschreibung

A haunted house horror attraction. Twelve people. $100,000 for the survivor.

After fellow students torment a teen girl for years, she goes to therapy ... and comes up with an idea.

Years later, they are all working comfortably. But everyone needs more money, one way or another. When a popular haunted house attraction starts advertising for a one night competition for 100k for whoever can survive the night, they all jump at the opportunity.

After things take a turn for the worse in this unrelenting house of screams and fear, who will come out unscathed?

Good luck.

This book contains graphic violence and is not suitable for readers under the age of 18.

Leseprobe

DEATH INVITES IN GOLD

RACHEL BROSS

CONTENTS

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

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About the Author

Copyright (C) 2021 Rachel Bross

Layout design and Copyright (C) 2022 by Next Chapter

Published 2022 by Next Chapter

Edited by Emily Fuggetta

Cover art by CoverMint

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the author’s permission.

PROLOGUE

SMALL TOWN USA, 2013, PODUNK HIGH

In the lunchroom, a girl sits hunched over a book, alone, at a table. Her scraggly red hair falls on either side of her face, obscuring her view of anything other than her book.

A hand reaches across the pages, slamming the book down on the table.

The girl locks onto bleach-blond dreads falling over the table. “Nathan, leave me alone.” She glares at him, trying her best to pull the book from his grasp.

Nathan laughs, looking above her as her little decorative top hat falls from her head. He leans away, letting go of her book, and swats her hat farther across the table.

A mass of short black curls blocks the girl’s view as a dark rosewood-skinned boy with brown eyes and a strong jaw lined with a less than mediocre beard leans against the table to her right. She huffs.

Grinning, the boy laughs. “Oops, sorry, Wonka, I mean Wanda.” He offers his best and most charming white-toothed smile.

Wanda rolls her eyes, reaching for her hat.

A new hand swats it across the table towards Nathan. “Oh, I’m sorry! I meant to grab it.” A busty redhead sits at her left, covering her deep red lips with her fingertips.

Wanda rolls her eyes again, clinging to her book, and draws it closer to her. “Please leave me alone.” Her words come out just above a whisper as she puts the book in her lap and reaches a hand towards the floor to her hat, so close yet so far away.

A designer sneaker pushes the hat into the space between tables. “Aww, c’mon, Wanda, don’t you like us?” A light yet male voice carries over the rest, and he chuckles. “We’re your friends.” Long black hair falls over the table, leading to another strong, square jaw, charming smile, and tight-slit brown eyes.

Wanda white-knuckles the sides of her book in her lap, glaring at the table, and doesn’t speak.

Before she can attempt to move away or get up, the rest of the pack descends. Six more students sit around the table. Five boys and five girls surround her now.

A cute, bubbly girl pulls at Wanda’s vest. “Whatcha got so many buttons for? You look like a refrigerator!” She giggles, squishing her face up, and her short bleach-blond curls bob about her cheeks as she looks around the table.

The girl tugs at a red button with a set of parted lips on it.

Wanda swats her hand away. “They’re movie buttons from my favorites.” She rubs her fingers over the shining metal.

Nathan points his chin at her. “Yea, why’s it a pair of chick’s lips? You into girls or somethin’?” He snickers, licking his lips, and blows her a kiss.

The bubbly girl swats at him. “Ew, Nathan. Of course she’s not.” She cuts her eyes at Wanda. “Are you?” She holds her gaze, arching an eyebrow.

Wanda speaks just above a whisper. “No.” She cuts her eyes around the table as they all pick at their food.

Nathan snickers. “Why’re you so interested, Bubbles?” He smirks at her, cutting his eyes at her. “You interested in them?” He licks his lips, looking her over.

A petite Asian girl with a layered bob curving around a sneer tosses a bit of lettuce from her lunchroom salad at him. “Shut up, Nathan! I’m sure she gets enough pussy from Blake.” She cuts her eyes at the boy with long black hair. “He’s so pretty he might as well be a girl.” She holds a stare, smirking, and leans into Hugh.

Blake slings his hair from his shoulder, crossing his arms, and glares at her.

The Asian girl snorts, shaking her head. “Proves my point.”

Blake rolls his eyes. “Brenda, baby, please explain to her how satisfied you are with our relationship.” He puts out a hand towards Miku.

Brenda giggles. “My Asian supersedes all Asians and gives me that tentacle all night long.” She leans towards him, planting a huge kiss across the table.

Everyone ohs and ughs, leaning or turning away.

Wanda leans away, curling her fingers into her black hoodie. “Why’re y’all over here anyway? We’re not friends.” She shrinks into herself, taking painstaking measures not to watch the interaction taking place so close to her.

The guys snigger, bumping and pushing each other.

A large and burly blond boy pushes Blake into the dark rosewood-skinned boy to Wanda’s right, making her fall into the redhead on her left.

Wanda brushes her hair from her face, revealing a patch of red, pink, and purple discoloration around her right eye and down her cheek. Without thinking, she tucks the hair behind her ear, leaving her face uncovered as she scans the caf for free tables far away from them.

A tan guy with short black curls sitting directly across from Wanda next to Nathan drops his fork, grunting, and looks across the room to his left. “Ugh! Thanks, Jeb! Now I’ve lost my appetite because the freak uncovered her face.” He points to Wanda.

Wanda returns her gaze to the table, letting her hair fall over her face again.

An alder-skinned girl sitting across the table swats at him. “Shut up, Tyler! Damn. She can’t help it.” She glances at Wanda, offering a weak grin.

Wanda just looks at the table, making her hair cover more of her face.

Tyler pushes his tray forward, crosses his arms, and glares at the black girl. “Fine, Dorine, if you’re so cool with it, then why’d you make that face when you looked at it just now? Hm?” He smirks. “I agree with Wonka. Why are we over here when we don’t even like her?” Running his tongue along the inside of his bottom lip, he looks around the table.

The dark-skinned boy chuckles, nudging Wanda’s shoulder, making her shy away, and he cuts his eyes at Tyler. “C’mon, man, she ain’t that bad.” He turns to her, poking his chin out, and grins. “Are ya, Wonka?” Chuckling, he puts an arm around the Asian girl, cutting his eyes at her sweet and innocent-looking grin.

The Asian girl lets out a light giggle, cutting her eyes at Wanda. “Ya know, Hugh, I rather like her disfigurement.” She smirks. “Gives her a fierce Japanese-looking edge.” Her giggle returns. “They should turn her into a comic.” He puts out a hand, moving it over with each word. “Red-Faced Shogun of Hell.” She smirks again, putting her hand in her lap. “I can see her face plastered everywhere as the poster for a monster-killer.” Her smirk never wavers as she meets Wanda’s glare.

Hugh raises a finger from the Asian girl’s shoulder. “Aw, Miku, that sounds badass.” He shifts in his seat, adjusting his arm on her shoulder.

Miku grins at him.

Jeb stuffs a giant forkful of spaghetti into his mouth, letting the sauce redden his grizzly beard, and speaks with his mouth stuffed. “You guys gonna come to the game tonight? It’s my last one of the year.” He chomps, smacking, and looks back and forth between everyone and his food as he brings another giant forkful to his mouth.

A dirty-blond-haired girl with flawless makeup sitting beside him curls her lip a bit as she reaches for a napkin. “Ugh, Jeb, wipe your beard.” She flips her perfectly teased hair over her shoulder, brushing French tips over her pristine cheer uniform top. “Y’all had better be there to help me cheer on my little Jebby.” She cuts her eyes across the table. “He’s gonna need all the pep we can give him if he’s gonna get that scholarship and go pro.” She smirks, sliding her hand over his thigh, and then scrunches her face when he turns to her.

For the first time since they all sat down, no one speaks for several seconds, and then Nathan shakes his head. “Nah, man, I’ve got some fish to catch if you know what I mean.” He chuckles, glancing over at the red head, and winks.

The red head snarls, rolling her eyes, and crosses her arms as she looks off at the other end of the table. “In your dreams, Nathan.” She snarls again.

Nathan laughs. “Oh, sweet Paulina, yes! You give the best head in my dreams.” He laughs again, high-fiving Jeb across the table.

The table erupts into laughter.

All, that is, except Wanda, who shrinks farther and farther away until she’s able to slip her legs off the seat and break away from them. Scooping up her hat, she speed-walks out of the caf.

CHAPTERONE

THE BIG APPLE 2019, A SMALLTIME NEWSPAPER COMPANY

Tyler, grown, buff, and charmingly handsome, sits behind a desk with an old Mac keyboard below his fingers and wiggles them above the designated typing starter keys. “C’mon, man, think of something to write.” He sighs, staring at his fingers above the keys. “Damn it.” He puts his hands over his face, turning in his desk chair, and grunts into his palms.

A knock comes from the open door.

Tyler lowers his hands enough to cut his eyes towards the door.

A petite young blonde pokes her head inside with an over-exaggerated grin that turns into a cringe. “I’m sorry! I know you didn’t want to be disturbed, but they’re hounding me.” She clenches her teeth, wobbling her head, and glances at the ceiling, speaking through her teeth. “Uuugh…” Her gaze returns to him. “Do you have anything for me to give them?” She shifts around, pressing herself against the frame, and braces herself with a hand inside the room.

Tyler huffs, turning back to his desk, and crosses his arms over the edge. “No.” He shakes his head, tousling his short black curls, and lets his hand swipe over his beard as it falls back to the desk. “The movie was crap, but I can’t say that because apparently I’m ‘too negative.’” He puts air quotes around the last two words. “I need this job. I need it to get to the one I want.” He lays his head on his arm, rolling it a few times, and speaks towards the floor. “How should I bullshit this?” He keeps his head down and groans.

The blonde tiptoes her way into the closet of an office, glancing over her shoulder, and closes the door, talking low. “Well, was there anything you liked about it at all?” She inches her way closer to his desk, sitting on the corner, and adjusts her blouse.

Tyler speaks without raising his head. “No, everything about it was contrived and trite. The best part was the dog, and he dies.” He looks up, opening his mouth to speak, and stops short, glaring at the pair of black-lace-covered breasts so close to his face.

The blonde pushes out her breasts, moving them from side to side as she speaks. “Maybe I can give you some… inspiration.” She bites her bottom lip, letting it slide slowly from between her teeth.

Tyler sits straight, sliding his hands over his spread thighs, and licks his lips. “Yea, maybe you can.” He smirks as she turns towards him with a smile.

The blonde undoes the rest of the buttons on her blouse, pulling the pair of chopsticks from her bun, and shakes her hair free. With a foot, she tucks her toes below the seat of his chair and pulls him towards her.

The wheels squeak and squeal as his weight moves over the floor.

Giggling, she spreads her legs, tugging at the hem of her black pencil skirt, and slides her foot between his legs all the way to his crotch.

Tyler breathes deep, looking her over, and then closes his eyes as her foot slips and moves over his hardening dick. “Come ‘ere.” Lurching forward, he picks her up from her perch, setting her in his lap.

The blonde lets out a quick squeal, settling her legs on either side of him, and leans her chest into his face.

Newport, RI

In a four-story mansion that has a rock circle driveway around a three-tier fountain and a tennis court and pool out back behind the courtyard:

A tall, daunting woman tromps across the grey marble flooring of the foyer, running her Swiffer duster over the Chinese vases amassed on each self.

Merrien saunters through, pink silk robe fluttering and billowing behind her. “Oh, Brunhilda! Do be a dear and clean out Fifi’s doggy box. I can’t stand the smell it gives off.” She flicks the maid a smile, tapping and gently pushing at the overly large rollers in her designer-dyed hair.

Brunhilda mutters to herself in German as she continues to dust around highly delicate décor.