Untouched (Denazen #1.5)(10)

“We’re not here to hurt you—quite the opposite. We want to place you under our protection.” His polished shoes glinted in the sun as he took another step closer.

“Thanks for the offer, but think I’m gonna pass.” Kiernan backed away until she was standing beside Dez. “They asked first.”

Samsen clucked his tongue and pulled a tranquilizer gun from the holder on his belt. He made sure to wave it low enough so that I could see. “Asking was a courtesy. Think of it as my attempt to give you an easy way out. I could have 98 here hand you over if I wanted—isn’t that right?”



I dropped Dez’s hand and covered my ears. Knowing how Samsen’s mind worked, he likely figured I was the same pliable Resident as I’d been the last time we’d met.

He was wrong.

I searched the ground for signs of the other agents. The only shadow I saw was Samsen’s. I had a feeling his stumbling upon us had been purely by accident. He wouldn’t have come looking for us without backup.

My heart hammered in my chest. “Dez…” Hands still covering my ears, everything sounded far away and hollow. “I need you to scream. Loud.”

She wasted no time. A second later, the sound of her voice filled my ears. I dropped my hands and pulled off one of the gloves, trying to grab Samsen, but he jumped aside before my hand could make contact. I grabbed Dez’s hand and a handful of Kiernan’s sleeve and hauled them forward. “Move!”

We turned and ran from the alley, back onto the path. Dez’s screams had caught a lot of attention, but we were moving through the crowd so fast, it didn’t matter. All that mattered was that it was her voice I’d heard—not Samsen’s.

“In here!” Kiernan cried, skidding to a stop in front of a large building. The Statue Man’s face was on the front, only this time he had large fangs and an angry expression. Somehow, it suited him better than the eerie smile.

Dez was skeptical. “A haunted house?”

“There’s an employee door that opens close to the park entrance in the back. We can slip through in secret instead of running like crazy people through the crowd.”

I nodded, and Dez and I followed her up the steps.

Once inside, we had a choice of two doors. One said Hall of Reflection—Enter If You Dare and the other said Cemetery Street. I looked to Kiernan. “Which one?”



Without answering, she pushed through the one that said Cemetery Street.

The new room was pitch black. An occasional flash from the middle, as well as small lights sporadically lining the edges of the room, was enough to ensure we didn’t run into anything—or anyone.

“Stay close,” I said, and started forward.

I was beginning to hate amusement parks.

We’d gone exactly seventeen steps when I heard a crackling sound—like crumpling paper—and felt a slight disturbance in the air. Something rose from the ground to our right and rushed us. Elbowing Dez aside, my arm shot out and grabbed the approaching figure by the neck. I stepped away and spun him to the wall, and when he responded with an oddly pitched laugh and still-solid form, I knew something was wrong. He wasn’t real. It was nothing more than a statue. I released the fake man and stepped aside. “What is this place?”

“Haunted house,” Dez whispered.

I kicked the fake man aside. “This place is horrible.”

Kiernan snorted. “It’s an attraction. It’s awesome!”

I began moving again. Standing still made me uneasy. The sooner we found the exit and left the park, the better. “Attraction? What could possibly be considered attractive about this place?”

Dez took my hand. “People come here to be scared.”

“Why would someone want to be scared?”

Kiernan sighed. I didn’t turn around, but I was willing to bet she was rolling her eyes. “’Cause it’s fun?”

I stopped walking and turned. It was dark, but if Dez could see me, she’d say I had on my WTF face—whatever that meant. “It’s fun to ride in circles and fun to jump around in little plastic balls. Now you’re saying it’s fun to be scared?”

Kiernan took the lead. “Well, I mean not terrified or anything. It’s like pretend.”



“So people come here to pretend to be scared?” My head was starting to ache.

She sighed. “I’m explaining it the wrong way.”

“Maybe you’re not. Maybe it’s just stupid.”

Dez giggled and despite the situation, warmth raced through my body. “That’s my guy—always tellin’ it like it is.” Her fingers tightened around mine, and she tugged me a bit closer.

I was torn—she had that effect on me. Her nearness shattered my concentration and focus, while at the same time sharpened my senses and lit every one of my nerve endings on fire. I wanted to drag her close and lose myself, but the situation called for focus.

Yes. Focus now. Dez later…

I was dangerous under normal circumstances, but with Samsen here, it was a thousand times worse. We’d managed to avoid disaster once, but if he caught us again, there was no telling what harm could come to Dez, Kiernan—really, to anyone in the park.

With Samsen here, I was a time bomb just waiting to be activated…