Read Once Upon a Halloween for Free Online Page B

what?"
        "That was good."
        "Right."
        "Okay." He took the sword away from her neck. "Now put your hands on top of your head."
        "Gonna book me?"
        "Just do it, okay?"
        She did it, then turned around, fingers interlaced on top of hoi head, a smirk on her face. Her cheeks were ruddy from the punch. One eye was puffy. Blood ran from her nostrils, coated her lips and dripped off her chin.
        Hunter felt a little sick, realizing he had done this to her. he fore the pounding, she'd had a pretty face... if you didn't count its smirk and meanness.
        She had it coming, he told himself. For godsake, don't feel sorry for her. Feel sorry for Connie. And Laura and Shannon.
         Crap, she almost killed ME.
        Hunter touched the point of the sword to her belly.
        "I know you're the guy with the blade," she said. "And you can skewer me if that's what you want."
        "I don't want to, but..."
        "All you really want to do is get out of this alive, right?"
        He shrugged. "Maybe."
        "That's what I want, too." She glanced down the saber, then looked Hunter in the eyes. "Live and let live, okay?"
        "Maybe."
        "Here's what we'll do. First, tell your friend to come out."
         What friend? he wondered. Connie had run the other way back at the graveyard. By now, she had probably been cut down or captured by the creeps who'd gone chasing after her.
        "Then let me have my weapons back and I'll take you both downstairs as my prisoners."
        "Oh, that sounds perfect."
        "Bryce and Simone'll go along with it. We need captives for the midnight ceremony back at the graveyard. On the way there, I'll let you and your friend get away."
        "Sure you will."
        "I promise."
        Hunter shook his head. The plan might work if Eleanor played it straight.
         She won't. It's just a trick.
        "I'm not that stupid," he said.
        "You might be too smart for your own..."
         "Eleanor!" called a man's voice.
        Hunter gave the saber a tiny push.
        She winced and sucked in her tummy. A dribble of blood started sliding down her skin.
        Sounding impatient, she shouted, "What do you want, Bryce? "
         "How much longer're you gonna take with that kid? "
         "Long as I want!"
        A woman, apparently Simone, called, "No problem. Want us to wait for you? Or we can start back..."
         "Good idea, " Eleanor yelled. "Why don't you go on ahead? I'll come along after I'm done up here. Shouldn't be too much longer. "
         "No hurry, " Simone responded.
         "Just don't be late for the ceremony, " Bryce warned.
         "Have fun up there, " Simone called.
         "lam. See you later."
        For a few seconds, Eleanor stared into Hunter's eyes. Then she stepped away from the sword, walked to the bedroom door and eased it shut. Facing him again, she leaned back against the door and crossed her feet at the ankles.
        "That worked out," she said.
        "Why'd you do it?"
        "Live and let live." Lowering her head, she stared down at the shiny red line of blood from her cut. It ran into the round dip of her navel, spilled out and slid down and down until it painted her thighs red. "See what you've already done to me?"
        "You got me worse," he said.
        She smirked toward the front of his shirt. "You'll live." Then she pushed herself away from the door and came toward him with long, slow strides.
        As she neared the sword, he raised it.
        She stepped up close to him. Not saying a word, she unbuttoned his shirt. When she opened it, the blood-soaked fabric peeled away from his skin.
        He looked down.
        His wound, about an inch in length, was just above and to the right of his left nipple. Blood was still leaking out of it, trickling down his chest. The thin red stream ran all the way down to the waistband of his