Page 27 of Sick Little Devotion

I trot down the grand staircase and take a right, opting to go the way that we came in. The house has small nightlights throughout, making it easy to navigate, and I fight the urge to break into a run.

I need to save that for when I get outside. Or if he hears me.

A shiver rolls down my spine as I consider that possibility. Would he hurt me? I don’t have an answer and ignore the gut feeling that he wouldn’t. He just murdered someone for God’s sake! He did it with ease, too. There was no discussion for him. And I’m glad there wasn’t, if I am honest, because the death of my uncle doesn’t bother me at all. Then, I can’t help but question if I’m a monster, too.

But I still want out. I pick up my pace as the garage door comes into view. I pass the courtyard door, but I don’t go out. It feels like a trap. I’d just be escaping into a yard without an out. But the garage should have an exit door. I am pretty sure I saw one.

I unlock the door and slip into the darkness of the garage, eyeing the cars. Hindsight twenty-twenty, I could have stolen Aiden’s keys and gotten away in a vehicle. However, that would’ve made a bigger mess, and I’m not a criminal. My eyes land on an exterior door in the far right-hand corner. I run for it.

My fingers tremble as I turn the locks and open the door. A blast of cool air blows through my hair and I freeze. But it’s not the air. It’s the alarm. A blaring sound pierces the night air, screaming through the silence and giving me away. I hadn’t even considered that there might be a security system.

I should’ve. This house is huge. But it’s too late now. I slam the door behind me and take off into the night.

I only have one option now.

Run.

My feet feel as if they’re weighed down by concrete blocks, but I force them forward anyway. The exit leads to behind the house, and as lights begin to kick on around the estate, panic rises in my chest.

He knows.

I need cover. My eyes land on the thick woods further back, and I don’t have time to think it over. I know I’m moving away from the road, but I also have no idea if I’d even be able to get the gate open. Maybe I can hide out in the woods—or maybe use a tree to scale the fence.

My breaths deepen as I run, trying to ensure I stay in the shadows rather than the bright lights. I hear a door slam somewhere behind me, and I dig in, sprinting with everything I have. I don’t stop to rest until I’m well into the thick woods, the brambles and briars cutting my skin. I lean against a tree and peer back toward the yard, and there, illuminated by the light, is Aiden.

His facial features have a shadowed cast across them, making his expression unreadable. My body spikes with adrenaline, and my heart pounds in my chest as I take in his disheveled hair, jeans, and black hoodie. Did he get dressed that quickly when the alarm went off? Or did he already know?

“Sara, there’s no point in running from me,” he calls out, stopping right in the middle of the manicured yard. “You can’t get out of here, and I hope you know, when I catch you…” His voice trails off, and I shudder. “You’ll pay for this escapade.”

I swallow the bile rising in my throat as sweat drips from my face and onto my hand. I wipe it on my shirt and try to steady my breath. There’ll be a way off this place—and I’ll find it. Hopefully.

“Come out, come out,” Aiden sings as he stalks toward me. Does he know where I am? I swallow, watching him peer around. “You know, this is kind of fun. I’ve always wanted to chase you.”

I stay frozen, mostly because I know the moment I go tromping off, he’ll hear me in the brush. He’ll know exactly where I am, and then I’ll be doomed. I grab the hoodie and pull it up over my head, hoping that the blackness will act as some kind of camouflage. It’s a shot in the dark.

But I’m going to try.

“You’re not doing yourself any favors, Sara,” Aiden continues, chatting like this is a game. There’s an air of cruel amusement to his tone, and it raises goosebumps across my skin. It doesn’t help that the sky is now opening up, sprinkles of rain cold against my hands. I shove them into the hoodie pocket and hold my breath.

“Do you like the new shoes? I never got a chance to show them to you myself,” he says with a heavy sigh. I peer out around the tree, and I can’t see him anymore. However, I can hear his footsteps crashing into the leaves. He’s getting closer.

“You know running from me will only get you punished, Sara.”

Then so be it. I shiver again, though the heat between my legs is embarrassing. It’s not the proper reaction to him. It’s not the proper reaction to being chased by someone through the woods—someone who’s responsible for murder.

A crunch to my left sends a wave of dread over me. He’s really close now. I scan the thick woods for any sign of him, trying to pinpoint where the sound is coming from. I’m not good at this. I’ve never been good at Hide ‘n Seek. I’ve never been good at tag.

This is a fucking nightmare.

I have to go. I have to move.

The knots in my stomach tell me what I already know. This is pointless. But I run anyway. Grinding my heels into the damp earth, I take off from where I was hidden at the base of the tree.

“There you are,” Aiden laughs, his voice cutting through the stillness of the night. “What a fucking turn this has taken.”

I grunt as I give it my all, feeling frantic in the moment. I don’t look behind me. My own footsteps drown out the sounds of those behind me. I clumsily try to dodge between the trees. My legs are burning from the cuts and scrapes, but I ignore them. I press forward.

Squinting through the blackness of the woods, I search for the outer boundary of the property. How big is this place? I cut around two tall pines, hearing something crashing behind me. It’s Aiden, but I push myself forward, calves burning.