Nothing.
It doesn’t take long to get to the spot where Margot parked and claims she saw the shadow man.
There are tire marks on the ground from where she squealed away and kicked up gravel. Then there’s the brush, where she swore the man was lurking.
I approach warily, my senses on high alert.
If he’s smart, he’s long gone.
Only, she didn’t stick around to find out if he was alone. Or if he came back.
The leaves seem bleached in the light as I circle the brush, reversing direction every few seconds to avoid anyone getting the drop on me.
Nothing and nobody.
Just dead autumn silence.
My lungs heave with tension.
Loud frogs croak in the night. A few thin branches sway in the breeze.
It’s an eerie night even without any mysterious prowlers. I wouldn’t be surprised if a coyote came slinking out of the brush.
As I look closer, my flashlight catches something glinting in the grass.
There are several broken twigs and a patch of flattened grass like someone was camped out here for a while.
And right in the middle, an unlit lantern.
Shit.
Fury knifes through me as I pick it up, examining it in the light.
This isn’t the sort of thing you’d pick up from a store—it looks weirdly homemade or modified. Stained glass, maybe, it’s tinted dark blue to dull the LED light inside.
Whoever did this knows a few tricks.
No trail, no trace of them at all except for this fucking lantern.
How long was he here? And why?
Did Margot startle him when she parked, flushing him out of the trees? If she was this close, he might’ve thought it was just a matter of time until she saw him and bolted.
But who the hell would come snooping around the place this late?
I search the area one more time, but there’s nothing besides this ghostly blue lantern.
I head back to the house and knock.
Margot appears in the doorway a second later. Her eyes widen when she sees the lantern.
“What’s that?” she whispers.
“A present left by our friend. Found it abandoned in the brush.”
Dan and Sophie appear by her side, crowding in to get a good look.
“Whoa!” Dan gasps. “Dad, what isthat?”
