—
I leave themain house to head back and am staring out at the pine forest at the edge of the property when a light flickers.
I hold my breath. Did that just happen?
Cautiously, I cross the wet grass and make my way to the edge of the woods, entering the thicket of pines.
“Nate?” A rustling of branches. I cut the beam of light toward the sound and see a fox dive into the bushes. A nervous laugh escapes my chest, but as I am about to turn back, I see something strange in the dirt: a muddy footprint. A man’s footprint.
Walking faster, I call out for my husband, but my voice falls off.
Movement in the distance. I hunch down, chest tight as I approach. Nate? Or some kind of intruder? A branch breaks behind me and I whirl around, cutting the light toward it. Nothing.
The deeper I go, the more the trees begin to look alike. The flashlight flickers, battery dying. I hit the bottom and the light comes back on. I hurry forward, lungs burning as the darkness shifts around me. It’s only when I reach a fallen tree, covered in moss and rot, that I stop. Nate isn’t out here. He’s probably waiting for me back in bed. He probably just went to the bathroom or needed to grab something from the car. I’m about to turn back when I hear a noise: the sound of a man in pain.
New fear flares across my chest. “Nate?” I run toward the sound, branches scraping my arms.
Somewhere up ahead, another flash of movement.
Heart racing, I turn around to run back the way I came when dizziness overtakes me. What is wrong with me?
The flashlight slips to the ground, flickers and dies, and when I look up, I see her: a young woman, no older than twenty-two, standing in the moonlight. I strain my eyes in the dark, my blood turning cold.
Her skin is pale, her red hair darkened from rain and spooling around her neck.It can’t be…No…That’s not possible.It’s Lila.
I take a shaky step back, drop to my knees.I have to get out of here.The exhaustion and anxiety and fear have me seeing things again. The ground sways beneath me as I frantically search the dirt for the flashlight.
Filled with panic, I try to find my way back out of the woods. When I finally reach the fallen tree, I break into a run. But the strangest thing happens: Rain falls from the sky…and then it turns to snow. I blink hard, catching my breath. It’s August. Snow doesn’t make any sense.What is happening?
Up ahead, something or someone is dragging Lila’s body behind it. It’s hard to see through all the snow, but when I focus harder it becomes clear—Matthew is dragging her body through the snow.
Heart pounding wildly, I open my mouth to scream, but no sound comes out.Stop hurting her! Let her go!
I yell until I catch up to him, but he doesn’t turn to me. His focus is on Lila.
Get off her!I grab at his arms and finally he turns to me. He looks awful, the whites of his eyes black, irises disappearing into nothing.
I freeze, too shocked to move, and before I know what’s happening, someone shoves me out of the way and lunges at him. He stumbles back, clutching his chest. A thud, a body falling onto the damp ground. And now there’s blood. So much blood.
—
I jerk awakewith a gasp, heart racing, fingers tearing at the sheets of the bed. In my panic, it takes a moment to realize the scream I hear is my own. But soon, another voice joins it, soothing, familiar.
“It’s okay, it’s okay, you’re safe. Everything’s fine.” It’s Margaret.
Slowly, the fear fades. I’m safe. Back in the pool house. Disoriented, I sit up and try to place the furniture in the room. The wicker chair in the corner, where I threw my gown from last night. The wooden blades of the fan overhead. My head is throbbing with a massive headache as I squint at Margaret until her face comes into focus. “What happened?”
She pats the bed and stands. “You had a nightmare, that’s all. Come on, love, let’s get you cleaned up.” She reaches out a hand and helps me out of bed.
I’m drenched in sweat, the sheets are soaked under me. Had I really dreamed all of that? Reaching up to touch my hair, I find it matted with twigs and leaves. My hands are covered in dirt. Nailscaked in dried blood.What happened last night?I’m glad Margaret is the one with me. She’s never been one to pry.
“Come here,” Margaret says, as she turns on the hot water in the shower and steps out of the bathroom to give me some privacy.
As I’m peeling off my clothes, I remember—the scream. Nate missing from bed—and I go cold. “Where is Nate?” I ask her, shakily, from the other side of the door.
“He’s off for a run. He said he texted you.” A pause. “Well, if you’re feeling better, I may go back to the house and whip up some coffee and crepes for everyone to help with the hangovers. You’re welcome to join.”
I shake my head. He’s on a run. Everything’s fine. Get a grip. “Yeah, okay. Thank you.” But something doesn’t feel right. Nate was drunk last night. When was the last time he woke up from a night like that and went on a run? He hasn’t been up that early since he was training for the Boston Marathon, and that was before Dani was born.
