25
JACE
Cyrus’ sudden absence carves a void inside me, an expanding sense of emptiness threatening to tear me apart. I suck air through my teeth in steady counts of three. I’ve lived without him for two years, ‘lived’ being a generous description—I’veexistedwithout him. My heart still beat even when I was certain it wouldn’t. The feeling of him returns to itch beneath the surface of my skin. My hands turn to fists, keeping myself from scratching him out.
Above me, the house rests in unsettling silence. Elias’ constant pacing, boots stomping against the wooden floorboards, has vanished. Maybe he’s finally fallen asleep or passed out drunk, considering the cloud of whiskey-scented air that surrounded him. Or maybe he’s waiting for me to make a move? Either way, Ihaveto do something.
Heat from upstairs trickles down between the rafters, but it’s not enough to rid the space of the damp cold soaking my body. The chill seeps all the way to my bones, making my teeth chatter and my body ache. Cyrus still hasn’t returned. With no way to track time, dread builds inside my body, telling me it’s beentoolong. Wave after wave of paranoia crashes over me until I’m drowning in panic.What if he doesn’t come back?
Light breaks through the frame of the basement door in a faint yellow halo. I watch for several minutes, waiting for a shadow to move behind the door and alert me to someone’s presence. When nothing does, I creep up towards the staircase, keeping my footsteps light. My foot collides with something solid, causing me to stumble. The object clatters across the floor, landing in the thin strip of light from the top of the stairs. My hands fly over my mouth, barely muffling my scream. I take shallow breaths through the spaces between my fingers, biting my tongue to keep another shriek from bubbling up. A bone lies between me and my escape—too long, the ends too rounded to be an animal. Any second thought of waiting for Cyrus vanishes, and I sprint the rest of the way to the staircase, taking a wide path around the bone.
Even though my heart is racing, I take the steps one at a time. After every creak, I pause, waiting several seconds to make sure I don’t hear footsteps before continuing. I grip the cool metal of the doorknob, twisting it hesitantly. My pulse pounds against my eardrums, and I take a deep breath before opening the door.
Light pours in from the kitchen, temporarily blinding me. I stumble forward, my eyes taking too long to adjust. My body tenses, expecting Elias to grab me at any moment and throw me back into the dark. A snore carries from the other room, startling me. I jump back against the wall, but once my eyes adjust, I exhale. Elias is passed out on the couch. Cyrus is nowhere to be found.
The crushing realization that I’m alone again consumes me, chest tightening as I struggle to keep my grip on reality. Maybe he was never here at all, only a creation born from a flicker of hope inside my heart that he would step in and save me. I want to trust myself, to believe what we had is so strong, it defied death. If I do, though, it means acknowledging Cyrus once againleft and didn’t come back. Tears cloud my vision, one breaking free to roll down my cheek—and I furiously wipe it away.
Elias stirs between snores, making my panic override my disappointment. I need to find an escape route before I run out of time. I mentally map out the cabin. The living room leads to the front door, but I’d have to sneak past Elias. The basement leads up to the kitchen, where I’m standing now—the kitchen. My parents’ has a back door, so maybe this hell hole does too. I cringe, looking around the small room. Dirty dishes cover every surface, and there are remnants of what used to be soup in a pot on the stove. I cover my mouth, trying not to take deep breaths so the smell that accompanies the view doesn’t gag me. Beyond the mess, there’s a door with a small window covered by a once-white curtain.Bingo.
A disgruntled groan comes from the living room. I don’t take the time to look back, bolting across the room towards my salvation. My muscles scream with exhaustion, but I refuse to slow down, even when I swear I hear Cyrus call my name from behind me. The door opens easily, already unlocked, and the frigid winter air assaults me as I flee from the house into the night.
Someone calls out to me, my name drifting through the howling of the wind, but I don’t turn around. My heart clenches, fearing it’s Cyrus. I can’t risk it; if I’m wrong, the small action could cause me to pause long enough for Elias to catch up to me. The frozen air burns my skin, lightning bolts of pain zipping up my legs each time my feet pound against the ground. The safety of the woods is only a few feet away. If I can just make it behind the trees, I can sort out what to do next.
The silence of the woods is unnerving as I slip past the trees into the darkness. Faint streams of moonlight filter through twisted branches, but not enough for me to get my bearings. My heart clamors in my chest, each breath shakier than the last. Istop, pressing myself against the backside of a tree to hide while I decide which direction to run in.
I don’t get the chance to catch my breath before the sound of crunching snow paralyzes me. Every muscle painfully contracts, keeping me from moving even an inch. I squeeze my eyes shut, focusing all my energy on listening. The noise gets closer, ricocheting through the darkness so it’s impossible to tell which way it’s coming from. It could easily be behind any of the trees surrounding me.
My lungs burn, begging me to take in even a tiny sip of oxygen, but my body refuses. A scream lodges in my throat, strangling me as a figure emerges from between the trees in front of me. It’s massive, a skeletal frame with elk antlers stretching out from a tornado of shadows. The stench of decay stings my nostrils, and I choke on the saliva pooling in my mouth.
Its jawbone falls open with a grotesque pop. “Jace,” it calls, the voice a disturbing mixture of Elias and Cyrus.
Something inside me snaps at the sound of my name, releasing me from my frozen state. I bolt in the opposite direction, not caring which way I’m heading, as long as it’s far from here. Branches claw at my raw skin, shredding through the remaining fabric of my shirt. I can’t hear it behind me, but the heaviness of its presence presses in on me, trying to swallow me whole. The trees rush together, snow falling to create a disorienting veil over the woods. My head becomes light, the prospect of getting lost out here with thisthingmaking me panic.
My feet slip, my stomach somersaulting as I tumble into the snow. Pain radiates through me like thousands of tiny needles piercing my skin. My chest slams into the ground, knocking the air from my lungs. I scramble to my hands and knees, wincing as I crawl behind the nearest tree.
One minute goes by, then two. Time keeps ticking, but I have no way to track it. Each second is agonizing dread, waiting for the creature to sneak up on me and wrap its bony hand around my neck to drag me away.
The silence is deafening, ringing in my ears. No footsteps, no voices. Is it just playing with me, waiting for me to run again? My racing thoughts begin to slow and my eyelids grow heavy. I curl my body up as small as I can, positioning myself away from the chilly draft winding through the trees. My jaw clenches to keep my teeth from rattling around my skull. Finally, I allow myself to close my eyes, pretending I’m somewhere safe and warm.
26
JACE
My eyes flutter open, the darkness from last night replaced by soft morning light. It pours down from the gaps between trees, glimmering on the frosty branches. I expect to be freezing, but I’m no longer shivering. The frigid ache in my bones is absent, every cell in my body tingling with an unfamiliar static. Memories of the creature seep into my consciousness. I jolt upright, looking for any sign of danger, but instead, I find a familiar face.
“Cyrus,” I gasp, lunging toward him and wrapping my arms around his neck. His body is solid, unlike before. “Are you really here?”
His eyes, wide as saucers, glisten with unshed tears. The expression on his face holds too many emotions for me to pinpoint one. His hands cups my cheeks, his eyes searching mine for several moments before he speaks. “I was scared you might not wake up,” he finally chokes out.
The pressure of his hand is firm against my skin, but there’s a foreignness to it, and I draw back. “You’re touching me,” I exclaim, not quite a question, my voice unsure. “How?”
Cyrus’ hands snap to his sides. He shrugs, his lips clenched tight between his teeth. His eyes dart away, unable to look me in the eyes. “I’m not sure. I don’t know how any of this works.”
Cautiously, I scoot towards him. He doesn’t move away, but thick waves of tension roll off him. My stomach lurches, like an angry swarm of bees is buzzing inside it. My skin crawls, the static feeling beneath it increasing. Unease ripples through me, and for a moment, I think I might jump up and run away. “What’s wrong?” I ask, the words thick in my throat.
“How are you feeling?” Cyrus asks, still looking away.
“Strange,” I reply honestly, running my hands over my head to feel for any wounds or bumps. “Did I hit my head or something?”
