Page 29 of The Killing Game

The boat shed sits lost in the shadows of the night. None of the lights affixed to its roof are functional. Only the soft glow from the moon illuminates its frame. Making it to the forest edge, I shine my light over the dock. It’s empty aside from the chairs and cooler we never cleaned up from earlier. Carefully moving forward, I sweep the light in front of me, looking for any clues.

“Sam,” I whisper. “Sam, are you down here?”

I look back at Jason. He nods towards the direction of the building.

Sweeping my light up, we see the door to the shed wide open. Forgetting all survival instincts, I run into the structure.

“Sam!” I yell. I fling the light in every direction, looking through every corner of the room. The kayaks sit upside down on the ground nearest to the metal garage door that leads to the lake. I fling them over with ease. Nothing.

I turn my attention to the closet in the other corner that holds lake towels, jackets, and various lake toys. I rip each piece out until it’s left empty. I turn again, searching for a clue, anything to show where Sam might be.

Jason stands at the entryway watching.

“Don’t just stand there, asshole!” I scream. “Sam, where are you?”

Jason doesn’t move from his spot.

“She’s not here, Ash. We need to keep–”

A scream rips through the darkness behind Jason. Jason flinches before turning to look behind him. I run to meet him at the entrance. With a shaky hand, I raise my light towards the sound. At the start of the dock is a dark lump. It wobbles under the moonlight, standing shakily to its feet. It limps toward us, a whimper cutting through the night. The figure reaches the beam of light twenty-five feet away to reveal its face.

“SAM!”

I bolt from the shed towards her, but my foot catches on something protruding from the ground. I fall face first into the damp earth. My flashlight and knife skitter in front of me, the light still shining towards Sam. A pang racks through my chest. All the air leaves my lungs from the impact. I lay for a second to catch my breath. A dull ache lingers on my right side where my foot made contact with whatever made me lose my footing. Looking up to Sam, my breath catches. Another figure lingers in the distance behind her. It’s long strides shortening the distance between them.

“Blood. So much blood. Colton,” she chokes out, almost incoherent.

Sam stops. She falters for a second before falling to her knees. She buries her face in her hands as her body shakes from sobs for the loss of our friend.

“Sam. You need to move.”

The looming figure is only five steps away now. Close enough for the flashlight to cast light over its mask-covered face. The killer raises an arm to the sky. Their right hand wields an ax, glimmering in the shadows.

Panic rises from inside. Adrenaline masks the pain as I try to untangle myself. Grabbing towards my ankle, I feel the twist of vines and tree roots I tripped over. I rip at the vines fervently to release my leg. I glance back at Sam. The killer is two steps away.

“Sam, RUN!” I scream loosening the last vine from my ankle. Scrambling to my feet, I reach down for my knife and flashlight buried in the dirt, never taking my eyes off of the figure behind Sam.

The killer is one step away.

I’m frozen in place, my subconscious keeping me from helping her.

She looks up to me. Agony etched into her soft features. Her lip trembles as she reaches out a shaky hand towards us, her voice barely a whisper.

“The killer… It’s…It’s–”

Emerald eyes go sideways as Sam’s head falls from her shoulders. A thud echoes into the darkness. Dark liquid sputters from the top of her torso where her head once sat. The body sways before slumping behind the severed head. A pool of darkness surrounds my friend’s lifeless corpse. The killer’s figure disappears back into the darkness.

Everything numbs. A scream tears through my throat, hoarse and unyielding. The only thing grounding me in this moment is the tug on my arm. Its force is relentless against my screams. Warm arms wrap around my waist, yanking my eyes from the scene in front of me. Dark eyes fill my vision.

Jason.

He grabs my face between his hands, thumb rubbing against my cheek. His lips move with his voice, but the ringing in my ears almost drowns out his words. My breathing is shallow, leaving me lightheaded.

“Ashe, fucking focus. Can you do that?”

I nod my head automatically. I take a shaky breath to steady myself.

“We’re leaving. We just need to grab a cell phone and the keys to the car, then we’re leaving. Can you walk?”