Page 56

The sun disappeared again, and with it, my mirth.

What warmth Fox had brought out in me, I started to lose the further into the woods we went. We were going into the deepest, darkest parts of the forest now, treading places I knew humans rarely ever touched.

Trees as thick as three grown men, some even larger, towered over us, blocking out all the light so Fox had to pull out a flashlight. It wasn’t even sunset, but in the untouched overgrowth of the woods, it could have been the middle of the night. The cloying scent of damp earth and ice clung to my nose, along with a taste of salt on my tongue from the near constant stream of snot running down my face.

The temperature dropped a degree every minute. My breath fogged in front of my face, icy and crisp, every inhale sharply burning my lungs. Every few feet, I thought I smelled the musky scent of an animal, but it evaded me when I focused, drowned out by the damp and pine permeating the air.

We stopped when three does bounded through the woods into our path, giving my busted-up leg a short reprieve. Looking just as surprised as us to find anyone else in these parts of the forest, the deer paused for a moment to huff and sniff the air before continuing on their way.

“The cabin isn’t far,” Fox said. He spoke softer, more reserved than he’d been on the utility easement. When we’d been high on the rush of riding down the hill and the sun had lightened up all the shadows hanging around us. Now we didn’t know what lurked in the dark, and we didn’t know what awaited us at the cabin.

Though I hadn’t known Fox for long, I started to recognize the things he left unsaid. The taut squaring of his shoulders, the hard line of his jaw, and the subtle tension in his voice all signaled he felt at least a little trepidation. The closer we got to my sister, the further he went from his family and any loyalties he might have once harbored.

He could be leading you into a trap, a pesky voice whispered in the recesses of my mind. I pushed it away, for if he wanted to off me, there would have been at least a dozen chances to do so already. Giving into distrust now would only ruin my chances of getting to Everly.

Once I have her, I swore to myself with my stinging, frozen fingers clenched into fists, I’ll get them both out.

I looked Fox’s back over once more before picking up my aching limbs to follow.

Somewhere along the way, Everly stopped being the only one I was trying to get out of the woods.

The trees thinned slightly, giving way to a clearing where the ground was a thick bed of pine needles, muffling every step and making the trek easier and softer on my ankle. No snow lingered on the ground here, and I doubted it had ever been there. The canopy of pine boughs overhead was too thick for light to penetrate, let alone snow.

I watched my feet, being mindful of the gnarled roots weaving in tangled masses across the forest floor, perfect for tripping me up and spraining my other ankle. Too busy with the ground, I didn’t notice we arrived until Fox said, “Here it is.” He slowed and moved aside, waiting for me to join him.

I looked up, a dark, rust-colored cabin coming into view, nestled between the tall, narrow trees.

That was when I saw it.

The window. Panes fogged and old, dirty with age.

Two hands, milky white, their palms pressed against the glass.

I stopped and gasped. The hands vanished.

Had I imagined them?

A snarl reverberated in the trees on our left.

I wrenched my head towards the shadows, nearly unable to pull away from the window, wondering if it had been Everly. Before I could even hypothesize what it might be, Fox shoved me hard. Hard enough to send me sprawling backwards as soon as whatever he had seen leapt out of the woods.

Blood drained from my face in a cold sweep when I took in the sight of the unholy creature I encountered before in the woods. My arm stung just thinking about its claws digging into me. Deeper this time. Ripping out sinew and muscle. Tearing me apart, limb from limb.

The minotaur-like beast circled in a slow arc behind me, preparing to charge. Yellow, vicious, burning eyes locked on me. Targeting me. Readying to run right through me with its hooves, claws, and horns. Without a doubt, it was the beast that attacked me yesterday. The same one who might have disemboweled and beheaded the officers.

Where’s my black bear when I need him?

Panicked, I turned around, the world moving in slow motion as I searched for Fox. I found him ripping off his coat and snow pants, right there in the clearing.

“Fox?” I croaked, unable to connect the dots. Like this was a dream, and he was acting weird because none of this was real.

“Keep your head down,” he said, eyes never leaving the creature behind me. Something about his voice... All the warmth was gone. He was stone cold. Locked in.

He dropped to all fours, and right before my eyes...

He shifted.

Chapter 26