Page 30

Noa vaults over a bunch of headstones and heads right for her, causing her to shriek and bolt. They disappear around the curve in the path, so I drop from the wall and follow them at a distance.

They come into sight again as Noa runs her through a narrow section, weaving between some older headstones. He lets her hide behind one with an angel on top, while he makes enough noise that Valli can hear him coming. He then goes quiet as he creeps slowly forward. Valli pops her head out and shrieks again when she finds his face right in front of hers. Eventually she comes flying past and flashes a smile at me over her shoulder. Noa grabs me by the jacket as he runs past. “Come on, it’s scarecrow time.”

Once we catch up to her, she’s standing on the edge of the cornfield.

“Tell me what to do,” she says, staring between the stalks.

I hear a rustle and know he’s in there, waiting for us.

Noa steps up beside her. “He is different in there at night. He might be rough, and you won’t be able to reach him like you normally can. You won’t hear him coming—you won’t know where he is until he wants you to. So trust your gut and don’t stop running, not for anything.”

“What if he gets you?” Valli whispers.

“Keep running. Save yourself.”

“Noa . . .” Valli trails off in confusion.

“I mean it, save yourself. I will be an amazing sacrifice.”

“Don’t worry yourself over it,” I say to her. “It seems Noa has a scarecrow kink and wants this experience.”

Noa turns and gives me the stink eye. “Are we ready?”

Valli nods at him.

I know I have nothing to worry about. Cave is so used to me now that if I were to come here at night, he would just stalk me and fuck me. It’s not a lot rougher than when he seeks me out.

Something crosses Valli’s face, then she turns and pushes into the corn, the stalks closing behind her. Noa looks back at me, his grin wide. I give him a nod, and he runs into the field behind her.

After taking a breath, I move along the outer row in silence. I wore my jacket tonight, one without my trinkets, and I know this field almost as well as Cave.

Valli is ahead, and her footsteps give her away. Behind her is Noa; he is talking, so there is no hiding for him. I am pretty sure he is doing it on purpose. His voice stops, and the cornfield falls silent. I pause and listen.

Cave is always actively hunting when someone or something comes into his cornfield. I stay still, knowing that he hunts using sound.

Noa shouts from somewhere to my left. “Oh no!” he calls out, and it’s clearly sarcasm. “I’m not the one you want—I’m just the sidekick.”

There is a thud, and the unmistakable sound of a body hitting the ground.

“He has my ankle. Valli, run! Save yourself! I’m going willingly. It will be a beautiful death!”

I roll my eyes at his dramatics; proclaiming his imminent demise is a little over the top. He may wake up covered in bruises, but something tells me he will wear them like badges of honor and show them off to everyone.

“I carry no lantern, yet I lead you in circles. I set no trap, yet you walk into me willingly. I am the thing that lives between knowing and not knowing. What am I?”

Noa’s response is muffled. “That is a trick riddle and you know it. Ouch! That’s going to leave a bruise—do it again. Do I get a safe word? Valli has one.”

Valli appears from between the stalks. Pulling up hard, she darts her hand out and catches the front of my jacket. “Cipher,” she pants. “Where is he?”

“Moving.”

She stares at me. “Which direction?”

I shrug. “I don’t know, no one ever does with Cave.”

She makes a small noise and pulls me by my jacket. I fall in step with her, and she keeps a hold of the material the entire way. We make it to the north edge when Cave steps out directly in front of us.

Cave doesn’t run; he doesn’t need to.