Page 10 of Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are

We reached the car and Evelyn released my hand to root through her bag for the keys. They jingled in the small space between us as she pressed the key fob.

Glad to be out of the cold, I slid inside and blew on my cold hands.

We were soon on the road, driving back toward town. The heating had finally kicked in and so had the seat warmer. I was slowly thawing.

“I can’t believe the boys swam in the river,” Evelyn said, breaking the silence. We never listened to music in the car. Not since that night. “It’s freezing outside.”

“They’re crazy,” I agreed, relaxing back into my seat, watching the first raindrop hit the windshield with a dramatic splash. More followed. Soon, the wipers were on, just like that night.

My stomach churned and I squeezed my eyes shut when more memories threatened to reduce me to rubble inside Evelyn’s car. I needed to get myself together. I was spiraling fast.

Evelyn noticed and pulled up at a gas station. Silence settled as she cut the engine and stared straight ahead, gripping the steering wheel tightly.

The rain hammered the roof, the scent rich inside the small car. I used to love it, especially early in the day when it mixed with the fresh smell, but now it made me sickly.

“I’ll buy us some snacks,” Evelyn whispered, pushing open the door.

“It’s bucketing down,” I pointed out, but she was already gone, leaving the door open as if she was too spooked to remember to close it.

Unbuckling my seatbelt and leaning across the center console, I went to shut it but paused, staring at the drenched figure across the road. Raindrops dripped from his wet hair, and his black windbreaker jacket was soaked through.

Cars whizzed by as his lips pulled back into a cruel smirk before he lifted a single finger to his lips. My heart started racing in my chest, and a small sound escaped my lips. I couldn’t look away.

His steel-gray eyes bored into me as he lowered his finger and shoved his hand back into his jacket pocket. There was something sinister about how he watched me, as if he was intentionally trying to unnerve me. I knew it was a trick of my imagination, but I couldn’t look away?—

A loud bang on the roof made me startle and release a loud scream. I scrambled back, darting my gaze out the window, only to see Evelyn grinning down at me with her hand still on the roof.

She rounded the car, slid back inside, and shut the door. Her wet hair stuck to her freckled cheeks, and her jeans were damp at the knees.

Restarting the engine, she frowned at me. “Are you okay?”

My eyes were back on the road, but Nate was gone. Cars drove by, disturbing the rain collected on the ground.

I continued staring ahead, then cleared my throat. It was as if he’d never been there. One minute, he’d gazed at me with those cold, gray eyes. And the next, he was gone.

“Yeah,” I croaked. “I’m fine.”

My bare feet thundered on the moist ground, pine needles and dirt clinging to the soles of my feet. The moon’s silvery light filtered through the towering trees overhead, and the haunted hooting of a lone owl danced with my fevered breaths.

My lungs burned with exertion as heavy footsteps sounded behind me. Sticks snapped underfoot, the branches clawing at my exposed arms and breaking my skin. It stung, but the adrenaline coursing through my veins drove me forward. I couldn’t shake him, no matter how fast I ran.

His cruel laughter bounced off the skinny trees all around, his breath hot on my ear. He was close. So close that his heat slithered over the thin layer of cold sweat on my neck and caressed each curve of my spine. I couldn’t run anymore. My legs burned with agony. I would soon collapse. It was only a matter of time.

As my vision blurred with salty tears, I released a choked sob. I couldn’t do this. I couldn’t tame this feral, vicious panic inside me.

“You can’t outrun me,” he taunted, barely out of breath. “I will catch you, Skyler. I will peel your skin off your bones.”

Ice splashed down my spine at the dark promise in his voice as it coiled itself around my hammering heartbeat. He would catch me. It wasn’t a case of if, but when.

His hard chest collided with my back, sending me flying into the nearest oak tree. I cried out as the rough bark dug into my sweaty palms. His body engulfed mine, and the woodsy odor of sap assaulted my senses. I inhaled a deep breath before releasing a loud scream that cracked through the dark forest.

His warm, calloused hand clamped over my mouth, muffling the sounds of my terror. “Got you, little killer.”

I startled awake with a scream that was muffled in my pillow. Long, punishing fingers dug into the back of my neck, keeping me trapped as I tried to gain my bearings. I was in my dark bedroom, with my hands held in a firm grip against the small of my back. There was someone on top of me. Someone heavy who smelled of rain, pine, and the night.

Notes of smoke and revenge coated Nate’s raspy voice as he whispered against the shell of my ear, “Did you think it was over, little killer? That I would stay buried?”

His breathy chuckle wafted over my skin, leaving goosebumps in its wake.

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