Page 30 of The Killer You Know

It’s stupid, I know, and totally paranoid, but if I’ve been anything these last few days, it’s been paranoid.

I mean, what are the odds that something happened to both Robin and Brittney? What if there’s some maniac out there who’s decided to pick all of us off one by one?

I shake the thought out of my head. It’s ridiculous. Those things only happen in horror movies. It’s not like we hurt anyone. Okay, so it’s not like we decapitated anyone. Although it probably would have felt better to a few of those people we dragged through hell.

As I push forward on the trail, another shiver runs down my spine. I try to shake it off. I’ve got one heck of an overactive imagination.

But then I see it—a dark figure emerging from the shadows ahead, the glint of what looks like a hunting knife in their hand.

“What?” I hiss as I slow to a stop and blink hard that way, hoping that it’s nothing more than a bear.

A bear, of all things. I never thought I’d hope so hard to see a wild animal that could maul me.

The figure lunges my way and a scream gets locked in my throat.

They’re clad in black, ski mask included, nothing but the glint from the whites of their eyes staring back at me, and that knife gleams with the promise of a certain death.

Panic seizes me and grips my heart like an ice-cold vise.

My feet do an odd pirouette as I turn and start running back the way I came, and suddenly my legs feel like rubber.

A grunt evicts from me instead of a scream as I propel myself forward in a desperate sprint fueled by sheer terror.

“No,” I pant as I hear their footfalls closing in. “Please.” I gasp as the world seems to spin into a blur.

The trees give a demonic sway and the ground seems to be coming up to greet my feet, making me falter as I’m electrocuted by this newfound blind panic.

The trail that once seemed so tranquil has morphed into a nightmare as the footfalls quickly catch up from behind.

My breath comes in ragged gasps as my mind begins to race. My eyes flit to the woods on either side, far too dense to get three feet, let alone escape.

“Help,” I whimper as my right hand fumbles for the phone in my pocket.

I’m tackled from behind and hit the ground face-first. I’m flipped over in one violent move and I look up in time to see the blade as it plunges into my chest.

A wildfire of pain explodes through me all at once. A weak croak escapes my throat as the world begins to fade.

That hawk and the bird’s-eye view of the world I’ve always wanted comes to mind just as I rise out of my body.

Death can bring the strangest gifts.

20

Special Agent Fallon Baxter

It turns out, there was only one woman going by the name Angel that night at the Paradise compound.

According to the report, she said she was going south to stay at a friend’s place in Colorado Springs. I racked my head trying to think of anyone Erin could have known down there. My sister wasn’t exactly a socialite, but who knows what dicey friends she’s amassed after living in the cult.

“It’s about time the two of you showed up,” Nikki says as Jack, Buddy, and I enter into the forensics lab at the FBI field office.

After we left the hospital, Nikki shot us a message saying that Brittney’s mother dropped off her daughter’s laptop. Forensics already had her phone, and that’s why we’re here.

We stopped off and picked up sandwiches—a hot pastrami for Jack, two turkey with avocado for Nikki and me. Buddy is already sniffing around the bag with a whimper even though I busted out a healthy helping of kibble I brought along and he wolfed it down in three easy bites.

Nikki is in the digital enclave, a smaller segment of the lab, dimly lit with an endless array of computers and equipment. Her crimson locks are pulled back and she’s clad in yoga gear as she calls Buddy to her and offers him a hearty back rub. Buddy likes Nikki almost as much as he likes food.

The walls in the room are black and lined with screens. A white counter rims the room and acts as a desk system and there are a litany of stools on casters to accommodate a small army at once if need be. But for now, it’s just the four of us in the room.

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