Page 28 of Into the Night

Nodding, Maisy walks closer to the window and peers out into the trees beyond. She’s unusually quiet and seems to be looking for something. Or someone.

“What’s wrong? Do you see something else about to come down?”

Wringing her hands in front of her, she shakes her head, scanning her guest’s cars. No longer parked in her driveway close to the trees, they’re now lining the road where there’s less chance of damage.

“My nephew. He should be here by now. Something’s not right,” she mutters, moving back toward me.

Pursing my lips, I stare outside. This is not the weather for driving in. It’s not the weather for doing anything in.

“Maybe he turned back if the roads were too bad. Or he’s parked up somewhere to wait it out.”

Maisy shakes her head and looks up at me with big, worried eyes.

“No. My sister called to check if he’d gotten here, so he’s not at home. We told him not to go… but he’s got a girl in town… He’s only a teenager, Griffin. I’m not sure he’d know what to do if he got into any real trouble on the road.”

I think of my own younger cousin and know he’d do something reckless like try to walk rather than wait for help. And he has zero survival skills without being able to look it up on the internet. The risk of getting hit with flying debris or getting hypothermia in this weather is very real.

“When was he supposed to get here?” Leaning the broom up against the wall, I leave and go to my room, returning a few moments later with a backpack, and then grab my heavy rain jacket and thick hat off the rack in Maisy’s doorway.

“Two hours.” She looks pale and nervous as she watches me prepare to go outside. “Griffin, you can’t go out in that… I don’t want you to get hurt, either.”

But as she looks me up and down, I realise she’s got an inkling I’m not just a man. She suspects that I’ve got something extra about me that will make me a bit more resilient to the harsh conditions.

“It’s part of the job, Maisy. And I think we both know, I’ll be okay.”

Taking a quick look at one of the maps I brought with me, marked up with all the trails I’ve visited since deciding to move here, Maisy points out the road he was driving. Then she points to where Evan’s house is, right at the top of the hill, which marks the beginning of the bad stretch into town. Leaning over the table, I work out what will be the best way to locate him when I’m going to be searching on my own.

“Do you think you can find him?” she asks in a small voice.

Hopefully, he’ll turn up in some neighbour’s house, sheltering from the storm, but I can’t promise anything.

“Call Jack and ask him to come by and board up the window. And keep some tart for me. I was looking forward to that.”

When I give her a wink, squeezing her shoulder gently, Maisy smiles. It’s forced, but it’s something.

“Be careful,” she whispers as I wrench the door open, using my body to shield her from the blast of cold air and spray of rain that blows through.

Nodding brusquely, I step outside and duck my head to avoid the driving rain that’s stinging my skin. It doesn’t work, coming in sideways and lashing my face. I set off quickly, torch in hand, and cut across the grass toward my truck.

If he had gotten as far as town, he would have been fine and made it to Maisy’s by now.

The winding downhill section from King’s property seems the most likely place for something to have gone wrong, either a swollen river cutting off the road, a fallen tree, or even an inexperienced driver skidding off the slick tarmac. That’s where I need to focus my efforts.

The beast in my head roars at me to let him out, that he’ll cover the distance in no time and find the boy with his nose, if he’s there to be found. But I can’t let him out. I’m too afraid of what I’ll become and what he might do.

He’s never had control before. I don’t trust him not to seek out Kali’s house instead. God knows what he’s capable of. And she’s made it clear she doesn’t want to see me, although that doesn’t seem to be something he’s willing to accept.

The skin on my forearms ripple, and my chest heaves as he pounds against the mental barriers that I’ve built up inside my mind to keep him caged.

A quick look at my reflection in the rearview mirror of my truck makes my blood run cold. My eyes are coal black. The tang of blood fills my mouth as my teeth enlarge and lengthen, pushing my mouth forward and stretching my lips.

There’s no way I could be near Kali like this. It wouldn’t be safe for her. I’m far more dangerous to her than the storm.

Passing The Devil’s Claw, I slow down and drive around back, checking to see if Maisy’s nephew might have pulled in off the road to hunker down here. There’s one car parked there, but it doesn’t match the description Maisy gave me. Just to be certain, I open my window and shine my torch on it, making sure there’s nobody inside. It’s empty.

When I go to roll the window back up, a distant sound catches my attention: A whistle. Loud and sharp.

Parking, I climb out and stand still, letting the rain soak me as I wait to see if it sounds again. When it does, my beast tells me exactly which direction it’s coming from. Not far as the crow flies, and straight through the forest in front of us.

---