Page 22 of Hide Me Darling

Come out, come out, wherever you are…

Are you looking for us? We are out in the open tonight, but you won’t find us sitting up in that house. It’s much too fun to run in the shadows.

Do you like playing games? How about hide and seek?

If you don’t find us by midnight, then it’s our turn. Let’s count to twelve then, seems like a lucky number…

When it gets to twelve, you know what happens, right?

Tick, tock…

X X X X

Chapter 10

Hydessa

Ishouldn’t be feeling excited that they are taunting me, but seeing that post has my heart racing in my chest. They are challenging me, and I have to admit to myself that I have never been called out like this.

They know where I am even now. Not only that, but it’s almost like they can see me. They want to count to twelve after I just put a list of twelve names on the wall. They know more than I expected, and I have a feeling that the only way I am going to get answers is if I play their little game.

I look out the large window of the office, but all I can see is the trees of the forest. Are they out there right now watching me? I’ve had the feeling of being watched since I arrived, but apart from the moment in the forest yesterday, I simply put it down to being new in town.

A shiver runs down my spine as I sit back in the chair, trying to steady my breathing and think logically. Whoever this person is, they’re trying to rattle me, to throw me off my game. But I can’t let them. I have to stay focused.

Should I close the window to this room or keep it open so that I can use it to my advantage at some point? Did I miss cameras in here or are they climbing trees?

I glance at the clock on the wall. It’s just past seven which means I have five hours until midnight. The blogger’s taunt is clear—I need to find them, or they’ll come find me. But where do I even start?

I make a quick decision. If I’m going to find them, I need to be out there, observing. But I would still need to wear my mask and black clothes and do whatever it took to go unseen by others until the businesses all shut down for the day. Which means I still needed to wait another hour for true darkness to fall, not the navy sky that still shows the last of the setting sun.

Heading to my bedroom, I take a shower and dress in my black clothes, pulling on the mask and adding a concealed knife into a leg strap just in case. The bloggers were either just close enough to watch through my window, or they have a way of seeing inside which should be impossible. But I can’t rule it out.

It makes me want to sweep the house again, but I don’t have time right now.

I take a deep breath, trying to calm the adrenaline coursing through my veins. I need to be smart about this. Rushing in without a plan will only get me killed.

I go over each person on my list, trying to determine who might be the most likely suspects. The blogger revealed they are a team, so who would go together well?

Allegra, Daniel, Eli, Rye, Jonah, Makai, Chester, Ty, Telvin, Lily, Maddie... Each name conjures up different interactions and impressions. But nothing concrete. Nothing that screams "killer" or “stalker”.

Some of the names don’t have businesses along the main beachfront, and I suspect they are set up on the other side of the island. I would need to investigate that area, but with so many of the names concentrated along the beachfront, that direction feels like the better use of my time. Especially when the last victim was killed on the beach.

I pause for a moment with my hand on the door, a horrible thought crossing my mind.

I’ve never seen the bodies, there have been no legal reports. Could this all just be a game? Are these bloggers using made up stories to mess with my head?

My hand shakes as I take a seat by the door and try to get my thoughts in order.

No, Uncle Max said there was a case here, if only from how hard they try to conceal themselves. He said there was more to all of this.

These bloggers are in my head already, making me question myself. I hate it. I despise that they know so much about me and I know so little about them. It’s clear they have been watching me, but for just how long?

The clock in the corner catches my eye, reminding me I have a mission. Find them before they find me.

Ready or not, here I come.

I slip out of the house, careful to lock the door behind me, and make my way through the quiet forest, sticking to the shadows. My heart pounds with every step, but I force myself to remain calm and focused.

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