Page 23 of A Hot Sauce Halloween

“Yeah, just… trying to get a hold of Anna. She’s not answering her phone.”

She chuckles. “One too many mimosas already?”

“Hopefully.”

“Or she’s dead.”

I clench. “Or that…”

“I’m just kidding, big guy!” She slaps my arm. “Lighten up. It’s Halloween. No one’s gonna die tonight. Now, if someone could, I don’t know—” she shouts at her belly, “be born tonight! That’d be cool.”

I nod slowly, feeling a slight tremble in my fingers. Something about this feels so very wrong. My guts twist and my instincts scream. I need to see her. I need to look into my fiancèe’s eyes and know she’s all right.

“Evey, do you mind keeping an eye on Charlotte for me?” I ask her. “Just gonna run back home and make sure Anna’s okay.”

She shrugs. “Sure. I’ll set her up bobbing for apples with Vin and Zach. From the water bucket… not the vodka one.”

“Thank you.”

I lean down, forcing the foam taco up and over my head. It drops to the floor and I kick it aside to get it out of the way.

Evey’s eyes grow wide as she looks me up and down with a careful smirk.

“What?” I ask.

“Skin-tight looks good on you,” she says.

I chuckle and back up into the alley exit door. “I’ll be right back.”

She winces. “They say you shouldn’t say that!”

I bite my tongue. Too late now.

* * *

The streets are livelywith lines of trick-or-treaters. Usually, this wouldn’t bother me at all, but right now they’re making every minute in traffic feel twice as long. The houses down our street are brightly lit and welcoming but as I pull up to our silent, shadowed house, I feel a tug of dread deep in my chest.

I park in the driveway and take double-long strides up the porch steps to the front door.

My heart stops. It’s open. The door is open. Just one inch ajar is enough to make all my nightmare thoughts take over.

“Anna?”

I shove the door open only to be greeted by more shadows. Not a single light in the house is on, but the flickering of the television shines in from the next room.

“Anna?”

I pause, listening for an answer. Hell, listening for any sound. The soft click of her glass setting against the table. A line of dialogue from a girlie movie. Fucking anything.

I force myself to walk through the foyer into the living room. The television comes into view showing nothing but static. The white light bounces off a lump on the sofa. Her back is to me. Is she asleep?

“Anna!”

She doesn’t move. I don’t breathe.

I reach out to touch her, my fingers slowly crawling over her shoulder. I tug on her and she falls back with a soft thud.

Oh, god…

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