Page 67 of Eldritch

She went into cover mode, not wanting him to comprehend her real thoughts. “Of course.”

“Yeah.” Doubt filled his voice. “Why don’t I believe you? That was a heavy sigh.”

She froze, briefly surprised. It gave her a second to remember that she trusted him. “You’re right, it was. This house...it’s just...”

What could she say?

“Weird?” he ventured.

She glanced over at him as he gave her a quick wry smile.

“That’s a good name for it.” She shrugged and returned her gaze to the road. The encroaching night also gave her the willies, and she hated that. “I don’t know what to make of it.” Her curiosity got the better of her. “What do you think is wrong with that house?”

He didn’t speak right away.

“Wish I knew,” he finally said.

“You think we’re a bunch of nuts, don’t you?”

She glanced at him and noted his big grin.

“You’re not crazy. None of you are. At least I don’t think so,” he said. “Ever since I came up here after my uncle died, I’ve thought about selling the cabin.”

“Why?”

“At first I thought I was irrational, too. My cabin isn’t haunted. But outside the cabin...in the woods, things feel thick. Heavy. As if the entire place is alive. I’ve been in a lot of forests and never felt what I do in this area.”

She drew in a slow breath, relieved. “The house is like that. And the woods right around it. I knew it from the first day I saw the trees.”

“Right? The tree trunks are wild.”

“I’m sure scientists will figure it out some day,” she said.

“Maybe. You wanted to say more about the house.”

She bit her lower lip. “You wouldn’t believe me.”

“Try me.”

She winced. “Yeah, if I do that, you’ll turn this truck around, take me back to the house, and never talk to me again.”

“You’re assuming a lot.”

She rubbed her arms, cold even when she wore outerwear appropriate for the weather. “I do that a lot, just like everyone else. But sometimes what I assume is completely right.”

Oh, Sybil. Shut up.

No. No, I won’t.

“Let’s back up a bit,” he said, his voice steady. “I meant you’re assuming a lot about what I’ll think if you’re up front with me.”

“Well, you were a cop. Most cops are skeptical about stuff like this.”

“True. And I am, too.”

“I rest my case.”

He laughed. “Sybil, come on. You’re an open-minded woman. You know that not all people in a certain profession are the same. Yeah, some cops are skeptical. Many people in the military are, too. But we’re human, like anyone else.”

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