Page 23 of Nightmare Island

HEL

My lungs sting as I tear through the dark woods out of pure panic from the numerous howls, the damn branches whipping at my face and arms.

I’d started my trek by following the mountain of stone carved into the woods, hoping it would bring me back around to the mansion, but with the darkness and the fact that I’m moving fast, I’ve lost track of the wall. And now I swear I’m lost.

The sound of my ragged breathing fills my ears while the distant howls of wolves have me moving faster. And all I can think about is how much I really hate Eve, how I don’t think she sent me down the stairs by accident. She doesn’t even know me, yet she pulled this stunt?

But I’m tenacious, and I’ll return to the mansion for the simple act of confronting her.

The forest is a blur of shadows and moonlight, each tree looking like a potential predator ready to pounce. Roots seem to reach up from the ground, trying to snag my feet. I stumble, catching myself against the rough bark of a massive oak, using that second of rest to catch my breath. I really need to take up jogging and improve my fitness.

Just keep moving. Don’t stop. Don’t look back.

I push off from the tree, leaves crunching under my sneakers as I resume my frantic pace. The air is thick with the scent of earth and pine trees. Something rustles in the underbrush to my left, and I instinctively veer right, not wanting to find out if it’s a harmless rabbit or something with far sharper teeth.

Suddenly, the woods spit me out as if I’m an unwanted morsel. I stumble, momentum carrying me forward onto a stone path that appears out of nowhere. My hands scrape against rough stone as I catch myself, preventing a face-first meeting with the ground. As I regain my balance, I realize I’m standing between two decayed stone walls, their jagged edges reaching toward the sky like broken teeth.

“Well, this isn’t ominous at all,” I murmur. The constant background noise of the forest, buzzing insects and rustling leaves, has disappeared, leaving behind a stillness that has my skin crawling.

I take a tentative step forward. The path stretches out before me, winding between what appear to be the ruins of an old settlement. Most of the buildings are little more than piles of rubble, but I can almost imagine what this place might have looked like when it was alive—people bustling about, children playing in the streets, the air filled with the sounds of life and laughter. It makes me wonder if it’s back from the time of humans living here.

And now, it’s a ghost town.

The Blood Moon might light up the darkness to a degree, but thank the gods for enhanced werewolf vision, or I’d be stumbling around like a drunk. As it is, I can see every crack in the stones, every blade of grass pushing its way through the ancient path.

I step farther into the town, my attention darting from side to side. It’s a single long road, seeming to wind ahead into the gloom. The hair on my arms stands up. I’ve never been one tobelieve in ghosts, but if they exist, this place is definitely prime real estate for them.

“Okay, Hel,” I whisper, needing to hear a human voice, even if it’s my own. “This could be a good place to hide out until sunrise.” Just find a cozy little ruin and settle in for the night. Easy-peasy.

As I start to wander down the curved road, I catch movement from the corner of my eye. I whip my head around, heart pounding, but there’s nothing there. Just shadows. Right? Bats, perhaps?

“Get it together,” I whisper under my breath, running a shaky hand through my hair. “Next thing you know, you’ll be jumping at dust bunnies.” I try to tell myself to stop talking, but hearing my voice calms me in the dark, and I’ve always talked to myself. Something Jarl hated about me… well, that and a hundred other things.

I continue on, trying to ignore the way the shadows seem to move when I’m not looking directly at them. The ruins loom on either side of me, some barely more than foundations, others still reaching the sky with broken walls and gaping windows.

Rubbing the chill out of my arms, I listen for any sounds, for anything to indicate that someone followed me here.

A sudden snap echoes from the woods behind me, and I nearly jump out of my skin. My heart, which had just started to slow down, kicks into overdrive again. Without thinking, I break into a run, pelting down the curving road. The wind picks up, whistling through the ruins and carrying with it the musty scent of decay.

Finally, I spot a building that’s mostly intact, which is surprising given the state of everything else. It’s a two-story structure, though the upper floor is partially missing, open to the sky. The forest has begun to claim this one, too, with small treesgrowing through cracks in the walls and grass threading its way along the path leading to the door.

Another snap from the woods has me moving closer to the house. I pause at the open doorway that yawns with darkness, my stomach churning with dread. Part of me screams that this is exactly the kind of place in which people die in horror stories I’ve heard, but it’s a shelter, and right now, that’s what I need most.

I step inside cautiously, the floorboards creaking faintly under my weight. The darkness is almost absolute at first. I freeze, letting my eyes adjust. The musty smell of old wood fills my nostrils, and I can taste dust on my tongue.

Silence.

Slowly, shapes begin to emerge from the gloom as my vision improves. Moonlight filters through the windows and the hole in the roof, casting long shadows across from the broken furniture that remains in what must have been the main room. The building is larger than it looked from outside, with three doorways at the back leading to who knows where.

“Eeny, meeny, miny, moe,” I whisper, eyeing the doorways. “Catch a wolf by his toe. If he hollers, run like hell and hope you don’t die.” Not my best rhyme, but I’ll cut myself some slack. I’m under a lot of stress here.

I take a cautious step forward, wincing at the loud creak of the floorboard. Another step and I choose the far-left doorway, passing through it. It’s dark, but the holes in the ceiling and walls let enough moonlight in to help me see that I’m alone in another smaller room… maybe a kitchen once upon a time?

Creak.

My gaze darts around the room, trying to take in everything at once in case I missed someone standing in a corner. Was that movement? Just a shadow, surely.

Get a grip, Hel.

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