Page 8 of Searching for Valor

“Can I help you?” Grace asked, her voice steady despite the unease churning in her stomach.

The hooded figure leaned closer, and her breath caught in her throat as she stared at the grotesque, nightmarish face before her. His features were uneven, twisted by jagged scars and patches of flat, almost shiny skin.

The man’s distorted lips moved, but the words were muffled as if coming from underwater.

“What?” she managed to croak out.

“I said, are you okay?” the man repeated. His voice was rough, like he didn’t use it enough, but surprisingly gentle. “I saw you swerve back there. These roads can be tricky, especially in the fog.”

Grace swallowed hard. “Um, yes. We’re looking for Whispering Pines Retreat. We, um... we can't find it, and there was an animal or something in the road and I swerved and…” She realized she was babbling. “Can you help us?”

The man nodded, leaning back slightly as if he knew he was making her nervous. “Whispering Pines? You’re not far off. About two miles up this road, you’ll see a fork. Turn right, and it’ll lead you straight to the cabins.”

“Thank you,” Grace said, her finger already on the window button.

The man stepped back, his scarred face disappearing into the shadows of his hood. “Be careful out here,” he said, and there was something like sadness in his tone. “These woods... they’re not always kind to kids.”

Grace nodded quickly, rolling up the window. As soon as it was closed, she let out an unsteady breath.

“That was so creepy,” Noah whispered. “Did you see his face? Like it was melted.”

“Yeah,” Grace muttered and knew she'd be seeing that face in her nightmares tonight. “Let’s get to the cabin.”

She accelerated slowly. In her rearview mirror, she saw the man standing in the middle of the road, watching them drive away. A scruffy dog jumped out of the brush beside the road and sat by his feet. He reached down to stroke the animal’s head but otherwise didn’t move.

Eventually, the fog swallowed them both.

The next two miles seemed to stretch on forever. Grace kept her eyes fixed straight ahead, afraid to look to either side. Noah was tense, his body rigid in the passenger seat as he stared out the window into the foggy dark. She found herself holding her breath, straining to hear anything beyond the soft rumble of the engine and the rhythmic swish of the windshield wipers.

When they finally reached the resort, relief washed over her. The quaint wooden cabin nestled among towering pines, its windows dark but not unwelcoming.

Okay. This wasn’t so bad.

“Home sweet home,” Grace said, forcing cheerfulness into her voice as she cut the engine.

Noah didn’t respond, his gaze on the shadowy forest surrounding them. Was he still thinking about the… thing that darted in front of them? Or the man with the melted face?

She reached over and gently squeezed his shoulder. “Hey, it’ll be okay. We’re safe now. Let’s get inside.”

They grabbed their bags from the trunk and made their way to the cabin’s front door. Grace fumbled with her phone to find the combination for the lockbox. Luckily, she’d taken a screenshot of the email because she had zero bars of service here.

Please let this cabin have wi-fi.

The door swung open with a creak, and she found the light switch, filling the room with a warm yellow glow. It was nicer than she expected. Rustic but cozy, with a stone fireplace dominating one wall and comfortable-looking furniture arranged around it. A small kitchen area occupied one corner, and two doors led off to what she assumed were bedrooms. A large window in the living room overlooked the dark forest beyond. From the pictures Mom had shown her of the place, she knew that the ocean was out there, too, but she couldn’t see it.

“Not bad,” she said, trying to inject some enthusiasm into her voice. “What do you think?”

Her brother shuffled in behind her, dropping his bag to the floor with a heavy thunk. He gave a noncommittal shrug. “It’s okay, I guess.”

Grace locked the door behind them, double-checking it was secure. “Why don’t you go check out the bedrooms? Pick whichever one you want.”

As Noah trudged off to explore, she busied herself with unpacking some of their supplies. She filled the small refrigerator with the groceries they’d picked up on the way, trying to shake off the lingering unease from their encounter on the road. The cabin felt safe, at least— solid walls and a sturdy lock between them and whatever might be lurking in the darkness outside.

“Grace?” Noah called from one of the bedrooms. “There’s only one bed in here.”

She frowned, moving to join him. Sure enough, the larger bedroom held just a queen-sized bed. The second room was barely more than a closet, with a small desk and chair.

“Huh. I guess we’ll have to share. Unless you want to sleep on the couch?”

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