Page 112 of Haunted Prey

I felt a gentle tap at my shoulder and looked around to see Andrea. “Can we talk?” she whispered, gesturing toward her room.

She closed the door to her room quietly when I followed. “How are you feeling?” she asked.

Fucking crazy, scared, sick were all answers I thought of. Instead, I said, “I’m not really sure.”

“That’s fair.” She crossed her arms. “I know it hasn’t been long since your test, but I just wanted to know how you were feeling in regards to the result. I know we didn’t get a chance to talk…”

I sat down on the bed, hands curling into fists on my knees. “I haven't really decided yet.”

“That’s okay. Have you talked to Emery about it?”

“Yes. He supports me no matter what.”

“You have some time to decide but the sooner, the better if you don’t think you're ready.”

I laughed. “I’m never ready. I might never be. I’m just scared all the fucking time and losing my mind. I can’t take care of a kid now. I can hardly take care of myself. But the thought of letting it go when it’s Emery’s…”

She came to sit beside me. “It’s yours too. Your choice. And there’s always the chance to try again somewhere in the future when you’re really ready.”

“No…not if he goes to Severfalls. Not if he dies there.”

She frowned. “That’s true. But Emery isn’t like other people. It would take a lot to kill him. I think you know that.”

My face twisted as I felt a sort of dread take over me. “I can’t let him go.”

“You’d force him to stay behind?”

I gazed over at her. “Yes.”

She gave me a sympathetic look. “I don’t blame you, Eve, it’s a hard decision for everyone. But I would tell him tonight.”

My eyes shifted to the door. I could hear the others talking just beyond it. “I plan to.”

That feeling of dread heightened as the day neared its end. I had allowed myself time to gather my thoughts while giving Emery the chance to help Micheal in whatever way he needed before they left on their run.

What guilt I felt was very little compared to the need to not have a repeat of what happened on Halloween. I could bear his disappointment, his annoyance, his anything. I couldn’t bear finally seeing his corpse on the news. Or Liam sending me a photo of his body full of bullet holes, saying “He’s gone for good. You can rest easy now, Eve.” Then I’d be sent into another institution I would probably never leave.

It was hard seeing the excitement on Emery’s face as he and Micheal grabbed some of Dom’s tech like the police scanners and another laptop, then weapons, body gear, walkies, and a duffle bag that I didn’t ask what was inside. I stayed silent as he moved back and forth from the garage, the scrape of barrels against the ground and the clatter of equipment breaking the stillness.

I didn’t ask what they were working on, knew it had to do with whatever they were planning for Severfalls. I let him be while I tried to keep the dread down. I sat at a table in a corner of the community room, starting to piece together the new parts of my thesis, trying to ignore the twisting in my gut. I glanced over to check on Lena who was sitting next to Dom at his station. Watched as he showed her how he accessed parts of the city, from street cams to security footage. She leaned in and talked quietly to him, laughing at something he wrote on his notepad.

At least she didn’t look scared anymore. How I envied her.

I tried my best to get as much done as I could, but I kept zoning out. I felt cold, felt the hairs at the back of my neck stand on end.

It’s too late, Evee, to stop what’s coming, my phantom whispered in my ear. I saw his boney hand move across my shoulder.But you can follow me into the dark.

No,I thought as a chill raked over me.No.

I heard the roar of water in my head that turned into the roar of something burning. My eyes fluttered shut and I saw Emery’s silhouette against a raging inferno.

Then his body lying in a puddle of blood.

On a slab, cut open.

In the ground, a burned corpse.

Lifeless, floating down the river.

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