Page 69 of Shattered Sanctuary

Suddenly, she heard Chester bark, and he shot past her, toward the figure of a woman in a cloak, light glowing from her body.

“I’m sorry,” Kaely yelled from behind her, trying to be heard over the howling of the wind. “I was trying to shut the door, but he pushed past me before I could stop him.”

Erin only had a moment to react. She was still a littleafraid of the ghost, but she’d fallen in love with Chester. In her mind, he was already her dog. No ghost was going to keep her from getting him back. She didn’t look back, nor did she listen to Kaely’s pleading, telling her not to go. She ran into the snow, headed toward the woman who stood still as if waiting for something. Chester was at her feet, barking furiously.

Before Erin could reach them, the woman turned and ran into the trees, Chester behind her.

And Erin followed.

FORTY-SIX

Erin stumbled through the snow, her heart pounding so hard she could swear she heard it beat inside her ears. She wanted to run back inside the cabin, but she couldn’t. She wanted to know about the Woman in Watcher Woods, but not so much she would put herself in danger. All she really wanted was to save Chester. He’d already been abandoned once, and she couldn’t let that happen again. Maybe she couldn’t have saved Scott, but she wouldn’t let Chester die. Not by someone pretending to be a ghost—and not by a serial killer who wouldn’t think twice about killing a dog. She still had her gun, and she pulled it out of its holster. She checked her pocket for her flashlight and was relieved to find it. She turned it on and swung it around, but no one was there. Should she call Chester? Unfortunately, that would reveal her location. That would be foolish. She had to keep her location secret. Although she didn’t want to do it, she turned off the flashlight. She’d only use it when she had to.

She wasn’t sure who to be afraid of. Timothy Johnson? Allen Dunne? A ghost? The only thing she knew for certain was that Chester needed her. And she needed him. Maybe itsounded stupid. Risking your life for a dog, but she couldn’t help it. She was tired of being afraid. And she was tired of losing those she loved. Not this time. She suddenly tripped on something. A branch hidden by the snow. The flashlight flew from her hand. She got on her hands and knees and searched for it, thinking it was close by, but she couldn’t find it. Kneeling in the snow made her even colder. The flashlight was probably buried under the snow. She couldn’t spend any more time looking for it. She got back to her feet and leaned against a tree, the snow blowing in her face. It was getting deeper. It covered her feet. What should she do now? She jumped when she heard a sound coming through the forest. Barking. It was Chester!

Erin stood behind the huge tree, tears pouring down her cheeks. It felt as if they were freezing on her face. It was so dark she couldn’t see her hand in front of her face—until the moon peeked out from behind the clouds. She desperately needed the light to find her way back. Or to locate Chester. Yet the same thing that gave her hope also terrified her. What if the killer could see her? As if the moon had heard her, it vanished again, clouds shielding it from the earth.

Although she was afraid of a person, what if the Woman in Watcher Woods was real? Was she being targeted by a vicious serial killer or a ghost? Or both? Kaely kept telling her that ghosts weren’t real. Yet, she knew what she’d seen. And she wasn’t the only one. Still, it was nuts, wasn’t it? At that moment, she wished she were as sure as Kaely that killer ghosts didn’t exist. She wanted to call out for help, but she couldn’t take the chance. One thing she was sure of, the bodies found in the woods weren’t her imagination. Theywere very real. She also knew in her heart that she was next on the killer’s list.

She held her gun out in front of her, ready to take a shot if she needed to. Of course, she couldn’t shoot a ghost. But she could kill a man. A man who wanted to dress her in white and put a ceramic angel in her hands.

“Focus, Erin,” she whispered in the dark. “There are no ghosts. Focus on the real threat.”

She took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. She wasn’t going to make it easy. She would fight for her life. A life she had been willing to throw away at one point. But now that she knew she could die, all she wanted was to live. To have a future that included the dog who had stolen her heart. Even more than that, she wanted a chance to change things. To change her life. To live without fear. She had no intention of allowing this killer to add her to his mounting death toll.

Once again, the moon snuck out from behind the clouds, and Erin looked around. She still couldn’t see anyone. Should she make a run for it? Try to get back to the cabin? She shook her head in the dark. She had to keep going. She had to find Chester. Before she had the chance to do anything, the moon hid from her once again. It was as if they were playing a game of hide and seek.

Erin sighed as she leaned against the rough bark of the tree and tried to listen. Silence. Chester wasn’t barking now. Where was he? Was he still alive? At first, all she could hear was the sound of owls hooting and the occasional eerie howl of a coyote.

As she waited, holding her breath, she wished she were at home in her apartment, safe and secure, Chester sitting next to her on the couch. If she couldn’t be home, she wishedshe and Chester were back inside the cabin. It might not be completely safe, but it was better than being exposed outside. She had no idea where the cabin was. Why didn’t she mark the way? Why didn’t she pay more attention? As she looked around, she realized that besides the things she was already afraid of, there were also coyotes and bears in these woods.

It was then that she heard barking again. She wanted so badly to call out to him, but she couldn’t. What should she do? The barking became louder and suddenly, like a miracle, there he was, at her feet, his big brown eyes staring up at her.

Then he suddenly turned around and began to growl. That’s when she saw it. The figure in the dark cloak that seemed to kill all the brightness around it. Like a black hole eating all the light.

Chester put itself between Erin and the woman, baring his teeth, challenging the woman to back away. Erin couldn’t stop the tears that continued to drip down her face. At that moment, she was afraid of the woman and afraid for the dog. And afraid that tonight would be her last night on earth.

Although at first, she wasn’t certain what to do, she reached out with a trembling hand and took hold of Chester’s collar.

“Help me,” the woman said faintly before falling down in the snow and landing right in front of Erin and Chester who had fallen silent. He stared at the figure lying in front of them as if confused.

Once again, the moon slipped out from behind the windswept clouds. It was then that Erin saw the knife sticking out of her back.He’s here. He’s in the woods.

Should she run? Or should she try to help the person lying in front of her? Erin knelt down and pulled the hoodoff of the head of the figure lying prostate in the snow. She recognized her immediately. Not a ghost. A person. Bobbi Burke. Erin pulled back part of the cloak and found some kind of small lights sewn into the hem of the fabric. That explained it.

“What are you doing out here?” Erin asked.

“My... my car. Got stuck. C—couldn’t leave. He... saw me.” She turned sideways and grabbed Erin’s arm. “Please...”

Her hand dropped, and Bobbi stopped moving. Erin put her fingers on the woman’s neck and waited. Nothing. No heartbeat. She was gone.

She’d wanted to ask her who the man was, but now it was too late. Erin reached down and pulled off Bobbi’s sash, fashioning it into a temporary leash. She couldn’t allow Chester to run off again.

As the moon vanished once again, Erin began to lead Chester toward what she could only hope was the direction of the cabin. She had no other choice. She couldn’t just wait for him to come after her. He’d killed Bobbi because she must have recognized him. But he had other plans for Erin. She squinted, trying to see through the falling snow. If only they hadn’t covered the windows in the cabin. There might have been some light to help her find the way. In desperation and fear, she decided to pray to Kaely’s God. What could it hurt? Maybe He had pity on fools and lost women.

“God,” she whispered, “I haven’t believed in You, but Kaely does. If You’re real, I’d like a chance to get to know You. Please... please get us to safety. I have no idea where the cabin is. If You could guide me, I would really appreciate it. And if You answer me, I promise to...”What could she say? She couldn’t lie to God.“If you save us,” she continued,“I promise to listen to Kaely talk about You. I mean, really listen. If You’re real, of course I want to know You.”

She tried to drag Chester the way she wanted them to go, the way she thought would take them back, but Chester dug his feet into the snowy ground and refused to move. Then she heard a sound that startled her. Was he actually growling at her?

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