Page 15 of For Blood

The image was seared into his brain: Burke's body, curled into a fetal position as if clutching himself in fear.The metallic tang of blood had hung in the cool night air, sharp and unforgettable.

Kevin's stomach churned.He'd stood frozen that night, staring at the lifeless form, horror twisting his insides.The 911 call, the police questions, his stammered statement - it all blurred together in a nightmarish haze.Twenty years felt like yesterday.

"Max!"Kevin called out, his voice echoing through the empty park."Max, where are you, buddy?"

The blue dot on his phone showed Max had stopped moving somewhere near the center of the park.Kevin quickened his pace, desperate to find his dog and leave this place of nightmares as quickly as possible.

"Damn it," Kevin cursed under his breath."Why did you come here of all places?"

As he approached the location on his phone, Kevin's footsteps slowed.The area looked vaguely familiar - a small clearing surrounded by trees, with a bench facing a small pond.It was eerily similar to where he'd found Burke's body all those years ago.

"Max?"Kevin called again, his voice softer now, laden with dread.

A soft whine answered him from the shadows.Relief washed over Kevin as he spotted Max sitting calmly under a tree, as if waiting for him.The golden retriever's tail thumped against the ground as Kevin approached.

"Jesus, Max, you scared me half to death," Kevin scolded, kneeling beside the dog and checking him for injuries."What got into you?We're never coming this way again, you hear me?"

Max whined softly, his gaze fixed on something beyond Kevin's shoulder.A chill crawled up Kevin's spine, his own eyes drawn to the darkness behind him.For a moment, he could almost see it again - the crumpled form, the spreading pool of blood.

"Come on," Kevin said firmly, reaching for Max's collar."We're going home.Now."

As he stood, Kevin heard it - the soft crunch of footsteps on fallen leaves.His body went rigid, every nerve ending suddenly alert.Max growled softly, the sound rumbling deep in his chest.

"Who's there?"Kevin called, his voice steadier than he felt.

Silence answered him, broken only by the gentle rustling of leaves in the night breeze.Kevin's heart hammered against his ribs as he squinted into the darkness, trying to make out any movement among the shadows.

"We need to go," Kevin whispered to Max, fumbling in his pocket for the retractable leash he always carried.His fingers closed around it, a small comfort in the growing dread that enveloped him.

As he clipped the leash to Max's collar, Kevin couldn't shake the feeling of being watched, his skin prickling with unease.He glanced over his shoulder, his breath catching in his throat.

"It's nothing," Kevin whispered, more to himself than to Max."Just memories.Can't hurt us now, right?"

And then, cutting through the quiet night air, came a sound that made Kevin's blood run cold.A faint rustling, just off to his right, near the edge of the clearing.Kevin froze mid-step, his body going rigid with fear.

"Did you hear that, Max?"he asked, his voice barely audible.The dog's ears were pricked forward, alert and wary.

Max's response was immediate and chilling.A low, menacing growl rumbled from deep in his chest, his golden fur bristling as he fixed his gaze on the shadowy trees.Kevin felt his throat constrict, a cold sweat breaking out across his forehead.

"Easy, boy," he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper."We're getting out of here."

Kevin forced his leaden feet to move, quickening his pace.Each step felt like a monumental effort, as if the very air had thickened around him.His breaths came in sharp, shallow gasps, the sound of his own ragged breathing almost deafening in the eerie silence.

Every sense was on high alert.The rustle of leaves sounded like a thunderclap.The creak of a branch became a gunshot.Even the faint buzz of the distant streetlights seemed to take on a sinister quality.

"It's okay, Max," Kevin panted, more to reassure himself than the dog."We're almost out of here.Just a little further."

But with each hurried step, the feeling of wrongness intensified.The air grew colder, seeming to cling to his skin like a damp shroud.Kevin's mind raced, memories of that fateful night twenty years ago blurring with the present moment.

Was he imagining things?Or was there really something out there in the darkness, watching, waiting?

"This isn't happening," Kevin muttered, shaking his head."It can't be.It's just my imagination, it has to be—"

His frantic internal monologue was abruptly cut short by a voice that sliced through the night air like a knife.

"I've been waiting for you."

The words, spoken in a low, gravelly tone, froze Kevin in his tracks.His heart seemed to stop for a moment before hammering against his ribcage with renewed intensity.Max let out a series of sharp, angry barks, lunging against the leash.

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