Page 50 of Kings of Decay
I stomped to my room, slamming the door. I threw myself onto the bed, sobbing.
Dad left a few minutes later. The sound of the truck rattled through my body. I could hear his tires crunching ice as Dad drove away. I wouldn't see him for days.
My heart ached, sore and empty. My anger had faded away, leaving nothing but emptiness. I grabbed a nearby tissue and wiped my cheeks, my throat raw from sobs. I could feel a burning sensation behind my eyes.
How could he do this to me? Was he even my dad anymore?
One minute, he was crying at my mother's grave, saying that he'd never love anyone again, lost in sorrow. And now, he wasleaving in the middle of the night to be with his girlfriend because her ex-husband croaked.
I shut my eyes and listened to the wind whistling through the trees. Somewhere in the distance, I heard the wolves howling.
Chapter thirty-three
Willow
The man on the radio's voice crackled."It’s looking like a record snowfall for December, so batten down the hatches, folks!"
I growled and turned the radio off. Stupid radio. Stupid snow. Stupid Dad. He was in Fairbanks, and I was stuck here.
Todd told me not to bother coming to work. Classes were over until January. The satellite internet was out. I had nothing to do but stare out the window like those kids in the Cat in the Hat book.
I chuckled softly at the comparison, sipping my tea.
Shit, I was going crazy, wasn't I?
The feeling of being watched was all-encompassing, but no one was out there.
I shut the curtains and went to my room. Even with the space heater on full blast, there was a chill that I couldn't shake. I checked my phone. No texts from Poppy, of course. I bundled up in bed and grabbed my phone to read some of the books I'd downloaded the last time the internet worked properly.
I settled on a sweet romance novel and tried to get lost in the words.
But I couldn't concentrate. My nerves were shot. I felt like I was too wired to sleep but too tired to do anything about it. I sighed and put my phone down, staring up at the ceiling.
For the umpteenth time this week, I truly regretted not staying in California with my Aunt.
"I miss you, Mom."
***
I woke up to the sound of something scratching at the door. Keys? No, it couldn't be. A raccoon or some other animal?
I groggily sat up, my neck aching from how I fell asleep. I went to check the time. My phone was dead beside me on my pillow. It must have been well past midnight.
"Hello?" I called out, like some idiot in a horror movie.
I didn't want to get out of bed. It was so warm and comfortable. It must have just been the wind.
I closed my eyes and settled back into my pillow. As soon as the snow was gone, I was going to tell Dad that I was moving in with my Aunt. I didn't need any more of this shit.
Someone was looking at me. I felt it.
My eyes snapped open.
Two men were in my room, their faces concealed with ski masks.
I screamed, scrambling backward. I bumped into the headboard.
They didn’t say anything at first; they just stood there. They were blocking the only exit, and I saw the long, gleaming hunting knife in one of their hands.
