Page 6 of Halloween in Sleepy Hollow
“Okay,” Thea replies. Her arm joins mine as we support Emily. “Let’s?—”
“Don’t. Move.”
The unexpected male voice seems to come out of nowhere.
It’s rough. Angry. Threatening.
Amid the darkness, metal glints dully in the moonlight.
And then behind it, a figure all in black.
“If you move, I’ll shoot you,” the man says. To Shea he adds, “Drop your phone. Now.”
Oh.
God.
A soft, distinctive click follows.
My heart lodges inmy throat.
Shea makes a soft, scared sound. A second later, her phone drops to the ground with a clatter.
“Hands down. Where I can see them,” the man snaps. “And don’t make a sound.”
As he advances, the metal becomes clearer.
My fear is confirmed.
It’s a gun. Aimed at us.
“Don’t try anything funny,” he hisses.
Thea flashes a frightened look in my direction.
For a moment, all I can think about is my family back in the park.
How badly I wish I was right there with them.
How desperately I don’t want to leave them.
“Let’s go,” the man growls. He gestures with the gun for us to move in front of him. Apparently Shea isn’t moving fast enough for his liking, so he gives her a hard shove.
“Get your hands off me,” Shea snaps.
The man jabs the gun into her back. “Shut your bitch mouth. Or I’ll do it for you.”
Thea whimpers.
Shea flashes a scared, tearful look over her shoulder before hurrying ahead.
My lungs seize.
Amid the terror, determination sets in.
Whatever he’s doing, whatever his plan, I won’t let him succeed.
I survived before. We all did. And we’ll do it again.
