Total pages in book: 186
Estimated words: 176552 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 883(@200wpm)___ 706(@250wpm)___ 589(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 176552 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 883(@200wpm)___ 706(@250wpm)___ 589(@300wpm)
“Esther, if that’s—.” The rest of my words got lost in a gasp.
A person was standing halfway across the kitchen, dressed in all black with their face covered by a pale mask. My breath hitched. All the reasoning I’d just done that no one could be inside the house, made a cruel mockery of common sense. I stepped back, my hands scrambling behind my back for anything that would help me.
“What do you want?” I yelled at them, my voice trembling.
They canted their head, the motion slow and deliberate. In their hand, a knife caught the light, sharp and gleaming. The person tapped it against the doorframe only once this time, and I belatedly realized they had been doing some sort of countdown. Terror crashed into me. I turned and ran, skirting around the counter to get back to the living room.
Find the phone.
Hide.
Call for help.
But when I reached the coffee table, it wasn’t there. A low whistle came from behind me. I spun around, my mind racing as two dark voids locked eyes with mine. The knife in their hand spun lazily between their fingers like a toy. My pulse thundered in my ears. Every instinct screamed at me to bolt for the front door. The only thing that stopped me was Esther. I couldn’t leave that little girl to fend for herself.
“What do you want?” I asked again, forcing a calmness into my tone that I didn’t feel.
They stepped forward, circling the couch slowly. Refusing to allow them to get close, I took off for the stairs.
"Esther!" My voice broke, panic strangling my words as I stumbled up the steps. My feet slipped on the hardwood, nearly sending me sprawling. I caught myself on the banister. Behind me, rapid footsteps followed. I was two stairs from the top when they grabbed my shirt and yanked me back with brutal force.
"No!" I screamed, my fingers grasping at the railing as I twisted around. The banister dug into my spine as I tried and failed to fight them off, their knife sinking into my side.
The pain was instant, white-hot, and blinding. My body curled instinctively around the wound, blood seeping through my fingers. They pulled the blade out and let me go, watching as I stumbled up the remaining steps. I barely made it before my legs began to tingle and buckle. A whimper tore from my throat when they gave out, and I hit the floor. The person following me stopped and stared, watching as I began to crawl, my arms trembling as I dragged myself forward. Every inch felt like an eternity. My head swam, my vision flickering in and out.
Just get to her door.
It was illogical, and I didn’t know what I expected would happen once I did, but at that moment, all I could think about was getting to Esther. I was so close, nearly there, when a second person appeared at the end of the hallway. Their mask was different, but just as nightmarish, features twisted into a grotesque grin I could just barely make out as my vision dimmed. They came toward me in what seemed like slow motion and crouched down, their voice a distorted taunt.
“Did you really think you’d get away?”
My head was yanked back, and I felt a stinging sensation in my scalp. I was too weak to fight, but I tried anyway, my fingers feebly clawing at their wrist.
“Why?” The word slipped from my lips, barely audible.
“Because you lose.”
The blade pressed to my chest, the tip cold and biting. They shoved the knife into me inch by inch. The pain was searing, but it faded as quickly as it came, replaced by a cold numbness that spread like ice through my veins. The last thing I saw was Esther’s door creaking open, her stuffed bunny tumbling into the hall, its ears flopping awkwardly as it hit the floor.
TAG
Book One
CHAPTER ONE
SANJANA
A breeze tugged at the hem of my cheer skirt, a crisp reminder that autumn had wrapped its spindly fingers around Hemlock Heights. The cool air carried the faint scent of pine and woodsmoke, perfect weather for football, hiking, and bonfires. All the things I loved.
“Five, six, seven, eight! Hit those marks!” Roxxi called, her tone unyielding.
I was completely focused on the routine we were running yet again, every move ingrained in my muscles but still demanding my full attention. Roxxi’s sharp brown eyes swept over the team with an almost eerie precision. The floodlights from the stadium cast long shadows across the field, glinting off the metallic colored pom-poms as the music started. The heavy drumline of Crow Killer Blues filled the air, the haunting rhythm driving our steps. The lyrics came easily to me, and I sang along in my head, so I didn’t fuck up.
“Formation two!” Roxxi ordered, her voice carrying over the beat.