He turns back to me, a look of satisfaction on his face, and he nods.
We dodge a couple more dark figures slipping through the shadows, and I bring us to a halt behind another tree. Someone’s on the ground up ahead, moaning in pain. There’s a shout behind us, and I whip my head around. I move us both to another tree. Thank goodness for all the big trees in town or we’d be shit out of luck.
We both stay real still, holding our breath as a man in dark clothes approaches the person on the ground, his hand raised, holding a gun.
“Sandra Milton, you are under arrest for child sexual assault and abuse.”
JW and I watch in fascination as he handcuffs Sandra and pulls her to her feet. She’s crying; the sound pathetic. I don’t feel an ounce of pity for her. She and her husband have both participated in the horrors of Hell Night. Tonight, they both forced their eleven-year-old daughter, Regina, to touch them in disgusting ways.
Once they’re out of sight, JW and I are moving again. A couple of minutes later, we spot Trouble and Rella’s house. I want to slap both Trouble and Emo when I see them in the road facing the structure, out in the open.
JW and I race over to them.
“We gotta go, now,” I tell them, out of breath from all the running and the adrenaline pumping through me. “Shit’s going down fast, and if we don’t want the Petersons to get caught in the crosshairs, we have to leave. They’re waiting on us behind The Hill.”
Trouble nods and turns back to Emo, whose attention is still held captive by the house in front of him.
Thankfully, it doesn’t take long for him to look away and say darkly, “Let’s go.”
We dart through yards and across streets. I keep looking back to make sure the others are still behind me and we’re not being followed. There’s no way I’m leaving this horrible place without them.
I have to draw JW’s attention away when he stops at the Moores’ window and peers inside. We all hide behind a tree when shots are fired, followed by more yelling.
“I wonder if that was Mr. or Mrs. Sanders,” JW comments.
“Doesn’t matter. Either would be fine with me. Or better yet, both of them,” I say quietly. Once the figures are inside the Sanders’ house, I whisper, “It’s clear.”
Worry has me throwing looks all around us to make sure we’re still unseen. Any place would be better than the hell we’ve lived in our whole lives, but I’m still scared that we’ll be caught.
It’s not until we round the corner of The Hill and see Mae and Dale’s van up ahead that I start to breathe easier again. Excitement replaces the worry, making my heart race for an entirely different reason.
I briefly wonder what happened with Mom and Dad, but the thought isn’t important. For all I care, they could be among the people being shot. The only people I care about are my brothers, Mae, and Dale.
My brothers and I are finally going to be free of our living nightmare.
Chapter One
JUDGE
I SIT BEHIND THE BENCH and give a nervous Kevin Timmons a stern look. “Mr. Timmons, you know thievery is not tolerated in Malus, but since this is your first offense, I’ll go easy on you. You’ll spend one month in lockup.”
“I wasn’t stealing it,” Kevin grumbles. “I was only borrowing it.”
“Typically, when you borrow something, you ask the owner first. And when you get done, you return it. How long did you have Mr. Syke’s Weed Eater?”
“Two weeks,” he admits, his eyes dropping from mine, embarrassment coating his cheeks red.
“And how did you get the Weed Eater?”
He blows out a breath before answering. “I picked the lock on his shed.”
“Why didn’t you just ask if you could use it?”
“Because I knew he wouldn’t let me borrow it. He’s a greedy bastard.”
I cock a brow. “That’s not helping your case, Mr. Timmons. In fact, it’s only pissing me off.” Wisely, he keeps quiet. “On top of your one month stay in jail, you’ll also mow Mr. Syke’s yard for a year, starting when you’re released.”
He opens his mouth to protest, but snaps it closed when I narrow my eyes at him. The very last thing anyone would think to call me is a pushover. What I say goes, and everyone who knows me recognizes that, including Kevin Timmons.