Chapter1
Jessie
Iturn down the small dirt road that leads to the house by the lake. The moon is full tonight, bathing the tree tops in an eerie pale glow which I suppose is fitting for Halloween. This used to be my favorite holiday when I was a kid, but I haven’t celebrated it since I was fifteen. I suppose being kidnapped by a psychopath when I was sixteen kind of put a dent in my enjoyment of the holidays in general. Given the hell I went through for the two years afterward, fake ghosts and monsters didn’t really hold the same appeal, not when the real ones are so much scarier.
It was my declaration that I could no longer be scared by cheap tricks or Halloween masks or scary movies that has me driving down this dirt road alone. You see, my husbands love Halloween, and they have made me a bet that they will prove me wrong about the whole not being scared thing. So, while our twin babies are being looked after by their great aunt Em, as well as a team of ex Navy SEALs, I am on my way to our house by the lake, in the middle of the woods.
My pulse thrums against my skin as I draw nearer. I have no idea what the guys have planned, but there is nothing those men could do that I wouldn’t love.
As I pull up to the house, I peer through the windshield. It’s in darkness. Not a single light on in the whole place. The guys should be here by now though. I laugh to myself. It’s going to take more than a dark house to rattle me.
Turning off the engine, I climb out of the car and sodden leaves squelch beneath my feet. It’s been raining on and off for days, although it’s stopped for now. I smooth down the fabric of my mini skirt before pulling my pigtails tighter. The moonlight gives me enough light to check out my outfit. A red and white cheerleader’s uniform, complete with white cotton panties and a skirt that barely covers my ass.
The guys didn’t go to high school in the States so they missed out on the whole dating a cheerleader experience. I bet they could have dated the head cheerleader too, because I’m pretty sure even in high school they were hotter than hell and could have had their pick of any girl they wanted.
As I walk toward the house, four orbs of light come into view. As I draw nearer I see they are faces. Four masks that are glowing with LED lights in the darkness. From here, it looks pretty eerie — four disembodied heads floating through the night toward me. They stop on the decking, standing beside each other in a line. It’s only once they are still that I can clearly see them. They are dressed entirely in black, except for their faces. Each of them wears an illuminated Halloween mask.
A clown.
A demon.
A vampire.
A devil.
I edge closer to them, looking around me and half expecting something to pop out or spring up from the ground like a haunted cheesy haunted house trick, but nothing happens.
“Hey, guys,” I say with a grin and a wave but they don’t respond.
Suddenly, an outside light comes on, temporarily blinding me. Holding my hand over my eyes, I blink, trying to adjust to the sudden brightness. I’m frozen to the spot now. What the hell are these guys up to?
Then one of them speaks, in a voice that I don’t recognize. He says only one word and it sends a shiver of fear skittering along my spine.
“Run!”
I will my legs to do that very thing but my body betrays me as my feet don’t seem to get the signal from my brain that I need to move. And so for a few seconds, I stand there as though my feet have taken root like the trees around us. Then I hear a loud grunt as the four dark figures start to move and finally my feet remember what to do.
Turning in the opposite direction, I pump my arms and start to run as fast as I can for the cover of the trees. My small purse flapping wildly against my hipbone reminds me that I have my cell with me if I need it. I’ll be fine. I got this.
Right?
Adrenaline courses through my veins as I propel myself forward, but my feet slide in the wet mud, costing me vital seconds. I feel them closing in behind me. I hear their heavy breathing. Their heavy footfall as they chase me down. One of them is laughing and the sound sends a chill through my bones.
My heart pounds. Blood rushes in my ears. My brain screams at me to look back to see how close they are but logic and experience reminds me that I can’t. It will lose me vital time that I can’t afford. Instead, I dart into the trees. I know these woods and they’re my best chance of evading my masked pursuers.
As I head into the trees, I see a faint glow of white light darting off to my left. The clown. Then a green light to my right. The demon. So where the hell are the devil and the vampire? I listen intently as I keep moving, dodging the trees as I make my way through the undergrowth. The light from the moon grows dimmer as the trees thicken and my heart starts to race a little faster as my breathing grows heavier. I suck in a breath, reminding myself that the darkness will work in my favor because the light of their masks makes them more visible to me. I listen for their footsteps but they seem to have faded. Allowing myself a moment, I turn back quickly for a second, feeling a surge of relief when I don’t see any of them.
I slow my pace slightly. Now that I’m in the cover of the woods, I can take a moment to think about my best move. Maybe I should circle back to the house? Or would one of them be waiting there for me? Climb a tree and watch them run around looking for me? I press a hand to my mouth and stifle a giggle. Now that would be funny. Looking up at one of the trees, I consider how easy – or not – they are to scale and decide against that option. No doubt those crafty fuckers have night vision goggles in those fancy masks of theirs.
Soft droplets of rain fall onto my face as I stare up and I close my eyes and enjoy the sensation, forgetting for a second that I’m being chased through the woods by four masked men. I love the rain. I love the fall. It’s my favorite season.
The snapping of a twig pulls me back to the present and I take a deep breath and start moving again, feeling my way through the trees. My hands brush over the wet bark as I move past each one and I imagine some animal tracing me by my scent. If they were I would lead them straight to me and the thought makes me shudder.
I glance around again but I see no light. What if they turned off the light from their masks though? I mean they’re not stupid. They would know how visible that makes them in the darkness. Damn! I hadn’t thought of that.
Where the hell are they?
My foot catches on a branch and it snaps — loudly. I freeze, wondering if that is going to draw them closer to me. Listening intently I wait for some signal that one of them is near but all I hear is the sound of my own heavy breathing and my heartbeat in my ears.