Annika wrapped her arms around my neck, and I helped her position her legs around my waist, hooking her ankles together in front of me and using her usable leg to help secure the paralyzed one.
“How’s that?”
“Perfect.”
Rising to my feet, I freed my weapon again and inched out into the hallway, peering left, then right.
Silence.
Was Tim okay? Had he encountered the intruder?
Then my phone chimed with another text that I didn’t want to read but knew I had to.
Blowing out a breath, I forced myself to read it.
How fast can you run carrying that little piggy? It’s cold outside. Don’t forget your coats!
How did he know I was carrying Annika?
Or was he just assuming that I was?
And what made him think we were heading outside?
Was he watching us right now?
A chill crept down my spine.Ignore him and get her out of here.
“Hang on,” I whispered, stuffing my phone back in my pocket and creeping down the hallway.
Still no sign of Tim.
The cabin was hidden deep in the forest, about a fifteen or twenty-minute walk through the trees. If we could make it to the cabin undetected, then we might be able to hide out there until we were able to call for help.
We reached the back door and I cautiously pulled it open.
It was dark out, only a sliver of moon visible through the pine trees, making vision difficult. The thin layer of snow that had been on the ground when we’d first arrived had since melted. I wasn’t sure if the darkness was a help or a hindrance, but if I couldn’t see very well, then neither could the intruder.
Unless he had a night-infrared device.
Pushing that thought aside, I stepped off the porch and crept across the yard, heading for the gate that led out into the forest.
I’d only gone a few steps before I tripped over someone lying in the yard. Annika let out a soft cry as we hit the ground. Quickly putting myself between her and the possible danger, I leaned over the body.
Recognition slammed into me, horror squeezing me in its grip.
Timofey.
My breath hitched.
Oh, fuck. Oh, God. Not Tim.
My chest pinched and twisted until there was no air left in my lungs.
Nooo! Not Tim.
I inhaled sharply, sucking in oxygen.
His body was still warm, blood seeping from his throat where it had been slit wide open. He couldn’t have been dead long. No more than a few minutes.