Page 49 of The Arbiter
UNKNOWN:“But I fear you still told your little friend too much. Even when I warned you.”
ME:“I didn’t tell her anything.”
UNKNOWN:“And here I thought you were smarter than that, little storm. Lying to me is a bad decision. I don't think you learned your lesson tonight. Did you, Madeline?”
My pulse quickens instantly, because tonight’s hunt is obviously not over yet. I type back frantically.
ME:“I did.”
UNKNOWN:“We will see about that. End your shift and get in your car.”
A long pause follows and my heart is beating harshly once again. I will get a heart attack soon. Then my phone vibrates one last time.
UNKNOWN:“I suggest you drive really fast tonight. Let’s see how good of a driver my girl really is.”
I cleaned up the cold storage room. My office. And head straight to my car. My heart is beating so fastly against my ribs it feels like it might break them.
I throw the phone onto the passenger seat and slam the car into gear. I need to get away. From the mortuary, from Jake’s cold body, but mostly from the shadow that is currently hunting me.
My tires scream as I peel out of the parking lot, the headlights cutting through the thick, rain-soaked mist. The road is empty, a long stretch of black asphalt reflecting the dim streetlights. I’m driving fast, too fast for the conditions, but I can’t slow down. Not after that message.
The screen of my phone glows again. I steal a glance.
UNKNOWN:“I said fast, Madeline. Not reckless. Don’t make me come over there and take the wheel myself.”
Suddenly, a pair of blinding white lights appears in my rearview mirror. They weren’t there a second ago. A large, dark SUV is approaching at a terrifying speed.
Before I can even process it, he’s right on my bumper. The glare from his high beams fills my entire car, blinding me. I’m trappedin a cage of white light. I floor the gas. My car struggles to keep up, the engine roaring in protest.
I take a sharp turn toward the old forest road, hoping to lose him in the curves. The mist is thicker here, the trees standing like silent giants on both sides of the road. But he doesn’t fall behind. He stays exactly two inches from my rear, herding me like a predator chasing its prey toward a cliff. Then another message pops up.
UNKNOWN:“Almost there baby. Show me what happens when you run out of a road.”
My breathing is shallow, ragged. I’m losing control. His car suddenly roars and pulls into the opposite lane. He draws level with me, his massive tires spinning just inches from my door.
I can’t see him through the tinted glass, but I know he’s watching. He’s enjoying this. With a sudden, violent swerve, he pulls ahead of me and slams on his brakes. Not dangerously, but enough for me to have to react.
I slam my foot on the brake pedal. My car skids, the tires losing grip on the wet mud and leaves. The nose of my vehicle stops just inches from the back of his.
Silence follows. The only sound is the rhythmic clicking of my hazard lights and the heavy thud of my pulse in my ears. His car sits there, idling, a dark beast blocking my only way out. I’m paralyzed, my hands frozen on the steering wheel.
A message comes.
UNKNOWN:“You have exactly twenty seconds to start running. I wouldn’t waste them sitting there if I were you.”
Panic, pure and primal, finally takes over.
I don’t think about my purse or my keys. I throw the door open and stumble out into the freezing night air. The smell of pine and wet earth fills my lungs as I look at the dark wall of the forest. Ten seconds had already passed.
“Ten…”
His voice comes from the distance.
I turn and bolt into the trees. The darkness swallows me instantly. I’m running blind, my feet slipping on the moss and hidden roots. Branches claw at my face and tear through my clothes, but I don’t stop. I can't stop.
“Seven… six…”
The counting continues, echoing through the trees behind me.
