Page 4 of Secrets and Lies
I tuck myself into the space where the trees and rocks overlap and blow out a soft sigh of relief as I pull out my phone. Using my hand to cover the screen, I press the home button to check the time.
Ten minutes down, one hour and fifty minutes to go.
Tucking my phone back in my pocket, I press myself deeper into the blind and try to keep focused on my surroundings as I listen for any signs that someone is nearby.
The silence around me is loud as my thoughts start spinning, but I do my best to ignore them. I’m used to my head being loud and busy and never shutting up. Why would tonight be any different?
I’m just about to check my phone yet again to see how much time has passed when I hear voices off to my right. The hushed tones make it hard to hear what they’re saying, but it’s obvious that someone just got caught and is pissed off about it.
They argue for another minute or so, then there’s the sound of heavy footfalls as it seems like one of them stalks off in a huff.
Straining in the dark, I listen closely to see if anyone is still around, but I can’t hear anything.
Did whoever that was leave, and I just didn’t hear them over the other guy’s hissy fit? Or maybe he’s still here and he’s listening for me the same way I’m listening for him?
Another few minutes of silence pass, and my curiosity gets the better of me. For no reason other than I’m nosy and my impulsive thoughts are extra loud tonight, I peek out from the relative safety of my hiding spot.
A tall figure is walking toward me, and my heart skips a beat as my entire body goes cold, like someone dumped a bucket of ice water on me.
The figure is moving with sure, confident steps that are somehow completely silent, and an undercurrent of panic mixes with my fear as he moves through the woods like a ghost.
Like everyone participating in the Hunt, he’s wearing head to toe black. He also has a dark hood pulled up over his head, making him look like something out of a horror movie.
Shit. Did he see me? I’m also dressed in all black and have my hood up, but it feels like whoever that is has locked onto my very soul as he strides toward me with all the confidence of an apex predator.
Panic wraps around me as I press myself into the blind again. What the fuck do I do? Do I take a chance that he didn’t see me and stay hidden until he passes? Or should I make a run for it and hope for the best?
“Come out, come out, wherever you are,” a low voice says in a raspy, singsongy tone that sends a tremor of terror up my spine.
The thought of being trapped in a blind while whoever is out there catches and corners me is way more terrifying than it should be, and without thinking about what I’m doing, I dart out from my hiding place and sprint deeper into the woods.
I sound, and probably look, like a crazy person as I tear through the woods with all the grace of a drunken elephant, and it takes my brain a moment to remember that stealth is goodright now, and whoever I’m running from isn’t the only person trying to find me.
It takes way more willpower than it should, but I manage to slow to a walk, my footfalls quieting as I do my best to avoid the mess of dried leaves and brittle sticks littering the ground.
The light around me dims, and I look up as a massive cloud slides in front of the moon and blocks out most of the light.
A strange sense of awareness settles over me, and I slowly turn in a circle, my gaze sweeping the area around me.
Huh?
Where did he go?
“Gotcha.”
I barely manage to keep myself from screaming at the quiet, raspy voice behind me, but can’t stop from jumping like a dumbass and whirling around in horror.
He’s right behind me, and with the extra darkness around us from the covered moon, I can’t make out anything about him other than the outline of his powerful body.
I make a weird sound, a cross between a squeal and a gasp, as I take a few stumbling steps back. My foot gets caught on something, and I tumble backward, my arms windmilling comically as I desperately try to catch my balance.
I have no idea if I hit my pursuer, or if he grabs my arm as I flail in front of him, but I instinctively latch on to his sleeve when the material brushes against my fingers.
Still moving on instinct, I grab a handful of the front of his hoodie in my other hand and hold on for dear life as I fall backward, pulling him with me.
I land hard on the ground, and the breath rushes out of my lungs as he lands on top of me. He must catch himself somehow since the impact of his body on mine isn’t anywhere near as hard as it should be, but I’m still dazed and breathless as we finallysettle with him on top of me as I lie on my back on the hard ground.
“Gotcha,” he rasps again and shifts over me.
