A man I didn’t recognize.
“Aaron, they’re going out the back!”
My stomach turned.
Aaron hadn’t come alone.
Owen pushed against a wooden panel.
It opened beneath a cluster of ferns.
Cold mountain air rushed toward us.
We scrambled onto the muddy ground.
The woods were dark beneath the tall pines.
I could hear the creek rushing somewhere nearby.
Owen pointed downhill.
“Your car?”
I nodded.
“By the old gate.”
He grabbed my hand.
“Then run.”
We stumbled through the trees.
Lucy slipped on wet leaves.
Hannah caught her before she fell.
I kept looking over my shoulder.
Every branch seemed like a person.
Every noise sounded like footsteps.
Then headlights swept across the narrow road.
A truck stopped.
For one brief moment, relief flooded through me.
Michael stepped out.
“Rachel!”
I opened my mouth to call to him.
But Owen suddenly stopped.
His fingers tightened around mine.
“No.”
I looked down.
