Chapter 4
4
T essa drove on through the night. Her pulse was racing, and her palms were sweaty as she gripped the steering wheel. The hum of the engine did nothing to drown out the pounding of her heart.
She risked a glance in the rearview mirror.
Marty was still following her.
She hadn’t shaken him. This was a game to him—a sick, twisted game of cat and mouse. He probably got off on it.
Tessa thought she’d lost him a while ago at the last turnoff. She took a chance to fill up with gas. However, within a half hour after pulling back on the highway, his headlights reappeared. Why doesn’t he give up and turn around? Tessa knew the answer. Damien wanted her alive—he was going to torture her. He told her as much before she ran.
The road ahead was a ribbon of black. Thick trees bordered the highway like silent sentinels, seeming to close in on her. Every once in a while, she saw faint lights belonging to a building or a house, but Tessa never felt so alone. There were a few cars on the road and even several highway patrol cars. She thought about putting on her emergency blinkers and hoping they’d stop. But what if they didn’t? Then what?
Turning on the radio was no comfort. She twisted the knob but only got static and a mournful country song. It depressed her even more.
Tears blurred her vision, but there was no time to cry or fall apart. Not now. Not when Marty was still chasing her.
Rain started falling, slowing traffic down. What to do?
Confused and disoriented, she had no clue where to go or which road to follow.
Tessa pressed harder on the gas. The roads were slick, and she felt the car skid slightly. Fog was thickening, and the rain was coming down harder. Up ahead, she could see flashing lights and a sign: Rest stop—1 mile ahead.
Her heart leapt—maybe someone would be there and she could call for help.
The turn appeared suddenly, and Tessa seized it, her tires slipping on the wet road. But as her headlights swept across the parking lot, it was empty. The store was closed.
Closed!
Her breath caught. Panic tightened her chest. What now? Should she attempt to get back on the highway? Or continue down the unknown road?
She glanced in the mirror again.
Marty was just getting off the highway and closing in. God no.
She had one chance.
Her breath catching in her throat, Tessa turned off her headlights and sped ahead down a pitch-black road, surrounded by shadows of trees in the fog and blinding rain. The rain beat harder against the windshield, and the darkness pressed in from all sides. She was alone—almost.
The narrow road ahead was winding. There were no other cars. She kept the headlights off, praying nothing ran in front of the car or that she didn’t hit a tree or worse. Her hands ached from gripping the wheel so tightly.
The road curved sharply, and her tires skidded again. The car fishtailed until she managed to straighten it out. Every muscle in her body was taut with fear. She kept glancing behind, but all she saw was black.
Her breath came in short, panicked gasps.
This had to end. She needed to lose Marty before she killed herself.
Tessa drove deeper into the woods. She glanced in the rearview mirror again but didn’t see Marty. The road split ahead, and she veered left, praying it would take her somewhere remote. Somewhere Marty wouldn’t think to follow.
Miles passed. Still no sign of Marty. Hopefully, she’d lost him. She didn’t dare turn her headlights on, just in case.
Up ahead, she saw a faint flicker through the trees. A house? A cabin? A tent?
Tessa didn’t care what it was as long as she could hide. She maneuvered down a gravel path that was barely wide enough for her car, the road nearly overgrown. She bounced over rocks and potholes as she drove up.
A cabin came into view, dark and hopefully uninhabited. There were no cars parked outside. Except for the porch light, no other lights were on.
She pulled around to the back of the cabin, driving over branches and into small bushes before killing the engine.
Tessa sat in her car. Her breath came in ragged gasps.
She had no idea where she was. However, this was her last chance to hide, regroup and figure out her next move.
I think I lost Marty.
Grabbing her phone and purse, she climbed out of the car. The rain drenched her in an instant. Her shoes slipped on the wet grass, but she forced herself forward.
Reaching the porch, she stepped to the front door and banged on it, hoping and yet afraid someone would answer.
Silence.
Okay then. She took a deep breath. Tessa reached for the door handle. Locked—of course. Closing her eyes, she gave herself a pep talk. She couldn’t drive anymore. She was exhausted.
She bit her lip and, in a moment of frustration, gave the door a swift kick. Stood there with her mouth open when the door swung in. It worked! Wow, for a fleeting second, Tessa felt like a ninja.
No time for that.
She hesitantly stepped inside, her nerves on edge, and cocked her head.
There was no dog, no alarm. It was just a secluded cabin in the woods. And so quiet, eerie almost. It didn’t appear that anyone had been here recently.
Tessa ran back to her car to get her bag before hurrying inside. She dragged a chair over to secure the door, bracing it beneath the handle. Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief.
She was safe—for now. But even then, it was an illusion of safety.