29. Ethan
Ethan
Despite my upbringing in the more rural parts of New York state, I had never actually been to a cider mill.
In fact, I couldn’t remember doing anything remotely fall or Halloween themed since I was barely in elementary school.
So when Calder handed me a helmet and drove me out to an apple orchard on his motorcycle, I wasn’t really sure what to expect.
I could smell the place before we got there.
The air was full of the scent of baked goods, cinnamon, and apples.
It was like walking past one of those candle shops in the mall.
The smell was so intense and lovely that I nearly melted on the spot.
And the moment my helmet was off, all I could think of was food.
"God, it smells incredible here," I said, breathing in deeply as we walked toward the main building.
The orchard stretched out in neat rows around us, heavy with red and golden apples that caught the afternoon sunlight.
Families wandered between the trees with baskets, children's laughter mixing with the distant sound of a tractor.
Calder's hand found mine as we approached the entrance, his fingers intertwining with mine in a gesture so natural it made my chest warm. "Wait until you taste the cider donuts," he said, that rare genuine smile spreading across his face. "They make them fresh every hour."
The main building was bustling with activity.
Couples and families moved between displays of pumpkins, gourds, and apple varieties I'd never heard of.
The warmth from wood-burning stoves mixed with the sweet scent of caramel apples and kettle corn.
It felt wholesome and normal in a way that made me almost forget about monsters and missing hearts.
"Two ciders and a dozen donuts?" the woman behind the counter asked with a knowing smile as we approached.
"Make it two dozen," Calder said, pulling out his wallet. "And whatever else you recommend."
Twenty minutes later, we were seated at a picnic table outside, surrounded by paper bags filled with treats. The hot cider warmed my hands through the paper cup, steam rising between us as we shared apple cider donuts that were somehow both crispy and tender.
"This is perfect," I said, watching Calder lick cinnamon sugar from his fingers. The simple gesture shouldn't have been so attractive, but everything about him seemed designed to make me lose my mind.
"You've really never done this before?" he asked, gesturing at the orchard around us.
"Never had the chance, I guess. My dad wasn't really the autumn activities type, and after he died..." I shrugged. "Mom was too busy trying to keep us afloat."
Calder's expression softened. "Well, we're making up for lost time then. There's a corn maze too, if you're feeling adventurous."
I looked toward the towering walls of corn stalks in the distance, families disappearing into the green pathways. "That actually sounds fun. Though I should warn you, I have zero sense of direction."
"Good thing I do," he said with a grin that made my stomach flutter. "I'll keep you from getting lost."
The corn maze was larger than it had appeared from outside.
The stalks rose high above our heads, blocking out most of the sky and creating narrow corridors that twisted and turned in seemingly random directions.
Other visitors' voices echoed from somewhere in the green maze, but we couldn't see anyone.
"Left or right?" Calder asked at the first junction.
"Right," I decided arbitrarily, taking his hand again as we plunged deeper into the maze.
For the first fifteen minutes, it was perfect. We wandered through the passages, stealing kisses at dead ends where no one could see us.
Calder would press me against the rough stalks, his mouth hot against mine as the autumn breeze rustled through the corn around us.
The privacy made everything feel more intense, more intimate.
His scent surrounded me completely here, that leather and spice that had become as essential as breathing.
"This way," he murmured after one particularly heated kiss, his voice rougher than usual. He led me down another pathway, his grip on my hand firm and reassuring.
But after another ten minutes of walking, the playful atmosphere began to shift.
The voices of other maze-goers had faded completely, leaving us in an eerie silence broken only by the whisper of wind through dried corn.
The paths seemed to stretch endlessly in every direction, and I was starting to lose track of where we'd been.
"Are we lost?" I asked, trying to keep my tone light despite the growing unease in my chest.
"Just taking the scenic route," Calder replied, but I caught the slight tension in his voice. He paused at another intersection, his head tilted as if listening for something.
That's when I heard it. A sound that made my blood freeze in my veins.
Footsteps. Heavy, deliberate footsteps that weren't quite human. They were too measured, too purposeful, and they were getting closer.
"Calder," I whispered, my grip tightening on his hand.
His entire body went rigid beside me. Clearly he had the same thought I did. "Stay close to me," he said quietly, his voice taking on that protective edge I'd come to recognize. "Don't let go of my hand."
We moved quickly down the nearest path, but the footsteps followed.
Always just out of sight, always just around the next corner.
My heart hammered against my ribs as childhood memories came flooding back.
The creature in the woods. Yellow eyes gleaming in the darkness. The sound of my father's screams.
"It's here," I breathed, panic rising in my throat. "It's found me again."
Calder stopped abruptly, turning to face me. His eyes were blazing with that golden light, more intense than I'd ever seen them. "Listen to me," he said urgently. "If we get separated, head toward the entrance. Don't stop, don't look back. Just run."
"We won't get separated," I said desperately. "We'll stick together."
But even as the words left my mouth, a low, inhuman growl echoed through the maze. It seemed to come from everywhere at once, reverberating off the corn stalks until I couldn't tell which direction it originated from.
Calder's head snapped toward the sound, his nostrils flaring. "Shit," he muttered, then louder. "Run. Now!"
We bolted down the nearest path, corn stalks whipping at our faces as we crashed through the maze. Behind us, the footsteps became a thunderous pursuit, no longer trying to be stealthy. I could hear the creature crashing through the stalks behind us, getting closer with each passing second.
My lungs burned as we sprinted through the twisting passages, taking random turns in our desperation to escape. The maze that had seemed charming and romantic minutes ago now felt like a death trap, every path leading us deeper into danger.
"This way!" Calder shouted, yanking me sharply to the left. But as we rounded the corner, the path split into three directions. In our panic, our hands slipped apart.
"Calder!" I cried out, reaching for him, but he was already disappearing down the middle path while momentum carried me to the right. And I was far too terrified to stop and go back, especially with a monster on my tail.
"Ethan!" His voice was already growing distant. "Head for the entrance! I'll find you!"
I wanted to call back, to tell him to wait, but the sound of something large and predatory crashing through the corn behind me kept me moving. My heart hammered against my ribs as I ran blindly through the maze, taking turns at random, hoping desperately I was heading toward safety.
The passages seemed to stretch endlessly, each turn revealing more green walls and dead ends. My breath came in ragged gasps, panic making it impossible to think clearly. Every shadow looked like a threat, every rustle of corn stalks made me flinch.
I don’t know how long I ran before I heard voices ahead. Human voices. Relief flooded through me as I burst around a corner and nearly collided with two men walking hand in hand through the maze.
"Whoa there," one of them said with a laugh. "Someone's in a hurry."
I stumbled to a halt, my chest heaving as I tried to catch my breath.
The man who'd spoken was tall and lean with sandy brown hair, wearing a perfectly coordinated fall outfit that screamed city sophistication.
Beside him stood a much smaller man, probably barely out of college, with bleached blonde hair and delicate features.
They looked like they'd stepped out of a lifestyle magazine spread about gay autumn romance.
"Sorry," I gasped, glancing nervously over my shoulder. "I got separated from my boyfriend and I think I'm lost."
The taller man's expression shifted to concern. "Oh no, that's awful. Are you okay? You look terrified."
"Jake?" The smaller man touched his companion's arm. "Maybe we should help him find his way out?"
My blood went cold. Jake. As in Jake from work? I looked more closely at the tall man and my stomach dropped. It was definitely him, but seeing him here, in this context, with someone who was clearly his date, felt surreal.
"Ethan?" Jake's eyes widened in recognition. "God I didn’t recognize you. What are you doing here? Are you okay?"
"I... my boyfriend brought me," I managed, still trying to catch my breath. The awkwardness of the situation was almost enough to distract me from my terror. Almost.
Jake's jaw tightened slightly at the mention of Calder. "Where is he now?"
"We got separated when we were running."
“Why were you running?”
There was a long, pregnant pause. I couldn’t tell Jake the truth.
Not only would he think I was crazy, but I didn’t want him to get involved more than he already was.
The last reporter that knew too much went missing.
Even if I didn’t want to date Jake, I didn’t want him to go missing too. He was still a friend.
"I thought I heard something following us," I said carefully, which was technically true. "Probably just other people in the maze, but it spooked me. I’m getting a little bit too into the Halloween spirit I guess,” I added with a nervous laugh.
Jake's expression remained skeptical, but his companion tugged on his sleeve. "We should help him find the exit," the smaller man said softly. "He looks really shaken up."
"Right, of course." Jake's reporter instincts were clearly pinging, but he gestured toward the path they'd come from. "We just came from that direction. There's a dead end about fifty yards back, but if you take the left fork before that, it should lead toward the center."
"Thanks," I said, already backing away from them. Being around Jake felt rude somehow. I’d rejected him and now I was crashing his date with another man. I needed to go. "I should keep looking for Calder."
"Ethan, wait." Jake stepped forward, his brown eyes intense. "Are you sure you're okay? You seem really rattled for someone who just got turned around in a corn maze."
His date looked between us with growing confusion, clearly picking up on the tension. "Jake, maybe we should just—"
"I'm fine," I interrupted, forcing a smile. "Just not great with directions. Thanks for the help." I gave them both a small smile and a wave. “Have a good date!”
I turned and headed down the path Jake had indicated, my skin crawling with the feeling of being watched. Behind me, I could hear Jake and his date having a hushed conversation, but I couldn't make out the words over the rustle of corn stalks.
The maze felt different now. It was more oppressive, more threatening now that I was on high alert.
Every shadow could be hiding the creature that had been hunting me for years.
Every sound made me jump. I found myself checking over my shoulder constantly, expecting to see those yellow eyes gleaming in the green passages.
I took the left fork Jake had mentioned, then another left, then a right when the path dead-ended.
The voices of other maze-goers seemed impossibly distant, as if I was trapped in a pocket of isolated terror.
My phone had no signal this deep in the corn, leaving me completely cut off from help.
That's when I heard it again… the deliberate, inhuman footsteps.
But this time they weren't behind me. They were ahead, somewhere in the maze, moving parallel to my path.
The creature wasn't chasing me anymore. It was herding me.
My breath came in short, panicked gasps as the realization hit me.
This wasn't random. The thing had separated me from Calder on purpose, driven me deeper into the maze where no one could hear me scream.
Just like it had isolated my father all those years ago.
I broke into a run again, crashing through the narrow passages with abandon.
Corn stalks whipped at my face and caught at my clothes, but I didn't slow down.
The footsteps were getting closer now, no longer bothering with stealth.
Whatever was hunting me had decided it was time to finish what it started fourteen years ago.
A dead end loomed ahead, tall stalks forming an impenetrable wall.
I skidded to a halt, turning around to face the monster that inevitably was coming to kill me.
The corn around me rustled in the wind and I clenched my eyes shut, waiting for the attack.
To my left I heard the corn stalks part, something forcing its way through.
Instead of claws and fangs and pain, all I felt were a warm pair of arms wrap around my waist and pull me close.
“Thank the gods…” It was Calder’s voice, his lips against my neck. “I thought I lost you for a moment.”