Chapter Three
Anabelle didn’t stop running until her lungs burned and Emmett’s sobs turned wet and hiccupping against her neck.
Her arms ached from holding him, but she didn’t loosen her grip. If anything, she tightened it, one hand braced between his shoulder blades, the other cradling the back of his head as she ducked down a side street and then another, shoes slapping unevenly against the pavement.
“It’s okay,” she whispered, breathless. “Please, baby. We’re okay. I’ve got you. I’ve got you.”
Emmett clung to her like she was the only solid thing left in the world, his face buried in her shoulder, his cries muffled but frantic. His small body shook with every breath.
She slowed only when she reached a narrow alley behind a row of houses, trash bins lined up neatly, a bicycle chained to a fence, the smell of damp concrete and cut grass grounding her enough to stop.
She bent forward, hands on her knees, pulling air into her chest until the black spots at the edges of her vision faded.
“We’re safe,” she said again, softer now. “I promise. You’re safe.”
Emmett sniffed. “Sissy… was that a monster?”
Her stomach twisted.
“No,” she said quickly, forcing calm into her voice even as her heart pounded hard enough to hurt. “No monsters. Just… a scary noise. That’s all.”
But she knew what she’d heard. That sound hadn’t been human. It had been deep. Feral. Alive in a way that made her skin crawl just thinking about it. A growl that vibrated through her bones, that sent every instinct she had screaming at her to run. And she had.
God, she had been so stupid.
There’s nothing past this road. She winced at the memory even as she started walking again, this time fast and purposeful, keeping to backstreets.
Of course there was something past the road. She lived here. Grocery bags in hand, child at her side, anyone with half a brain would know she wasn’t wandering aimlessly.
They were smart. Send one of them to distract her while the others pulled up.. to do what? Her heart raced. Kidnap her? Or worse were they after Emmett?
Her chest tightened at the thought, and at the way the man who’d spoken to her, had looked genuinely startled when the truck pulled up. Not predatory. Not smug. Just… wrong-footed.
That didn’t make it better. It made it worse.
She reached her front yard ten minutes later, fingers fumbling with her keys as she glanced over her shoulder again and again. No truck. No men. No growls.
Still, she didn’t relax until the door was locked behind them, the chain slid into place with a sharp metallic click.
She sank to the floor immediately, Emmett still in her arms, back pressed against the door.
They stayed there for a full minute. Then another.
Emmett’s breathing finally evened out, his sobs tapering off into exhausted sniffles. She stroked his hair slowly, rhythmically, the way she had a hundred times before when nightmares woke him crying for someone who wasn’t coming back.
“I know,” she murmured. “I know, sweetheart.”
He lifted his head, eyes red-rimmed and glassy. “They gone?”
“Yes,” she said without hesitation. “They’re gone.”
She pushed herself to her feet, set him down gently, and wiped his face with the hem of her shirt.
“Hey,” she said, forcing a small smile. “How would you feel about a road trip?”
He blinked. “Road trip?”
“Mhm. You and me.” She crouched in front of him, keeping her voice light even as her mind raced. “Why don’t you go pack your favourite clothes and toys, okay? Just the important ones.”
His lower lip wobbled. “My dinosaur?”
“Especially your dinosaur.”
That did it. He nodded solemnly and walked down the hallway toward his room.
The moment he disappeared, Anabelle pulled out her phone. Her hands shook as she scrolled. She hit call.
“Hey,” Layla answered almost immediately. “You’re calling early...everything okay?”
Anabelle swallowed. “Yeah. Yeah, everything’s fine. I just....listen, I need to move up my days off, I’m going to be travelling for a bit.”
There was a pause. “Travelling? Ani, it’s April.”
“I know.” She stared at the wall, at the framed photo she hadn’t taken down yet. “I just decided not to wait for summer. It’ll be good for Emmett.”
Layla’s voice softened. “Is something wrong?”
“No,” Anabelle said quickly. Too quickly. “I promise. I’m okay. I just… he’s still asking for her at night. I think a change of scenery might help.”
Another pause.
Then, gently, “Give it time, Anabelle. It’s only been a year.”
Her throat tightened. “Yeah. I know.”
She inhaled slowly, steadying herself. “I’ve got to go. Lots to pack.”
“Okay,” Layla said, not convinced but letting it go. “Do you… do you need anything?”
“Yes actually” The words slipped out before she could second-guess it. “Can I borrow your extra car? I promise I’ll bring it back in one piece.”
Layla laughed softly. “You better. Keys are under the flowerpot, you know where. Call me when you’re settled.”
“I will,” Anabelle said. “Thank you.”
She ended the call and stood there for a moment, phone pressed to her chest.
Then she moved. Fast.
She grabbed a duffel from the hall closet, yanked drawers open, tossing clothes inside without folding. She packed snacks, chargers, documents. She hesitated at the framed photo again, then picked it up and turned it face-down on the counter.
Emmett reappeared dragging a backpack twice his size. “I’m ready.”
She smiled, real this time, even as adrenaline hummed through her veins.
“Good,” she said, lifting it easily. “We’re leaving now.”
Because whatever she’d heard, whatever she’d almost seen, she wasn’t waiting around to find out if it came looking again. And somewhere deep in her chest, beneath the fear and the urgency, something unfamiliar stirred. Not panic. An instinct.
Telling her one simple thing.
Go.