Chapter 5
Kayla
The second I step into my camper, I lock the door behind me and lean against it.
But the silence of my camper doesn’t come.
Even with a wall between me and the campsite, I still hear the laughter from somewhere nearby.
I wasn’t expecting this many people to be here this week, and I sure as hell wasn’t expecting to like them.
I scrub a hand down my face and blow out a breath.
What the hell is wrong with me? I should have said no to the little girl.
Stayed inside my camper and waited for later in the week so I could make my kill.
But now, I know people’s names. I know their smiles.
I know their laughter. That always makes things harder.
I sigh, pushing away from the door and moving through my narrow camper.
I change into an oversized t-shirt and a pair of soft sleep shorts before brushing my teeth.
I sink into my sheets and stare up at the ceiling.
The humidity brings a slick coat to my skin immediately.
I hate it. I hate the heat. I hate the moisture of the air.
But most of all, I hate that my mind keeps drifting back to the man with bright blue eyes and the curly red hair.
Ethan.
He is too observant. Too willing to look at me like he’s trying to solve a puzzle. He will be a problem if I don’t get rid of him. I don’t like people who notice things. Not when I work very hard to make sure no one ever does.
My eyes drift toward the duffel bag by the sink in the middle of my camper.
My tools are still inside. Clean, ready, and waiting to be used.
Just like they are every year. This was supposed to be an easy trip.
One and done, and head back home. But now, I have to find someone to kill.
I have to find someone I am willing to eat.
And that is a lot harder when these people come with laughter and smiles.
I’m going to have to broaden my search. Hunt deeper in the woods away from this campsite.
That group is off limits. I curse under my breath as a drunken laugh echoes around my space, and grab my noise-canceling earbuds.
If I have to listen to one more outburst, I might go out there and smother someone with a camp pillow just to get some peace.
I slide the earbuds in and pull the blanket up over my waist. The silence brings more thoughts of the blue-eyed man.
The way he nearly stumbled over himself standing up from the log.
The way his voice got quieter when the rest of the group left.
The way he kept trying to fill the silence like it offended him.
Most people annoy me. Surprisingly, he doesn’t, and that is the biggest issue of all.
I wake to the sun barely creeping above the trees. The stream of light was just briefly filtering through my open window. I lie still, listening to the outside, and am met with silence. No laughter, no talking, just birds chirping in the trees.
I sit up and stretch, then tug on black leggings and a fitted tank top. Morning hikes have always been my favorite part about coming up here. The cold air. The stillness.
I step outside and lock the camper behind me. The cold hair hits my lungs immediately, and I take in a deep breath. Perfect.
I start down the narrow path leading deeper into the woods, keeping my steps light out of habit.
After a few minutes, I drift off the main path and head toward the spot where I set up my station yesterday.
I don’t walk straight to it. That would be dumb.
I cut wide, checking for signs that someone else has been out this far.
Broken branches, boot prints, anything out of place, but I find nothing. Good.
When I finally step into the clearing, everything is exactly where I left it.
The rope still hangs on the limb, and my table still sits between the two trees.
I stare at it for a moment, imagining a body hanging there.
Blood dripping down in slow, red lines. A knife sliding clean through skin.
My mouth waters. But then images of Ethan being the one hanging there flash in my mind, and my whole body recoils.
No. Not him.
I shake the thoughts away as I turn to head back toward the main trail.
I can’t hunt from the main area this week.
There are too many groups. All too close, too noticeable.
Someone will know they’re missing. I’ll have to head toward the falls later, where the loners like to hang out. Maybe I can find a better victim there.
Someone will make a mistake. They always do. And I’ll be ready.
Just as I’m about to reach the main trail, a branch snaps behind me, and I freeze.
Another one crunches, and slowly, I turn around.
Ethan rounds the bend in the trail like he was summoned by the thought of him.
His red curls are a little messier this morning, and he has one hand shoved into the pocket of a pair of gray athletic shorts.
He slows when he sees me, then smiles. “Well, good morning.”
I stare at him for a second before forcing my face into a scowl. “Morning.”
He glances around at the trees, shifting on the balls of his feet. “Didn’t peg you for a morning person.”
I turn and keep walking the way I was headed. Unfortunately, his footsteps fall in step beside me a second later. Because of course they do. Clearly, my turning away from him mid-conversation was not an obvious enough sign that I don’t want to talk to him.
“I’m serious,” he breathes. “You didn’t really seem like the sunrise and fresh air type.”
I don’t look at him. “And what type do I seem like?”
He hums for a second, then laughs. “Like you’d threaten the sun for rising too early. You’re a little scary.”
I nearly choke on the gasp that threatens to leave my mouth, and I hate the tiny pull at the corner of my lip. Fucking hate it. “How do you know I didn’t do that already?”
His laugh is low as we continue walking in silence. And after a few seconds, I can feel him staring at me. This is the longest walk of my life.
“You hike often?”
I roll my eyes. “Sometimes.”
“Alone?”
I glance at him then. “Do you ask everyone this many questions?”
He grins, not letting my attitude ruin his. “Only the interesting ones.”
I look away again and pick up my pace. If he wants to grill me with questions, then he can learn to keep up.
He does, without even trying, his longer stride making it effortless, and I want to punch him in the face.
“You know most people would call this a conversation.”
I snort softly. “This is more like a hostile kidnapping against my will.”
He laughs again, and the sound echoes between the trees. “I’m hardly keeping you anywhere. We are just walking in the same direction.”
I scowl at him. “Walk a different direction.”
He stops in the middle of the trail as I keep walking. But my body freezes when his voice comes again.
“You can’t hide forever, you know.”
I slowly turn toward him, now ten feet away. “Excuse me?”
He lifts one shoulder in an easy shrug. “You keep acting as if you stay quiet enough and not make eye contact for long enough that no one will notice you exist,” he smirks then. “But I see you, Kayla.”
My pulse quickens in my chest as the sound of my heartbeat sounds in my ears. He doesn’t see me. Not the real me. If he did, then he would stay far the fuck away. I let out a huff, flipping him the bird over my shoulder as I walk toward my camper.
Fuck him and his thoughts.