Chapter 24
Don't Look Back
Tara
There was one loud rap on the bedroom door before it opened. I huddled in the bathroom beside the sink, my hands shaking where they clutched the hard edges of plastic.
“I’m here for the test,” a gruff voice said from the other side of the bathroom door. “Now.”
I cracked the door, offering the pink pregnancy test with my free hand. “Sorry. My aim wasn’t very accurate.”
Larson pinched it between his fingers, making a face at the very wet pregnancy test. “Aw, what the hell?”
He glanced down at it in disgust. I whipped the door open, lifting my other hand and squeezing.
A cloud of bleach spritzed from the bottle in my hand, hitting Larson directly in the eyes. He stumbled back a step, rubbing his face with a growl. I ripped the sprayer out of the bottle, splashing the remaining liquid all over his face and chest.
A guttural sound tore from him. The muscles in his arms rippled and swelled.
I didn’t wait to see what happened next. My bare feet skidded down the hallway, moving as quickly and quietly as I could manage. A twisted feeling of deja vu hit me, and I prayed that I made it out of this house a second time.
The hallway was empty and dark. So was the garage when I swung the door open.
I didn’t know where Isaac was or what they’d done to him, but I had this feeling that this was the right way. A subtle pull to the side of the house.
The exterior door to the garage was unlocked, and I froze when I saw a bloody handprint on the white paint. There was no window to the outside, no way to see who was waiting on the other side.
I turned the handle slowly, letting the door fall open as the wind caught it.
Shadows greeted me. Trees swished back and forth, pine needles hissing as they rubbed together.
I could barely hear them over the blood rushing in my ears. Any moment Larson would come after me. I didn’t know how badly the bleach would hurt him, if at all.
I had to assume he was chasing me. That he would come roaring after me at any moment. I was scared to imagine which version of him it would be.
My feet moved on their own, skidding over the rough ground.
I broke into a run, my legs pumping hard beneath me. I stumbled to a halt when I saw him.
Isaac was unrecognizable where he hung limp from a tree branch. His arms strained above his head, pulled taut by a thick chain. I couldn’t see him well in the dark, his form obscured by the shadows of the trees.
I moved closer, gasping when I realized it wasn’t shadows covering his skin. It was blood.
So much blood.
“Isaac?” What did they do to him? “Isaac, can you hear me?”
I ran, reaching for him. He groaned when my hand connected with his side, and I jerked back.
“I can get him down.”
I whirled, startling as a tall figure appeared behind me. “Don’t come any closer.”
“You’ve got seconds. A minute if you’re lucky.”
I blinked at the teenager, his face covered in scrapes and bruises from his fight with Isaac. “Is this a trick?”
He was holding a knife. A big one.
I stepped between him and Isaac.
He pinched the blade between his fingers, offering the hilt to me. “Take it.”
I hesitated, glancing at the blade and then Isaac. The kid grew more insistent, tension radiating from him as he glanced backward toward the house. “Take it!”
I did as he said, the blade feeling heavy and awkward in my hand.
With my free hand, I brushed carefully over Isaac’s skin, my throat tight as I asked, “Is he alive?”
“Yes.” The kid didn’t bother with explanation, coming around the side of the tree and unfastening the chain.
Isaac dropped in a crumpled heap, groaning and rolling his shoulders. My eyes flitted from the kid and to Isaac, not sure what to do next.
I moved the knife to my left hand, kneeling beside Isaac and lifting one of his wrists to stare at the thick metal shackle there.
“You need a key,” the kid murmured, dropping beside me and procuring the key from his pocket.
“Why are you helping us?”
He smiled sadly. “It’s a long story. You don’t have time.”
Isaac sat up, eyes bleary as he reached for me. “Did he hurt you?”
“I’m much more worried about you right now. Can you walk?” There was no way I was going to support his weight. We wouldn’t make it twenty feet.
“It’s just a scratch.” His voice was raspy and every time he took a breath, he winced.
“The road is that way,” the kid pointed. “Stab me first.”
“What?” I squeaked.
“They’ll kill me if you don’t.”
I dropped the knife, hands trembling too hard to grip it. “Come with us.”
“I can’t. I have to finish something first.”
The kid moved fast, snatching the knife off the ground and gripping the hilt. Then he drove the blade into his stomach and doubled over.
I gagged, swaying where I crouched beside Isaac.
“He’ll live,” Isaac said, sounding stronger. “Thanks kid. Don’t get yourself killed.”
Then we were on our feet, stumbling through the trees. Within minutes, it was clear he couldn’t make it to the road like this.
A howl split the night, deep and quavering. Fear skittered up my spine.
Isaac took my shoulders, turning me to face him. “I can get us out of here, but not like this.” He gestured to his body.
I took in the dozens of cuts and bruises across his torso, tears blurring my vision. “Then what are we—"
“Not as a man, Tara.” He wasn’t looking at me, his eyes fixed on something moving in the shadows. “I need you to trust me. Please.”
“Yes,” I said quickly. “I trust you.”
“Run for the road. Don’t look back. Don’t stop. I’ll be right behind you, I promise.”
I nodded.
Isaac took my head between his hands, kissing me briefly.
His muscles swelled, bones shifting beneath his skin as his body stretched to an impossible size. The beast that took his place was terrifying, eyes burning green and hateful into the dark.
He nudged me with one massive hand, urging me forward. That one gentle touch dulled the edges of my panic, grounding me.
A shape moved through the trees, barreling toward us. Isaac took a broad stance, bracing himself.
I didn’t wait to see what happened. I did exactly what Isaac told me to do.
I ran.
I tore barefoot through the trees. My feet ached with every step, and I had to force myself not to slow down. Not to falter in the dark.
Trees spun and whirled into blurry, black masses at the edges of my vision. Shadows danced and wavered before me. It was so dark, and more than once I grazed rough bark or stumbled over a root.
The noises behind me were hellish. Teeth snapping, animal snarls. Every few feet I was tempted to glance over my shoulder, to see if Isaac was okay.
But I had to do what he said. Had to find the road with single-minded focus.
Even if Isaac wasn’t okay, I had to get out. Had to reach his brothers and bring them here.
That was the only solution now, wasn’t it? I couldn’t just knock on the nearest door and call the police. Those deputies knew what they were doing when they stopped us.
How far did this go?
I wasn’t going to find out now. Not until I knew Jay wouldn’t catch me again.
The property seemed to stretch on forever. I’d lived here for months and never noticed how far from the road we were. Never counted how many minutes it would take on foot to reach it. Not once had I thought to explore this far into the property, to learn the dips and curves of the hills.
It was Jay’s territory. I knew that instinctively, avoiding all the places he went during his moods. During his changes.
The sounds behind me faded. Between the trees, the wind was a soft and consistent voice, murmuring for me to move faster. To run.
Then even the sounds of night vanished, the wind seeming to die as an unnatural chill shivered through me. Hair rose on the back of my neck. Goosebumps climbed my arms.
I broke Isaac’s rule, and what I saw behind me made my blood run cold.
Pale yellow eyes hovering eight feet above the ground. The faintest flash of fangs. Shadows swallowed the rest of the figure. I couldn’t see exactly who it was, only that he was coming closer.
My heart hammered in my throat, and I turned, pushing myself to move. To run faster.
But my feet were bloody and aching. My lungs burned. Even the rush of adrenaline was fading, my energy evaporating under the crushing weight of my fear.
I could hear his footsteps pounding behind me, hear the rushing pant of his deep inhales. The heat of his breath at my back.
Claws snagged at the fabric of my shirt. I stumbled, crashing to my knees with a cry. There wasn’t time to move. All I could do was curl around myself, waiting for the next blow.
Another shape appeared from the shadows, moving faster than I thought possible. In a heartbeat, it was on us, colliding with the beast at my back.
Isaac! He was here, keeping his promise, so I was going to keep mine.
Somehow, I was back on my feet. The fight continued behind me, and I didn’t stop. Eyes filled the shadows, peering at me around every tree. Howls split the air. One, then another.
More and more voices answered, filling the night with a chilling song.
How many were there?
I tried to recall the faces of the men Jay worked with. They were always here, loitering at the edge of the property, leaning on trucks, watching.
All this time, they were watching me.
The further I pushed, the more defeat crept in. I was lost, turned around in the dark, and more figures were closing in. I could see them from the corners of my vision, moving swiftly between trees. Too many for Isaac to fight on his own.
Then it appeared before me, and I found a second wind. The long gravel driveway, winding toward the main road. The ground was smoother here—easier to run.
I was almost up the hill when twin lights flashed in front of me, blinding me. I lifted a hand, covering my face as a truck sped down the driveway, dust swirling in its wake.
They were coming up the road. Of course, they were.
I could feel another at my back, moving closer with every gasping breath I took. The truck was moving closer too, so fast I barely had time to jump out of the way.
I was trapped, caught between two roaring beasts. No matter which way I ran, they would catch me.