The Stalker's Trick

1. Hades

Hades

I watch the blood run down the drain as I wash my hands. His screams still echo in my ears.

He deserved it. Every bit of it.

For a moment, her face flashes before my eyes. The only time her smile reached her eyes was when she smiled at me.

But he made it vanish.

Then he took her away from me. Permanently.

I dry my hands, then walk out of the bathroom.

Wilder steps into the kitchen, dark hair hanging in his eyes. White teeth gleam at me as he smiles. “Everything ready for our departure?”

I nod. “You sure nothing will be traced back to us?”

“Stop treating me like a kid just because I’m younger than you. If there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s this.”

I put my hands in the air. “Sorry.”

“New place ready?”

“Yup. Move-in ready.”

“Cool.”

“Heard good things about Hollow Creek.”

Wilder’s smile widens. “Maybe we’ll meet someone.”

I scowl. “Not looking for anything except a place to start over.” I glance down the basement steps one more time, almost as though I need to convince myself he’s really dead.

Even though there’s no doubt.

Not after what Wilder and I did to him.

“Here’s to the past. It can kiss my ass.”

I head for the back door, ready for a new beginning.

Wilder’s boots thud against the floor behind me.

I exit the house and stand beneath the cover of a tree in the darkness, watching as Wilder strikes the match.

He tosses it, then joins me.

We stand there, listening to the crackle of the flames, watching the house burn.

“Can’t believe there were once good memories here,” Wilder says quietly.

I give a stiff nod. “A long time ago. But he destroyed it.”

We turn and head into the woods, the smoke following us toward the truck hidden on the other side.

I give one final glance in the direction of the place I once loved.

Flames leap high into the night, lighting up the darkness.

“Good riddance,” Wilder says.

“Yeah. Good riddance,” I echo as remnants of the past turn to ash.

Time for a fresh start in Hollow Creek.