voice this distinct.
You need to get out of here, Laila
.
She needs to get out as soon as possible. Because this is going to end badly, and there is no hope outside of this house unless
she leaves now.
“Go to sleep.”
Laila jerks awake again and sits up and looks around the room.
“Who’s there?” she asks.
But it doesn’t respond.
Her head against the pillow, her eyes wide open, she thinks of the boat named
Precious
and of riding on Lake Michigan and she remembers how Tyler used to hold her hand.
She lies awake and thinks of this for a very long time.
• • •
Lex is sleeping in his car, his head leaning on his palm, when the grating at the door stirs him. His eyes open, but his mind
is slow to follow. The lights of the rest stop in front of him glow but don’t reveal anybody around. He glances out the window
at nothing but empty parking spaces.
The sound comes again. It’s like someone or something is brushing up against the car.
Then he hears the handle fumbling up and down. Someone is trying to get in his car.
He checks that the locks are secure.
Scanning all sides of his car, he doesn’t see anybody.
The handle keeps banging away, the intruder wanting in.
He starts his car and then slowly rolls down his window. He probably shouldn’t, but he wants to know who is doing this.
He peers over his window but doesn’t see anybody.
“Who’s there?”
Then he hears footsteps scampering away. Light, steady, fast.
Lex opens the door and steps out but can barely feel his legs from sitting so long.
He doesn’t see anybody as he moves around the car.
Nobody.
Not a sound or a sight.
Then something comes from behind him. Something high and light.
A creepy little laugh.
He turns around but doesn’t see anybody. It’s warm outside, and the back of his shirt is damp with sweat. It’s late—maybe
close to midnight.
“Hello?”
He hears cicadas droning away in the nearby woods, an occasional semi on the freeway he’s alongside. The Kentucky night is
humid, the sky clear.
He thinks of another night more than a decade ago. Another hot summer night when he found himself in a car waiting.
“Not now,” he tells himself.
He gets in the car and quickly pulls away. Time to keep looking.
Even if he doesn’t really know what he’ll do once he finds her.
10
Sometimes, in my dreams, you are there. In a desert, flat and dry and endless, I see your shape. A figure walking toward me.
Walking toward me with water. And I’m so scared and I shake and yet you come up to me and hold my hand and tell me it’s going
to be okay. And I stop shaking and I look into your eyes but they look just like mine. It terrifies me.
Because the eyes start to bleed.
And then I see that they’re empty holes.
Y ou had a young lady spend the night here last night.”
“Why yes.”
“Any idea where she might have went?”
“No.”
James looks down at the bob of a hairdo and the smile caked in wrinkles. The woman tries to look out past him to the parking
lot, but he moves to prevent her.
“Can I have a look where she stayed last night?”
“Is something wrong?”
He looks at the woman. He examines the eyes. Then he releases a smile and extends his hands.
“No, nothing wrong. It’s just—Laila is a dear friend. And we’re planning a getaway. I want it to be a surprise. But I have
a feeling she’s trying to plan a surprise on me.”
“How romantic.”
“Yes. Well, she’s really the romantic one. I’m just trying to keep up with her.”
“She didn’t mention anything about that this morning at breakfast.”
“Did she mention anything—anything that might be helpful?”
“No. Just that she was passing by.” The woman stops and smiles. “And to tell anybody that might come looking for her that
they can just forget about her. That she’s long gone.”
James realizes the old woman is a far better actor than he is. He no longer carries the forced smile on his
You need to get out of here, Laila
.
She needs to get out as soon as possible. Because this is going to end badly, and there is no hope outside of this house unless
she leaves now.
“Go to sleep.”
Laila jerks awake again and sits up and looks around the room.
“Who’s there?” she asks.
But it doesn’t respond.
Her head against the pillow, her eyes wide open, she thinks of the boat named
Precious
and of riding on Lake Michigan and she remembers how Tyler used to hold her hand.
She lies awake and thinks of this for a very long time.
• • •
Lex is sleeping in his car, his head leaning on his palm, when the grating at the door stirs him. His eyes open, but his mind
is slow to follow. The lights of the rest stop in front of him glow but don’t reveal anybody around. He glances out the window
at nothing but empty parking spaces.
The sound comes again. It’s like someone or something is brushing up against the car.
Then he hears the handle fumbling up and down. Someone is trying to get in his car.
He checks that the locks are secure.
Scanning all sides of his car, he doesn’t see anybody.
The handle keeps banging away, the intruder wanting in.
He starts his car and then slowly rolls down his window. He probably shouldn’t, but he wants to know who is doing this.
He peers over his window but doesn’t see anybody.
“Who’s there?”
Then he hears footsteps scampering away. Light, steady, fast.
Lex opens the door and steps out but can barely feel his legs from sitting so long.
He doesn’t see anybody as he moves around the car.
Nobody.
Not a sound or a sight.
Then something comes from behind him. Something high and light.
A creepy little laugh.
He turns around but doesn’t see anybody. It’s warm outside, and the back of his shirt is damp with sweat. It’s late—maybe
close to midnight.
“Hello?”
He hears cicadas droning away in the nearby woods, an occasional semi on the freeway he’s alongside. The Kentucky night is
humid, the sky clear.
He thinks of another night more than a decade ago. Another hot summer night when he found himself in a car waiting.
“Not now,” he tells himself.
He gets in the car and quickly pulls away. Time to keep looking.
Even if he doesn’t really know what he’ll do once he finds her.
10
Sometimes, in my dreams, you are there. In a desert, flat and dry and endless, I see your shape. A figure walking toward me.
Walking toward me with water. And I’m so scared and I shake and yet you come up to me and hold my hand and tell me it’s going
to be okay. And I stop shaking and I look into your eyes but they look just like mine. It terrifies me.
Because the eyes start to bleed.
And then I see that they’re empty holes.
Y ou had a young lady spend the night here last night.”
“Why yes.”
“Any idea where she might have went?”
“No.”
James looks down at the bob of a hairdo and the smile caked in wrinkles. The woman tries to look out past him to the parking
lot, but he moves to prevent her.
“Can I have a look where she stayed last night?”
“Is something wrong?”
He looks at the woman. He examines the eyes. Then he releases a smile and extends his hands.
“No, nothing wrong. It’s just—Laila is a dear friend. And we’re planning a getaway. I want it to be a surprise. But I have
a feeling she’s trying to plan a surprise on me.”
“How romantic.”
“Yes. Well, she’s really the romantic one. I’m just trying to keep up with her.”
“She didn’t mention anything about that this morning at breakfast.”
“Did she mention anything—anything that might be helpful?”
“No. Just that she was passing by.” The woman stops and smiles. “And to tell anybody that might come looking for her that
they can just forget about her. That she’s long gone.”
James realizes the old woman is a far better actor than he is. He no longer carries the forced smile on his
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