yard, phone held above her head, as the single bar appeared and disappeared. They were moving towards the front of the driveway. Jayne’s car faced the exit, and the driver’s door stood open, waiting for its owner to dive inside to make a quick escape.
She brought a knife and was prepared to bolt. What, did she think I murdered Marion or something? Adrienne twisted to see the house’s outline, dark and bleak, stretched high above them, and swallowed. Maybe she did. A stranger moves into the creepy house at the edge of town. Your friend goes to visit and never comes back. It’s like the start of a B-grade horror movie.
Adrienne turned back to the driveway and stopped. A pair of tyre tracks led from the dirt drive to the edge of the forest. They were barely visible in the fog, but Adrienne didn’t think they’d been there before.
A horrible, panicky premonition struck her. “Jayne? What time does the sun set around here?”
“Huh?” Jayne had stopped beside her car and was still squinting at her phone. “A bit after seven, I think. Why?”
Marion left work at seven. Sunset comes a little after that. And just after sunset, I watched the birds burst out of the trees and heard a strange screeching noise…
Adrienne ran towards the forest, following the tyre tracks, her heart thundering in her throat and nausea rising in her stomach. Mist billowed around branches that had been snapped in half and trunks that had been scraped. Adrienne followed the path of destruction downhill for close to twenty metres, scrambling and slipping through the fallen leaves, before she saw the faint outline of a compact blue car submerged in the fog.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN: Search
The car’s headlights were still on. They sent twin beams around the tree the vehicle had crashed into, and acted like spotlights through the swirling fog. It would have been beautiful if the implication weren’t so horrifying.
Adrienne struggled to breathe. She slowed her descent as she neared the car, grabbing at the trunks to steady herself. The voice in the back of her mind was yelling that she should stay away, that she could be tampering with a crime scene, but the car’s door was hanging open, and Marion could still be inside. Adrienne couldn’t leave her there. What if she was in pain or—
Some kind of ground-bound bird shot out of its hiding place in the weedy grass and crashed through the underbrush with a cackling, indignant cry. It startled Adrienne so badly that she stumbled, overbalanced, and hit the forest floor. She grunted, tried to roll into a sitting position, and slipped farther down the damp slope until she came to a stop beside the open car door.
The driver’s seat was empty. She began to breathe again.
“Adrienne? Addy?” Jayne was still at the top of the hill. Adrienne could see her coral-blue jacket between the trees.
“Did you call the police?” Her voice was muffled by the mist, but it still seemed too loud for the reverential hush surrounding them.
“No. Can’t get through.”
“Keep trying. I found her car.”
“What? Is she hurt?” Jayne began racing down the slope, crashing through the same trees and bushes Adrienne had plunged through a moment before.
Adrienne rolled onto her knees then gained her feet. The area where the car had crashed was mostly flat, but the wet leaves were still treacherous, and she supported herself on the door as she looked in at the driver’s seat.
The keys dangled from the ignition, and the internal lights were on, though Adrienne suspected the battery would be close to dead. A covered basket rested on the passenger seat. Adrienne scanned the headrest, seat, and windshield for any signs that her friend had been injured but couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary. Then she caught the dull glisten of dried blood on the steering wheel. There wasn’t much, but its presence tightened her stomach.
She drew back a little to see the front of the car. The bonnet had crumpled where
She brought a knife and was prepared to bolt. What, did she think I murdered Marion or something? Adrienne twisted to see the house’s outline, dark and bleak, stretched high above them, and swallowed. Maybe she did. A stranger moves into the creepy house at the edge of town. Your friend goes to visit and never comes back. It’s like the start of a B-grade horror movie.
Adrienne turned back to the driveway and stopped. A pair of tyre tracks led from the dirt drive to the edge of the forest. They were barely visible in the fog, but Adrienne didn’t think they’d been there before.
A horrible, panicky premonition struck her. “Jayne? What time does the sun set around here?”
“Huh?” Jayne had stopped beside her car and was still squinting at her phone. “A bit after seven, I think. Why?”
Marion left work at seven. Sunset comes a little after that. And just after sunset, I watched the birds burst out of the trees and heard a strange screeching noise…
Adrienne ran towards the forest, following the tyre tracks, her heart thundering in her throat and nausea rising in her stomach. Mist billowed around branches that had been snapped in half and trunks that had been scraped. Adrienne followed the path of destruction downhill for close to twenty metres, scrambling and slipping through the fallen leaves, before she saw the faint outline of a compact blue car submerged in the fog.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN: Search
The car’s headlights were still on. They sent twin beams around the tree the vehicle had crashed into, and acted like spotlights through the swirling fog. It would have been beautiful if the implication weren’t so horrifying.
Adrienne struggled to breathe. She slowed her descent as she neared the car, grabbing at the trunks to steady herself. The voice in the back of her mind was yelling that she should stay away, that she could be tampering with a crime scene, but the car’s door was hanging open, and Marion could still be inside. Adrienne couldn’t leave her there. What if she was in pain or—
Some kind of ground-bound bird shot out of its hiding place in the weedy grass and crashed through the underbrush with a cackling, indignant cry. It startled Adrienne so badly that she stumbled, overbalanced, and hit the forest floor. She grunted, tried to roll into a sitting position, and slipped farther down the damp slope until she came to a stop beside the open car door.
The driver’s seat was empty. She began to breathe again.
“Adrienne? Addy?” Jayne was still at the top of the hill. Adrienne could see her coral-blue jacket between the trees.
“Did you call the police?” Her voice was muffled by the mist, but it still seemed too loud for the reverential hush surrounding them.
“No. Can’t get through.”
“Keep trying. I found her car.”
“What? Is she hurt?” Jayne began racing down the slope, crashing through the same trees and bushes Adrienne had plunged through a moment before.
Adrienne rolled onto her knees then gained her feet. The area where the car had crashed was mostly flat, but the wet leaves were still treacherous, and she supported herself on the door as she looked in at the driver’s seat.
The keys dangled from the ignition, and the internal lights were on, though Adrienne suspected the battery would be close to dead. A covered basket rested on the passenger seat. Adrienne scanned the headrest, seat, and windshield for any signs that her friend had been injured but couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary. Then she caught the dull glisten of dried blood on the steering wheel. There wasn’t much, but its presence tightened her stomach.
She drew back a little to see the front of the car. The bonnet had crumpled where
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