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I watch him leave through the space between the shelves, not stopping by the table, and walks out of the library.
I make it back to the table, the book forgotten, wet between my legs. Jeremy looks up when I start to collect my things.
“Is everything alright?”
“Yes,” I say, trying to hide the flush in my cheeks.
I didn’t want him to stop. I wanted to keep going, but there are people. In the heat of the moment, no one existed, but in the back of my mind, I was worried we would get caught. It was a rush I never knew I needed. If he’s addicted, I’m obsessed.
“You’re leaving?” he asks.
“Yes.” I hesitate. “I need to get home. I forgot I had something to do.”
“Can we hang out later?” he asks hopefully.
“I’m sorry, Jeremy. I can’t.”
He lowers his head, but it’s better this way. I can’t lead him on when I’m not interested. I have to admit, I went to the swim meet because, deep down, I wanted to see Valen. I could tell myself a hundred times I didn’t go because of him, but it’s a lie. I want Valen. Since the first time I saw him.
I grab the rest of my things. “I’ll see you later.”
“I’m counting on it,” he says before I walk out.
I hear a tap. I sit up and wince from the stiff muscles on my lower back. I need a thicker mattress to sleep on. Every morning, I feel like someone hit me with a car when I get up.
I look out the little window. The sky is dark. The moon hides behind the thick clouds. The fog is thick. I check my phone, and it’s 2 a.m. I just fell asleep an hour ago. All I could think about was Valen and what happened in the library. I couldn’t concentrate on the paper I have to write.
I hear it again. Tap. Tap. Tap.
I sigh and stand, grabbing a thick sweater that falls to mid-thigh. I slide my feet into my black boots and grab my phone. It must be something the wind dragged, and it’s stuck against the side of the trailer, making that stupid tapping noise. If I don’t pull it off, I won’t get any sleep. I have school in the morning.
I push open the door, tap the flashlight on my home screen, and walk outside. The wind picks up, and I shiver from the cool air. It’s getting colder.
All the lights are off in Mr. Crosby’s house. He won’t be back until Monday. He left to go visit his daughter in Maine.
The trees sway. The sound of an owl breaks the silence. I angle the light and walk around the trailer, looking for a piece of plastic or a piece of debris swaying in the wind and hitting against the wall of the trailer, but I don’t see anything. I walk to the backside of the trailer, away from the street, but don’t see anything. I glance behind me toward the tree line, a weird feeling snaking up my spine.
I keep walking, raising my phone so the light can shine on top. Maybe something is stuck by the window, making that annoying sound, but I don’t see anything.
A shadow falls against the trailer, and I look to my right. It feels like my heart is stopping. Someone stands wearing a plague mask and a large robe with a hood over their head. It’s the same kind I saw from Rose’s dorm room window near the church entrance.
I blink a couple of times to see if I’m hallucinating, but I’m not. Whoever it is, they’re standing and watching me. The eyes from the mask were pitch black and shiny, reminding me of the button eyes in the movie Coraline.
“Who are you?” I ask.
It shakes its head slowly.
I open the app to dial 911 when it comes at me, causing me to drop my phone. I run. I run so fast that the cold air invades my lungs like a whip, not letting me swallow. Not letting me scream for help. I can hear the footsteps gaining behind me. The sounds of feet hitting the ground like a horse.
I push through the branches of the trees, hitting my face. Some snag my hair as I run through the woods, kicking the leaves in my panic. I can feel whoever is behind me. They’re close, and I’m tired. I don’t run, and I’m not into sports. The air is thinner as I run deeper into the woods. My fatigue grips me in its embrace.
I snag my boot on the root of a tree, and I fall, hitting the wet leaves and dirt. My hair is blinding me when I look up.
Pain grips my skull when I’m thrown back on the ground. Strong thighs pin me to the ground as the man straddles me.
I hit his chest, feeling how hard his body was with each blow, but it’s as if they are made of concrete. Every hit I land does nothing to diminish their power over me. Tears burned the backs of my eyes. Please stop.
“Please!” I scream. “Please…”
