Page 10 of Trick or Stalk

He shrugs. “Well, try not to get murdered.”

I look at him.

He grins. “Right. Forgot who I was talking to.”

The door closes behind him, and silence settles over the cabin.

I should unpack.

Instead, I head outside.

The cold has sharpened as daylight fades. I shove my hands into my pockets and walk around the side of the cabin.

The property stretches farther than I expected. It’s mostly woods, but we do have a small, overgrown backyard.

I follow what looks like an old trail between the trees, my boots crunching over fallen leaves. I don't know where it leads. I don't particularly care.

I’m just content that for the first time in years, nobody knows where we are.

No one is waiting for us.

Or watching our every move.

A faint sound carries through the woods.

I stop and listen.

There it is again. A small, sharp bark. Then another.

I look around the forest. I can’t see anything through the thick trees.

The barking stops.

I should turn around and go back to the cabin. Unpack my meager belongings. Figure out what the hell we're going to do with our lives now that the bastard who controlled them is dead.

Instead, I take another step down the trail.

CHAPTER 4

Presley

The woman on the television runs upstairs.

I stare at her in disbelief. “Why? That’s freaking stupid!”

Penny lifts her head from my lap.

“Seriously. Why would you go upstairs when the front door is right there?”

The masked man slowly follows her.

Of course he does.

I grab another handful of popcorn from the bag. I decided I needed a snack four minutes into this movie because the female lead grates on my nerves with her stupid decisions.

But luck has been on her side.

Until now.