Page 45 of Whisper Through the Pines

“I’d say he hasn’t moved out of the set perimeters.” Kane swung the truck onto the highway. “He lives in the forest, so I’m guessing he’s close to home.”

Clouds of mist washed over the highway the closer they got to Main. As they reached the center of town, the Halloween displays came alive, as if enjoying the spooky atmosphere. Ghoulish faces loomed at them through the mist, and skeletons danced in the breeze. Various automatons outside the stores sprung to life as townsfolk bundled up against the freezing weather walked by. The sounds of manic laughter and the howls of werewolves drifted toward them in the night. All around her, the flashers on the truck lit up the swirling fog and turned it into a troop of dancers dressed in flowing blue and red costumes. Heart pounding, Jenna shook her head as people dashed across the road and Kane slammed on the brakes. She moaned as the seat belt cut into her shoulder. “If we weren’t in such a hurry, I’d book them. They must be able to see us.”

“I’d hit the siren but then he’d know we’re coming.” Kane accelerated and the fog rolled over the hood and pressed against the windshield. “It might clear some as we head up the mountain.”

They passed the office and Jenna could see Rowley inside. He’d been the first to get into position. Behind them, Carter slowed to drop Kalo and then sped up to follow them once again. Everything was falling into place, but time was moving fast and there could be a kid out there alone with a killer stalking them. Panic gripped Jenna. They needed to go faster. Everything around her seemed surreal and out of place. The drive through town had taken too long and her stomach clenched with fear. Her phone lit up the screen in the truck. It was Raven. “Hi, Raven.”

“I’ve reached the sign outside town. I’m parked on the road leading to the fire road. No sign of Durnell.” Raven paused for a beat. “Ah, I can see Rio. He is pulling alongside the highway now.”

Jenna glanced at Kane as he switched off the flashers. He had his game face on but appeared perfectly relaxed. He thrived on the hunt. She preferred to use her team’s expertise when required, and in the forest, Kane had the leadership qualities she needed. She glanced at him. “You take point when we get to the forest.”

“Not a problem.” Kane nodded.

Moments later, they left Main and headed along Stanton. “We’re coming. Five minutes max.” She cleared her throat. “Lock your doors and don’t get out of your truck. We know what this man is capable of doing.”

“Copy that.” Raven sucked in a deep breath. “The fog has grown so thick, I’ve lost sight of the highway. It’s nothing like I’ve seen before. I’ll call Rio and tell him my position.”

Cold seeped into Jenna as a thread of fear curled inside her. “We’re two minutes away.”

Forty-One

Heart thundering, Jenna held on tight as the Beast left the road and bumped along the rutted grass alongside the forest without headlights. Ahead, she could just make out the top of Rio’s truck sticking out of the thickest fog she’d ever encountered. “How can you be sure we won’t drive into a ditch?”

“Didn’t Tonie tell you she’d seen Durnell drive along here?” Kane pulled the truck to a halt and turned to her. “He must know this area of the forest. If he can do it, so can I.” He rolled out the door and grabbed a rifle from behind the front seat.

Jenna followed. She didn’t need a rifle and waited as Carter and Zorro arrived in a crunch of leaves and twigs. She kept pace with the men as they headed for Rio’s truck. She tapped on the window and Rio slid out. She handed him a com. “Kalo fixed these. We should be able to communicate okay.”

“I’m sure I saw movement in the forest as I drove up.” Rio ran a hand down his face. “I could be seeing things. This mist really messes with your mind.”

“What did you see?” Kane walked beside him as they entered the fire road access.

“It looked like a kid heading into the forest.” Rio frowned. “There’s a white pickup parked ahead on Stanton. It’s hard to see right now but it’s there.”

Nodding, Jenna looked at him. “It’s okay. The person who called it in saw a kid as well. It might be another projection. It tells us he’s our killer.”

When Raven’s truck emerged out of the fog, she waved and Raven jumped down with Ben. They went into a huddle. She turned to Rio. “What direction did you see the kid walking? That would be the logical place to ambush a Good Samaritan.”

“I’d say about twenty yards along Stanton and heading in at a ninety-degree angle to the road.” Rio frowned. “The mist has increased thickness so fast. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“Kalo figured the killer might be using a fog machine.” Carter held up one hand. “Listen. The fog dampens sound but I’m sure I can hear a mechanical buzzing.”

Jenna nodded. “I can hear it too. He’s close by.” She touched Kane’s arm. “You take point.”

“Okay, we move out in a straight line, keep about six and no more than ten feet apart.” Kane looked from one to the other. “We won’t take the trail; he’ll be waiting for someone to walk past searching for the kid. Use the coms, no talking. Jenna and Raven on my right, Carter and Rio on my left. Move out.”

Trepidation gripped Jenna as she stepped away from Kane. With only moonlight to guide her, she kept Kane in her sights. Through the mist, she could make out his broad shoulders, but only just, and with each step, darkness closed around her, isolating her from the others. To her right, she could faintly hear Raven moving like a ghost through the forest. Panic rushed at her as shadows appeared to move with each ebb and flow of the wall of mist around her. She inhaled deep breaths to keep her cool and pushed away branches dripping with water, easing her way through the trees as silently as possible. They’d traveled about fifty yards and found nothing. Dead vines and underbrush tangled around her legs. Underfoot, the ground sloped and then rose suddenly, making her stagger. She grasped at wet trunks, trying to avoid the dripping branches she couldn’t see. Moving through the forest had become a living nightmare. She’d slowed down and could no longer see Kane and hurried to catch up.

Suddenly the ground under her collapsed. Fighting to keep her balance, she grasped at wet branches that gave way to thin air and fell. The ground came up hard and air rushed from her lungs. She lay on the damp forest floor, gasping in the smell of rotting leaves. Every intake of breath hurt. She touched her ear and found nothing. Her com had fallen out and her team had moved on without her. Frantic, she ran her hands over the leaf- and pine-needle-covered ground, grasping at small stones and dried berries.

If she called out, she’d ruin the mission. Scanning the forest, Jenna moved slowly on hands and knees, searching for her com, but without using her flashlight she’d never find it. Resigned, she stood and turned slowly but caught no sight of anyone. Her cheek stung and one wrist hurt from the fall, and without her com, no one would be able to find her. She swallowed hard and took a few steps in the general direction they’d been walking.

A flicker of light ahead caught her attention and she stopped mid-stride at the sight of a small boy looking over one shoulder toward her. The image hovered for a second before the mist and darkness swallowed it. Panic had Jenna by the throat. Ahead she could just make out the moonlight on a trail—the trail Kane had told them to avoid. Her pulse thundered in her ears. She’d walked right into the Axman’s trap.

Frozen to the spot, Jenna’s flight response went into overdrive, when a pitiful voice drifted toward her.

“Help me. I’m lost.”

The mother instinct in her insisted she go and find the little boy, but common sense told her not to move. Think. If I’m predictable, I’ll die. Jenna forced down the fear and drew her weapon. Her team must be close by but not here in the danger zone. She turned and headed in the opposite direction of the illusion. Moving with care from tree to tree, she tried to keep her back covered with each step. Kane would check in soon and discover her missing. A thick white blanket of fog curled around her, so dense now the trees appeared to emerge from a white cloud. She had options: She could call Kane and hope his phone was on vibrate or push her tracker ring, but with the possibility of both warning Durnell of their presence, she couldn’t risk the lives of her team. Did he already have a victim in his sights, or had he somehow known she had stumbled into his kill zone? It would be too easy to trip a wire or walk past a trail cam and not know in the dark. She needed to keep heading away from the threat. Placing her boots down as softly as possible, she kept moving.