Page 54 of Hollow Forest

It was time to make this real.

Chapter 18 – Samantha

Last night was goodbye. It fucking hurt. As I was preparing to capture him, my mind was so distracted by what was coming that I didn’t think I would be able to go through with the bondage play. When my stalker appeared, however, my body took over, and I preyed upon the sinful beast. And I was exhausted enough that sleep found me.

The moment I woke, I had to go.

I ran.

I just…fucking ran.

I couldn’t stay. I couldn’t! The beautiful memories were too powerful, begging me to reconsider. The temptation infected the very fiber of my being. But how could I abandon the one thing that had kept me moving after I lost my sister? Antonio Ferretti had to die, and today was that day.

The tear in my soul left me in a cold sweat, barely able to leave my stalker in bed. I didn’t even kiss him when I ran. Nor did I leave him with the key to the cuffs. He would have a miserable day, bound in bed. No food, water, or bathroom. I wondered how long it would take him to hate me. I would never regret meeting him, but there was no way he would say the same. Pain radiated through my chest on the walk into town. It was a dirty deed.

I wasn’t a mean person. But I couldn’t have the monster follow me today. If he followed me into the corn maze, he would learn about the series of murders that led me here. That secret was one I needed to take to my grave. The truth coming out didn’t matter, so long as I made the final kill. And what if he stopped me? What if I was arrested before Ferretti died?

That wasn’t happening.

Which was why I’d given us both the parting gift of an incredible night before leaving him tied up for the remainder of the day. Tonight, once I left San Pietro Cove, I would call Ivry and someone would go to the house in the woods to free the monster.

The double shift kept me busy at work, and I locked my mind, refusing to think about leaving. There was only me and my revenge. We left the Salted Biscoff Café after my shift, ready to complete our final job.

Kill bag packed and slung over my shoulders, I had my plans laid. Ferretti would be at the haunted corn maze tonight, and I would be there, waiting to strike. How I would take him from the field to the forest was still a work in progress, but the rest was simple enough.

It was piercing cold as I walked down the country road to the farm where the fall attraction was pitched. My teeth chattered, and the pockets of the jeans did nothing to warm my hands. I kept telling myself it would be better once I was in the shelter of the corn. That would block the howling, bitter autumn wind.

I bought my ticket and waited by the bonfire for my target to show. The roaring flames helped thaw my bones, and by the time Ferretti came with his group of friends, I was pumped full of adrenaline.

This was it.

I was ready. The kill was mine. I watched my target queue up. I fell in line a few people back. Only once the darkness of the haunted maze captured us would I sneak up and make my move. I had the syringe of serum in my pocket, ready to depress into his veins. Then I would drag his limp body away from his group. I counted on the chaos and the spooky environment to make my move.

The vibes of the maze did not disappoint. While it was a B-level production in terms of props and costumes, the visitors to the maze embraced the macabre landscape. The cheap thrills were enough to have them screaming and running from path to path.

I skirted around the people in front of me, closing in on my prey.

I’d lost sight of Ferretti, but it wouldn’t be for long. He was just ahead.

A male scream, piercing and full of terror, came from somewhere to my left, and I stopped so fast that the toe of my boot caught in the dirt. It sounded like it came from Ferretti’s group. For one ridiculous second, I listened until laughter followed a moment later. I exhaled and shook my head at myself as I continued down the narrow path. The cold crept beneath the collar of my sweatshirt and turned every breath into a faint cloud in front of my face. Dry corn stalks towered on either side of me, their curled leaves rattling whenever the wind pushed through them.

I didn’t see my prey. But he was there, somewhere right up ahead.

I crept along, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Up and down the paths. The group Ferretti was part of paused, then split, darting off. I hissed, scooting after them. Which group was he with? I hadn’t seen him just now!

Racing forward, I clenched my molars. I wasn’t losing him.

I wasn’t.

Somewhere beyond the maze, music thumped from the festival. I could hear distant voices, occasional laughter, and another shriek that dissolved into giggles. Soon, I would be alone in the forest, and the only sound would be my gun poking holes in Ferretti before I covered him with dirt.

I rounded the next corner and stopped.

A man stood at the other end of the path.

He was tall enough that the corn didn't seem nearly as imposing around him. Dark clothing covered him from his boots to his throat, leaving the pale half-skull mask over his face to catch what little moonlight filtered through the clouds.

No. “No!”