Page 57 of Hollow Forest

I shook my head. “No, this can’t be happening!”

His laugh was pure darkness. “When I catch you, I fuck you.”

My pussy clenched in anticipation.

I tried to resist the bloom of heat, but my nipples hardened and desire coiled tight in my belly.

If that happened, I was lost. One more taste of the forbidden fruit, and I was never leaving him. So I did the only logical thing. I ran again.

The path curved through the corn in tight, deliberate turns. More wooden arrows appeared whenever there was a bend, and every one of them pointed me in a specific direction. My heart beat faster with every turn. There were no splits in the path. I could have dove into the corn, but then I would have been well and truly lost. Out here, in the miles and miles of corn, I would wander until my legs gave out.

I was scared. Terrified of losing my thirst for blood and revenge. My hands were shaking, and my heart was pounding hard enough to hurt, but underneath the fear was a thrill I couldn’t pretend I wasn’t enjoying.

The corn rustled somewhere behind me, but when I turned, the path was empty.

What I didn’t know was how long ago he’d come out here to prepare this. He could have cut these paths this afternoon while I thought he was tied up, or maybe he’d realized earlier in the week and created it as a messed-up, deliciously intoxicating date.

No, no…NO!

If he caught me, I would miss my shot. This chance was perfect. I owed it to Dezzy. While the Cove had taught me I was capable of living again, I couldn’t do that if I didn’t finish my life’s work. The only way to heal was to take Ferretti’s life.

My boots tore through the loose dirt as I rounded the next corner, and cold air rushed against my face. His footsteps stayed behind me, close enough to keep my pulse racing without ever closing the final distance. The path twisted twice more before the corn opened without warning, and I stumbled into a clearing.

A single lantern hung from a post near the center, its flame shifting in the breeze. Beyond it stood a tall wooden post with a cross bar to make a T. Tied to the beam was a scarecrow.

Except, it wasn’t made of straw.

It bled. Or rather, he bled.

“Happy Halloween, beautiful,” my stalker breathed, coming up behind me. “I know it’s a couple weeks early, but tonight’s the perfect night for a kill. Don’t you agree?”

I pointed to the body. The words didn’t come out.

“Don’t you like it?” the monster whispered, sliding his body behind mine.

When his arms wrapped around mine, I didn’t even scream.

“Caught you,” my stalker hissed triumphantly. “Now I’m going to fuck you, my little monster.”

Chapter 19 – Samantha

“How did you know?” I gasped.

The masked man tugged me against his body. “Oh, my sweet little doe, you wear your innocence so well.” I shuddered, but he added, “Don’t you know? I’ve been watching you.”

Sneaking into the rental property to bring me groceries and haunting me from the shadows of the forest was one thing. But this? This!

My stalker had strung Antonio Ferretti on a pole, leaving him to dangle like a warped scarecrow. His head lolled to the side, and a moan whispered against the howling wind. The shadows were so thick that it was hard to tell, but he was bleeding from several gashes. Feretti, my sister’s rapist and the last man on my hitlist, was still alive.

But barely.

Setting his hands gently on my shoulders, my stalker leaned down to whisper. “What do you want me to do with him?”

This was it. The hunt was over. Death would be his only escape.

Which was too fucking easy.

“Make him suffer,” I hissed through clenched teeth.