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Her name is Cali, and she went missing while running in the woods. I guess it didn’t make headlines until now. Her friends and family can’t locate her, and the media from her town questions if this is connected, although the local police haven’t confirmed it. She was officially declared missing this morning, but the problem is, without the body, they can’t tell for sure.

Heat singes my neck and face, and a pain develops in my jaw from my clenched teeth.

“I was so sure,” I whisper under my breath, my heart leaping beneath my skin. The face in the photo that was sent to the class was covered in the mask, so it’s possible I might have misunderstood everything. Or perhaps the first photo was Cali, and I’m his next target and the picture he sent me was a warning?

I’m completely lost now. My mind is spiralling.

“So sure of what?” Dani asks, but I shake my head.

“Nothing. Forget I said anything.”

“It’s not the same girl,” Misty points out. “The hair color is similar for sure, but the body type is a touch different. The girl in the photo is curvier, like an hourglass. Kind of like you, Summer.”

My lips part slightly and I try to stop my voice from coming out wobbly. No words escape my lips, no matter how hard I try.

Dani looks at me carefully, watches the slight quivering of my hand. She rests hers on mine. “Girl, are you okay? Don’t worry, the police are saying not to jump to conclusions. You know what this town is like.”

I flip my eyes up to Dani and Misty, their gazes locking on mine as I brush a strand of hair from my eyes under their scrutiny.

Tell her… Tell someone about him. Show her the photo he saved just for me.

But I don’t, because if I do, it will be over. It will stop, or he will hide, and I will never find out what he wants from me.

“But they aren’t certain of that,” I remind her.

“Who do you think sent it?” Misty asks.

Dani says, her lips pressed together in a tight line, “If you want my opinion, I suspect the Order’s behind it. Their whole ideology was about creating disorder and chaos, and I’d say this is creating disorder and chaos.”

I observe her closely, wondering how she knows that, and ask, “Will they cancel the party because of this? I mean, a girl is missing.”

Dani shrugs. “I bet it’s all just an elaborate prank someone orchestrated to set the mood. They are trying to make everyone scared. And personally, I like to be a little scared.”

Yeah, scared…not tied up and erased from existence.

My hand finds the back of my neck. “Yeah, you’re probably right.”

Dani smirks and leans her elbows on the island. “Good, then you’re still coming?”

No. I’m not going to that fucking party. Not when there’s a potential copycat killer targeting me, or the fact I couldn’t be bothered. I don’t want to glorify murder.

“Fine, I’ll go.” I immediately regret my words. My willpower with Dani is non-existent, and I know she won’t let up. I’ll shoot my shot with the slim chance someone actually wants to murder me. And maybe, just maybe, he’ll finally reveal himself to me. If there was ever a place, that would be it.

I gather my books and head out the door with a shaking sense of dread that going to this party is a really terrible fucking mistake.

CHAPTER

SIX

SUMMER

Driving through the outskirts of Kinsmen is a stark contrast to driving in town. It’s truly remarkable how much darkness encompasses this place, with its quiet, old houses scattered among the never-ending trees. Time has lost its significance, with secrets that predate the Bible.

I relax in the passenger seat. It’s so still, with a silent mist hovering in the air. The weather is so dreary and quiet, making me wonder if the birds have abandoned this place. If the lore is real, then these woods are indeed cursed.

Dani took the long way to campus today, wanting to check out some places in town we haven’t seen yet. Eventually, the trees and houses thin out into barren, rolling hills and grasslands.

My heart leaps as she turns onto a dusty road, and all my senses tingle like we’re being watched. “Maybe we should turn back,” I tell her. “Something about this area gives me the creeps.”