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Letting the sound of my footsteps on the pavement calm me, I kept my breath steady as I upped my pace and sprinted. Running down hill was always a rush. Streetlamps shone below as I ran along the bluff overlooking town, but I saw no headlights. Sweetbriar was still asleep.Like I should be.
Rounding a curve, I once again had the forest at my side. The air cooled as my sneakers crunched over the dried pine needles dusting the road. Rustling sounds in the distance caught my ear and I slowed, something moving fast through the brush set me on alert. I didn’t stop, but I kept my eyes trained on the edge of the forest as I ran. Moonlight shot spikes through the trees, but it wasn’t enough light to discern what was headed my way. The sounds, both muted and sharp at the same time, confused me. It was unlike any animal I’d ever heard out here. The creature seemed to run with purpose. I’d only observed animals running like that if they were chasing something, or if they were the one being chased. The pace was steady until who or whatever it was fell.
“Fucking damn it!” I stopped short at the gasping voice in the distance.
Squinting against the dark, I darted into a shadow to conceal my presence. Hands to my knees, I tried to slow my breath as I stepped off the road and watched a shadowy figure staggering toward me in the distance. The shards of moonlight through the trees only illuminated them enough for me to know it was a person, not an animal. My heart rate was up, I was breathing hard, and it was loud. Bark scratched my bare back as I tried to blend into my surroundings.
“Ugh, dang mud! Ouch, damn it.” The voice was female, breathless, and tremulous. She was scared.
“Do you need help?” I called out.
“No,” was the answering shriek. “Stay away from me.” Her pace quickened as she drew closer to me and not farther away as I suspected was her intention.
“I’m not here to hurt anyone. I was just out for a run—” I stepped into a small clearing in the trees just as she burst through the other side and crashed into me, knocking us both to the forest floor.
Dried brush and dead bark scratched my back, and I lost my breath as her body landed on mine.
“Leave me alone!” Her hands scrambled for purchase on my chest as she tried to get up.
“Let me help you. Are you hurt?” My words didn’t seem to register as she rolled to the side and stood.
“I need to get to my sister’s house—” A thread of hysteria tinged her voice and at that moment I realized who she was.
“Holly?”
She froze, watching me carefully as I stood. “Liam. Oh thank god, it’s you.” Her voice broke and she inhaled a shaky breath.
“Yeah, it’s me. What’s going on?”
“I was out for a jog. I couldn’t sleep. I was almost to the high school track—it’s where I always used to go...” She scrubbed a hand beneath her eyes, clearly crying. I wanted to hold her. I wanted to get her safe. Then I wanted to hunt down who or whatever had scared her and get them gone. “Anyway, I got the strangest feeling someone was watching me. It spooked me so I decided to cut through the forest and head for Lily’s house instead. It’s closer than going back home and I know I’m almost there, but like an idiot, I got scared. I panicked and I fell and... I-I had an... accident before I came back to Sweetbriar. I think maybe I just relived it a little bit.”
An accident?
I wanted to know what had happened to her, but now was clearly not the time to ask. Even in the dark I could tell her cheeks were red. She was embarrassed to be caught afraid like this.
Her shoulders shook with a sob, and I could take no more. I held out my arms, gratified when she closed the distance between us and threw herself against me. “Shh,” I soothed, wrapping her tight as I scanned the dark over her shoulder.
It was quiet.
The noises I had heard had most likely come from her.
“Thank god you were out here,” she mumbled as she tucked her cheek into my chest.
I used one hand to rub gentle circles in the center of her back as I stared into the woods, scanning for anything unusual. I registered the feel of her against the skin of my bare chest but knew now was not the time to focus on that. Holly was terrified and needed reassurance, and I would make sure she stayed safe. “I got you. I won’t let anyone hurt you.”
“Okay,” she whispered, sagging against me in relief. “Thank you.”
“But let’s get out of here. Just in case someone really is following you. Yeah?”
“Lily’s place is just up the road.” She pulled back. “Can we go to your house? Now that you’re here and I know I’m not about to be murdered, I’d feel stupid waking her up. I probably lost my shit over nothing.”
“Absolutely.”
“Why are you out right now? Three in the morning is both too early and too late for this to be part of your regular routine.” After pulling out of our hug, she had relaxed a bit. I had not.
“You’re right, it’s not my usual time. I couldn’t sleep either.” I was waiting for something to pop out and attack us. I almost wanted it to happen so I could work all the charged emotion out of my system. If someone was after her I wouldn’t feel bad about it.
“Insomnia sucks.”
