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Somethingalive.
A scream bubbles up in my throat, but I put my hand over my mouth andstopit, because there’s something huge in the clearing with me. Something huge and softly panting.
Very slowly, as slowly as I can, I turn my head and look down.
It’s a dog.
Ahugedog.
It looks up at me, and when it sees me watching, it—
Nudges at me.
I whip around and put my back to the tree, just so I can keep it in sight. Oh my God, it’s big, and it’s just staring, and in a place like this, it could be—
I don’t know. Some supernatural dog. Some killer dog that could rip my throat out and drag the remains wherever it wanted.
Okay.
I can’t climb the tree. There are no branches low enough. But if I can get to one of the other trees, one of the ones with branches, I can—
The sound from the path gets quieter, and I still can’t move. I definitely won’t save Jameson if I’m getting attacked by a dog, but I’m pretty sure they’re taking him away.
I’m pretty sure those werecops.At least some of them were cops. If I burst out onto the path and chase after them with this dog, they could shoot me.
And there’s, like, no way to tell the dog that the cops are the villains in this scenario.
I want to throw up.
I don’t even have my phone.
I’m going to get maimed by a dog, probably, and it’s all because I wanted to make sure there were no kids in someothercreepy building on this property.
And because Jameson saw a post about kids whomightbe in danger and couldn’t help himself, even though he’s—
“Shit,” I say out loud, into my hand.
Even though he can’t afford to get into trouble again right now.
The voices are almost gone.
As soon as I can’t hear them, I need to—
Well, first, I need to evade the dog. Maybe if I move slowly and carefully, it will leave me alone.
Then I need to get back to Jameson’s SUV.
He left the keys in it, so I can theoretically drive it, as long as I haven’t been maimed.
And then—
Then I need to find out where they took him.
Probably jail.
My grandpapa would like that, because then Jameson would be inhissystem.
I listen as hard as I’ve ever listened for anything, my heart in my throat.
