I wasn’t more than five feet from the back door when I saw something move past the kitchen window. Instinctually, I ducked down behind the counter and looked out the patio door, wishing I would have closed the curtain the entire way.
My heart was pounding even though I wasn’t sure what I’d seen. I sucked in a silent breath as the shadow of a man darted past the patio door.
12
I was frozen in place. My eyes darted from window to window, waiting for another shadow to pass.
Had it been an animal? It wasn’t impossible for bears or wolves to make their way to the area.
The shadow had seemed taller than a wolf and far more human than a bear. It hadn’t been crawling around on the ground, searching for food. It was more like a person jogging past the window, hoping to go unnoticed.
I listened carefully… waiting for the sounds of glass breaking, but there wasn’t anything but absolute silence. Every so often, I could hear Sam’s gentle snores, even the slight whistling sound through her nostrils as she pulled in another slow breath.
Still, I wanted a weapon.
My brother had kept an aluminum baseball bat he’d only used a few times in the front coat closet. There was a really good chance it was still there.
I crawled on all fours around the kitchen table. I didn’t stand until I was hidden by the curtains.
My lungs filled with air as I pulled them closed. Silently I reached over and checked to make sure the back door was locked, even though I knew I’d already checked it three times after I’d initially locked it.
Soundlessly, I tip-toed to the front closet. The door opened with a squeak.
There was just enough light from the candle I could see shapes. I dug around, searching for the bat.
A stack of boxes slid out of place as toppled down to the floor. I froze as I waited… waited… waited for a sound outside that would let me know that whoever was out there had heard the noise.
Sam kept snoring, and I didn’t hear movement. I was beginning to think that I’d imagined the shadow. My imagination was going crazy because I was exhausted and frightened.
I didn’t tell Sam because it would have only made things worse, but I was terrified about what had happened. And what the solar storm would eventually mean for us.
Of course, it also wouldn’t be the first time I’d imagined someone creeping around outside. For weeks after I broke up with Elijah, I’d see his shadow everywhere.
The dark was not my friend. I’d never liked it as a child, and now I hated it.
That was all part of the reason I was on medication. Although, I couldn’t entirely blame Elijah for my problems.
I found the bat at the same time I realized I’d missed a dose. Hell, it was hard to keep track of time. I’d maybe even missed two doses.
My fingers tightened around the grip as I sat down on the couch. I pinched the bottle between my knees and twisted off the cap, wincing as I swallowed down a pill without water.
I sat there moving the bat from hand to hand for a long time before a yawn stretched my mouth until my eyes watered. There hadn’t been any more shadows or sounds. It was just me sitting alone in the darkness while the rest of the world slept.
I used the bathroom and brushed my teeth without using any water. I laid down on my back and stared at the ceiling while tucking the bat in at my side like it was a stuffed animal.
It was hard to believe my body would relax enough to fall asleep, but eventually, I did. That was something the medicine helped with.
Sam’s footsteps woke me. It felt as though I’d only just closed my eyes.
She was chugging a meal replacement drink as she walked over to the patio door.
“Morning,” I said, stretching my arms over my head.
The bat clanked to the floor. Sam spun on her heel and placed her hand on her chest.
“Holy shit, Mel! You scared the hell out of me!” Sam squawked as her brow wrinkled. “Why do you have a baseball bat?”
“Well, since you want me to tell you every—”
“Yes, I do.”
I exhaled. “I thought I saw someone walking past the patio door last night.”
I pressed my feet down onto the worn-down carpet and twisted side to side. My back cracked down my spine, loosening my joints.
Sam shook her head. “Who would be out here in the middle of the night? Mel,” she said, pressing her palms together, “he’s not in Wisconsin. You are safe.”
“There’s that word safe again,” I said, pressing my lips together.
“Well, safe from him.” Her eyes widened, and she held up a finger. “Wait! You know who it probably was, though, right? That creep who’s staying with that Erik guy. He was probably snooping around here!”
“Yeah, because all guys want to stalk me,” I mumbled.
Sam cocked her head to the side. “I’m not going to leave you alone anymore, that’s for sure.”
“What about when we sleep?” I asked, jerking my thumb over my shoulder. “There isn’t enough room on the couch for both of us.”
“We’ll bring the couch into the bedroom,” Sam said, with a half-shrug.
“It wasn’t Dorian,” I groaned as I pushed myself to my feet. My legs were sore, either from crawling around or from hauling the water from the bay. Maybe both. “It was probably just an animal or something.”
“How are you doing with your medicine?” Sam asked, shifting her eyes to the bottle on the coffee table.
I picked up the bottle and screwed off the child-proof top. “Thirty days left, give or take.”
Sam looked at me with concern. She didn’t say anything, but I could tell she was thinking about what would happen when the medicine ran out.
“There is a town to our north,” I said. “They have a pharmacy.”
“What are you suggesting?” Sam asked.
“I’m not sure, but I don’t think they’ll be open,” I said, staring at the bottle.
A knock at the front door caused us both to jump. I started toward the door but hesitated. I bent down, picking up the bat… just in case.
“Hey,” Erik said, his smile fading as his eyes landed on the bat. “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, of course,” I said, flashing him a smile.
“You’re holding a weapon,” Erik said, holding out a covered plastic container. “Brought you some leftovers.”
Sam stepped up beside me and took the container. She popped it open, and her nose wrinkled at the overpowering smell of cooked fish.
“How thoughtful. You should really tell your new roommate to stay off our property, though. Let him know that he isn’t welcome here.”
“What are you talking about?” Erik asked.
“Someone was snooping around out back last night,” Sam said with a hand on her hip. “I know it was that creepy guy you let into your home.”
He shook his head. “That’s impossible. We were up all night patching up the roof and ceiling. I found a lot of problems during the storm that needed repair.”
Sam’s eyes flicked away. “You couldn’t have been with him every minute.”
“If there was even a small chance it could be him, I’d tell you,” Erik said, looking into my eyes. “But the truth is, there is absolutely no way Dorian was here last night.”
“I was probably just seeing things,” I said. “It was dark, and I was totally drained.”
“What exactly did you see?” Erik asked.
I chewed on my cheek as I turned toward the wall. “It just seemed like someone ran past the patio door. It happened so fast.”
“Mind if I have a look outside?” Erik asked.
“Not at all,” I said, pulling the door open wider as I gestured toward the back door.
It wasn’t until he stepped inside the house that I remembered the mess he was stepping into. I’d never let anyone into the house in all my years living there, and now both Sam and Erik had seen the way my mom had lived.
It was strange, though, a
s it hadn’t bothered me to let Sam inside, but letting Erik in was different. The embarrassment reddened my cheeks.
I wanted to make an excuse or somehow explain why the house was a disaster, but there wasn’t anything I could say. There was no excuse for the mess other than it wasn’t mine.
I was relieved when Erik unlocked the back door and stepped outside. At least I hadn’t seen his judging eyes as he walked through the house.
“What’s all that about?” Erik asked, pointing to the pile of jugs, bottles, and containers.
“We’re working on a project,” Sam said, crossing her arms.
“Looks like fun,” Erik said as he turned his attention to the ground. “You might not want to store your project outside.”
I followed him as he walked around the house. My eyes scanned the ground, but I didn’t see anything out of the ordinary.
The ground near the house was still soft from the rain, but the grass was overgrown and would have hidden any print from an animal or a human.
“I have a push mower,” Erik said. “I should come back and trim this for you.”
“That isn’t necessary,” I said, waving my hand.
“Could attract insects or other pests,” Erik said.
Sam snorted. “Indeed, it could.”
“I have a better idea, though,” Erik said, rubbing his palms together as a smile curled the ends of his lips.
“Better than cutting the grass?” Sam asked, cocking her head. “Is there anything better than that?”
Erik raised a brow. “How about the both of you come over for dinner tonight?”
“That would be nice, thanks,” I said, grinning. The idea of being with more than just Sam eased my mind.
I never liked being with people I didn’t know well, but a lot had changed in a small amount of time. If there had been someone sneaking around the house, what could Sam and I have done to protect ourselves? The more of us there were, the better. At least, that’s what I told myself.
Sam placed her hand over her mouth and laughed. “Oh, hell no.”
13
The sun was starting to fall as Sam and I walked down the street, both of us with a bottle of wine in hand. Sam’s feet noisily scratched as they dragged on the bumpy road.
“I can’t believe you talked me into this,” Sam grumbled.
“It’s like a role reversal. You and Olivia were always the ones trying to get me to do more things,” I said, nearly laughing.
Sam sighed. “You’re only doing this because you’re scared, and you think the two men will be able to keep us safe.”
“Yeah, that sounds like me,” I said, rolling my eyes. “When have I ever had good luck with men? Remind me again the last time one of them kept me safe.”
“Fine,” Sam muttered. “I just don’t get it. We don’t know these guys at all. For all we know, they were both sneaking around the house!”
“You sound paranoid,” I said, pointing at her with the bottle of wine. “You need to unwind.”
Sam cackled like a witch. “That’s rich.”
“I’m sorry,” I said. “Really, though, maybe a night not stressing about everything will help. Maybe it’ll help us come up with a plan.”
Sam’s shoulders dropped with defeat. “I’ll admit, I’m looking forward to the wine.”
“When has that not been true?” I teased.
“Touché!” Sam said, slightly raising the bottle as if making a toast. “Did you lock up?”
“Of course,” I said, reaching into my pocket to touch the keys.
It wasn’t a long walk to Erik’s house. The blue from his siding peeked out from behind the surrounding pines and evergreens.
Erik and Dorian were sitting on the front porch sipping brown liquid as we walked down the gravel driveway. They both wore silly smiles, and their eyes were glassy.
“You two just sit around drinking all day?” Sam asked.
Erik jerked his thumb at a pail sitting next to his grill. “I find food.”
“And I chopped wood,” Dorian said, nodding to a pile of wood stacked at the side of the house.
“Sounds like you have everything all figured out,” Sam said with a laugh.
“How is your project coming along?” Erik asked.
I stepped onto the porch and leaned back against the railing. “We finished it up a short while ago. You two aren’t the only ones getting stuff taken care of.”
“What is your project?” Dorian asked.
“It’s top-secret,” Sam said, tapping her finger to her lips.
“They’re collecting and boiling water,” Erik said, smirking. “Pretty smart, actually.”
Sam looked at them with satisfaction. “We’re smart women.”
“Catching your own food is pretty smart too,” I said, scrunching up my nose. “There is only so much condensed soup a person can eat.”
“Turns out that amount is a lot, though,” Sam said, pointing to her bottle of wine. “Corkscrew?”
Erik slapped the armrests of his chair and pushed himself to his feet. “Sure thing. Hey, Dorian?”
“Yeah?” he said, turning to him.
“Get the grill going?” Erik asked.
“What’s on the menu?” I asked.
They both looked at me. Their mouths moved at the same time. “Fish.”
“Oh, but I make up some mean mashed potatoes,” Erik said.
“Sounds good,” I said, smiling. Anything would be better than more soup and beans.
Sam followed Erik into the house. I heard her gasp and compliment his home as the door closed behind them.
“Help me?” Dorian asked.
“I don’t know my way around a grill, but sure,” I said, crossing my arms.
“That’s okay. I just wanted the company. Unless, of course, you’re afraid I might be some kind of weirdo like your friend seems to think,” Dorian said, pressing his lips together.
I exhaled softly. “I don’t think you’re a weirdo or a creep or anything. Sam’s just being protective.”
“Wish I would have had a friend like her when I was growing up to keep my dad away. Now, he’s the kind of guy you need to worry about,” Dorian said, lighting the grill. The flame shot up but quickly died back down.
“Are you worried he’s going to come looking for you?” I asked.
Dorian looked into my eyes. “Truth?”
“Yeah,” I said.
“Terrified he will, but lucky for me, he’s a lazy son of a bitch,” Dorian said, taking a long drink. “He’d much rather sit around and talk about what he’ll do once he finds me than actually doing it.”
Sam and Erik erupted from the house, giggling. She had a glass of wine in each hand.
“There not both for me,” she said as she handed me one.
I smiled and clinked her glass before taking a sip. The liquid slid down my throat, warming me as it made its way into my stomach. The first drink was always my favorite because I was convinced I could feel it moving through me.
“Melaney Jean Carter, you are not going to believe what Erik’s house looks like on the inside,” Sam said, wagging her brows. “This old siding, grill, and rickety front porch are so deceiving.”
“Ah, it’s nothing,” Erik said, flicking me a look. “I’d be happy to give you a tour if you’d like.”
“Um,” I said, looking back and forth between Sam and Dorian.
Sam blew out her cheeks. “Oh, it’s fine. We aren’t going to kill each other.”
“I’m not ever going to kill anyone,” Dorian said, his face contorting. “I bring bugs outside.”
“Well, that’s just silly,” Sam said. “They’ll just find their way back in.”
“You’re sure it’s okay?” I asked.
Sam nodded. “I’ll teach him how to grill fish properly.”
“You don’t know how to grill fish properly,” I said, shaking my head.
“I watched a video tutorial one time,” Sam said with a snort. “Pretty sure that makes
me an expert.”
“Okay,” I said, glancing over my shoulder as I followed Erik into the house.
Erik placed his hand on my back and guided me inside. He brought his ears to my lips as he kicked the screen door closed behind him. “She chugged a glass of wine before we went out.”
“I see,” I said, taking another sip. “That’ll help. Although, she can be a mean drunk.”
“Can’t imagine,” Erik said, smirking slightly. He threw out an arm to his side. “This is my home.”
My eyes moved over the open floor plan. I could see every room from where I stood. The entire place was expertly decorated with the finest items and immaculate.
“This is amazing,” I said, sucking down a bigger drink. The embarrassment over letting him into my mother’s house had resurfaced. “You did all this?”
Erik laughed. “Oh, of course not. I hired a professional.”
“I guess that’s why it looks like it’s straight out of a magazine.”
The wooden end tables and coffee tables in the living room were made of real wood. Each lamp matched, unlike how each lamp my mom had owned came from a different time period.
Erik had a tall white candle placed on nearly every surface, but none of them had been lit. There was more than enough sunlight making its way into the home.
In the dining room, there was a large wooden table that was so polished I could see my reflection. There were six chairs, all perfectly set in place.
“Do you even live here?” I asked.
The kitchen had all stainless-steel appliances. None of which had looked as though they’d ever been used.
“Not much,” Erik admitted. “This is my vacation home, and I didn’t get to use it as much as I would have liked. I had hoped to retire early and move here.”
We turned back through the dining room and headed down the hall. There was a massive bathroom and two bedrooms.
“There are two bedrooms and another bathroom upstairs. Downstairs is where I keep the mess,” Erik said.
The main floor of the house wasn’t that much bigger than my mom’s house, but it felt huge. My mom’s home had a basement, but it was full of more junk.
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