Alexander Thorne was busy at work, doing some digging close to the barn.
Winston sneezed, and Sarah turned around, mortified.
“It’s my allergies,” he offered apologetically.
When Sarah peered through the grasses again, Alexander was gone. “Great. You made me lose him.”
“Maybe you should just say something to Ellie.”
“And tell her what? I’ve been spying on her and her new boyfriend? We need evidence to back up our claims.” She groaned. Why am I doing this? It wasn’t like she expected to find anything. Alexander Thorne was probably just as ordinary as he appeared. The next night at the hayride, she would end up laughing about the whole ordeal with her own date—if she had time to find one. Luckily, she never had any difficulty in that department. Still, if they didn’t find something soon… There’s no way I’m staying out here after dark. The Wells farm was almost as far from town as one could get.
“Look. There he is again.” Winston offered her a pair of binoculars.
“You’ve had these the whole time?”
He sheepishly averted his gaze.
Sarah took the binoculars. “He’s doing some digging. There’s no law against helping out an old lady.”
“Do you see a car?”
Sarah looked around but didn’t see any sign of a vehicle. Mrs. Wells, too feeble to drive, kept an old Cadillac parked inside her garage. “No.” Come to think of it, she hadn’t seen Alexander driving the day he met them in the park. “How did he get here?”
“He must have walked.”
“No way. Mrs. Wells’ house is the only one around for miles.”
“That’s not technically true. Dead House is around here somewhere.”
“Come again?”
“Dead House. It’s an old house that was abandoned fifty years ago. Am I the only one here who knows anything about local history?” Winston gave Sarah a self-satisfied look that made her want to throttle him.
“Sorry Winston, I was too busy actually having a life.” She glanced through the binoculars once again. “Wait. He’s finishing.”
Alexander planted a shovel in the ground, took off his gloves, and looked around before walking through the field.
“Where’s he going? Let’s follow him and find out.”
Perhaps afraid of rousing her anger, Winston obeyed without protest. They darted across the road, careful to remain unseen, and cut through the field. Sarah thought Alexander would stop when he reached the forest—over a half-mile from the house—but he disappeared down a dirt trail.
“Come on.” Sarah took one last look at the sun at her back. They still had plenty of time until nightfall. Everything would be fine. If not, she had her cell phone. She took the trail and spotted Alexander ahead. “Get down.” A twig snapped underneath Winston, and Alexander turned around quickly and gazed in their direction. After lingering a moment, he walked away and vanished down the path.
Sarah crept away from the tree and motioned for Winston to join her. Together they wandered deeper into the forest. After several minutes, Sarah could no longer see or hear Alexander Thorne.
“I think we lost him,” Winston whispered.
“I know that.” She bit back a more sarcastic remark. “Maybe we lost us instead.”
Winston looked nervous. “We should turn back. It’ll be dark soon.”
Something stirred in the brush. Sarah stiffened. What was that? She listened carefully, but the sound faded, replaced by the breeze. “Keep your voice down. I thought I heard something.”
Without warning, a hand shot out of the brush, grabbed Winston, and pulled him into the brush.
Sarah screamed and bolted from the spot. She ran as fast as her legs would carry her. Winston shouted her name, and the cry seemed to come from every direction. When she cast a look over her shoulder to make sure she hadn’t been followed, her foot turned over a rock. Sarah fell and landed hard on the ground.
“Help!” She pushed herself up in a panic. The trail had disappeared. Which way led from the forest? Get a hold of yourself, Sarah. If you scream, they’ll hear you. She advanced cautiously and tried orienting herself until she found a landmark she recognized. There. The trail lay nearby, promising freedom.
A growl shattered the stillness. A dog blocked the path.
“Boomer?” Sarah’s brow furrowed. “What are you doing out here?” She held out her hand to him. “You know me, boy. It’s Sarah.”
Boomer bared his teeth. When she tried to move past him, he bristled and snapped at her like a rabid animal. Her gaze fixed on the dog, Sarah backed away slowly, reached into her back pocket with a shaking hand, and pulled out her cell phone. A single bar of reception stared back at her from the screen. Desperate fingers keyed the numbers. Come on. Please work.
The phone began to ring, and she let out a sigh of relief. Suddenly, something wrapped around her ankle and pulled her off her feet. The cell phone dropped to the grass as Sarah was dragged back into the forest.
Chapter Nine
Night was approaching. Matt made his way to the Appalachian Regional Hospital, built nearly half a century earlier so locals wouldn’t have to travel to neighboring counties to receive medical care. Although the resulting hospital was impressive by the standards of its time, the building hadn’t been modernized since completion. While it offered basic care to the sick, more complicated procedures required traveling to larger regional hospitals.
Matt showed his badge and signed in at the front desk. After a few minutes, a nurse appeared and led him to a patient room down the hall. The air conditioning was a welcome relief from the summer heat.
Jack Taylor was a far cry from the man he remembered. When the staff at Appalachian Regional phoned to say Jack was awake and alert, Matt imagined someone ready to return home. The man in the hospital bed appeared anything but well.
Jack looked as if he’d aged ten years. His face was gray and expressionless. The doctors found no physical injuries besides a broken right arm, but Jack had also suffered exposure and dehydration.
“Jack? Can you hear me?”
His eyes were glazed over, and Matt guessed he remained under sedation.
So much for awake and alert. “There are a few questions I would like to ask you.”
“Don’t make me go back.” Jack exhaled slowly without opening his eyes.
“What did you see, Jack?”
“The woods. There’s a monster there.”
Matt tried reassuring him. “You’re safe now. You’re in the hospital.”
Jack’s eyes finally opened, and he stared at Matt with an expression of dawning horror. “Did you go in the woods?”
“That’s where we found you. Remember?” Matt leaned closer. “I found your rifle, Jack. What were you shooting at? Can you describe it to me?”
“A demon. Fangs. Claws. And those yellow eyes…” Jack grew suddenly animated, but the fit subsided just as quickly as it came on.
“Jack?” There was no answer. Obviously, shock and exposure had twisted Jack’s recollection of the attack. Matt didn’t blame him, but it was unfortunate. He had hoped for a solid description of the predator. Another animal had been reported missing. This time it was a horse. Matt had a sinking feeling the attacks weren’t going to stop anytime soon. “I’ll check in again when you’re more awake. Thank you for your time.” He headed for the door.
At least he had the hayride to look forward to. Truth be told, Matt would have rather taken the opportunity to catch up on some sleep. He’d been burning both ends of the candle a lot lately. Still, anything was better than deranged monster stories.
“You’re not going to make me go back there, are you?”
Matt glanced back at Jack. “Don’t worry. We’ll catch whatever attacked you long before you’re ready to leave this place.” At least I hope so. He couldn’t help worrying the next attack victim might not be so lucky.
It was dark when Alexander pulled up at Ellie’s house in Mrs. Wells’ Cadillac
. Ellie rose from her spot on the porch and walked to meet him.
“Hi.” Alexander wore the same clothes as the night they’d met: a black button-up shirt, dark jeans, and brown boots. His curly hair was teased up in the front as if he’d run a comb through it.
“Hi yourself.”
“You look great.”
Ellie blushed. “Thanks.” She wore a modest blue dress, one of her favorites.
He patted the hood of his car. “What do you think? Mrs. Wells let me use it as thanks for all the work I’ve been doing.”
“Another classic. I’m starting to think you’re a man from another time.”
Alexander grinned. “Guilty as charged.” He opened the passenger seat door for her, but before he could usher her inside, her father emerged from the house and approached.
Ellie cringed. “That’s my dad. Don’t mind him. I may have sprung you on my parents at the last moment.”
“Hi there.” Ellie’s father extended a hand.
“Hello, sir. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Alexander Thorne.”
“Michael Sullivan.” The two shook hands. “Ellie’s told us all about you.”
“Only good things, I hope.”
“Since you two have been seeing so much of each other lately, we’d like to invite you for dinner sometime to get to know you better.”
Ellie shot Alexander an apologetic glance.
“I’d like that.” Alexander released his hold on her father’s hand.
Her father massaged the hand and winced, as if Alexander had applied too much pressure. “It’s settled then. How about Tuesday night?”
“That works for me.”
“Excellent.” Her father took a step back. “We’ll see you then. Enjoy yourself at the hayride and be sure to have Ellie home at a decent time.”
Unblinking, Alexander held her father’s gaze. “Don’t worry. I have big plans for Ellie.”
Something in his tone seemed to unnerve her father.
“We should go. We don’t want to be late.” Ellie gave her father a peck on the cheek. “See you later, Dad.”
Alexander ushered her inside the passenger seat, circled around to the driver’s side, and fired up the engine.
Ellie glanced back at her father as the car reversed onto the gravel road. “Don’t mind him. My parents can be a little overprotective sometimes.”
“Maybe you’re worth protecting.” He noticed her shudder. “Is everything all right?”
Ellie scanned the line of trees amid the unfurling night. “I think so. For some reason I felt like something was watching me when I was waiting for you.” Even now, she couldn’t shake the feeling.
“I’m sure it was nothing.” Still, when Alexander followed her gaze, his smile faded as if he felt it too.
Ellie’s father remained on the front porch and watched the car drive off. He massaged his right hand and recalled Alexander’s unexpectedly tight grip.
He didn’t see the thing watching him from the trees. Hidden from sight, the creature sniffed the air and savored the scent of the man below and of the two who had driven away.
Red fur shimmered in the moonlight. The creature looked up at the moon, well over half full. Gray clouds swimming over the night sky partially obscured its light. Green eyes watched the Cadillac’s taillights fade from view.
“Hello?” Ellie’s father glanced up at the trees. “Is someone there?”
The night was quiet. He was alone. Chiding himself for his jumpiness, he went inside the house and shut the door.
Ellie and Alexander passed the rest of the drive in relative silence. Each occasionally made attempts at small talk, but something unspoken hung between them—Ellie wasn’t sure what.
Finally, they neared the grocery’s parking lot. “Pull over here.”
The area was full of people hanging around outside their cars. There were multiple trucks with hay-covered wagons attached. A few couples and friend groups already sat on hay bales while waiting for the ride to start.
“Wow.” Alexander was clearly impressed. “I didn’t expect so many people. This looks like quite the party.”
“The hayride is a pretty big event. Willie Tompkins hosts the event twice a year, once in the summer and again during Halloween.”
“Halloween? Sounds spooky.” He glanced over at her. “You OK? You still look worried.”
“I’m going to see if I can find Sarah. She was supposed to meet us here, but I haven’t heard from her.”
Ellie passed through the crowd in search of Sarah and nearly ran into Jeremy Doyle in the process. Fortunately, he didn’t notice her, and she went in the other direction to keep it that way. The last thing she wanted was for him to see her with Alexander.
I don’t see Sarah anywhere. It wasn’t unusual for her to show up late—Sarah’s reputation as something of a diva was well earned—but usually she would at least text to say she was running behind.
When Ellie tried calling Sarah, the phone went straight to voicemail. Did Sarah’s absence have something to do with her strange behavior at work? Ellie spotted Matt Simmons and considered broaching the subject with him but decided against it. He had enough on his mind at the moment. Besides, Sarah was probably just rushing to get there.
Matt noticed her looking at him and waved in her direction. “Hi, Ellie.” He looked different without his uniform on. He wore a white t-shirt and faded jeans. “I’ve been hoping to hear from your dad. Has he mentioned anything about the predator lately?”
“Last I knew he was sending pictures of the prints to some of his friends from vet school.” She scanned the crowd for Sarah. “You don’t think it will attack tonight, do you?”
“Large groups typically repel predators—except human predators, that is.” Matt was watching Jeremy with a curious expression, and Ellie wondered if he’d had run-ins with the Doyle brothers before. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure things don’t get out of control tonight. Have a good night, Ellie.”
“You too.”
A truck engine roared to life to signal the hayride was about to begin. Before Ellie could return to Alexander, someone grabbed her shoulder.
“Ellie Sullivan. I should have known.” It was Malory Baker.
Not this again. Ellie pulled free. She didn’t want to start another fight.
“You think I don’t know why you’re here? You’d better stay away from Jeremy. Don’t you have work at that raggedy clothes store in the mall? Not that I blame you for wanting to get out. There’s no way they pay you enough for college tuition. It must be a shame to have all those brains and no future.”
Sarah might have aimed a barbed retort at Malory, but Ellie simply turned her back on her.
“I recognize that girl from the arcade,” Alexander said when she returned. “What was that about?”
“Nothing.”
Alexander climbed up beside her on the wagon, and she felt better already. Malory only acted out because of her own lack of self-worth. Ellie was thankful for friends and family who supported her no matter what. Her self-image was about more than one person’s approval.
The truck began moving, pulling the wagon along, and Ellie felt the wind against her face. She dangled her feet over the side and stared up at the moon.
He slipped his hand into hers. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”
“It’ll be full soon.”
“It only looks full. It’s an illusion. One side of the moon is always fully illuminated by the sun. It’s only because the moon orbits the earth that it changes positions. People only perceive varying amounts of fullness.”
Ellie laughed. “Where did you learn that?”
Alexander shrugged. “I guess I’m just interested.”
The truck went left at a fork in the road, and they passed several farms. Not one car was traveling in the opposite direction, as if the night belonged exclusively to them. After a winding journey, the truck crossed over a bridge, turned onto a dirt road leading to the Tompkins farm and came to
a stop outside a large barn. Music emanated from speakers in the barn, where those who arrived early grazed at tables topped with party foods.
They hopped off the wagon and made their way through the line. When their plates were reasonably full of hamburgers, hot dogs, and chips, they retrieved sodas from coolers below the table and sat at a picnic table.
Alexander wolfed down a hamburger. “This is incredible. Who does all this?”
“Coach Tompkins.” Ellie watched several couples square dancing under the lights. “He used to coach the high school football team. He’s been retired for a few years now.”
She caught sight of Jeremy staring at them from across the field. He looked as if he was about to approach, but Malory grabbed him by the arm, and they began to argue. Jeremy said something that made his friends laugh, and Malory fled the group in distress.
“I’m going to get something else to drink.” Alexander pushed away from the table. “You want anything?”
“No, thanks. Hurry back.” She reached for her phone to text Sarah again. Still no answer. What’s keeping her?
Jeremy Doyle approached almost as soon as Alexander left. “Hi, Ellie.”
“Hello, Jeremy.” She kept her tone polite. Of all the times for Alexander to disappear on her.
“I’ve got good news. I’ve just been accepted to Lindsey Wilson College on a football scholarship. I’ll be the second-string quarterback.”
“Good for you.”
Jeremy lowered himself beside her. “And for you. For us.” The intensity in his voice unnerved her.
“What are you implying?”
He grabbed her hands. “I know you got an academic scholarship to Lindsey Wilson. It only makes sense for us to get together. I want you to be my girlfriend. Trust me, I can make you very happy.”
Ellie yanked her hands away. “Jeremy, I’m not interested in you. Leave me alone.”
His expression grew angry. “I’m not taking no for an answer. I know you like me. What’s happened? It’s that new guy you’re hanging out with, isn’t it?”
Seeking to Devour Page 9
