Prologue
The killer slipped through the trees like a wisp of smoke, each step rehearsed, each breath measured. The killer cannot make a mistake.
Tonight is the night. After days of observation and planning, the killer sees the victim, right where she should be. Abby Pearson hums along the shoreline, alone as usual. Foolish girl? Doesn’t she know how dangerous it is?
The killer springs forward and blocks the girl’s retreat. Abby gasps, confusion filling her eyes as she recognizes the face in front of her. Her brow furrows. Then, sensing that the usually friendly face now means her harm, she whirls to run. The killer clamps a gloved hand over her mouth. The pungent odor of ether soaked into the glove, filled the air. Not enough to keep her unconscious for long. The killer thirsts to feel the life drain from the girl’s body.
The struggle is short. Abby slumps to the ground.
Gripping her under both arms, the killer dragged her to a waiting rowboat moored at the edge of the lake, concealed from the main trail by tall reeds. The killer pulled the girl into the water.
The coolness of the water revives Abby. The killer smiles and submerges her face below the surface of the lake. Abby’s hands claw at the killer’s arms, panic making her strength desperate. The killer holds her under, relishing in the frantic struggle—the bubbles, the trembling of her body. The girl’s fight slows, then ceases. The moment her body goes slack, the killer steps back. The silence settles, cold and absolute.
After a few seconds of no movement, the killer drags the body into the boat and places the girl on her back. After smoothing her wet hair away from her face, the killer folded the girl’s arms over her stomach. To the casual observer, Abby seems nothing more than a girl dozing, not a victim of violence.
The killer placed a small card under the folded hands before placing a silver heart necklace next to her side. “Foolish girl doesn’t know the dangers of walking alone at night.”
A gentle push of the killer’s foot sends the boat away from the reeds. It drifted a short way along the misty water’s edge before stopping the length of the rope, mooring it to the bank. As the boat drifted, the killer picked up a bucket on the shore and washed away the footprints.
Satisfied, the killer melted back into the trees, pausing once to watch the fog envelope the boat. A secret for now, but the dawn will reveal the horror waiting for the unsuspecting hiker.
- Publisher : Winged Publications
- Publication date : July 8, 2025
- Language : English
- Print length : 267 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1965352987
- ISBN-13 : 978-1965352984