Page 113 of Hide And Seek

She didn’t move.

“She’s your friend,” I added.

“I know,” she whispered.

“Then come on.”

Her gaze flicked to me, and for a second I thought she might actually step forward. Then she shook her head. “I… I can’t,” she said, voice breaking. “I can’t go out there.”

A sick, hollow feeling opened up in my chest.

“Anyone?” I looked around at the others. “We can’t just stand here and do nothing.”

No one answered. A few people pointedly avoided my eyes. Others just stared out into the dark like if they didn’t acknowledge the issue, it would go away.

Jasmine’s grip tightened on my arm. “Please stay here.”

“If we don’t get her back inside right now, she could die out there,” I said.

“And you could die with her,” she shot back. “You heard what she was doing. She’s literally calling him to her.”

“I know,” I said. “I know it’s stupid.”

“Then why are you even considering it?”

“Because she doesn’t deserve to die!” The words came out sharper than I meant them to. “She’s having a breakdown, and I think that’s actually pretty fucking normal considering the situation we’re stuck in! It doesn’t mean she should be hunted down like an animal!”

Sutton moved a little closer to me, searching my face with her cold blue eyes. “You really think you could make it out there and back without running into the killer?”

I hesitated.

It wasn’t because I didn’t have an answer. I did. But it wasn’t one I could say out loud.

It was exactly what Jasmine had pointed out to me a few minutes before. If Rhys was the killer—and by now, I was pretty damn sure he was—he probably wouldn’t hurt me. Not unless I seriously enraged him.

I could use that twisted advantage to get Grace back to safety.

“Yes. I’m not letting her die out there,” I finally said.

I didn’t give myself time to think about it any further. If I did, I might not move at all.

I ran to grab my ax from where I’d left it earlier. Then I hurried back to the door and stepped past the threshold. The dark swallowed me immediately, the sounds from inside the hall dulling behind me.

“Alissa!” someone called out. “Come on. Don’t do this!”

I didn’t turn around.

“Grace!” I shouted instead, already moving toward the path she’d taken. “Grace, wait!”

I cut myself off after that, jaw tightening. If the killer wasn’t Rhys after all, he wouldn’t be merciful to me, and screaming my head off was a great way to lead him straight to me.

It didn’t take long for my eyes to adjust to the darkness. With the moon high and the sky clear, the camp was washed in a thin, silvery light that made everything visible enough. Grace had gone quiet, but I told myself that was a good sign. That she’d burned through the worst of it and collapsed somewhere nearby, crying into her hands.

She had to be close.

I veered right, heading toward the nearest row of cabins. Every step I took sounded too loud, my sneakers crunching over gravel and dry leaves like I was announcing myself to the entire campground. The ax felt heavy in my hand, slick where my palm had started to sweat against the handle, but I kept my grip tight.

I moved between the cabins, checking behind each one, forcing myself to look properly instead of just glancing and moving on.