Page 68 of Tenebrous

“You don’t understand.”

“I understand that this town has spent generations murdering anyone who threatened its secrets,” I snap, exhaustion getting the better of my temper.

Mary's eyes begin to glisten, but she holds my gaze, even as her shoulders slump in defeat. “It wasn’t supposed to be like this.”

Everything inside me freezes. Pain and disbelief expand inside me as my fingers ball into fists. “You already knew.”

“I knew lots of people disappeared over the years,” she admits weakly. “Usually ones like you who’re just passing through.”

“How many?” I ask slowly.

“I don’t know.”

“How many, Mary?”

“I said I don’t know!” Her voice cracks throughout the room, and I shove to my feet. An ache ripples through my leg, but fury keeps me upright.

“You warned me not to go into the woods at night. You asked if I’d seen it yet.”

“I was trying to protect you,” she crows.

“You spoke in fucking riddles!”

“I couldn’t say more.”

“Why?”

Her gaze darts toward the covered windows as a gust of wind rattles the shutters outside. “Because the last person who did was Dennis.”

Hearing his name knocks the little fight I’ve found out of me, and I slump against the table. “I know. Earl told me. Asshole killed his own son just to keep shit quiet.”

She leans forward and lowers her voice. “He started asking questions after one of the servers at the diner vanished. Some pretty girl who was new to town. Earl told everyone she quit, but Dennis found her purse in his mother's room, along with some of her belongings. He kept digging until he found more things he shouldn’t have.”

“So, what is it?” I grit, glaring at the older woman. “Folks around here just rob people blind before killing them? Those ‘city friends’ Earl has are in on it, too, aren't they?”

She nods grimly. “Dennis came to me a few days before he died. Said he thought the town had been feeding people to the creature.”

“He was right.”

Her eyes drop down to his name embroidered on my jacket. “They had it trapped in the mine, back when Deadfall started. Men who caused trouble were taken down there and left for dead. Thieves, killers. People the town believed wouldn’t be missed.”

Nausea churns my stomach at the thought of Orion being trapped anywhere. Did they hurt him? Force him to hunt people for sport? Oh, my poor, sweet monster…

I pace over to the window above Mary's kitchen sink and scrub a hand down my face. “You're all fucking insane. Is this why my parents left? To get away from all this crazy bullshit?”

“Deadfall survives because people mind their business.”

“Yeah,” I scoff. “Gale said something like that before Earl shot me.”

Hurt flashes across her gnarled features. “I didn’t know they would hurt you. Figured since you were family, you'd be safe.”

“You knew they hurt Dennis, and he was the sheriff’s son.”

“I… suspected.”

My gaze narrows accusingly. “And you stayed quiet.”

“I was afraid.”