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I move with a cautious, stealthy pace, like a predator on the prowl. Returning to the clearing, she doesn’t hear me coming—until it’s too late.
I clap a hand over her mouth, muffling her cries as I trap her in a headlock, putting pressure on her neck. She tries to scream, but no sound comes out.
“Just do as I say, and you won’t get hurt,” I hiss into her ear. “Understand? Nod if you do.”
She nods quietly in response before I loosen my grip—but the bitch shows me no courtesy when she shoves against me, slipping out of my grasp. I roll my eyes as she bolts for a path in the maze. I’m undeterred; she’s no match for me. But I toy with her, letting her think she can escape.
We move swiftly through the twists and turns. She’s fast, but I’m faster. I cut through the darkness, just on her heels. Occasionally, she looks back, her face bleached with terror—which is the very thing that will be her undoing. Clumsily, she trips, her ankle twisting unnaturally. Nothing can stop me now.
She’s mine.
She tries to use her other foot to kick me, but I snatch her ankle, forcing it down as I use my weight to pin her. She struggles against me, but her lithe body is no match for my strength.
“It’s alright,” I whisper in a voice only she can hear as I straddle her. “I’ve got you now. We’re going to finish this together.”
Her eyes shine with tears as I raise the blade above my head—and in one swift motion, I plunge it deep into her chest. She gasps, her mouth forming a silent scream, her eyes widening in shock. I drive the knife into her flesh one, two, three, four more times. Crimson stains the dirt, billowing out around her like a deathly halo as her life drains away. Soon, she goes limp beneath me.
But I’m not finished yet.
After taking her necklace and hiding it in my pocket, I wait until the coast is clear to carry out my plan. I clean my knife on her costume and put it back in its sheath before dragging her body into the clearing of the maze by her ankles. I then use the rope I had stashed earlier to set the scene.
Once done, I step back and smile, satisfied with my handiwork.
Now all that remains is what my Little Finch will think of it when she finds her way here.
Chapter
Twenty-Two
HER
Damon’s laughter echoes in the shadows.
Adrenaline surges through me as I chase after him. Every so often, I get a glimpse of him. I run faster and faster, claws of fear digging into my chest, my forehead beading with sweat. But no matter how hard I try, I can never seem to catch up. Nauseous with dread, I hold on to the necklace as a reminder of what’s at stake.
I push myself harder, the corn stalks scratching my skin as I push my way through, but I see no sign of him. Have I lost him? It’s almost as if the darkness has swallowed him up.
Suddenly, I hear music playing in the distance. It’s—was—Grace’s favorite band. I pump my legs, sprinting toward Courtney Love’s voice. When I get closer, the chorus of the song starts—and that’s when I realize just which track it is.
Jennifer’s Body.
My heart is pounding so loud, it feels like an explosion in my chest. The music grows louder with each step. Finally, I burst into the clearing and look up.
And immediately wish I hadn’t.
There, in the middle of the cornfield, is Jen—or what’s left of her. Mangled, broken, fastened to a wooden tree-like structure. Her body is motionless, her hair fluttering in the gentle wind. My eyes widen in horror as I stumble back, unable to look away from her bloody remains as the chorus of the song repeats like a skipping record.
I drop the necklace, unable to process what I’m seeing. This can’t be real. How could this have happened?Why?!
As if in response, voices whisper from the shadows:
“You were too late.”
“You should have killed him.”
“This is the consequence of your actions.”
“No!”
