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“I’m okay,” Emma says, wrapping her hands around the mug. “I was just sleepwalking, I think, and I’m not hurt. Other than a few scratches from twigs and things. I honestly…I don’t know. I had a weird dream and when I woke up, I was just in the middle of the forest.”
“Thank God you’re okay.” Asher pulls her in and presses a swift kiss to her temple. “Fuck, I was scared.”
“Me too,” I breathe out, running my hand up and down her bare calf. “Has this ever happened before? Opening locks and things?”
“No.” Emma shakes her head between sips. “I’d need a hundred extra locks on my front door if that was the case.”
“So you didn’t lock the door.” Asher shoots Finn a sharp, accusatory look.
“I did,” Finn snaps back, but the certainty on his face fades and he glances toward the now closed front door. “I’m sure I did.”
“Clearly not,” Asher snaps. “Fuck, Finn. How could you be so careless?”
“I’m not careless,” Finn remarks but despite the strength in his voice, there’s uncertainty in his eyes. Whether he remembers doing it or not, the door was definitely unlocked, and it seems unlikely that it was Emma.
“I’m sorry,” Emma says suddenly, drawing our attention back to her. “I didn’t mean to cause a fuss or anything. This sleepwalking is such a pain.”
“Hey.” I gently squeeze her calf, bringing her eyes down to mine. “This isn’t your fault. It’s just a terrible accident that, thankfully, we managed to avoid turning into a bigger one. You’re here and you’re fine. That’s all that matters.”
I glance pointedly at Asher who rolls his eyes but thankfully doesn’t reignite his argument with Finn.
“Come on, let’s get you into a hot shower and then back to bed.” Asher stands and guides Emma up with him. She flashes me an apologetic smile and then walks with Asher out of the room. Finn remains, one hand on his chin as he stares at the door. When I stand, he glances at me, and there’s an uncertain pain in his eyes.
“I’m sorry,” Finn says. “I swear I thought I locked it. I remember locking it but now the more I think about it, the more I’m not sure I’m just remembering the wrong thing.”
“Do you think we should be worried?” I ask in a low voice, approaching Finn. “You’re sure you locked the door and Emma was found on the complete other side of the cabin to where I saw that shadow.”
Finn’s brow pulls low. “How sure are you that you saw something?”
“About as sure as you are about locking the door.”
Finn nods slowly. “Maybe we’re just tired from all the fucking and our minds are playing tricks on us.” He drops his hand to his hips with a sigh. “Or…”
“Or?” I prompt when he falls silent, and I stare at him, trying to decipher what ideas are spilling through his mind.
“Or there’s something a lot more sinister that we’re just not seeing yet.”
22
EMMA
“Okay you have got to give me every single detail!” Ana drops onto the couch next to me and clasps my arm. “They went out into the woods in the middle of the night and rescued you, how fucking romantic is that?”
“Aside from being terrified that I was going to be bear chow, yeah I guess it kinda was.” I laugh, balancing my drink so the liquid didn’t slosh out from Ana’s bounce.
“So what happened?” Her brow pulls low. “How did you get outside?”
“I’ve no idea. Finn insists that he locked the door, and he’s never been dishonest before, so I believe him.”
“So you unlocked it yourself?”
“I don’t know. Maybe?” There’s no clear answer in my mind. “I’ve never done it before. I’ve always just been in my kitchen or something, but to my knowledge, I’ve never done anything but wander.”
“I saw a girl on TikTok once that would do her laundry while sleepwalking,” Ana says, patting my arm and settling back against the armrest. “Maybe it’s just another symptom?”
“Maybe.” My attention falls back to the notepad on my lap. It’s filled with the barebones of study notes that I managed to scribble down before Ana was out of the shower and ready to hear all about the cabin.
“Has it ever been this bad before?” Ana tilts her head, her tone soft.
