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“Shit. Shit. Shit,” I hissed as I took note of the time. My little encounter with Brian had held me up a bit, but if I sped—I just might be able to make it.
I flipped the ‘open’ sign in the front window to ‘closed’, locked the front door, grabbed my bag, and darted out the back door.
My mother, Marcie, was the owner and head bitch in charge of The Briar Glenn Bookshop. By default, my unemployed ass filled in whenever she needed coverage. This last-minute shift interfered with a prior engagement, but there was no way I could tell the woman who financially supported me no.
The number on the speedometer of my old Volvo climbed as I left the Briar Glenn city limits behind me. The picturesque image of the sleepy little town bathed in the orange glow of the setting sun began to fade, turning instead to the dark woods that surrounded it.
I pulled onto a dirt back road, my phone vibrating the moment I put my car in park and cut the engine.
Unknown: You’re late.
According to the timestamp on the message, I was well and truly late.
And there would be hell to pay.
I stepped out of the car and clutched my bag to my chest, my head on a swivel as my eyes struggled to adjust to the darkness.
“H-hello?” I called out.
This was our usual rendezvous spot. It was strange that they weren’t there.
“Hello?” My voice rang out through the trees, but there was no answer.
Again, my phone vibrated.
Unknown: The woods. Walk into them.
“Fuck,” I cursed under my breath, surveying my surroundings again.
They were watching me.
Which meant I only had one option.
I turned on my phone’s flashlight, hiked my bag over my shoulder, and walked into the woods.
Burke
I blinkedall eight of my eyes, assessing her and that gods damned flashlight she needed to find her way through the forest. If she had been a good girl and made it to our appointment on time, I would have happily escorted her to the cottage.
But oh no, no, no. There was no chance of that now.
She’d be punished for her disobedience.
I waited until she passed by me before carefully climbing down from the tree. My eight legs allowed me to skitter down the trunk without making a sound, and from the shadows, I followed along behind her.
Being in her presence made the hair along my abdomen bristle. I could feel her unease, sense the thump of her beating heart in the delicate tips of my feet. Her fear was exquisite, and I wanted to gorge myself on it.
While I lost myself to need, a twig cracked beneath me.
She whipped around, the strands of her perfectly trimmed black bob whirling around her head with the motion. “H-hello?” Her raspy voice wavered slightly, hinting at her trepidation.
Now it was time to have some fun.
“What do we have here?” I purred. “A little moth in my woods all by her lonesome?”
“W-who are you? Show yourself!” she commanded, flailing her flashlight back and forth, but missing me completely.
I smiled a wide, toothy smile, delighted by the increase in her heart rate and her breathing. “I don’t think that's a good idea. After all, most people are afraid of spiders.”
