exactly sound friendly, but he cut her off
“The Pub,” the young man stated, light dawning in his sparkling green eyes. “You were at The Pub in town this afternoon.”
She didn’t know if she should deny the accusation, if she should confess to him that she had been there, or if she should turn and take her chances on making it to the next street over. But, before she could decide which course of action to take, the young man took another step forward and a sharp gasp flew out of her, the fear shooting through her sending her lurching backward before she could stop herself.
The young man froze, his handsome face going as hard as stone, but then softening almost instantly. “You don’t have to be scared of me. I’m not going to hurt you.”
Lanie believed…she was honestly trying to believe…that he didn’t want to hurt her. Her gut was telling her so, but still, wasn’t that what every serial killer said just before he gouged out his victims brains with an ice pick? Or slashed his victim’s throat and left her in the park like so much garbage? That thought had Lanie’s heart again leaping up into her own throat and her body resuming its movement away from the young man, despite what her gut thought about the situation.
“You really don’t have to be afraid. I’m not here to—“ the young man’s words suddenly halted and his sparkling green eyes flew past Lanie, focusing on the woods behind her. Lanie watched as his body went completely stiff and his handsome face went completely hard. “You should go. Now! It’s not safe out here.”
His expression and tone prompted Lanie to shoot a quick glance over her shoulder, fully expecting to see someone or something horrible coming at her from out of the murky woods, but there was nothing at all behind her. No darkly clad, sinister figure ready to steal her life away from her, no vicious, slavering animal come down out of the mountains in search of an easy meal, though judging by the look on the young man’s face, either of those two options had seemed likely.
Confused, Lanie looked back toward the young man, and was stunned to find that he was…gone. He was just…gone, vanished, as quick as that. Gasping, Lanie glanced around, but there was no sign of him. With fear and confusion spurring her onward, she shot forward, out of the woods and back onto the dirt road, looking up and down it, searching for any sign of the young man. But, he was nowhere to be seen.
Dumbfounded, Lanie stalled only for a second before giving into the panic racing through her and bolted forward up the dirt road, her mind harboring visions of the young man crouched somewhere in the bushes, just waiting to spring at her. She hit the sidewalk running along Aster Street, pointed herself in the direction of home, and took off at a fast trot, uneasiness tingling along her spine. As she hurried to put some distance between herself and…whatever had happened back there with that young man, Lanie glanced down at her phone and hit her dad’s number. Her gut was telling her the young man wasn’t a bad guy, but her dad needed to make sure her gut was right.
This time her dad answered on the second ring. “Dad, it’s me. You need to get over to the Fells Pointe Cemetery…”
“They’ll be no more going around town by yourself, Lanie,” Sam Bancroft was saying as he paced up and down the length of the kitchen. “You might have been lucky this time. You could have been…you are not to go walking around on your own! And you aren’t to go any farther than downtown and school unless you have someone with you. Is that clear?”
Lanie nodded, feeling like a chastised child. She’d never seen her father so upset. Usually, Sam Bancroft was the most jovial and easy going man around. He was always smiling and laughing, a person could talk to him about anything at all. But, this side of him was something that Lanie
“The Pub,” the young man stated, light dawning in his sparkling green eyes. “You were at The Pub in town this afternoon.”
She didn’t know if she should deny the accusation, if she should confess to him that she had been there, or if she should turn and take her chances on making it to the next street over. But, before she could decide which course of action to take, the young man took another step forward and a sharp gasp flew out of her, the fear shooting through her sending her lurching backward before she could stop herself.
The young man froze, his handsome face going as hard as stone, but then softening almost instantly. “You don’t have to be scared of me. I’m not going to hurt you.”
Lanie believed…she was honestly trying to believe…that he didn’t want to hurt her. Her gut was telling her so, but still, wasn’t that what every serial killer said just before he gouged out his victims brains with an ice pick? Or slashed his victim’s throat and left her in the park like so much garbage? That thought had Lanie’s heart again leaping up into her own throat and her body resuming its movement away from the young man, despite what her gut thought about the situation.
“You really don’t have to be afraid. I’m not here to—“ the young man’s words suddenly halted and his sparkling green eyes flew past Lanie, focusing on the woods behind her. Lanie watched as his body went completely stiff and his handsome face went completely hard. “You should go. Now! It’s not safe out here.”
His expression and tone prompted Lanie to shoot a quick glance over her shoulder, fully expecting to see someone or something horrible coming at her from out of the murky woods, but there was nothing at all behind her. No darkly clad, sinister figure ready to steal her life away from her, no vicious, slavering animal come down out of the mountains in search of an easy meal, though judging by the look on the young man’s face, either of those two options had seemed likely.
Confused, Lanie looked back toward the young man, and was stunned to find that he was…gone. He was just…gone, vanished, as quick as that. Gasping, Lanie glanced around, but there was no sign of him. With fear and confusion spurring her onward, she shot forward, out of the woods and back onto the dirt road, looking up and down it, searching for any sign of the young man. But, he was nowhere to be seen.
Dumbfounded, Lanie stalled only for a second before giving into the panic racing through her and bolted forward up the dirt road, her mind harboring visions of the young man crouched somewhere in the bushes, just waiting to spring at her. She hit the sidewalk running along Aster Street, pointed herself in the direction of home, and took off at a fast trot, uneasiness tingling along her spine. As she hurried to put some distance between herself and…whatever had happened back there with that young man, Lanie glanced down at her phone and hit her dad’s number. Her gut was telling her the young man wasn’t a bad guy, but her dad needed to make sure her gut was right.
This time her dad answered on the second ring. “Dad, it’s me. You need to get over to the Fells Pointe Cemetery…”
“They’ll be no more going around town by yourself, Lanie,” Sam Bancroft was saying as he paced up and down the length of the kitchen. “You might have been lucky this time. You could have been…you are not to go walking around on your own! And you aren’t to go any farther than downtown and school unless you have someone with you. Is that clear?”
Lanie nodded, feeling like a chastised child. She’d never seen her father so upset. Usually, Sam Bancroft was the most jovial and easy going man around. He was always smiling and laughing, a person could talk to him about anything at all. But, this side of him was something that Lanie
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