Read Online Poor Little Dead Girls by Lizzie Friend - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Lizzie Friend
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sprinted back toward Graff.
Near the tower once again, she took off her headphones and doubled over, heaving, against a tree. As she waited for her pulse to slow, she heard an unmistakable sound: the crunch of gravel and the soft purring of a car engine.
Instinctively, she ducked a little farther into the woods. She angled herself so she could see a few hundred yards down the path. As she watched, a black SUV appeared on the road beyond the tower, crawling slowly along with its lights off. It was just a truck, like the kind a nighttime security guard might drive, but still Sadie felt goose bumps pushing up through her skin. She pressed her body even closer against the tree trunk.
When the car got to the tower, it turned onto the little spit of land, curved around the side of the building, and disappeared. She stepped out from behind the tree to get a better view, but the truck was gone.
She squinted at the tower windows, willing her eyes to see another flicker of light or movement, but there was nothing. Jessica had said the tower was abandoned, just some old, empty ruin that was too old to tear down and too expensive to maintain. Sadie cocked her head as she heard a car door slam. Or maybe not so empty.
Suddenly she was very aware of where she was — alone, in the dark, a mile from anyone she knew. The fear moved in quickly, flowing in icy waves from her chest out to the tips of her fingers. Her breath caught in her throat and she swallowed, willing herself to relax. She moved to slip on her headphones, but something stopped her. She froze, barely breathing until she heard it again. A twig snapping, then the soft crunch of gravel. Someone was there.
She heard another twig snap, closer this time, and she whipped her head in the direction of the sound. She knew she should run, but her legs felt weak and grounded, like the kind of half-baked paralysis that always happens in dreams. Somewhere far away, she heard the truck’s engine roar back to life, and the sound brought the blood back into her limbs. She took a step toward the path, but she stumbled over a tree root and pitched forward into the darkness, branches scratching at her cheeks as she fell. As her palms hit the dirt, she cursed. Then, straight ahead, she saw them.
There were two, both dressed in black with hoods pulled low over their faces. They just stood there, staring at her as she tried to untangle herself. She tried to yell, but the sound died in her throat, nothing more than a sad, strangled whimper. One of them laughed.
She got to her feet and turned and ran deeper into the woods, falling forward blindly with her breath pounding in her ears. She couldn’t tell if she was being chased — she just ran.
Finally she saw a glow of moonlight and broke through the trees onto the path. She doubled over, heaving and shaking in the dark. She tried to tell herself she had imagined them — she was delirious from the run, from the heat and the dark — but her hands were still trembling as she forced herself to put her headphones back in. She took a long, shaky breath, bouncing a few times on her toes. Then, just as she turned to run back to Keating, she felt a hand close down on her arm. This time she screamed.
Chapter 7
“Whoa, whoa, relax!”
The hand on her arm was gone as quickly as it had come, and she leapt back, bringing her fists up in front of her face like weapons. She realized she was shouting nonsense, like she was trying to intimidate a mountain lion. As her vision cleared, her jaw dropped open and her cocked fists wilted against her sides.
Her attacker, who was neither wearing a hood nor, actually, wearing much of anything, was cowering in front of her, holding up his hands like he was afraid she would shoot. In that moment, he looked even more terrified than she did.
“Damn it, I’m so sorry,” he blurted, taking another step away from her. “I wasn’t — I’m not — look, I go to Graff. My name’s Jeremy.”
“Holy creepy
Near the tower once again, she took off her headphones and doubled over, heaving, against a tree. As she waited for her pulse to slow, she heard an unmistakable sound: the crunch of gravel and the soft purring of a car engine.
Instinctively, she ducked a little farther into the woods. She angled herself so she could see a few hundred yards down the path. As she watched, a black SUV appeared on the road beyond the tower, crawling slowly along with its lights off. It was just a truck, like the kind a nighttime security guard might drive, but still Sadie felt goose bumps pushing up through her skin. She pressed her body even closer against the tree trunk.
When the car got to the tower, it turned onto the little spit of land, curved around the side of the building, and disappeared. She stepped out from behind the tree to get a better view, but the truck was gone.
She squinted at the tower windows, willing her eyes to see another flicker of light or movement, but there was nothing. Jessica had said the tower was abandoned, just some old, empty ruin that was too old to tear down and too expensive to maintain. Sadie cocked her head as she heard a car door slam. Or maybe not so empty.
Suddenly she was very aware of where she was — alone, in the dark, a mile from anyone she knew. The fear moved in quickly, flowing in icy waves from her chest out to the tips of her fingers. Her breath caught in her throat and she swallowed, willing herself to relax. She moved to slip on her headphones, but something stopped her. She froze, barely breathing until she heard it again. A twig snapping, then the soft crunch of gravel. Someone was there.
She heard another twig snap, closer this time, and she whipped her head in the direction of the sound. She knew she should run, but her legs felt weak and grounded, like the kind of half-baked paralysis that always happens in dreams. Somewhere far away, she heard the truck’s engine roar back to life, and the sound brought the blood back into her limbs. She took a step toward the path, but she stumbled over a tree root and pitched forward into the darkness, branches scratching at her cheeks as she fell. As her palms hit the dirt, she cursed. Then, straight ahead, she saw them.
There were two, both dressed in black with hoods pulled low over their faces. They just stood there, staring at her as she tried to untangle herself. She tried to yell, but the sound died in her throat, nothing more than a sad, strangled whimper. One of them laughed.
She got to her feet and turned and ran deeper into the woods, falling forward blindly with her breath pounding in her ears. She couldn’t tell if she was being chased — she just ran.
Finally she saw a glow of moonlight and broke through the trees onto the path. She doubled over, heaving and shaking in the dark. She tried to tell herself she had imagined them — she was delirious from the run, from the heat and the dark — but her hands were still trembling as she forced herself to put her headphones back in. She took a long, shaky breath, bouncing a few times on her toes. Then, just as she turned to run back to Keating, she felt a hand close down on her arm. This time she screamed.
Chapter 7
“Whoa, whoa, relax!”
The hand on her arm was gone as quickly as it had come, and she leapt back, bringing her fists up in front of her face like weapons. She realized she was shouting nonsense, like she was trying to intimidate a mountain lion. As her vision cleared, her jaw dropped open and her cocked fists wilted against her sides.
Her attacker, who was neither wearing a hood nor, actually, wearing much of anything, was cowering in front of her, holding up his hands like he was afraid she would shoot. In that moment, he looked even more terrified than she did.
“Damn it, I’m so sorry,” he blurted, taking another step away from her. “I wasn’t — I’m not — look, I go to Graff. My name’s Jeremy.”
“Holy creepy
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