town’s one and only church. Her friends were expected any minute so they could all head down to Main Street for the Fourth of July festivities, where she would undoubtedly be warmer. Without a watch, Emily wasn’t sure how long she’d been there, or how much longer she would have to wait, but the darker the sky grew, the more impatient she became.
“Two more minutes, and then I’m gone,” she muttered to herself, growing increasingly more annoyed with her friends with every second that passed. After all, it had been their idea to drag her out tonight. With her recent breakup still fresh, Emily had no desire to be around anyone, let alone a crowd of people. However, Jan and Holly had refused to take no for an answer and told her to meet them at nine o’clock—a time that had come and gone.
Aside from the rustling of trees, the church had been rather quiet. Most of the townspeople were celebrating on Main Street. Anyone else would be at home, which was where Emily wished she was. I could be warm and comfortable in my own bed right about now, she thought to herself.
Tapping her fingertips against the gooseflesh along her upper arms, she began to slowly count to a hundred and twenty, giving Jan and Holly the two minutes she had promised. She made it to thirty-six when a noise nearby caught her attention. At first, she assumed her friends had finally arrived, but it didn’t take long for her to realize just how wrong she was.
Gravel grating along pavement and crunching beneath shoes extinguished every ounce of bravado she had. The heaviness of each unhurried step warned that whoever approached was only one person.
And it wasn’t a female.
A chill ran up her spine, though this time, it wasn’t caused by the breeze. It reached her neck before gripping her shoulders and spreading down her arms like slender fingers of terror. In an instant, her cheeks flamed red with heat, the first spark of warmth all evening.
An ominous echo caused by a knuckle against aluminum rang out to her right. Not wanting to move too fast and bring attention to herself, she slowly tilted her head in the direction of the interruption. Out of the corner of her eye, Emily noticed a shadow appear along the side of the stone church. No features were discernible, though it was enough to prove her assumption correct—it was a man. The sight caused her heart to beat harsher and deeper while her chest constricted, making it difficult to breathe.
The shadow glided past the Keep off Grass sign—the likely culprit of the echo, she assumed—and rounded the back corner, moving so smoothly it almost appeared to be floating. Although, she knew that wasn’t the case because the gritty scratches of footsteps grew closer and closer.
Her tightened throat kept her from screaming.
Fear paralyzed her from the waist down, preventing her from running.
The only thing Emily could do was remain seated, silent and motionless. There was no reason to believe that this man had any idea of her existence, so she figured that if she held her breath and didn’t move, there was a good chance he would walk right past without ever knowing she was there.
Keeping to the top step, he put one foot in front of the other, reminding Emily of the balance beam exercise in gym class. She slowly craned her neck the other way as he walked behind her. He was at least twenty feet away, unable to see her sitting in the dark corner at the bottom, yet that didn’t stop the dread that continued to course through her veins—it didn’t even slow it down.
The man, who now resembled a person more than a simple shadow, stopped in the middle of the top step and took a seat. When he leaned back, propping himself up by his elbows behind him, it was clear to Emily that he planned to stay for a while.
Alarm bells resounded in her ears. Intense fear surged through her veins, releasing intoxicating levels of adrenaline into her system. It was so much that her skin was on fire, the blazing heat scorching every inch of her. She was no longer cold, although her hands shook worse than when she sat practically shivering a few minutes ago.
At this point, Emily no longer cared if Jan and Holly showed up. She doubted they would anyway. There were only two options in front of her: stay and wait him