they raced along the trail, eyes on the river and then the rocks below. They weren’t even screaming Max’s name anymore. Now, there was nothing but dread and fear pooling at the bottom of their stomachs.
By the time they noticed the figure in front of them, it was too late. Dominic raced into a large body and fell back, landing on the dirt trail with a thump. Thames skid to a stop in the mud just in time, but he nearly fell over Dominic’s form. He looked up, and the second his eyes connected with the man before them, something colder than the chill in the air settled inside him.
Immediately, his teeth began chattering, and Dominic lay there still, unmoving, staring up at the figure with wide eyes.
The man was tall, broad and wearing a long green raincoat with the hood up and shrouding his forehead and almost his eyes. But there was enough of the eyes that Conor could see. Dark in colour, but also dark in the way he stared down at Conor.
“A little far from home, boys, don’t you think?” he asked quietly, voice deep.
Dominic was still not moving, and Conor’s shakes were in his fingers now. He’d never felt that before. Never felt adrenaline in his hands like this.
Something was off about this man.
About the way this man was looking at them.
More than that, there was something off about bumping into a man in the middle of a trail on the outskirts of town with eyes like those, with a raincoat like that, with a question like the one he’d just asked.
Conor didn’t answer, but his eyes remained frozen on the man as he knelt and reached for Dominic. He gripped his shoulder, squeezed and tried to pull him up.
“We’re looking for our friend,” Dom said, voice small as he stood on shaky legs.
Conor gripped him by the arm now and pulled him back behind him, shielding him from the large man who – Conor just noticed – had both hands in his pockets.
“Your friend,” the man repeated, his gaze still locked on Conor’s. “How does a boy get lost this far out of town?”
“We were playing a game…” Dom began. “He’s hiding somewhere.”
No, no, Conor wanted to scream. He didn’t want this man to know that.
“Actually,” he spoke up, swallowing, “I know where he is, Dom. I saw him hiding and I didn’t want to spoil it for everyone.”
Conor took a few steps back from the man, and Dominic followed. The man stood still, eyeing them both. He lifted his head a little as they moved. The water slid down his long green coat, pooling on the ground around him.
Then he said, “I can look with you.”
Conor shook his head. “I just said I know where he is.”
“Do you really?”
Feeling on edge, Conor retorted, “Yeah.”
The man remained still, but his eyes flickered from boy to boy. His voice was eerily calm, eerily still when he replied, “I don’t think you know where Max is at all.”
Their reaction was immediate.
Dom stiffened in alarm and Conor balled his hands into fists.
The man noticed.
“You’ve been screaming that boy’s name for a couple hours now,” he simply explained.
Conor stopped moving and stared hard at him now. He didn’t say it, but he wondered why this man had been lingering around here for hours.
“Three of you have been traipsing along, screaming that boy’s name, but none of you have bothered to return to town for help.” The man swung his gaze at Dominic, studying him curiously, asking, “You’re not allowed this far out, are you?”
Dominic didn’t answer.
Neither did Conor.
The man smiled coolly. “Did you know there’s a reason the adults don’t want you this far out? Of course not. You wouldn’t be here if you knew.”
“I do know,” Conor retorted, unable to stop himself. “You’re talking about the killings that happened after the mill shut down, after people lost their jobs and a man went crazy losing everything.”
Now the man was looking at Conor and the smile was gone. Replacing it was an expression that was loaded with malice. There was no other way to describe the evil in this man’s face.
“You’re a brave child,” he said just then, tone still flat. “And the way you grabbed your friend there, situating him behind you like you’re protecting him, you’re the leader, aren’t you?”
Conor didn’t respond. He was too busy noticing this man’s hands were still lodged in his pockets. He felt a cold feeling wash over him as he wondered