posted a selfie of themselves on Mel’s Instagram account, the cakes in the background. In the selfie, the cakes looked good, especially after Mel had applied the Ludwig filter. Mel used the Ludwig filter on everything. She used it as a verb—“I just Ludwiged it,” or “Let’s do some Ludwiging.”
“Twenty-seven likes,” Mel said, satisfied. “And Pat says she’s jealous, but I told her we’re going, and she said it’s too cold.”
Katy peered over Mel’s shoulder, already sorry she’d posed for the picture. Taking a selfie with Mel was just another way to underline all of her faults—her weird ears, her chubby cheeks, her big front teeth. Mel was always perfect in photos, Ludwiged or not. And all the Ludwigs in the world couldn’t make Katy as pretty.
Mel tapped a response, and Katy’s attention wandered. The street was nearly empty, except for someone walking behind them. Hadn’t he been following them for a while? She tried to remember when she’d first heard his footsteps. She glanced furtively backward. It was a man, and as soon as she turned her head, their eyes locked.
She quickly turned away, heart thumping. The guy seemed . . . weird. Something was wrong with the way he lumbered, with his posture, with his face.
“Oh, look.” Mel laughed. “Now she’s saying—”
“I think the guy back there is stalking us,” Katy whispered. He was about ten yards away. Could he hear her?
Mel glanced back abruptly.
“Don’t!” Katy hissed at her.
“He’s just walking,” Mel said casually. “It’s the street, Katy. People are allowed to walk.”
But now they were both quiet as they strode, tense. There was hardly any traffic. Was he walking faster? He was definitely walking faster. He was gaining on them. There really was no one else on the street. How could that be? Was it that late?
Mel grabbed Katy’s hand. She tried to smile, but her eyes were wide, lips trembling. Without saying a word, they both began marching faster, breathing hard. She didn’t dare look back, but she heard his footsteps and even his breathing. Deep, raspy, wrong.
They were running now, and Mel glanced back and let out a shriek, and Katy felt as if her heart were lodged in her throat. The night’s air was cold, and she swallowed it in fast gulps, burning in her lungs.
And then she saw Buddy’s Drugstore on the other side of the street, and she yanked Mel’s hand, dragging her friend across the road, through the parking lot, and past the glass door, which thankfully was unlocked. Once they were inside, Katy slammed the door and stared outside through the glass. It instantly fogged with her breath, obscuring the dark street.
“Hey, what the hell is wrong with you?” Buddy asked from behind the counter, face twisted in anger. “You tryin’ to break the door?”
Mel sobbed, a faint stain on her crotch. Katy wiped the glass and peered outside. There was no one there.
He lowered his head, walking back home, heart pounding in his ears. His mind was in turmoil, and he had difficulty concentrating. He kept imagining those two girls as he came closer and closer. His fists clenched and unclenched. The need gnawed in his guts, clouding his thoughts, making his movements erratic, lurching. He needed to go back home, get himself under con—
And there was a woman, a baby in her arms, walking toward him. He could smell the baby. Its scent was as sweet as nectar. He didn’t remember where he was going anymore. Because a baby couldn’t fight back, couldn’t run. And all he needed to do was grab the baby when he was close enough and run with it somewhere safe. A few minutes alone with the baby, and he’d be better, he knew.
The woman walked past him, a few feet away, and he almost made a grab for it.
Almost.
But he managed to stop himself in time, think it through. The woman would fight. She knew how he looked. He didn’t live far away. The police would find him.
He turned around and watched her melt into the darkness. What was wrong with him? He was supposed to be in control.
He would go back home and talk to Daniel. He’d know what to do.
But which way was home? He was momentarily lost, his surroundings looking strange and unfamiliar. He panicked, his breathing fast and shallow, dizziness assailing him. Opening his mouth, he was about to scream, when a car drove past him, honking. He blinked, startled, and the street swam into focus. Of course he