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His head throbbed. He touched the back of his head. The hair felt sticky. Blood. He felt dizzy for a minute but recovered.

He ran down the dirt road leading out of Rachel’s home. Hehad no idea what he was going to do, but he couldn’t stand knowing that they were gone. He walked for a long time before he finally admitted to himself that they were long gone.

Panicked, defeated, he returned inside and began to scour thehouse for any clues. He realized that the killer must have had an accomplice hiding somewhere. He cursed his carelessness as he realized that it was the accomplice who must have knocked him out.

He was still upset when he returned to the bedroom, hoping that the killer had made a mistake or dropped something.

His prayer was answered, but not in the way that he hoped. Mack noticed a piece of paper he hadn’t seen in his hurry before. It was lying next to Brie’s phone on the floor.

With trembling fingers, he picked it up and read it. It dropped to the floor as he read it and gasped, eyes glittering in fear and anger. He picked it up and read it again, even though by now he knew the words by heart.

The note said,“Don’t bother, lover boy. They’re dead, and you’re next.”

To be continued…