Page 5 of To Die For

A laugh. Low. Breathless.Human.

It freezes me more than a scream ever could.

“What do you want?” I manage, voice shaking but louder than I mean for it to be. “You’re not supposed to touch me, right? That’s one of the rules?”

He doesn’t answer. Just steps forward. One pace. Another.

I back up until the corn scrapes my shoulders. The path’s too narrow; there’s nowhere else to go.

He stops inches away, the cracked grin inches from my face.

The smell hits me, something sharp and clean beneath the fog and the caramel apples from the vendors on the other side of the corn. Soap. Metal. Not blood, but close enough. His breath fans against my cheek through the slit in the mask.

Then he speaks.

A whisper, male, words drawn slow like he’s tasting them. “Run, Lila.”

My whole body tightens.

He knows my name. How does he know my name?

Before I can respond, he slips back into the fog, vanishing so fast it’s like he was never there. The corn rustles once, then stills.

Silence again.

Except for the faintest echo of footsteps—this time, moving away.

And somewhere farther off, another voice joins in, deeper, muffled, like it’s filtered through burlap.

“Don’t make it too easy for her.”

My stomach turns to ice.

They’re talking to each other.

They’re playing together.

And I’m the game.

I push myself to my feet, legs trembling but ready.

Fine. If they want to hunt me, they’d better be ready for the chase.

I take a deep breath, tasting fog, fear, and something dangerously close to excitement.

Then I run.

CHAPTER 4

HARLAN

She runs.

Good.

They always run at first, but not like this one.

Not likeher.