Page 49 of Don't Scare Me, My Love

A shiver ran down my spine for the second the kiss lasted.

“We need to call for help,” he said, breaking out of our embrace.

“I will,” I whispered, fumbling for my phone. This was part of the plan. All I had to do was make sure he didn’t see me dial Dany’s number. I motioned to the front window. “Can you stand guard?”

“Sure thing.” He dropped to his knees and crawled to the window, staying low so he wouldn't be seen.

I brought my phone to my ears.

“911, what is your emergency?” Dany said on the other side.

I put my hand over my mouth to keep my voice from traveling around the room. “My name is Jason Taft. A man stabbed my friend, and we’re now hiding because he may have followed us.”

Nicholas leaned with his back against the wall under the window, tilting his head so only his eyes peered over the sill.

“Where are you?” Dany asked, his voice so stern that I could’ve sworn I was talking to an actual officer.

“We’re in the old visitor center in the mountains of Seastone. I think it’s,uh,Mountain Road.”

A moment of silence on the other side. “Yes. I see a shutdown visitor center on Mountain Road in Seastone. Sending a police car your way.”

I couldn’t believe how well our conversation was going. Dany and I hadn’t practiced it before because there wasn’t enough time, but this was amazing.

“Fuck,” Nicholas ducked down. “He’s here.”

I followed Nicholas’ lead and ducked down as well, clutching my phone. “Please hurry. He found us.”

“Don’t approach the individual. The patrol will be there in three minutes.”

I hung up and crawled over to Nicholas. “They’re on their way.”

Nicholas took a deep breath, pushed his head over the windowsill, and just as quickly pulled it back down. His clothes rustled as he raised his index finger to his mouth.

I held my breath.

My knee brushed against Nicholas’. As we sought contact, he grabbed my hands and held them close to his chest. His heart was beating so fast that I could feel it through his shirt.

The wind caressing the cabin made the old structure creak, lulling us into a false sense of security.

Nicholas leaned closer to me, so his mouth was now right next to my ear. “Maybe he didn’t?—”

Footsteps on the porch sent a shiver down my spine. Alex moved slowly and with precision—like any killer in a horror movie would. Each step sent a tiny shockwave through the floor, traveling to us like a harbinger of bad news.

Still holding my fingers close to his heart, Nicholas brought his right palm to his mouth as if trying to stop himself from breathing.

A knock at the door.

“Anybody home?”

We didn’t dare move.

“Hello?”

Another knock, this time with more force.

The floor creaked as more footsteps announced his retreat.

Nicholas lowered his hand, slowly letting out some air.

---