Page 75 of Like A Moth To A Flame

Nothing. Whatever he had done, it wasn’t public knowledge.

A cold chill ran through me, and I dropped the phone into my lap, returning to the journal.

“…After what he did to that girl, I don’t know what to do.”

What did he do? Sheriff Banner did something horrible, but as I flipped to the next page, there was no mention of what he had done. Plucking my phone from my lap, I opened it and went straight to my contacts. I found Barrett’s name and hit send. It rang and rang, a dull, monotonous tone in my ear before it went to voicemail.

Odd, Barrett never ignored his calls. Then my eyes caught sight of the time and I sighed. It was after midnight. He was asleep, and he had been for a while. I’d call him in the morning.

I closed the journal with a snap, feeling a sense of unease settling in the pit of my stomach. Sheriff Banner had done something horrible. The thought had thrown me off-balance, and I couldn’t shake the cold chill that lingered in the air. My thought returned to the day sitting on Barrett’s porch swing when we’d been going over the suspects for my stalker.

“So he’s tall with a deep voice? Sheriff Banner?”

I shuddered at the thought, pushing the thought from my mind. He’d spoken at my father’s funeral. He’d been a pallbearer. There was no way he could do such a thing.

Could he?

Unable to stay still any longer, I got up from the couch and paced around the living room, my steps echoing in the silence. The housefelt different now, as if shadows lurked in every corner, whispering secrets I couldn’t decipher.

Maybe he could. After all, he had done something so horrible that it made my father wonder if hiring him had been the right idea.

What could he have done?

The darkness outside pressed against the windows, adding to the sense of isolation that gripped me, even with every curtain shut tight. There had to be someone in this damn town that knew. Maybe Mama Mae? She seemed to know everything about everybody. I’d visit her in the morning. After all, with Amelia gone, I’d need breakfast.

The creak of a floorboard from upstairs caught my attention, and I stopped, my heart breaking into a gallop. I held my breath, straining to hear any other sound. The hairs on the back of my neck prickled with unease as I stood frozen in the middle of the living room.

On the couch, my phone buzzed to life.

Taking a deep breath to steady my nerves, I forced myself to move towards the couch. Each step I took seemed to echo loudly in the quiet house, and I winced at the noise. When I reached the coffee table, I hesitated. Sucking in a deep, shaking breath, I reached out and pawed up my phone, bringing it to my eyes.

A text, and there was my shadow.

Hide and seek, Little Moth.

A surge flashed through me, and my fingers flew over the screen.

Are you in my house?

There was no answer, except for the sound of a heavy boot step from upstairs.

I thought back to what Amelia had said. Maybe I should call the police?

No. I couldn’t. What if the monster in my closet was Sheriff Banner himself?

I forced myself to swallow the lump of terror in my throat and moved with cautious steps towards the staircase, my eyes fixed on the darkness. The faint sound of another footfall echoed toward me, sending a shiver down my spine.

Should I try to make a run for it out the back door? Or barricade myself in a room and call for help? The seconds felt like hours as I stood frozen. The phone clutched tightly in my hands buzzed again, and I jumped, almost dropping it to the hardwood at my feet. Another text.

Find me before I find you.

I was typing before I even thought of what to say.

Give me a hint.

Why was I even entertaining this? I should be running, screaming into the night.

Maybe it was what Amelia had said.

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