Whisper in the Rain

Chapter Twenty-Five

Chapter Twenty-Five

MILES

"Run."

The voice slithered between the trees, hot on my heels as I sprinted through the woods.

"Run faster, lover boy."

My arms pumped. Sweat dripped down my chest. Every muscle in my body ached from exertion. Still, I ran. I couldn't stop. I had to find her.

"Run."

"Run fast."

"Hurry."

"Not fast enough, Miles."

"Not good enough."

"Run."

"Run."

"Run."

"Keep running, Miles."

My eyes darted over my shoulder, searching for the voice. I didn't know if they wanted me to find her or not. All I knew was that I had to keep pushing. Unseen dangers lurked beneath every shadow. My need to escape was so overpowering my mind was short circuiting. It was hard to concentrate, hard to breathe, hard to remember.

I had to find her.

Up ahead, a woman's silhouette stood out in the moonlight and I came to a stop.

It was her.

It had to be.

"Grace?"

I weaved through the trees, never taking my eyes off her, afraid she would disappear.

"Grace, is that you?"

She didn't move. Her head didn't turn at the sound of my voice. She stood perfectly still, poised between two dead oaks at the edge of the treeline. Beyond her was the road. I knew what that road meant. Freedom. If we could make it there, if we could just get back to familiar territory, we'd be fine. She would be fine.

I approached, twigs and leaves snapping and crunching beneath my feet. As I came to stand behind her, she turned, and my breath caught in my throat.

"Grace..."

The woman I loved, the soft, gentle being I'd held in my arms more times than I could count, was standing before me, cloaked in blood. Smiling.

"Miles!"

She reached for me, but I stumbled back, startled by her appearance.

"Where have you been?" She asked, slinging blood in my face as she raised her hands. "I've been waiting!"

"You- you're not Grace."

She raised her arms in a shrug, then slapped them down against her wet gown.

"Of course I am, silly!"

Her wide, crazed eyes never blinked. Blood slipped off her lashes, never fazing her for a second.

"No. You're not."

I turned, ready to run, but never managed a single step.

The breath flew from my lungs as my chest hit the ground, but I didn't have time to recover. My body began sliding along the underbrush, sliding toward the road. Toward the woman who looked so much like my Grace.

I dug my fingers into the soil, hoping to find purchase, but the ground crumbled beneath my touch. Dirt morphed to sand in front of my eyes. Shell fragments replaced twigs. The scent of salt replaced that of cedar.