Into the Mist

Chapter 32

He came at me, and I dodged, side-stepping once, then lifted a foot and used the concrete blocks of the fire pit to launch myself up and over. I landed on the other side while Mr. Grossman tried to slow and turn. While he was a big man and not entirely out of shape, he was older and bulkier than I was. And he wasn't as full of fear and adrenaline.

I charged for the back door of Joey's house. I knew if I looked back, it would risk my forward motion, throw me off-balance. So I just ran. I got there and slammed my way inside, then spun around to shut the door. Only I wasn't expecting the throw rug in the hallway, and I slipped, clinging to the doorknob to stay upright.

Through the swinging screen door, Mr. Grossman had righted himself and was running. I shoved the door closed and fumbled for the deadbolt. The screen door banged open just I twisted it home. Then the knob jiggled, and then the door shuddered as Mr. Grossman shouldered into it. He only did that once.

I backed away, panting for a moment before glancing toward the front door. It was open. He'd been watching the ambulance at my house through the screen. I didn't have time to try to lock him out. I ran up the stairs.

Mrs. Grossman was on her way down, wrapping her robe around her. "What on earth—" she started to say, but I just ran around her, calling for Joey.

How he hadn't heard anything, hadn't come out of his room, astonished me until I got to the top of the stairs and burst through Joey's half-closed bedroom door. "Joey!" I gasped, running to the lumpy bed to shake him awake. Only my hands plunged into piles of unfolded laundry and empty blankets. I turned, as though he might be hiding in the mess of his room.

The front door downstairs crashed open.

He had just texted me. I pulled out my phone and then it all made sense.

Joey had texted, I'm at Ella's, what's going on?

Then, I'm on my way.

All the fight went out of me and I sank to the floor. Joey was at least ten minutes away, and that was if he had jumped into Ella's car the moment he'd gotten my SOS text. Ten minutes wasn't going to keep me safe from Mr. Grossman.

"What's going on?" Mrs. Grossman asked out in the hallway, her voice trampled by the heavy bootsteps coming up the stairs.

"She's having a nervous breakdown," Mr. Grossman said.

I looked around. He was going to pretend I was crazy, and everyone else thought I was crazy, so I had nothing to lose. I sat up, saw Joey's camera tripod folded up in the corner. Shoving my phone in my hoodie pocket and crawling to my feet, I lurched forward and grabbed the tripod, hefting it over my shoulder like a baseball bat.

"Stay back!" I shrieked as I ran to the bedroom door.

Mrs. Grossman made a small, "Oh!" and staggered back until she hit her own bedroom door and fumbled her way inside.

Mr. Grossman stopped too, putting up his hands. "Hey, now, missy, why do you put that down."

"Get away from me!" I feinted with the tripod like I was going to hit him. If he had the opportunity, he was going to rip the tripod out of my hands, so I didn't full-out swing. But I took a step forward and threatened to swing again. "Get back!"

I just needed to get to the stairs.

"Calm down," Mr. Grossman said, as if that had ever worked on anyone. "Just calm down now."

"I am calm!" I screamed, and lunged at him.

He stepped back, leaving a slight opening at the top of the stairs.

This time I swung, and predictably he grabbed the tripod, which I immediately abandoned with a shove to throw him off-balance as I fled down the stairs and out the open front door.

Any other thought left me. I was out of the house, and running toward my own house, until I remembered that my parents and the EMTs would be looking for me. I made it halfway between the two houses before I saw them. "Aubrey!" Mom called.

I couldn't see her, but I could see Dad out at the end of the driveway, looking straight at me.

My options ran through my head, a list of things that were hardly options. Run back to Joey's house into Mr. Grossman's clutches. Go back home and get carted off to the hospital. Run up the road, where someone would chase after me.

I glanced toward the forest, half-cloaked in mist.

Back at my dad.

A final option barreled straight at me with the squeal of breaks and a chattering engine, tires sliding on gravel.

"Aubrey!" Dad called.

Ella's car rocked to a halt and Joey got out, leaving the engine running.

"Bree! Are you okay?" he asked, hurrying toward me.

He came for me. I found it hard to breathe all of a sudden, my face crumbling and my breathing rough. "I... I..."

His hands squeezed my shoulders and pulled me in. I sobbed against his chest. "What's going on?"

"They're..." I had to force myself to take a few breaths before I could finish. "They're going to put me in the hospital."

"You're not crazy," Joey said, breaking off our hug so he could look me in the eye while he said it. "I can tell them. I can explain it."

I shook my head. "They won't listen. We have to go back, Joey. Please. Come back with me."

The crunching of gravel turned both our heads. Dad was approaching, slowly. He was still only a few feet past the end of our driveway.

I looked back at Joey, pleading with my eyes. "Come with me."

He nodded.

As if we could read each other's minds, we turned at the same time and, holding hands, we ran into the forest.

Into the mist. 

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From one cliffhanger to another!