The Acadia Killer

Chapter 7

Instinctively, I stayed as still and as quiet as humanly possible, following the motion lights with my eyes and praying that Michelle wouldn't come bounding into the living room, shouting good morning or turning on lights. The last thing I wanted was a prospective intruder to know there were two women alone in the house.

Careful not to make a sound, I reached behind me on the counter until I felt the knife rack. I retrieved the butcher knife again and gripped it firmly, half expecting The Acadia Killer, as the news had dubbed him yesterday, to barge in through the glass doors any second.

Scanning what little I could see of the outside through the curtains, I couldn't tell what was setting off the motion lights. I'd watched moths fluttering around them when they turned on the first night I was at the beach house, but the moths hadn't been the cause for them to come on. They'd only been attracted to the lights after they'd been activated by me, so I knew I could rule out bugs. Maybe it was an animal wandering the deck? Blake had mentioned the bears getting venturesome. It could be a bear, and I wanted desperately to believe that, but my gut feeling told me it was something more sinister than an animal out for a nightly stroll.

I ducked down behind the kitchen island and pressed my back against the dishwasher door, clutching the knife handle as tightly as I could and fumbling in the dark to retrieve my phone from my sweatpants pocket. Part of me felt like I would end up regretting it, because what if it was just an animal? But I dialed Blake's number anyway, turning down the call volume to avoid the slightest noise letting someone know I was awake.

On the fourth ring, he finally picked up, and I sighed in relief.

"Hello?" His voice was groggy, and I felt terrible for waking him up.

"Hi," I whispered awkwardly, glancing toward the kitchen window to see if I could see any shadows moving outside. "Blake, this is Mackenzie Vega, Michelle's friend. I'm so sorry to wake you up, but I think there's someone outside the house and I'm worried."

Apparently, my words were an abrupt wake up for Blake, as he suddenly sounded wide awake in response.

"Are you alone?" he asked in a concerned tone, and I could hear him hurrying to get out of bed and put on clothes.

"Michelle is here, but she's asleep. She doesn't know. Something or someone keeps setting off the motion lights outside and I just have a bad feeling. I wouldn't have woke you up if I wasn't sure something was wrong."

I started to overexplain, feeling bad for interrupting his sleep, but he cut me off, telling me it was okay and that that's what he was there for.

"I give out my card for a reason, Mackenzie," he said in an official sounding voice as I heard a door close in the background – he must've been leaving his house. "Situations like this are the reason. I don't mind you waking me up. Seriously."

His words made me feel slightly better. That is, until I saw another of the eight motion lights turn on. It was as if someone was stalking me like I was their prey. They seemed to be circling the house, setting off each light one at a time, like they were taunting me. Maybe they knew I was awake. I hadn't exactly been quiet when I'd stumbled walking down the stairs. Maybe the sound of the dishwasher door being opened was enough to alert someone outside. It was a big house that certain noises echoed through. I supposed it was possible that someone heard me go downstairs.

"Stay on the phone with me until I get there, okay?" Blake instructed, and I heard the ding of his truck door being open.

"Okay."

"I'm only a few minutes away. I just live right down the main road," he told me as he turned on the engine. His truck wheels made a roaring noise as it sounded like he floored it out of his driveway. "When I get there, you might hear my truck coming up the road, but don't be freaked out that I won't have my headlights on. I want to try to sneak up on this bastard if I can. And don't go outside until I come to the door or tell you it's safe. Understood?"