Time was ticking away, and Jillian’s life depended on her.
Ellie had escaped the master, the monster, once before, but she hadn’t been able to save the other girl.
This time, he had her best friend, and there was no way she was leaving Jillian behind.
No matter what.
26
If it hadn’t been for the limbs recently bent and broken above the narrow dirt driveway off Clements Ferry Road, Ellie would’ve missed the turn, even as the master’s eerie voice told her to expect it.
She slammed on the brakes and yanked the wheel to the left, gritting her teeth when a single limb trailed along her window with a loud screech. Her Audi Q3 rocked along the bumpy road, the deep gouges in the earth too numerous to dodge. Hands wrapped around the steering wheel, she scanned the area, noting several small sheds, some in such disrepair only a few withered boards were left standing on the foundations.
In the daylight, without the deluge that had soaked her to the skin the night she’d escaped, the property seemed harmless.
But she knew this place, soul deep.
Knew that beyond the woods and out of sight was the place she’d been held captive with another victim. She could practically feel the thrum of evil coming from the place, like a heartbeat.
She was on the right path. The overgrowth of unchecked vegetation might have altered the landscape unrecognizable, but nothing could erase the presence of evil that hung heavy in the air.
The road smoothed out just before it swung hard to the left, and the dense tree line opened up on an acre of once-cleared land that was now overgrown with saplings and waist-high weeds. Her breath caught when she came around the next curve, and the large metal warehouse loomed on the top of a low hill. Rust-red and dull gray, one side of the building drooped lower than the other. Buried in the soft earth, years of rain and lack of care had left the topsoil to wash away, the corner of the building and the gutter spout had crumpled under the weight of the sinking walls.
“Park and leave your phone in the vehicle.”
Ellie did as he said, turning off the car and tucking the phone under her vest before stepping out of the car. A video camera mounted over the entrance swiveled to scan the entire property. Even from across the clearing, she could tell that it was new, and when it stopped, facing her direction, she shuddered, knowing his eyes continued to follow her every move.
“Strike while the iron is hot.” She muttered the old Southern wisdom under her breath, smiling at the adage that reminded her to plow ahead. It had served her well, though her bold actions had earned her a reputation for being impulsive and reckless. Now was not the time to second guess herself. She was where she needed to be, and the man who called himself the master was waiting for her.
A large oak tree to her left caught her attention. Transported back to that night, a chill swept over her, the memory of the icy rain that had pelted her bare arms causing goose bumps to form.
Running as fast as she could, she slipped in the mud, windmilling her arms to hold her balance.
Her hands connected with the rough bark of the gnarled oak tree seconds before a flash of lightning brightened the sky.
She jumped as thunder cracked so loudly, the vibration hurt her chest. Gulping air into her lungs and desperate to get her bearings, she waited for another bolt to light up the night.
Flash!
She took off into the forest, hands up in front of her face to protect it from branches. Her only plan was to put as much distance as possible between herself and the cursed warehouse.
The warehouse was smaller than she remembered, weathered with rusted pockmarks covering much of the siding. A brief echo of that night—rain pelting the metal roof—teased at the edge of her memory, but she forced it back. She’d been terrified, and the spooky warehouse being battered by the raging storm had only amplified that fear. But she’d lived a lifetime since then, and the warehouse was only a building.
And the master was only a man.
Walking around the SUV to give herself as much cover as possible as she surveyed the building, she made her way to the front door and turned the handle.
Unlocked.
Taking a deep breath, she stepped into the darkness of the building, knowing how vulnerable she was making herself. Her footfalls echoed off the concrete floor as she gave in to his demands, letting go of the door. Behind her, the door fell shut, the seal so tight despite the aging metal that it seemed to suck the air out of the room when it closed. The bare bulb in the middle of the dark space did little to chase away the shadows as her eyes adjusted.
Attached to the wall on her right was a water faucet with a deep basin, the steady drip-drip from the spout mingling with the fat drops that had collected on a few exposed rafters from a rain shower earlier in the day, falling into puddles scattered throughout the large space. There were no rooms, just one large area with unsealed cement floors that stretched between the four walls.
Ellie took a tentative step forward, hand still on her holster as she peered deep into the shadows.
A metal table with large wheels that resembled a room service cart sat directly beneath the light, but it was the human form taking shape as her eyes grew more comfortable with the dark that drew Ellie’s attention.
Blinking, she almost gasped when she realized it was Jillian.
Rushing forward until she was a
