“Well, we’ve got our own troubles up here. Go around through Seymour and you should be safe. You’ll pass the Night ’n’ Day diner—tell them Barnes sent you. You’ll get a coffee on the house.”
“And if we don’t?”
“Then we have a problem.” Golf Club Guy gripped the club tighter.
“So . . .,” I whispered. “Let’s not go via the road.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
The four of us withdrew. It took another few minutes navigating the trees, staying out of sight from the road, before we reached the first houses—rather, reached their backyards.
“Careful.” I extended an arm to keep the others back. In several places, motion detectors had been crudely shoved into the lawn. They seemed similar to those we used to have on the grounds: The sensors faced each other, with an uninterrupted line of sight. They were placed low enough that the beam would catch trolls emerging from the forest, whether on four legs or two. We could easily step over without triggering the alarms. Damford took its trolls seriously if, after only two days, people were already evacuating and putting up roadblocks and motion sensors.
This had to be the threat the Powers That Be wanted me to fight. I had to believe this wasn’t a coincidence.
We crossed the lawn and slipped past the houses, ready to bolt if we disturbed any alarms. The street was deserted. I kept one hand inside my pocket, loosely holding the knife.
“Do we just walk around until we find that house in the photo?” Four whispered. “Hazel Five might’ve already left.”
“The house is in that direction.” Rainbow indicated our left. “I looked it up when we had Wi-Fi in the parking garage.”
Red reached for her phone. “Did you download the map?”
“No, but I remember. It’s not far.”
As we made our way through the town, the streets remained abandoned. No people. No cars going past. Only a few parked vehicles.
A handful of times, I saw movement behind a window, but most houses seemed empty. Two had broken windows. Others had boards nailing the first-floor windows shut. While most lawns were well maintained, several had been disturbed, like claws had torn into the grass to reveal the fresh earth below. Once or twice, I spotted irregular grooves along the sides of a house. More claw marks.
If there were people here, they had to be hiding indoors. Damford houses were so close together—nothing like home, where we’d had only three neighboring families and two of those had been paid off to relocate.
When we turned a corner, I recognized the scene from the photo immediately. The house where we’d seen Hazel Five stood farther down the street. The lawn had been torn up. A rustic wooden name sign—THE ÁVILA FAMILY—lay flat on the grass, broken in half. The garage door was wide open, and so was one of the first-floor windows.
It didn’t look promising, except for one thing: A light was on upstairs.
Rainbow and I took the lead crossing the lawn. The others stayed back. We didn’t want to overwhelm Hazel Five. Odds were, she didn’t know about us—if she was even still there. By now the house could be infested with trolls. Maybe we ought to be more careful, maybe ringing the doorbell would draw unwanted attention . . .
No. I needed to move forward already—to act the way Neven had told me to. Before I could change my mind, I rang the doorbell.
No response. Same on a second try.
I tried the doorknob. Locked. I raised a fist to knock when Rainbow stepped away and crouched. She inspected decorative rocks bordering a patch of lavender. She had to be looking for one of those fake rocks people hid house keys in.
Footsteps thudded behind us. My head snapped up. A girl was running across the road. Probably about our age, short, with brown skin and browner hair and a golf club clutched in one hand. She came straight at Rainbow and me, gesturing frantically.
“Rainbow! Look.”
Rainbow stood, holding an oval rock. The girl reached us in seconds. “Get back!” she whisper-yelled. She did a double take when she saw us up close, but didn’t linger on our identical faces. “Get away from there!” She motioned for us to follow, her expression pleading.
“Trolls?” I asked.
“You know about them? And you still—Yes, trolls.” She shot nervous glances at the house. “We’re by the car over there. Please keep quiet. They’re attracted to noise.”
A gray SUV stood parked beside a shed across the street. A man and a woman stood next to it, anxious eyes on us.
Rainbow dropped the rock and followed the girl. The other Hazels, who’d been clustered around the mailbox, did the same.
I gave the front door a lingering look. If Hazel Five was inside, I didn’t want to leave. It felt like taking a step back. But the others were already running and—shit—
I ran after them.
The people by the SUV looked relieved. The woman reached to open the back door.
An alarm cut through the air.
I almost stumbled from surprise. The sound came from the neighboring front yard. A car stood in the driveway, lights flashing, the alarm wailing sharply.
The girl and Rainbow weren’t even halfway across the street. The other Hazels and I were right behind. A gray blur sprinted across the road. Another two blurs—no, three—I recognized the shapes instantly. The noise must’ve alerted the trolls.
The three of them dove at the girl. She smacked one away with the golf club. “The car!”
By my side, two trolls burst from the thicket. From the garage—another three. One climbed out the open kitchen window.
We’d faced our first—only—troll just that morning. I was nowhere near prepared for this.
I still found myself thinking: Finally.
At least now I knew what I was meant to do. At least now I could make myself useful. Determined, I grabbed my knife from my pocket.
The man by the SUV came running. He was instantly besieged. The girl whirled, smacking at trolls
