Eye Candy

I shook my head. I didn’t want to talk at that moment. I reached up and held on to his arm, keeping him anchored to me, and he moved in even closer.

No, that wasn’t right before, to think I only had my anger left. I still had Mason and Logan.

Mason was comforting me, content to let me not talk. I was drawing in strength just by being near him. He was reaffirming what I needed to do.

I looked back at that door.

I was waiting. That’s what I was doing.

And as if the killer could see me, could know what I was doing, a snarl came to my lips. Come and get me, you asshole.

And as if I could hear him too, he murmured in my head, I’ll be right there.





Chapter 15


“Samantha.”

I woke, my heart pounding, and bolted upright in bed. When had I gone to bed? But I looked around. Mason was sleeping next to me, his eyes closed, his chest lifting up and down at a steady pace. I ran a hand through my hair, feeling the exhaustion pulling at me. It wanted me to lie back down and let it take over, but no. I heard my name. That’s what woke me up.

I moved to the edge of the bed, and started to stand up, when he showed up in the doorway.

I could only stare at first.

There was no scream. No gasp. Just the view of a man in a black robe with white all over his face. There were no eyes. No mouth. It was like he wasn’t even a person.

I froze.

Ice-cold fear ran down my spine and chilled my entire body.

Run, Sam!

Tell Mason!

Wake Mason!

Get Mason to safety! Get yourself to safety!

All of those thoughts raced through my mind, but I couldn’t do a goddamn thing. I could only gape at him, and he stepped into the room, showing a knife in his hand now.

A choked gurgle came out of me, and I felt Mason move in the bed. “Sam?” he murmured, the same exhaustion I’d felt seconds ago evident in his voice. “What’s going on?” He ran a hand down my arm.

I was shaking.

That’s what woke him up.

I was making the entire bed tremble beneath us. He felt the quaking tremors in my arm and sat up.

“Sam—” The words died in his throat. He saw him too. Unlike me, Mason didn’t freeze, but almost levitated out of the bed. He lunged for him, but the guy was gone. Mason fled the room, and I heard the door slamming shut seconds later. I still couldn’t move.

He’d been here.

He was standing over us.

He could’ve killed us. One plunge, one swipe at the right angle, and Mason would be bleeding out on the floor right now.

Now I felt the bed shaking. It was like an earthquake.

“Sam?” Logan appeared in the doorway, pale and wide-eyed. He braced himself, resting both hands on the doorframe. “What’s going on?”

“Ma—”

Finally! Words came out of my throat, but Mason returned, saying, “The killer was here.”

“What?!” Logan’s mouth dropped, his hand fisted into his hair. “He was here?”

“He got away.” Mason shouldered past him and stood over me, his eyes narrowed. “You okay?”

I bounced my head up and down. That’s all I could manage. The fear still had a paralyzing hold on me.

He waited for my answer, then closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath. “Fuck.” He sank onto the bed beside me, catching his head in his hands. “Fuck! He was here!”

“We have to move.”

“No.” Mason stopped Logan, reaching for the phone. “We have to call the cops.”

“What for? The fucker’s not getting caught. He keeps showing up.” Logan clipped his head from side to side. “No way. We take care of him ourselves.”

“What are you saying?” Mason asked.

“That we take care of the fucker ourselves. We set a trap. Catch him, then call the cops.”

Mason didn’t reply, not at first. He stared at his brother. The two were embroiled in some form of stare-off, but I knew Mason was contemplating Logan’s idea. Logan was waiting.

Call for help, to those who hadn’t helped us so far, or do the deed ourselves.

Fear like I’d never felt before pooled at the bottom of my spine, but I already knew what we were going to do. It was what we always did. We fought.

And a moment later, Mason said what I knew he’d say. “Let’s catch the fucker.”

Logan dipped his head in a nod this time. “Good.” He pounded the door frame. “I’ll wake Nate up. We should—”

Mason finished for him. “—move locations. I’ve already got an idea.”

I waited to see if Logan would look at me before he left. He didn’t. This killer was here because of me, I was sure of it, and he’d murdered Taylor, and then Heather. We never had found out anything about Channing. The killer could’ve taken him out too, but I was feeling the weight of both of my friends’ deaths. It was like they were with us in that room, they were beside me, breathing down my neck.

It was my responsibility to avenge them.

“What’s wrong?”

Mason had been watching me, and his hand came down to rest on my knee.

My insides were twisting together. I felt the need to purge myself, throw everything up, but I just stuffed the urge down. “Nothing.”

“Sam.”

“No. I mean it. I’m fine.” I wanted to get this asshole. I wanted to take the knife and plunge it into his heart.

“You’re pushing me away. Don’t do that.”

“Why not?” I couldn’t hold back the bitterness. “You might stay alive that way.”

“Come on.”

“No, I mean it.” My voice rose in volume. “You want to catch this killer? Let me go. He’ll follow me. You can follow him, or better yet, just tell the cops. They’ll follow me.” But not before I killed him. He’d appeared to me tonight. I saw his hand before he killed Heather. He was showing himself to me more and more. I felt like there were unspoken rules. He could have a knife. I wasn’t supposed to have anything, but screw that. I’d take a gun. He’d show himself and this time, instead of freezing, I’d just raise that gun and pull the trigger.

I could do it.

Sickening waves of disgust rolled down my back.

I could do it. I could kill someone, especially someone who was killing my friends.

Not Mason. Not Logan.

He would not get them too.

“We’re not using you as bait.” Mason stood and began to change clothes, pulling on dark sweatpants and a black shirt. It fit snugly, molding to his physique. He called to Logan, “You ready?” He began stuffing clothes in his bag. “Sam, get up. We have to get going.”

I nodded, sliding off the bed. “Sure.” Even my voice sounded normal, but I wasn’t normal. This was not happening how they wanted, and my mind was racing. Could I go with them, wait till they’re somewhere safe, and then go on my own? As I was contemplating it, I already knew it wouldn’t work. We might go somewhere I couldn’t leave on my own, or worse, the killer would follow, and instead of leaving them, he’d kill them first.

I had to go now.

That was resounding in my head.

Now, Samantha. Now.

I dressed as Mason grabbed the little we’d left in the room. I could hear Logan doing the same. I was sure Nate was too.

I put my sneakers on, and stood at the door.

This felt wrong—no, it didn’t. That wasn’t what I was feeling. It was ice-cold fear, spine-chilling, but this was right. I had to finish this.

I’d run.