One By One by Freida McFadden(59)

No, I’m being paranoid. Nobody came into the room while we were sleeping. Noah probably found it and put it somewhere safe. As soon as he wakes up, I’ll ask him about it. But I won’t wake him now. I’ll let him sleep in. I’m jealous—I wish my thoughts weren’t racing a mile a minute. I might be able to sleep in.

I bet Jack is awake.

I carefully open the door to the bedroom, trying not to let it creak too loudly. My sneakers thud softly against the ground. As I shut the door behind me, my eyes go straight to the couch where Jack spent the night.

He’s gone.

“Jack?” I call out.

Unsurprisingly, there’s no reply. If he were in this tiny living space, I would see him.

I walk over to the sofa. His shoes and socks are gone. So is the rifle. Maybe he went to take a walk again.

Except somehow, I don’t think so.

I sprint back to the bedroom, not bothering to be quiet this time. I shake Noah awake. He yawns, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hands. “Claire, what’s wrong?”

“Jack’s gone!” My fingertips are tingling. I might be hyperventilating. “I can’t find him!”

“Calm down.” He sits up in bed and rubs his eyes again. “He probably went for another walk.”

“I don’t think he did.” I squeeze my hands together. “This is just like what happened with Michelle. And then Warner. We woke up and they were just… gone.”

Noah doesn’t seem to be taking this seriously enough. He does swing his legs over the edge of the bed, but he makes no move to get up and get dressed. “This is different though. We’re in a cabin. It’s not like some wild animal came in here and attacked him.”

“This is just like what happened the last two nights,” I say again.

There were six of us when we started. And one by one, each of us has disappeared. And now there’s just me and Noah.

A little voice in my head tells me that I must be next. That I should make a run for it. While I still can. But where could I go? And anyway, if Noah and I are the only ones left, that means that he must be responsible for the other people disappearing. And I know that’s not the case.

Noah finally drags himself out of bed and puts his clothes on so slowly, I want to shake him. He follows me out of the bathroom, but he seems very unimpressed when I point to the sofa.

“I don’t know what to say.” He scratches at his messy hair. “Do you want to go outside and look for him?”

“Yes,” I say.

Maybe Noah is right. Maybe Jack did go out for a walk. Maybe we’ll go outside and see him alive and well, and I’ll admit I was getting worked up over nothing. I hope so, at least.

Noah goes to the kitchen to pour himself a glass of water, but I’m too antsy. I go to the front door and push it open. And that’s when I see it.

Blood. All over the doorstep to the cabin. So much blood.

So much blood.

“Claire?”

I try to answer, but my voice comes out strangled.

There were six of us in the beginning. Now there are only two. And I haven’t done this.

“Claire?”

I whirl around to face my husband. He takes a long drink of his glass of water and places it on the kitchen table. He steps toward me and I take a step back.

“Claire,” he says again. “What’s wrong?”

“There…” I can barely get the word out. “There’s blood…”

“Blood?” His voice sounds flat, disinterested. “What do you mean?”

“It’s… it’s all over the ground in front of the cabin.”

“All over the ground?” His hazel eyes darken. “What are you saying?”

There’s something very unfamiliar in Noah’s face. Oh God. How did I not see this before? Jack was right. Noah knew about my affair, and he never forgave me for it. I’m such a fool.

He planned this whole thing. This is his revenge. He set us up. He’s been killing us one by one.

And now I’m the last one left.

I’ve got to run. But where? I’ve gotten nothing but the clothes on my back. No food, no water. I don’t even have my purse with my phone anymore. If I run away from him, what are the chances I’ll ever find help in time? If I leave this cabin, I’m dead for sure.

Noah takes another step towards me. “Claire…”

But if I stay, I’m dead for sure.

I jerk my head around. The door is open behind me. It’s my only chance.

I take off running as fast as I can. At first, I’m not sure which way to go, but then I remember the truck. It looked like there was a path ahead of the truck that was clear. Maybe it goes somewhere. It’s the only chance I’ve got.

I run as fast as I can. I’m vaguely aware of stepping on a branch and my right ankle twisting slightly, but I ignore the pain. I’ve got to get out of here.

As I get closer to the truck, I realize another person is sitting inside the cab. My eyes widen when I realize that Jack is sitting there, next to the dead guy. I almost cry with relief. Maybe he’s trying to hotwire it and get it running. Maybe Noah didn’t have a chance to get to him after all.

I hold onto the side of the truck, attempting to keep my balance, and I wince at the pain in my right ankle. Jack will know what to do. He’s been my rock for the last several months. He’s going to get us out of here. Thank God for Jack.