BooksBarbecue
Back Alone in the Woods
Chapters (63)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. Chapter One
  4. Chapter Two
  5. Chapter Three
  6. Chapter Four
  7. Chapter Five
  8. Chapter Six
  9. Chapter Seven
  10. Chapter Eight
  11. Chapter Nine
  12. Chapter Ten
  13. Chapter Eleven
  14. Chapter Twelve
  15. Chapter Thirteen
  16. Chapter Fourteen
  17. Chapter Fifteen
  18. Chapter Sixteen
  19. Chapter Seventeen
  20. Chapter Eighteen
  21. Chapter Nineteen
  22. Chapter Twenty
  23. Chapter Twenty-One
  24. Chapter Twenty-Two
  25. Chapter Twenty-Three
  26. Chapter Twenty-Four
  27. Chapter Twenty-Five
  28. Chapter Twenty-Six
  29. Chapter Twenty-Seven
  30. Chapter Twenty-Eight
  31. Chapter Twenty-Nine
  32. Chapter Thirty
  33. Chapter Thirty-One
  34. Chapter Thirty-Two
  35. Chapter Thirty-Three
  36. Chapter Thirty-Four
  37. Chapter Thirty-Five
  38. Chapter Thirty-Six
  39. Chapter Thirty-Seven
  40. Chapter Thirty-Eight
  41. Chapter Thirty-Nine
  42. Chapter Forty
  43. Chapter Forty-One
  44. Chapter Forty-Two
  45. Chapter Forty-Three
  46. Chapter Forty-Four
  47. Chapter Forty-Five
  48. Chapter Forty-Six
  49. Chapter Forty-Seven
  50. Chapter Forty-Eight
  51. Chapter Forty-Nine
  52. Chapter Fifty
  53. Chapter Fifty-One
  54. Chapter Fifty-Two
  55. Chapter Fifty-Three
  56. Chapter Fifty-Four
  57. Chapter Fifty-Five
  58. Chapter Fifty-Six
  59. Chapter Fifty-Seven
  60. A letter from Charly
  61. Acknowledgements
  62. About the Author
  63. Also by Charly Cox

As they skirted past her father’s corpse, she ordered herself not to look, but her head and limbs had a mind of their own because her chin dropped, and her eyes darted down to the tattered mess of his chest, causing her to sway unsteadily.

As she regained her balance, the unmistakable echoes of someone else’s footsteps on the tile floor drawing closer to the kitchen propelled her forward. Quietly and urgently shushing Emerson’s bubbling hysteria, she hauled her best friend past the carnage and down the hall to her father’s office where they could hide beneath his massive desk as she called for help.

But the moment she stepped through the doorway and saw the upended mess of files and papers, it was instantly clear that this might not have been the best choice. Keeping her grip tight, she turned to head back out, to run to her bedroom instead, but then a shadow darkened the wall at the end of the hall near the kitchen.

Whoever was in the house was coming this way. They were out of options.

Gasping for air through the sudden tightening in her chest, Addis gestured frantically toward her father’s desk before shoving Emerson in that direction. The second her friend was tucked into the small space, she squeezed herself in beside her, making sure their feet weren’t poking out before issuing a silent prayer that the intruder wasn’t close enough to hear her voice as she called the police. Except instead of dialing 911, she tapped the contact image of the one person she trusted most in the world besides her best friend.

‘Hello?’

Addis’s vocal cords froze, unfreezing only when her aunt’s worried voice came over the line once again.

‘Hello? Addis, are you there?’

Barely breathing, she whispered, ‘Aunt Grace—’

The sudden appearance of a man’s booted feet had Addis snapping her mouth shut even as, beside her, a shrill cry escaped Emerson.

Seconds later, a man’s blood-spattered face appeared in front of them, his cheeks flushing a ruddy red as he latched onto Addis’s wrist and yanked the phone from her hand. Screeching, she kicked out at the tall, muscular guy as he dragged her from beneath the desk. Just as she yelled out for Emerson to run, a fist connected with her temple, making Em’s horrified screams the last sound she registered before her world went black.

Chapter Two

Thursday, October 3