Kate shifted farther from Andrew, sweat dampening her hairline even though it had gotten quite chilly in the darkened cottage. Her tablet lay between them, the television off for a rare instant.

Plit. Plit. Plit. Plit.

The patter of tiny rocks bouncing off the roof instantly made her forget her pain.

Buttons, who was down by her feet, heard it as well and gave the ceiling a casual glance.

The droning chirp of crickets seemed louder than ever, as if they had been tasked with masking the movements of the rock thrower. Kate looked over at the kitchen and saw the window had been left open. Andrew had fallen asleep and forgotten to close it.

She felt exposed, the partially open window wide enough to allow all of her nightmares into the cottage. She and Andrew might as well have been on the porch, the door locked behind them, left out for the dark things.

Dark things?

You’re getting a little carried away with yourself.

Things were far better to consider than people. Nothing was more terrifying that people gone bad, their brains rotting like spoiled meat in the sun. Of all the atrocities Kate had been witness to during her life, all of them had been perpetrated by people, not monsters. The boogeyman didn’t shoot up schools or drive trucks into crowds of people. Ghosts didn’t hijack planes or murder families in their sleep.

People, bad people, did all of those things.

Was one of those bad people out there now?

Ka-thump!

That one got Kate to hop out of bed, heart racing.

“Andrew,” she whispered.

He stirred, turning away from her.

“Andrew,” she said, sharply this time.

“Ahoo. Ahoo.”

Andrew bolted upright. “What was that?”

“They’re back,” Kate said, trembling. “You left the window open.” She heard the accusation in her voice. When they’d gone to bed with the window closed, their nights had passed uneventfully. But Andrew had forgotten to put their talisman in place, and now their stalker was back.

It was utterly irrational, but Kate didn’t give a great goddamn.

More rocks hit the roof, sounding larger now. And then there was that “Ahoo.” Over and over, that strange cry. It rose and fell in volume, as if the maker of the bizarre hoot was circling the cottage.

“Close the window,” Kate hissed.

Andrew ran to the kitchen and paused with his hands on the window.

What the hell was he waiting for?

Whap!

A monster of a rock crashed into the house, this time sounding as if it was coming from the bedroom.

Kate couldn’t see Andrew well in the darkness, but she could discern his shape leaning into the window. She turned a light on.

“No lights,” Andrew hissed.

She quickly snapped it off. “Did you see anything?” she said, back to whispering.

“No. Not yet.”

She could plainly hear someone walking outside. A branch cracked and Kate slapped her hand over her mouth.