grime on the bedroom window. Alissa's e

wless, a remnant of years

ristopher's sedan roared to life. The tires crunched over th

into a heavy,

trembled, but the deep, paralyzing weak

d half a slice of stale, hard toast on the counter. She chewed it mechan

ries, and she n

mn air. She wore a thin, oversized gray sweater that swallowed

wooden fence that separated the

man with a crown of silver hair and a thick

she saw Alissa clinging to the fence, looking pale and

d, wiping her wet hands on her apro

forward. She widened her eyes and forced her lower lip to tremble s

y," Alissa whispere

h maternal worry. "You w

returned carrying a steaming ceramic bowl of thick ch

l with both hands. The heat seeping through the c

id, her voice genuinel

the rich, salty broth. The calories hit h

cast, but her peripheral vision was l

d with flour, was a black, rectangular o

ooked down at the empty bowl, her fingers traci

sa?" Martha asked gently,

de and fearful. "Mrs. McCoy..

ous rumors Ainsley spread around town

hild," Marth

ersations. Things that happen. I'm so scared I'm going crazy. I just... I wa

ened with profound

ointing a trembling finger toward the window. "

cond. She turned, walked to the window

g with two brand-new AA batteries

ong as you need," Martha said firmly, p

She let a single, calculated tear slip do

ows of her own hallway, the tear dried. The

her bedroom an

mpartment, slid the batteries

The tape inside the cassette was loose

cal failure during the op

led the tape out, and grabbed a y

actical mind briefly struggling with the outdated technology. Relying on a vague memory from an old movie she had watched du

her fingers near the microphone, then played it b

pon was

he picked up a pen and carefully mimicked the looping

k tree in the back woods. I brou

re. The trap was set. Now, she just ha