The Pact by Linda Castillo

Author:Linda Castillo
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: St. Martin's Publishing Group

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Kevin ran as fast as his legs would take him. Cold air burned his throat, set his lungs on fire. Snow and sleet stung his face like icy needles. Twice he lost sight of Aaron and the yellow beam of his flashlight. Twice, he panicked, poured on the speed, and caught up.

“Wait!” he cried as they barreled down a steep ravine. “Hold up!”

Aaron stopped. “Hurry!” he hissed. “If old man Henderson has an ATV, he’ll catch us.”

“No way is he getting an ATV through these woods.” Using his hands, Kevin scrambled up the other side of the ravine and looked around. “Where are we going anyway?”

Turning, Aaron started through the trees without answering.

Putting his head down to protect his eyes from the snow and sleet, Kevin followed. There was no trail. Just thick trees and heavy brush all around. All he could see through the snow slashing down was the glow of the flashlight and the silhouette of his friend’s back. Kevin had always believed his friend had a superhuman sense of direction. More than once Aaron had gotten them home when they’d wandered too far. This time, though, he wondered if maybe they really were lost.

“Hey! Lookit!”

Aaron stopped. Kevin looked up to see that they’d come upon a narrow dirt road banked on both sides by massive trees and covered with snow. A beat-up mailbox leaned at a precarious angle next to what looked like a lane.

“Maybe they got a phone,” Kevin offered.

Nodding, Aaron looked around. He’d lost his flat-brimmed hat at some point. Snow covered his hair and the shoulders of his coat. He looked cold and … worried. “I think we went the wrong way when we left old man Henderson’s place.”

“So we’re lost?” Kevin said.

“Maybe.” He shone his flashlight toward the lane. “Hard to see with all the snow.”

Trying not to be scared, remembering that just a couple of hours ago they’d become blood brothers, Kevin went to him, held up his fist for a bump. “It happens, dude. Don’t worry about it.”

Understanding he’d been forgiven for getting them lost, Aaron fist-bumped him back. Side by side, they started down the lane. Kevin didn’t want to admit it, but he was glad they’d stumbled upon someone to help them. He wanted to call his mom. She would come get them and drop Aaron at his house. No one had to know they’d planned to run away. Hopefully, his parents had been so worried, they’d forget all about grounding him.

“Uh-oh.”

Kevin looked up at the sound of his friend’s voice. He’d been so immersed in his fantasy homecoming he didn’t realize they’d reached the house. His heart sank at the sight of it. “Dude, that’s right out of Texas Chainsaw Massacre.”

The flashlight beam revealed a lopsided porch with a hit-or-miss rail, crumbling steps, and boarded-up windows and door.

Aaron pretended to laugh, but Kevin could tell he was spooked. “At least we’ll be out of the cold.”

The trees fell away as they entered the yard. Kevin stepped over the mangled remnants of a wire fence.

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