Chapter 3

I had to listen to my instinct. It’s smarter than me.

I stopped short before touching the brass knob. All the hairs on the back of my neck had stood up. Suddenly, I knew; it wasn’t Anya who was there. I ran my tongue over my teeth reflexively, my windpipe knotted in my throat, vibrating with anxiety. It wasn’t her. Static. White noise in the back of my mind. It was something in the air.

For a moment, there was only silence. A stealthy breath, outside.

(The vibration of a growl?)

A slight familiar metallic sound, heard somewhere, once.

Whoever it was, he had arrived in my wife’s truck. I couldn’t be wrong about that. My heart immediately raced, beating so hard that the blood hit my temples and I felt a horrible heat running through my flesh. Where was she? Something was wrong. My hands shook in anticipation, my entire body tensed in an immediate alert response. Sweat covered my skin from the sheer effort of staying calm and waiting.

My first though