Wolf’s truck rattled past the front gates of the plantation house, mashing down the remaining weeds in the driveway. My gut twisted into knots. It seemed quieter inside the gates, the sun less bright, the air thicker—suffocating.

A strange glow caught my attention. A flicker of light came from a second story window.

My pulse raced. “Look!”

Wolf eyed the house. “Could it be your mom?”

My heart lifted. “God, I hope so!” I unbuckled my seatbelt and reached for the door handle.

Wolf put the truck in park and switched off the engine. “Wait, let me help you inside.”

I swung the door open. “I can get it,” I said. My knees buckled. Wolf jogged to my side and gripped my arm. “Okay, maybe I do need help,” I said. We climbed the front steps and into the living room. Wolf helped me onto the sofa.

“Stay here,” Wolf said. “I’ll check out the upstairs.”

“If my mom is up there, please tell her to come down. I need to talk to her right away.”

“All right,” Wolf said. He hurried to the bottom of the staircase. “Hello? Anyone up there?”

The staircase creaked with each step he took. I wrapped my arms around myself, chills attacking my body. With my last remaining bit of energy, I got up and tossed another log on the dying fire. I returned to the couch and curled up into a ball, exhausted. I’d shut my eyes for just a little while, until Mom and Wolf came down.

I woke with a start, freezing cold. The fire glowed with only a few orange embers. It couldn’t have been Mom upstairs. She would’ve been down here by now. How could Wolf have left me alone in this place? I stumbled to the front door, to see if his truck was still there, my thoughts hazy.

A footstep creaked behind me, then another. “Wolf? Is that you?”

No answer.

I froze standing in the dark. An old woman’s voice, crackled at the back of my neck.

“Maudit.”

The sound of my heartbeat roared in my ears. My leg muscles tightened, ready to run. I bolted for the light switch and flicked it on. Light flooded the dingy room. On the dirty floorboards behind me, watery footprints disappeared into the darkness of the kitchen.

Avoiding the soggy footprints, I tiptoed across the floor, snaked my hand along the kitchen wall and turned on the lights. One of the bulbs flickered, then burned out. The other light sent shaky shadows dancing across the room.