Stephanie's POV
The van—old Bertha—coughed and shuddered like a tired animal as Leo turned off the road. My heart had been pounding for so long it just felt like a dull ache now. We'd seen no lights behind us for over an hour. The fear that had been squeezing my chest began to loosen, leaving me shaky and empty. We bumped onto a gravel path hidden by pine trees so thick they swallowed the moonlight. Branches clawed at the van's sides with a sound like tearing paper.
Nobody spoke. The only noises were the crunch of stone under the tires and my husband Cane's ragged breathing beside me. He was awake, his eyes fixed on the blackness outside. Our little boy was a warm, sleeping weight against him.
Then the trees just stopped. We rolled into a small clearing washed in weak, greyish light. And there it was.
