Never Die Alone

“What do you think is happening?” asked Bria

“Separation,” Tanisha said decisively.

“To whom?”

“I’m not sure. Just close twins.”

“Someone you know?”

“No . . . well, maybe. Someone I know of. Look, I know you think I’m a little out there with all this twin stuff, but trust me, it’s true. I can’t tell you what’s going on with twins in Berlin or Moscow or Capetown, or even here in New Orleans if I don’t know them or of them, but if I do, I just feel some strange vibe.”

“If they’re separated.”

“Yeah, oh yeah. I mean, it’s not like I can read their thoughts or any strange stuff like that. And complete strangers? Forget it. But if there’s some thread linking me to them, no matter how thin, I’m tellin’ you, I get this weird feeling, kinda like a spider crawling up your bare back, y’know? And then I can’t sleep and I end up calling you in the middle of the damned night.”

“It’s fine,” Bria

“Thanks. I guess I just had to get it off my chest, and I’m not sure I want to share it with the group tomorrow.”

“That’s what group is for.”

“I know, I know, but . . . well, maybe. Depends on who’s there, I guess, and the whole discussion.” With a sigh, she said, “Look, I’d better go. I have an early wakeup call in the morning. I’ll see you tomorrow.” She groaned. “Well, technically later today.” She hung up, leaving Bria

Twins thought about each other often, and even if one moved away or died or disappeared, the remaining twin could be consumed with memories, dreams, even the need to converse with the missing person. Not all twins were close, but Bria

A gust of summer wind blew into the room, ruffling the curtains and carrying the sweet scent of magnolia. Bria

No one’s out here. Get over yourself. There’s no maniac in the shadows, no killer on the prowl in your garden, no damned monster in the closet.

But she couldn’t shake the feeling. Ever.

Since Aria

Swallowing back her fear, she noticed the gate to the garage was latched; the bolt on the inside was in place, locking it to the concrete. Good. Taking a few deep breaths, she felt a little calmer. “Come on inside,” she called to the cat, who blatantly ignored her and went about his nocturnal hunting. “Okay. Fine. Suit yourself. You’ve got five minutes. Hear me? Five.” She actually raised her hand and spread her fingers in the tabby’s direction, then told herself she was genuinely nuts for thinking the cat understood vocal commands or her gesture or the concept of time. Feeling foolish, she went back to bed and stared up at the ceiling. The door remained cracked, a stick propped to keep it open wide enough for the cat to slip through. As she lay staring up at the ceiling, she wondered about Tanisha’s dreams of separation and how they related to her own nightmare.

“Just a coincidence,” she said aloud, and glanced at the picture she kept on her night table. Picking up the silver frame, she studied the snapshot taken nearly thirty years before of identical twin girls, toddlers in shorts and matching T-shirts. Their arms were flung around each other as they stood at the prow of a fishing boat, the sea and sky sparking behind them. Bria

And though she was loath to admit it, Bria

She thought about the two skeletons she’d seen in her nightmare, how she’d known they belonged to the missing Reeves brothers. She had no idea how she knew that fact; she simply did.

Worse yet, deep in her heart, she knew more. She knew that he was out there, and he had made another move. She squeezed her eyes shut against the knowledge that filled her with dread: the 21 Killer had struck yet again.

Exhausted, Zoe swam with the current, faster and faster, trying to put as much space between her and the freak as she could. Chloe had escaped, she felt sure of that. So in the chilly water Zoe bolstered her own spirits by telling herself that her sister was okay. Now it was her turn to find safety.

Any normal person would give up chase at this point, but Zoe couldn’t be certain how the freak would act. So she let the current carry her on farther downstream all the while trying not to think of the alligators that lived in these murky waters. It would be awful to have escaped the naked pervert only to become gator bait.

Don’t go there.

Don’t freak out.

You’ve come this far, just keep going!

When she considered her ordeal, she felt safer facing gators than him. To think that she and Chloe has actually been kidnapped and stripped naked and held by a madman for some bizarre birthday ritual . . . it was crazy. But they’d thwarted him. Well, at least for now. Since she and Chloe could identify the psycho, he would probably keep hunting them down.

No, the ordeal was far from over.

She’d never make it; not without rest. A cold-blooded chill pervaded her body and every muscle ached. She fantasized about a warm bath, her own bed. As she rounded a bend in the river, she spied lights in the distance. Hope glimmered in those lights—a town on the shores of the river. There, she hoped, she would find a Good Samaritan to call the police. She would tell the authorities what had happened to her, reco

Oh, God, please, she silently prayed as she felt something slithery and wet slide through her legs.

For the love of Mary. She brushed at the object, kicked away from it, and tried to maintain a steady stroke in the water. Her ankle was throbbing, her muscles begi

Just a few more strokes.

She stretched her arm forward and felt something slimy and wet just before the heavy object struck her head.

Bam!

Pain slammed through her brain.

She slid under the surface as a fat, rough log rolled over her, threatening to pin her down.

Frantically she thrashed in the darkness.

The air in her lungs came out in streams of bubbles as she shielded her head and pushed away from the log. She managed to free herself, but which way was up? She needed air. She gasped, taking in river water as she tried to surface.