The Guest House Hauntings Boxset by Hazel Holmes (novel books to read txt) 📕

Between the week on the road and the events of the last couple of days, her energy reserves were running low. She turned around, looking back to the hospital, and the sudden urge to head back flooded her thoughts.

Leaving meant an endless journey for the rest of her life, one void of any peace and rest. She’d be looking over her shoulder until she was six feet under. Just the thought of it was daunting. But what if Dell could make good on his promise and keep her safe? A chance of success was slim but possible.

Sarah dismissed it quickly. If a life in foster care and orphanages had taught her one thing, it was that the only person she could count on was herself. Eventually, everyone else would always let her down. And because of that, Sarah left the town of Redford behind.

When she reached the highway, she turned south, knowing that trying to cross into Canada would cause more problems than it would fix. Her best shot was to head south and then make a hard right toward the west.

Two miles and three cars into Sarah’s retreat, one car finally slowed to offer a ride. It was a sedan, sporty, which lowered the chances of finding a woman behind the wheel. The majority of drivers that picked her up on the journey here were men. And while she had avoided any incidents, she knew that the law of averages would fix that soon enough.

The passenger window rolled down before she approached, and sure enough, she found a guy behind the wheel, alone. “Need a lift?”

“Yeah,” Sarah answered, making sure to keep her coat closed. The bulkiness of her winter attire did a good job of hiding her figure. The less they could see the less tempted they’d be to touch.

“Well, hop in,” he said.

With no alarm bells ringing in her head and the road growing longer, Sarah opened the passenger door.

The driver reentered the highway, speeding up quickly, and then slowed back to the speed limit.

“How long have you been walking out there?” he asked.

“Too long.” Sarah did her best to keep conversation to a minimum during all her rides. The less people knew about her, the better.

The driver looked Sarah’s age, early twenties. He was clean-shaven, but awkward looking, his head to big for his body, and didn’t act like the frat boys that she’d typically seen drive this type of car.

“Well, uh, there’s a blanket,” he gestured to the backseat, “buried under some of my clothes if you’re cold. But I’ll warn you in advance that the clothes on top are dirty, so grab at your own risk.” He smiled, flashing a wide grin with small teeth.

“I’m all right, thanks,” Sarah said, pocketing her hands again and inching closer toward the door. The last thing she wanted to do was send any false signals. An exterior of cold hard bitch seemed to be the only way to keep guys from wanting to try their luck.

“You heading down for the break?” he asked.

“What?”

“Winter break, for school.” He gestured to the backpack. “You go to Redford Community College, right?”

“Oh, no.” Sarah cleared her throat.

“Wow.” He laughed. “So what the hell are you doing all the way up in Redford, Maine, at the start of winter? Do you just like to be cold?”

“Not really.” In fact, Sarah realized that during her walk she hadn’t noticed the temperature outside at all.

“Well, I’ve lived in Redford my whole life, which I am desperately trying to change. It hasn’t been easy, but I know it’ll be worth it once I’ve got set up in a new place. You ever been to New York?”

“I visited once.”

“Well, I’ve never been. Always wanted to go, though. One day I’ll have a penthouse apartment and throw crazy parties, and the girls! Well—” Lost in his own fantasy, he looked over to Sarah, slightly embarrassed, and cleared his throat. “I’d be incredibly respectful to them, of course, and—”

Sarah laughed. It surprised her at first, the emotion bubbling up so quickly and so easily. “It’s fine.” She waved her hand at him, her cheeks tightening from the smile. “I hope you get all those fine honeys in the city.”

He laughed. “Well, I’d settle for having one honey.” He kept as much eye contact with Sarah as he could while still paying attention to the road. “My name is Tye.”

“I’m—GAH!” Sarah buckled forward as a burning sensation flared in her left heel and crawled up her leg. She reached down, furiously swiping at her pant leg, the pain growing. It was crippling, tossing her backward into her seat.

“What’s wrong?” Tye leaned back and slowed down, pulling off to the side of the road, growing more panicked as Sarah continued to buck and thrash in her seat. “Are you okay?”

A scorching, burning sensation crawled up from her heel. She gasped for breath as it felt like her skin was being torn from her body, the pain so intense it left her speechless.

“Just hold on.” Tye unbuckled his seatbelt and fished his phone out of his pocket. “I-I’m going to get you some help!” He placed the phone to his ear, and while Sarah screamed in pain, she still knew what would happen if the police came and found her on the run.

“No!” Sarah reached for Tye’s phone and tossed it into the backseat.

“What the hell?”

With enough presence of mind to grab her pack, Sarah opened the car door and collapsed onto the pavement of the highway’s shoulder. With the pain in her leg spreading, she scrambled toward the woods that lined the highway, half crawling, half limping toward the tree line.

“Wait!” Tye exited the car but didn’t follow. “You need help!”

Leaves and branches crunched underfoot as Sarah traveled deep into the woods. Tye continued to call out to her, but instincts and pain propelled her forward. She sprinted through the forest like a wounded animal, searching for safety but unsure of where she could