JACK KILBORN ~ TRAPPED by J.A. Konrath, Jack Kilborn Read Free Book Online Page A

clearing. It was the sound of people in the woods, trampling over dead leaves and twigs, pushing branches out of the way.
    And the sound was moving toward them. Fast.
    “ Somethin’s comin’,” Meadow whispered.
    The trampling was too noisy for one or two people to make. It sounded like at least half a dozen folks, rushing through the forest, getting closer.
    The bushes at the treeline shook like a bear was caught in them. Tyrone couldn’t move. He couldn’t even swallow. He knew, knew , that some crazy Civil War cannibals were going to burst out and start chomping him, and he was too scared to do anything about it.
    Then, all at once, the bushes stopped moving. The sound of approaching footsteps ceased. All Tyrone could hear was crickets, and the thumping of his own heart.
    “ Are they still there?” Tyrone had never heard Tom speak so quietly.
    “ Dunno.” Meadow’s voice was just as soft. “Didn’t hear them leave. Might still be there, staring at us.”
    Tyrone’s back became really hot—he was standing too close to the fire. But he didn’t dare move away. He could feel eyes on him. Predator eyes. Something was in those woods, and it wanted to do him serious harm.
    “ Hey!”
    They all turned to the right, Tom bumping into Tyrone, who backed into Meadow. Walking toward them, arms spread open, was Cindy. She smirked, and Tyrone was surprised how relieved he felt to see her.
    “ You guys look like you just saw a ghost.”
    “ Were you over there?” Meadow pointed in the direction they’d been facing,
    Cindy jerked a thumb over her shoulder. “I came from there. Did you hear Georgia scream?”
    Tyrone managed to swallow, find his voice. “Heard someone, that way.”
    “ Georgia was going to try to scare you guys. But she ditched me. She’s in the trees there?”
    Cindy walked past them, heading for the bushes. Tyrone caught her wrist.
    “ I don’t think that’s Georgia.”
    Cindy’s face crinkled up. “Why not?”
    “ It’s more than one person,” Tom said, his voice low.
    Cindy stepped backward, next to Tyrone. Her hair smelled like shampoo. He relaxed his grip a bit but still kept hold of her wrist.
    “ Maybe she found the others. Maybe they’re all trying to scare us.”
    “ It ain’t them.”
    Tom flinched, bumping into Tyrone, pressing against him. It violated all sorts of personal space, and normally would have resulted in a rough shove and a threat, but Tyrone didn’t move because he saw what Tom saw, just beyond the bushes, barely illuminated from the light of the fire.
    A person.
    Someone was standing in the darkness, watching them. It creeped Tyrone out so bad he finally uprooted his legs, sidestepping the campfire, backpedaling away while tugging Cindy along. Then that fool Tom came up fast, knocking into them, toppling everyone over.
    The act of breaking eye contact with whatever was in the woods scared Tyrone even more, as if losing sight of the enemy meant it could suddenly be anywhere. He looked back at the bushes, seeking out the silhouette, barely noticing Cindy’s hand moving into his and gripping tight.
    The dark figure was still there, features obscured by night. Tall, thin, silent.
    The moment stretched to the breaking point. Even the crickets stopped chirping.
    “ You want some of me, mutha fucka?” Meadow was frontin’ now, sticking out his chest and slapping it with his palms. “I’ll rip you a new one.”
    Tyrone watched as Meadow walked toward the figure. He knew he should be backing his boy up. Didn’t matter that they rolled with different crews when they were bangin’. Didn’t matter that Meadow was a pain in the balls sometimes. At the Center, Meadow was his brother. They were tight there, much as they were rivals on the street.
    But this wasn’t the Center, and it wasn’t the street neither. This place might as well have been the planet Mars. Throwing down in a gang fight was one thing, and Tyrone wasn’t scared of that. But scrapping in the