Hiding out in an abandoned shack from their abusive pasts, Allison and Ethan Bryson entertain themselves by imaging all sorts of curious characters near the frozen lake outside their hut.
But after Allison witnesses a man murder a young woman and di...
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"Allison?" Ethan called from his reclined position in his favorite spot on the bed.
"Yes?" I kept my eyes glued beyond the window to the young man beside the lake.
"What do you see?"
"I see. . ." The girl he was with emerged from the tree line. Should I come clean with my visions or wait it out to see where it takes me? Before I could cause concern, I quickly made my decision. "The girl with the dark hair has returned."
"Really?" Ethan seemed amused as his grin curled the corner of his mouth. "Describe what she's wearing." He placed his hands behind his head and stared at the ceiling as if preparing to see the visual projected in detail in the wood overhead.
"She's wearing a beige sweater and blue jeans, kind of like the young man with hair like the sun."
"The knight?" He chuckled.
"Yeah." I nodded.
"How is her hair?"
"Dark and long, and the young man must really like it because now he's playing with it." I gulped down the sensation of warmth that rose to my throat as he pressed his chest against the girl and pulled her in for a long kiss. "They're ... kissing now."
"Really?" Ethan glanced to me. His eyebrow raised curiously.
"He's putting his fingers in her hair and they're still kissing." The intimacy rapidly grew as they pressed their bodies together. His hands traveled the length of her body and rested on her shoulders. "Now he's touching her neck, and she dropped her head back, and. . ." I paused to get a better look.
"You must have read too many of those romance novels." Ethan laughed. "What are they doing now?"
They continued to kiss, but the longer it went the more sinister it became as he placed his hands around her neck. The girl no longer seemed to enjoy his touch. It became apparent as she pummeled him with her fists. Air caught in my throat as the girl struggled against his grip; kicking and pulling at his hands. Within thirty seconds or so, she collapsed to the floor.
I hadn't realized I'd been holding my breath until my chest ached. I gasped to relieve the pressure in my lungs as the young man vanished behind a tree to return with a large boulder in his hands.
"Well, what do you see?" Ethan asked, causing the rapid beat of my heart to thump in my temples.
The young man threw the rock at the frozen lake with such force, snow and ice ricocheted from the impact. Was he trying to break the ice? Had he succeeded?
The girl began to move. She sluggishly crawled toward a nearby tree before collapsing again.
The boy turned as she struggled to lift herself. He retrieved the large boulder from the bank of snow and slowly walked to were she lay. Standing near her, he raised the boulder over his head. My eyes widened as I anticipated his next move. I brought my hand to my face and peek through my fingers as he allowed the rock to drop from that height. I flinched and squeezed my eyes closed before the boulder met the young girl's skull. I imagined the heavy thump and opened my eyes to the sight of red in the snow at the young man's feet.
