CHAPTER THIRTY

Megan's heart pounded in her chest as she watched Dr. Reeves raise the candlestick, its polished surface gleaming in the dim light. This couldn't be happening.

How had she gone from attending a community seminar to being tied up in a cabin, about to be murdered by a man she'd thought was there to help people?

She squeezed her eyes shut, bracing for the impact. But it never came.

"Open your eyes, Megan," Dr. Reeves said softly. "I want you to understand why this is necessary."

Trembling, Megan forced her eyes open. Dr. Reeves stood before her, candlestick still raised, a look of eerie calm on his face.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked.

Dr. Reeves smiled. It was a cold, unsettling expression. "Because you're lost, Megan. Like so many others. But through your sacrifice, you'll help bring about a new age of enlightenment."

Megan sensed he had more to say, so she waited, giving him plenty of space to speak.

"Do you know how many people live their lives in darkness, never realizing their true potential?" he asked. "I'm offering them a chance at redemption."

Megan's mind raced, searching for a way out. She needed to keep him talking, to buy herself more time. "But...but killing people? How does that help anyone?"

Dr. Reeves chuckled. "Oh, Megan. Death is just a transition. These souls, your soul, will serve a higher purpose."

"Higher purpose? What do you mean? Please help me understand."

He opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again. His smile fell away, and he narrowed his eyes. "You're stalling for time," he said. "What, you think someone's going to save you? You think help is on the way?"

She said nothing.

"Oh, Megan," he said. "I offered to help you, to show you the way, and you turned me down. You really think you're going to get a second chance?"

He raised the candlestick once more. This was it. Megan closed her eyes again, silently praying for a miracle.

Suddenly, a beam of light cut across the windows—headlights? Was someone here?

"It seems we may have company," Dr. Reeves muttered, lowering the candlestick. "How inconsiderate of them to interrupt our sacred moment."

As he moved toward the window, peering out into the darkness, Megan's mind raced. This might be her only chance. She had to do something, anything, to try and escape.

Her wrists burned where the ropes bit into her skin, but she forced herself to focus. Slowly, carefully, she began to rotate her hands, testing the bonds. They were tight, but not impossibly so. If she could just create a little slack...

Dr. Reeves was still at the window, muttering to himself about cosmic signs and divine intervention. Megan tuned him out, concentrating on the small movements of her hands. She could feel the ropes starting to loosen, just a fraction.

Emboldened, she increased her efforts, ignoring the pain as the rough fibers scraped against her skin. A bead of sweat trickled down her forehead, but she didn't dare move to wipe it away.

Just when she thought her wrists might give out, she felt it—a sudden give in the ropes. Her right hand slipped free.

Megan's heart leapt, but she forced herself to remain still. Dr. Reeves was still by the window, but he could turn around at any moment. She had to time this perfectly.

With agonizing slowness, she began working on the ropes binding her left hand. It was easier now that she had one hand free, but still painfully slow. She could hear Dr. Reeves moving around the room, muttering about preparing for unexpected guests.

Finally, her left hand came free. Megan allowed herself a small breath of relief, but she knew she wasn't out of danger yet. Her ankles were still bound to the chair legs.

She leaned down as much as she dared, her fingers fumbling with the knots. They were tight, seemingly impossible to undo. Panic started to rise in her throat. She was so close, but if she couldn't get her feet free—

"What do you think you're doing?"

Megan's blood ran cold. She looked up to see Dr. Reeves standing over her, his face a mask of fury. The candlestick was back in his hand, raised high.

In that moment, instinct took over. Megan threw herself sideways, chair and all. She hit the ground hard, the impact knocking the wind out of her. But the old chair couldn't take the force—it splintered, freeing her legs.

Dr. Reeves lunged for her, but Megan was already rolling. Ignoring the pain from her fall, she scrambled to her feet and ran for the door. She could hear him behind her, his breathing heavy, punctuated by mad ramblings about cleansing and cosmic justice.

Megan's hand closed around the doorknob. For one heart-stopping moment, she thought it might be locked. But then it turned, and she burst out into the cool night air.

The forest loomed before her, dark and foreboding. But it was her only chance. Without hesitation, Megan plunged into the trees.

Branches whipped at her face as she ran, her bare feet stumbling over roots and rocks. She could hear Dr. Reeves crashing through the underbrush behind her—close, too close. His voice carried through the night, alternating between coaxing and threatening.

"Come back, Megan! You don't understand—this is for your own good! Your soul needs cleansing!"

Megan didn't waste breath responding. She focused every ounce of her energy on running, on putting as much distance between herself and the madman behind her as possible.

She had no idea where she was going. The woods all looked the same in the darkness, and she had lost all sense of direction in her panic. But she knew she couldn't stop. Stopping meant death.

As she ran, her mind flashed back to earlier that evening. How normal everything had seemed. She had been leaving Dr. Reeves' seminar, her mind buzzing with thoughts about his talk on finding inner peace. He had approached her in the parking lot, all smiles and charm, asking if she'd like to discuss the seminar further over coffee.

She should have seen the signs. The way his eyes had gleamed with an unsettling intensity. The slight tremor in his hand as he'd gestured toward his car. But she'd been flattered by his attention, proud that the respected Dr. Reeves had singled her out.

Now, as she fled through the dark forest, the memory seemed like it belonged to another person.

A root caught her foot, sending her sprawling. Megan hit the ground hard, leaves and twigs scraping her exposed skin. For a moment, she lay there, the wind knocked out of her. Then she heard it—the sound of footsteps, getting closer.

Panic gave her a fresh surge of energy. Megan scrambled to her feet, ignoring the pain from her fall. She started running again, but she could tell she was slowing down. Her lungs burned, and her legs felt like lead.

"I can hear you, Megan!" Dr. Reeves called out, his voice far too close for comfort. "You can't escape your destiny. The stars themselves guide my hand!"

Megan's breath came in ragged gasps, and she could feel a stitch forming in her side. She couldn't keep this up much longer. She needed to hide, to find some way to throw Dr. Reeves off her trail. But where? In the darkness, every tree looked the same, every shadow a potential hiding spot—or a trap.

As she pushed through a dense patch of undergrowth, Megan's hand brushed against something solid. She paused, her heart pounding so loudly she was sure Dr. Reeves must be able to hear it. Carefully, she felt the object again. It was rough and vertical—a tree trunk, but larger than the others around it.

Megan ran her hands around the trunk. It was huge, far wider than she could encircle with her arms. An old-growth tree, ancient and imposing. And on one side, she felt it—a gap in the bark, an opening large enough for a person.

Without hesitation, Megan squeezed into the hollow tree. It was a tight fit, the rough interior scraping against her already battered skin, but she didn't care. All that mattered was that she was hidden.

She held her breath, listening. For a moment, all she could hear was the frantic beating of her own heart. Then, footsteps.

Slow, methodical, coming closer.

"Megan!" Dr. Reeves called, his tone both soothing and menacing. "I know you're close. I can sense your fear, your resistance to the cosmic truth. But you can't hide from destiny, Megan. You can't hide from me."

Inside her tree, Megan pressed a hand to her mouth, stifling the sobs that threatened to escape. She couldn't let him find her. She couldn't end up like the others—Laura, Sophie, Rachel, Emily. Their faces flashed through her mind, images she'd seen on the news. Had they been this terrified in their final moments?

The footsteps grew closer.

"You know, Megan," Dr. Reeves said, his voice terrifyingly close, "in many cultures, trees are seen as sacred. Conduits between the earthly realm and the cosmic beyond. How fitting it would be to find you embracing such a symbol."

Megan held her breath. Had he seen her? Was this the end?

But then the footsteps started moving again, growing fainter. He was moving away.

Megan wanted to sob with relief, but she didn't dare make a sound. She stayed frozen in place, barely breathing, for what felt like hours. Gradually, the sounds of the forest returned—the rustle of leaves, the distant hoot of an owl.

Still, she didn't move. What if it was a trick? What if Dr. Reeves was still out there, waiting for her to emerge?

But she couldn't stay in this tree forever. Her legs were cramping, and she was starting to feel lightheaded from fear and exhaustion. She had to do something.

Slowly, carefully, Megan began to ease herself out of the hollow tree. Every snapping twig, every rustle of leaves sounded impossibly loud to her ears. She emerged into the darkness, her eyes straining to see any sign of movement, any hint of danger.

Nothing. The forest was still.

Megan took a tentative step, then another. Which way should she go? She had no idea where she was, no concept of which direction might lead to safety. But she couldn't stay here.

Choosing a direction at random, Megan began to walk. Her movements were stiff at first, her muscles protesting after being cramped in the tree. But gradually, she picked up speed.

Just as Megan was starting to think she might be going in circles, she saw something through the trees—a faint glow. Could it be a road? Civilization?

Hope surged through her. Megan quickened her pace, moving toward the light. Yes—she could hear something now. Car engines. She was nearly there!

She burst through the treeline onto the shoulder of a road. In the distance, she could see headlights approaching. Megan waved her arms frantically, praying the driver would see her.

The car slowed, then pulled over. Megan nearly cried with relief.

But as the driver's door opened, a chill ran down her spine. A familiar silhouette stepped out, backlit by the headlights.

"I knew you'd find your way here eventually," Dr. Reeves said. "Are you ready to accept your destiny?"