She couldn’t shoot him. He watched her finger hover over the trigger but never squeeze. He wonders if that would change now. He wonders if she would hesitate again, given another chance. Unfortunately for Wren, she won’t get that chance. He will be hundreds of miles from this place soon enough. As he shifts the backpack on his shoulder, he pushes his way through the trees that grab and scratch at him. There isn’t a path through here, but he still knows his way well enough. His father once brought him here to try his hand at hunting gators. Of course, they never caught one.
He’s keenly aware of the monsters who share this space with him. In the dark, their eyes gleam like they do in nightmares. They move slickly through the muck with tails capable of incapacitating a man faster than any weapon. They are the true bayou butchers, ruthless and bloodthirsty. And tonight, he’ll be one of them.
The sun sets low under the horizon, and the night sounds rise in sync as he walks toward the road stretched out ahead.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
TO MY JOHN, THANK YOU for always being supportive and encouraging even when I was sure this writing thing was not going to work out. Thank you for watching the babies while I sat outside and pounded away at the keyboard, drinking hundreds of coffees whenever a quick burst of inspiration came. Thank you for giving me the confidence to start this book at the first sentence. I love and appreciate you endlessly. You are a true gift. I promise never to hunt you in the Louisiana bayou.
To Karen, thank you for being the mother-in-law that no one believes can exist. You are selfless and always willing to send me away to write while you do something fun with the kids. You are appreciated more than you can know, and this wouldn’t have been possible to finish without you.
Mom and Dad, I know I dedicated this to you already, but since you gave me life, it bears repeating. Thank you for giving me the tools, confidence, and love to write this nightmare. As a kid, you held my hand through night terrors, and now I am handing one right back to you. I swear it’s a compliment and a show of love. Trust me here. I adore you both.
Ash. You are my best friend, my sister, my niece, and my business partner. You look great in every hat that I make you wear, and you are a vital part of me finishing this book. Thank you for always reading it out loud to me, so I could hear it from a different voice, and thank you for allowing me to horrify you daily.
To my siblings. Amy, you are my big sister and one of my best friends. You were the only one who was allowed to wash my hair when I was little, and while I can’t say that’s still true （I wash my own hair now）， I appreciate looking up at the birdies to this day because of you. Thank you for providing a smiley-fries-and-ranch-dressing kind of love.
Jp, my big brother and also my twin in another dimension. We look alike, we think alike, and we would both probably mess with the Lament Configuration and unleash a hellscape of Cenobites unto this world, but we would high-five regardless. Thank you for encouraging me and creating with me.
Thank you to Dr. Stone. You gave me a chance to enter the world I had always wanted to step into, and I am forever grateful for what you have taught me. This book was born from the autopsy suite, and you are the reason I am able to experience it.
To my squad: Seth, Andy, Marissa, you rock in a way I can’t describe. That’s a big deal because in the immortal words of Josie “Grossy” Geller, “Words are my life!” Thank you for being people I can count on, and for making me feel like this was possible.
To my literary agent, Sabrina. Sabrina, we are one now. You are stuck with me for life. Thank you for dealing with my madness, my neurosis, and my constant need to be in control and informed about every single detail of everything that ever occurred during the creation of this story. You made me a better writer, and I am glad to have gained you as a friend in the process.
To my amazing editor, Sareena. I feel like the universe put us together. The second we met, you got me, you got my story, and you helped me turn it into what it was always meant to be. I appreciate you so much. You made this book happen, and you made it the best it could be. Even Jeremy would be impressed by you, and that’s both impressive and terrifying. I’m so glad you took a chance on the weird little world I created.