I counted one hundred steps before I reached the edge of the forest.
The tree line broke abruptly, giving way to a deserted two-lane highway. The sun was dipping below the horizon, painting the sky in bruises of purple and black. There were no streetlights. Just endless asphalt and the encroaching dark.
I shivered, wrapping my arms around myself. Dante had said to wait. So I waited.
Where am I? I wondered, scanning the unfamiliar trees. This wasn't the Ripper Woods. The air smelled different here—sharper, colder, like pine needles and snow.
Five minutes passed. Then ten.
A pair of headlights cut through the gloom in the distance.
I held my breath, praying it wasn't a stranger. Or worse, a Silver Moon patrol.
The car roared closer, speeding recklessly. It was a black SUV.
It screech
