Free House at the End of the Street by Lily Blake, David Loucka, Jonathan Mostow

hurt flared into anger. She turned, running as fast as she could across the lawn, back to her house, as she heard the door slam behind her.

W hile Elissa was upstairs, Ryan kept his fingers on the volume dial of the old stereo, twisting it on, trying to get the right volume. Carrie Anne was up. He could hear her downstairs, and it was possible Elissa had heard her too. He spun around, making sure Elissa had closed the door of the bathroom. That’s when he saw her.
    Carrie Anne had somehow gotten out of her room, and escaped the restraints that held her to the bed. She was in the kitchen, searching the drawers for a knife.
    Elissa was still upstairs. He heard the toilet flush, and the door opened again. He backed up toward the kitchen, thankful when Carrie Anne moved behind the low partition wall. She was shaking, he could tell. He hadn’t given her the sedatives yet today.
    He could see the hurt and confusion on Elissa’s face, but he had no time to explain as he shoved her outside. He couldn’t let Carrie Anne hurt her. Ryan’s heart was pounding in his chest as he locked the side door, making sure Carrie Anne couldn’t follow Elissa out. Then he turned back to the living room, carefully moving through it, turning up the volume on the stereo to muffle her screams. Turning into the kitchen, he saw her near the counter, a long knife in her hand. She didn’t look at him as she bolted for the front door, pushing out into the growing darkness.
    He ran after her, afraid Elissa might see them from her front window. But Carrie Anne turned left. She circled back through the woods, pumping her arms, her blond hair swinging back and forth as she ran. He sprinted after her, trying to keep her in his sight. But as the sun set, it was harder to see in the dense shade of the trees. She moved deeper into the state park, where the land opened up to a golf course.
    He watched her run toward the course. A sedan was parked near the lookout point several yards away. He knew couples sometimes went there at dusk to watch the sun set over the town. No one could see her—he couldn’t let them. He didn’t want to yell, for fear they’d hear him. So instead he darted through the trees, moving right as she went left, hoping he could loop around and cut her off.
    He never should have let Elissa inside again. He knew Carrie Anne was dangerous, and if she escaped now, if helost her in the woods, there was the chance she’d return for them both. He tried to push the thoughts away as he ran faster, his legs burning. When he cut across the edge of the park, he saw her—her blond hair visible from a few yards away. She was focused on the car parked on the landing. He watched her, making sure the knife was held in front of her as he ran.
    Within a few steps, he had come up behind her, tightening one arm around her neck. She tried to stab him, but he grabbed her other hand and squeezed it until she released the knife. Then he brought her to the ground, laying her down on top of him. He settled into the dirt, hoping they couldn’t be seen from the lookout point. But there was the sound of a car door opening. A man called out, saying something Ryan couldn’t understand.
    He held Carrie Anne closer, squeezing her hard. He couldn’t be discovered. He couldn’t let her be found. She had to be so quiet now. She couldn’t let out even a single sound. They stayed like that for ten minutes, maybe more, until her body relaxed against his and she was still. He regretted not giving her the sedatives this afternoon. Why hadn’t he just come inside and checked on her, if only for a few minutes?
    Finally, he heard the car pull away from the lookout point. The engine faded in the distance. When the forest was completely silent, he finally let her go. She tumbled off of him, her body heavy, her arms falling at strange anglesby her side. “Carrie Anne?” he asked. He brushed her hair away from her face, but her skin was a whitish blue. “Get up.”
    She