Your neighbor April O’Ryan has always seemed a little private, but otherwise perfectly ordinary.

Then one Saturday, she shows up at your door asking for help moving an extremely heavy piece of medical equipment out of her apartment, into her car, and deep into the forest.

She knows how suspicious that sounds. She also knows she can’t tell you why—not yet.

All she can offer is a nervous smile, a plea not to ask too many questions, and the promise that there’s a very good reason. Beneath her embarrassment, though, there’s something else: genuine fear. Whatever that equipment is for, April seems deeply afraid of what will happen if she can’t get it where it needs to go soon.

And the farther you go, the harder that secret becomes to keep.

If you enjoy this one, you might also enjoy The Amakening.