"You do realize that leads to the roof, don't you?" Marcus stepped to Josie's side and easily opened the door-sized glass pane. A frigid gust of wind blew in the falling snow. "Going out there in this weather would be absolutely mental."

"Not when you know where to find the ladder leading down." The girl smiled over her shoulder before stepping across the threshold. "Which I do. Care to join me?"

"It doesn't look like I have much of a choice, do I?" The boy grumbled, following her. "Stay in this creepy place or follow you into a blizzard. Is there a third option?"

"Yes." Josie nodded, stopping at the rickety railing separating them from the white void below. "Act like a child and fall down there."

Marcus didn't say another word. Cautiously putting one foot in front of the other, the duo slowly walked along the roof's perimeter. The fresh snow crunched under their shoes until they reached the rusty ladder.

"I'll go first," Josie declared, already stepping onto the top rung. Adjusting her bootie on the narrow rung, she began her descent. "It's quite icy, so do be careful."

The boy nodded and followed. They were halfway down when a metallic bang drew Josie's attention upward. Marcus had lost his footing and was dangling by just his arms.

"Josie, help!" He yelled, kicking wildly.

"Ssh. You'll draw everyone from the manor to us with that ruckus. Now, relax and pull your feet up a bit." She grimaced at the boy's incompetence until he was safely back on the ladder. "There you are. Now let's get on with it, shall we?"

Marcus drew in quick, loud breaths, no doubt shaken from the ordeal; however, he didn't dare argue with the girl. Reaching the bottom first, Josie stepped aside to let him jump into the snow next to her.

"Which way?" He asked, shaking the fluffy white stuff off his head.

Josie bit her lip as she looked around. Everything appeared still, covered in the frozen precipitation. The moonlight bathed the environment in a bluish glow and made it look almost inviting, but the girl knew better.

Behind the manor on either side of the formal gardens was the thick forest, opening up just enough to reveal the clearing where Donatella disappeared off the cliff edge. Josie didn't trust her luck to emerge from such a fall nearly as unscathed, so she quickly abandoned the idea of heading in that direction. Instead, she turned toward the front yard.

It was true that no matter if Donatella had left the manor on foot or by coach, she would have most likely taken the front entrance. This meant she was also expected to return the same way. Going on the overlapping route wasn't the brightest idea, but it was the only one that served Josie's purpose. She needed to leave the manor's grounds, and this was the only opportunity for escape she knew.

Ignoring the tingling sensation at the back of her neck, she grabbed the boy's hand and pulled him behind her. "This way."

Sneaking past the wilted ivy-covered walls of the two-story building, the duo rounded the corner and headed for the long carriageway. There were no tracks - neither wheels nor footprints - ahead of them, but given the increased snowfall, it was just as likely anything from earlier had been covered, as if no one had gone that way at all.

Josie maintained the hurried pace in spite of the slippery cobblestones until the imposing, iron gate came into view.

Come to us. The whispers drifted out from the trees lining the road, and Josie skidded to a stop.

"Are you mad?" Marcus huffed as he slammed into her from behind. "What did you do that for?"

Come back to us.

Josie put up a finger to silence the boy. "Did you hear that?"

Marcus furrowed his brows. "Hear what? There's nothing out here, but-"

The snap of a twig from amongst the surrounding trees cut the boy short, and he took a defensive step backwards.

"Hello. Who's there?" Josie turned toward the source of the noise, hoping with all of her might that she wouldn't receive an answer.

A few, excruciating seconds passed in silence. The girl was about to pull her friend along to continue their escape when a shadow appeared between two barren elms. The low-lying, indistinct form moved slowly, but got bigger with every step. When a pair of green eyes pierced the darkness just a few body lengths' away, Josie drew in a sharp breath.

This was no shadow.

As if to confirm her suspicions, the creature crept forward, revealing a long, black snout and jaws full of sharp, white teeth. Its short, triangle shaped ears were thrown back against its head, and it swung its bushy tail wildly. A low rumble accompanied the threatening acts as it stepped on four, long legs out of the tree line.

Josie was mesmerized. She turned her head sideways and watched the moonlight reflect off the animal's back; even the furiously falling snowflakes avoided touching the creature. It was both grotesque and beautiful at the same time, and she instinctively knew it came for her.

"Josie." Marcus hissed through gritted teeth, tugging at the girl's sleeve. Not getting an acknowledgement, he grabbed her arm and pushed her ahead. "Run!"

Snapped out of her reverie, Josie obeyed and concentrated on putting one foot ahead of the other as fast as she could while maintaining her balance in the ever-growing snow. She could hear the boy's labored breathing right behind her as he also struggled to put as much distance between them and the animal.

The task wasn't easy.

As soon as the children began running, they gave the creature a clear reason for pursuit. Even if it never meant them harm before, it was now a predator engaged in chasing its prey. Whether out of amusement or bloodlust, it didn't matter. It darted after them and was going to follow until it - or something even more menacing - caught them.

Risking losing a moment to glance over her shoulder, Josie's eyes widened at the sight of the galloping animal. Spit flew out of its mouth as it cut through the snow in an unwavering pursuit. Every second brought it closer to the fleeing children, so Josie hastened her pace.

She knew she was going to fall before she felt her foot slip on the icy surface. Her knees ached from the impact, but the fear of being caught was greater. Luckily, Marcus also slowed just enough to reach under her arms and help Josie up before they began running again.

"Which way?" The boy asked as they approached the manor.

Josie didn't have to think for long. It was imprudent for them to return the way they came; turning right, she led Marcus past the stairs leading up to the front porch. What she saw made her do a double take.

The pedestals on either side of the entry were conspicuously empty.

With the angry growling behind them getting louder by the moment, the girl couldn't worry about the absence of the stone gargoyles. Instead, she ran side-by-side with Marcus and gulped the cold air as they headed toward the path leading into the forest. Apart from a brief instance of flapping wings - perhaps that of a large barn owl - the silence of the night was only broken by the sounds multiple sets of feet hitting the frozen ground. Only once the cemetery's gates came into view did Josie dare look back again.

How curious. The path on which they'd traveled was deserted.

Moving her head from side to side to scan every part of the visible area, Josie was met with the same sight in every direction: trees, snow, and moonlight. Nothing more. The animal was gone.

Leaning against a gnarly trunk, she placed her hands in front of her mouth and willed her breathing to slow. Marcus also crouched beside her in an attempt to shake off his own exhaustion. When the gate to the cemetery creaked open, the girl gasped in realization.

The large, black creature - whether dog or wolf or something else - had led them here. That was the only plausible explanation why it never caught up, why they were still alive. If that was indeed the case, then taking their chance among the graves and funerary monuments was their remaining option.

Josie frowned at the thought. The last time she went into the cemetery, she'd witnessed two women preparing a tomb for its next occupant, losing consciousness before she could read the name.

Who was it for? Was it her? Is that what everything was leading to?

She had to know.

"Come," she instructed the boy and walked toward the open gates without waiting.