All Chapters of The Hawkins Blood: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

After everything that had happened, the police had stationed a patrol around the old house. Day and night, a marked cruiser sat out front, ready to stop any curious teenagers from sneaking inside.But crouching in the bushes didn’t exactly feel like the most dignified thing to do—especially with two fully grown men beside me whispering like kids at a sleepover. I half considered charging out, guns blazing, and praying the patrol didn’t shoot first. Fortunately, a tiny part of my brain still valued survival more than dramatics.Alexandra, William, and I stayed low behind the thick brush. A cop passed close by, his flashlight sweeping dangerously near us. I held my breath as the beam inched closer—then veered away.“This should be fun,” I muttered, eyes on the dark treeline.“Guess the cops are sick of kids breaking in here,” Alexandra said quietly.“Yeah,” William muttered. “But we still have to get inside.”I was just trying

I’d retreated to my own room after the music store. I couldn’t stand being around William and Alexandra anymore—their concern was thick in the air, suffocating me. They knew something was off. I could see it in the way they looked at me, like I was going to fall apart any second. I didn’t want their comfort. I didn’t want their questions.When I shut the door behind me, it was the first time all day I felt like I could breathe. I owed William a silent thanks—booking separate motel rooms was probably the best idea he’d ever had. The instant solitude washed over me like a tide, and with it came the inevitable crash.Everything I’d been holding back—fear, confusion, exhaustion—hit me all at once. I wanted to scream or cry or punch the wall. My chest burned with emotion I couldn’t name. But I didn’t let it spill. I held it in until the burning passed and the lump in my throat loosened. My head was pounding and my legs were unsteady, but I didn’t fall apart. Not th

Tracking down Elijah Moore and Gabriel Spender wasn’t hard. I just walked up to the trailer park manager and asked for the “Ghostbusters.” Which was fast, No kidding he pointed me straight to their lot.Their trailer looked exactly as absurd as I’d imagined. Horror movie quotes were slapped across the rusted metal door, and a plastic pink lawn flamingo glared at us with its lifeless eyes. William stepped forward and knocked like he meant it.There was a yelp from inside wchich sounded like Gabriel—and a nervous voice called out, “Who is it?”“Come on, guys,” William said. “We know you’re in there.”Some shuffling and muttered curses followed, and then the door creaked open. Elijah and Gabriel peeked out, clearly trying to block the view of their chaotic little cave of a trailer. Their eyes landed on me and immediately tensed up. I gave them a tight smile.“Wow,” William muttered. “Action figures still in their boxes. Shocking.”

Distracting the local cops a second time turned out to be just as simple as the first. We slipped into the old Hawkins House with barely a hitch. I could still hear the obnoxious laughter of the animatronic clown from the diner as my brothers and I darted inside. A quick sweep with our flashlights told us the place was empty—for now.William took the lead into the next room. I followed close, Alexandra covering the rear. William muttered under his breath, “Man, I’ve got no skin left on my palm.”My brain knew he meant Alexandra’s prank from earlier, but the phrasing still made me grimace.Alexandra deadpanned behind us. “Yeah, not going near that line with a ten-foot pole.”“Can you both just shut up?” I hissed, nerves stretched thin. The adrenaline from the hunt mixed with my anxiety, coiling into a buzz that made me snappy.“Someone’s got a real attitude tonight,” William quipped.We reached the kitchen door. Alexandra gav

Spending the night in Reno was one of the hardest choices I’d made in a while. I didn’t get much sleep, even though Alexandra and William kept nudging me to rest. By the time morning light cracked through the blinds, I’d maybe caught two hours tops. I should’ve been excited—nervous energy, happy jitters, that kind of thing. But instead, I felt like my insides were coiling tighter by the second, dread tightening its grip on my gut.The drive from Reno to Yerrington was just under an hour. Getting to my mom’s place added another twenty minutes. Sixty full minutes cramped in the car with my half-siblings—no matter how hard they were trying to be patient—only made me more restless. I spent most of the trip loading and unloading my pistol, just for something to do with my hands. William shot me enough annoyed looks in the mirror that I started smiling, just to spite him. I half-expected him to slam the brakes and yell, but shockingly, he didn’t. I figured it had less to do