The Devil You Don't Know, Chapter 1

Tabitha drives the borrowed car, drives out into the outskirts of Suffolk County leaving the glittering lights of Boston behind, drives until she thinks she’ll be lost forever. At least out here, no one will see her shame. No one will see her desperation. And no one will see her utter failure when this doesn't work.

The crossroads is exactly where the lady at the shop had described. There is one lone street lamp, casting a surprisingly bright, golden glow across the asphalt. It’s nearly midnight, in a town with a smaller population than the neighborhood she’d grown up in.

No one would drive up on her. No one would see the madness.

Tabby pulls the car off to the side, off the road, managing to park in some shrubbery. The darkness of night helps to further camouflage the car, and she gets out.

The only sounds are of crickets chirping, the dull drone of the night easing her nerves for but a moment.

It was now or never.

Tabby opens the back driver’s side door, grabbing her backpack. She forces her feet to the crossroads and stands at its center. The stretch of road is utterly deserted, allowing for all sorts of clandestine machinations.

Hers were certainly on this side of crazy.

Tabby lets out a steadying breath through pursed lips and gets to work. First, she pulls out the candles, then the white chalk. The piece of paper the woman had scribbled instructions on is crumpled at the...