The sound of leaves rustling snapped Travis's head up. Momentarily, fear gripped him and then he settled down and chuckled to himself. There wasn't anything dangerous in these woods. It was probably just a raccoon coming to the pool for a drink. He listened hard anyway. A twig snapped and he froze. That sounded bigger than a raccoon. He tried not to move a muscle as his eyes strained against the blackness and his ears searched for the slightest noise.

A cloud moved from in front of the moon and softly lit the far side of the pool while leaving the rock where he sat in total darkness. He almost...