The Biker (Nightmare Hall) (21 page)

Shouldn’t have had my light on. But I was on the back side of the house and didn’t expect anyone to see it. There’s nothing out there but woods.

What are they doing out in this weather, anyway? Lost, I suppose. That damn detour. If it weren’t for that, I’d be long gone, myself.

Things were going to be okay. They were. No one knew where I was. And who would have thought to look for me here? I could have stayed until the roads were clear, and then split. But now, I’ve got unexpected visitors. They could ruin everything for me.

Any second now, they’ll be at the top of the hill, they’ll see the house, they’ll want to come in and get warm and dry.

Well, I’m sorry, little Missies, I was here first. Squatters’ rights. In pioneer times, people were killed for infringing on squatters’ rights.

Now there’s a thought.

I wonder if it’s easier the second time?

Maybe I won’t have to use such drastic measures. I could try and scare them off first. Since they don’t
know
I’m out here. And since they probably aren’t expecting to meet anyone out here in the middle of the woods on a night like this. Scaring them could send them racing back down that hill.

If scaring them doesn’t work, well, it’s all their fault. They’ve spoiled everything. So if more drastic measures are called for, they have only themselves to blame. Not me. It’s not my fault.

Why are people always getting in my way? Why can’t they leave me alone?

Before the night is over they’ll wish they had.

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Diane Hoh (b. 1937) is a bestselling author of young-adult fiction. Born in Warren, Pennsylvania, Hoh grew up with eight siblings and parents who encouraged her love of reading from an early age. After high school, she spent a year at St. Bonaventure University before marrying and raising three children. She and her family moved often, finally settling in Austin, Texas.

Hoh sold two stories to
Young Miss
magazine, but did not attempt anything longer until her children were fully grown. She began her first novel,
Loving That O’Connor Boy
(1985), after seeing an ad in a publishing trade magazine requesting submissions for a line of young-adult fiction. Although the manuscript was initially rejected, Hoh kept writing, and she soon completed her second full-length novel,
Brian’s Girl
(1985). One year later, her publisher reversed course, buying both novels and launching Hoh’s career as a young-adult author.

After contributing novels to two popular series, Cheerleaders and the Girls of Canby Hall, Hoh found great success writing thrillers, beginning with
Funhouse
(1990), a Point Horror novel that became a national bestseller. Following its success, Hoh created the Nightmare Hall series, whose twenty-nine novels chronicle a university plagued by dark secrets. After concluding Nightmare Hall with 1995’s
The Voice in the Mirror
, Hoh wrote
Virus
(1996), which introduced the seven-volume Med Center series, which charts the challenges and mysteries of a hospital in Massachusetts.

In 1998, Hoh had a runaway hit with
Titanic: The Long Night
, a story of two couples—one rich, one poor—and their escape from the doomed ocean liner. That same year, Hoh released
Remembering the Titanic
, which picked up the story one year later. Together, the two were among Hoh’s most popular titles. She continues to live and write in Austin.

An eleven-year-old Hoh with her best friend, Margy Smith. Hoh’s favorite book that year was
Lad: A Dog
by Albert Payson Terhune.

A card from Hoh’s mother written upon the publication of her daughter’s first book. Says Hoh, “This meant everything to me. My mother was a passionate reader, as was my dad.”

Hoh and her mother in Ireland in 1985. Hoh recalls, “I kissed the Blarney Stone, which she said was redundant because I already had the ‘gift of gab.’ Later, I would use some of what we saw there in
Titanic: The Long Night
as Paddy, Brian, and Katie deported from Ireland.”

An unused publicity photo of Hoh.

Hoh with her daughter Jenny in Portland, Oregon, in 2008. Says Hoh, “While there, I received a call from a young filmmaker in Los Angeles who wanted to make
The Train
into a film. They ran out of money before the project got off the ground. Such is life.”

Hoh in 1991, addressing a class at the junior high she had attended in Warren, Pennsylvania.

A 1995 photo taken in Austin, Texas, with Hoh’s grandchildren. Says Hoh, “Although my deadlines for
Nightmare Hall
were tight, I made time for my grandchildren: Mike, Alex, and Rachel. I'm so glad they live here.”

A current photo of Hoh at home in Austin, Texas.

All rights reserved, including without limitation the right to reproduce this ebook or any portion thereof in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 1995 by Diane Hoh

Cover design by Connie Gabbert

978-1-4804-2178-3

This edition published in 2013 by Open Road Integrated Media, Inc.

345 Hudson Street

New York, NY 10014

www.openroadmedia.com