ONE BY ONE

Yawatta Hosby

Copyright Page

One By One

By Yawatta Hosby

Copyright
2013 by Yawatta Hosby

All
rights reserved. Except for use in reviews, no part of this book may be
reproduced, translated into a foreign language, stored in a retrieval system,
or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical or
otherwise, without the prior written consent of the author. For permission,
contact the author at www.yawattahosby.wordpress.com

Book Cover: Sandra Giles

Editor: Jim Baroni

Published by: Dream Snatcher Press in the United
States

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

Please
be advised that this story has adult content and graphic violence not
recommended for those under the age of 18.

Dedication

To
Mrs. Kirby, my first creative writing teacher. Thank you for believing in me
and encouraging me to write fiction, besides just drawing.

Acknowledgments

I
would like to thank my family and friends for their support. I’d also like to
thank my blogging buddies and other writing friends. Because of you, I’m
getting out of writing as just a hobby.

I’d
like to thank Melissa and Robin. I wouldn’t have One By One created if
we didn’t participate in NaNoWriMo together. Thank you Melissa for being my
critique partner besides just my writing buddy. Our mini-adventures are always
fun. I’d also like to thank my beta-readers, Beth and Mike E. Because of you, I
was able to see if my mystery thriller had enough red-herrings and if the plot
and characters were interesting enough to get through.

I
would also like to thank my cover design artist, Sandra Giles (www.sandragiles.blog.com/cover-designs).
Thanks for taking a chance on a debut author. Last but not least, I’d like to
thank my horror author friend, Jim Baroni (www.jtbaroni.com). If he wouldn’t
have offered to edit my manuscript, then One By One would still only be
a Microsoft Word document on my computer instead of a book for sale.

Thank
you for supporting my dreams. You’ll never know how much that truly means to
me.

Chapter One

Kenan
pounded on the door. Still no answer. “Rae, I know you’re in there. Your car’s
out front. Let me in.” He waited, then knocked again. He grabbed his keys out
of his navy blue hoodie pocket and let himself into his sister’s one bedroom
apartment.

Kenan
found Rae asleep in bed. Instead of wearing pajamas, she had on red shorts and
a yellow top, so she hadn’t slept the day away. Well, maybe the morning, he
reasoned, but now, it was mid-afternoon. He lifted the sleeping pill container
off her nightstand and examined it. Rae’s psychological need for the tablets
was never consistent; some weeks she’d need to take one every night. Other
times she’d sleep like a baby without the help of prescriptions. The container
was almost empty; maybe they should make a pit stop to Rite-Aide first to fill
it. If she had taken a pill recently, no wonder she was knocked out and didn’t
answer the door. He felt better knowing that Rae wasn’t purposely avoiding him.

He
picked up Fifty Shades of Grey and skimmed through the pages. A
bookmark—photo of him, Rae, their mom and dad standing on the wraparound porch
at the cabin—surfaced. A forest was nestled in the valley in the background.
Kenan took a deep breath and caressed it with his finger. He remembered that
day as if it were yesterday. They had just finished swimming at the lake; his
dad’s brother and sister-in-law were on their way home before snapping the
photo.

Two
hours after the photo was taken…

Kenan
shook his head, attempting to erase his memory. He put the photo back where he
found it and set the book on the nightstand.

If
he had his way, nothing tragic would have happened during their teen years.
Kenan and his sister wouldn’t have lost their parents. They would have been
born to a bigger family, so they could’ve had a better support system. Kenan
could handle depression, but he feared for Rae. How much more of a bad deck
could she handle?

He
searched the room, looking for an overnight bag but didn’t find one. He frowned
and sat on the blue carpeted floor. He faced the bed to continue watching his sister
sleep. She looked so peaceful.

Since
last week, she’d been telling everyone that she wasn’t joining them at the
cabin. She was on board to go to the beach for a three-day weekend until the
cabin was mentioned. Even if it’d only be a short period of time, Rae couldn’t
stand the thought of putting herself through that. Being self-absorbed, Naomi,
one of her best friends, kept pressing the issue, making things about herself,
about her feelings, which got the two ladies into a shouting match. He was proud
that Rae held her own; however, the girls hadn’t spoken since. He felt it was
time to step in and be the mediator—life was too short to end long-term
friendships over petty dramas.

Kenan
pulled his phone out of his jean pocket and texted his best friend, Tobey: She’s
asleep. Need more time. Hang out someplace for a while then we’ll meet you
guys.

He
received a reply: Ok, see you soon.

Kenan
sighed, placing his phone on the floor. With brown eyes, he was average height
with a stocky build. His afro was uncombed and his scruff was untamed. If Kenan
didn’t have a cute face, strangers may mistake him for homeless. He was
emotionally drained because he felt horrible that Rae was hurting. He’d do
anything to take her pain away. That was actually an understatement. He’d do
everything possible.

Eventually,
Rae yawned and lay on her side. Stretching, she asked, “How long have you been
here?”

“Not
long.” Kenan smiled. “Will you do me a favor?”

“I’m
not going.” She folded her arms across her chest.

The
sky lit up with a lightning bolt, and the windows rattled. The rain hitting the
ceiling sounded like firecrackers going off. “Look it’s storming. It’s not a
good time to travel anywhere.” She sat up in bed. One side of her hair was flat
where she had been lying on it while the other half had her natural curls
swinging all over the place.

Kenan
covered his mouth to hide a grin.

“What’s
funny?” she asked.

He
pointed to her head. Rae must have got the message loud and clear; she jumped
to the mirror and brushed her brown with red highlights afro into a style. Rae
was only five-three, had brown eyes, and a ruler shape body. The tattoo of a
dreamcatcher on her right hand was the most spontaneous thing she had ever
done.

“Come
on, Rae. It’s me, your big brother, Kenan. I wouldn’t ask you to do something
that I thought you couldn’t handle. Please. I need you there. I can’t handle
this alone.”

Rae
slowly set the brush down onto the dark brown dresser; she looked at him
through the mirror. She frowned and closed her eyes. “Don’t handle it at all.
Don’t go.”

“It’s
not that simple. That day haunts me every day whether I’m at the cabin or not.
I might as well go to try and get closure or something. It’ll be good for us.
Let that guy sign the deed then it’s his. We’d eventually sale that property
and never have to visit it again.”

“Can’t
Uncle John just do it?”

“No,
it has to be the property owners, a.k.a. me and you.”

“We
can sign it then mail it to him.”

“No,
Rae. We have to be there. What if the deed got lost in the mail?”

Rae
shrugged her shoulders. “We can fax it or hire a real estate agent.”

“The
guy needs the original, not a copy. Therefore, we have to physically hand the
paper over to him, not fax it. I can’t afford to hire an agent, neither can
you.”

“Kenan—“

“Rae,
I love you. I’d never ask you to do this if I didn’t think you couldn’t handle
it. We can finally get closure. All our friends will be there to support us,
then we can go on our merry way to enjoy ourselves at the beach. We’ll be at
the cabin for an hour tops.” Kenan placed his hands together in a pleading
fashion. “What do I have to do to get you to agree?”

She
fell silent, wiping a tear from her eye.

Kenan
closed his eyes. “This guy finally agreed to buy the place. I’m sorry that it
has to be today; it’s the only time he’s free. Otherwise, I would’ve never
agreed to it. We’re heading to Virginia anyway. Just one pit stop, Rae. One pit
stop that won’t even take an hour. Then it’s over. It’s finally over.” He
sighed. “Rae, it’ll hurt if I have to go alone. I need you there to hold it
together…our vacation home used to be our favorite spot until those monsters
ruined everything. Don’t let them keep winning.”

“I
haven’t packed.”

“I
can wait.”

Rae
slowly took clothes out of her drawer and stuffed them in her red backpack.

Kenan
texted: Head back. We’re ready.

“Who
you talking to?”

“Tobey.”
He put the phone back in his pocket and fidgeted with his fingers.

“Are
you sure you wanna go? It’s never too late to back out,” she asked in a
concerned fashion, focusing on his hands.

Kenan
gulped; he hid his hands in his sleeve. “I’m okay as long as you’re there. Do
you need more sleeping pills?”

“No,
I’ll be all right. So who’s all going?”

He
ran down the list. Rae rolled her eyes at the mention of Naomi’s name, which
caused Kenan to smirk.

“I’m
not driving three hours with Naomi,” she demanded.

“Anymore
requests?”

“I’m
serious, Kenan. I can’t deal with her.”

He
wondered if Rae would change her tune if her friend were gone forever. Not one
person’s day on earth was guaranteed. What if one day Naomi just vanished? Or
died in a terrible accident? Would his sister feel guilty about not making up
with her? Would she feel numb? There was plenty of time to explore that
concept, so Kenan didn’t plan to rush the reconciliation just yet. “You’ll be ‘Naomi
free’ for our road trip.”

Rae
sighed. “Don’t road trips consist of going places where everyone in the car
wants to travel to?”

“Not
necessarily…we should go.” Kenan stood up and ran his hands over his clothes to
smooth them out, knocking pieces of lint from the carpet that stayed on the
fabric.

He
headed toward the door. He turned around when he didn’t hear footsteps behind
him. Rae still remained on the edge of her bed, staring at the wall. He ambled
back and grabbed her book bag. He sat close to her. He wrapped his arms around
her shoulder. She sobbed.

Soon,
Rae’s pain would be gone. He’d make sure of it.

* * * *

The
parking lot was pretty empty, although many families resided in Rae’s apartment
building. She figured most of them were probably on their way to enjoy the
Fourth of July weekend with relatives. Not having to face their pasts.

Rae
stood under the umbrella near Tobey. His quiet and peaceful nature was a good
influence on her brother. Tobey soared past six-three with broad shoulders and
a quarterback body frame, especially a thick neck. His black stringy hair was
cut short, and he had brown eyes. Years ago, they met when Kenan had moved to
North Carolina; Kenan had convinced Tobey to visit his hometown, and Tobey
stayed ever since. Her friends were scattered in groups near the two Jeeps.
They were interacting with each other as if they weren’t bothered getting wet.

“Who’s
that?” Rae asked Tobey as he put her belongings in the back of the Jeep. She
pointed to the only stranger near the other rented vehicle. He looked like a
model with his intense brown eyes, strong cheekbones, and wavy black hair that
fell a little past his shoulders. The stranger was tall and lanky, but you
could tell he had a six-pack under his shirt. His facial hair and eyebrows were
sculpted to perfection on his tan skin.

Brady
walked up to them and stood beside her. “Oh, that’s Creepy Boy, who Marissa
literally picked up minutes ago.”

“Creepy
Boy?”

“Yeah,
there has to be a few screws loose when a girl asks you to drop everything to
spend a three-day weekend on very short notice, and you say okey dokey without
a care in the world.” Brady rubbed the back of his neck. He wore a red v-neck
and gray Capri shorts with his Ed Hardy sunglasses. There was an inside joke
among the ladies that Brady followed Rae from college. They had lived in the
same dorm, in fact, on the same floor. After graduation, Brady miraculously
received a job offer in the good ole eastern panhandle of West Virginia.
Harpers Ferry was only a few minutes away from Charles Town where she lived.

No
one could deny that Brady was attractive. He had dark blue eyes and shaggy
black hair that framed his oval face. His tall body never tanned; he always
joked that his Irish heritage was to blame. She felt lucky to have him as a
friend even though he acted as if he wanted to reach the next level. If he
didn’t flirt with every female who breathed, if he acted as though he had
standards, then maybe she would take him more seriously.

Tobey
grinned. All three looked at Adam, who held hands with Marissa. What was she
thinking, bringing a stranger with them? Could he be trusted? Unlike Rae,
Marissa was fearless. She kept trying to teach her childhood friend that life
was too short not to take risks, but Rae had a habit of not listening. Marissa
had light blue eyes and a long, narrow face. Her hair went well past her back
with a side-swept bang; it was golden blonde on top and light brown underneath.
She was medium-height and pretty skinny. Her olive skin tone was always tanned.

Brady
rolled his eyes when Logan, Kenan’s roommate, approached them. Logan had light
green eyes and kissable full lips that looked beautiful against his dark brown
skin. He was medium-height and built like a football player. Logan placed his
hand on the bottom of Rae’s back, then quickly removed it. “You made it.” He
smiled.

“You
know I can never say no to Kenan.”

He
laughed. “One day.”

Brady
frowned; Rae blushed. She had a secret crush on Logan and hoped she wasn’t
being obvious. She didn’t want to hurt Brady’s feelings. Plus, she didn’t want
to make a fool of herself. It was more than likely that Logan only thought of
her as ‘Kenan’s younger sister.’

Brady
winked. “Can you say no to me?”

She
grinned. “Never.”

Logan
sneered as Brady wrapped his arms around Rae. She laughed to ease the tension.
“I’m happy that you guys are coming too. I’ll need as many happy faces as
possible to get me through this.”

Chapter Two

Brady
frowned. “This sucks. I wanted to be in the other car.”

“Why
didn’t you get in?” Selma asked. She sported a Victoria’s Secret PINK hoodie
and PINK sweatpants. Her casual look was heightened with her brown hair in a
ponytail. With light green eyes, she stood at only five-four and had plenty of
men mesmerized with her curvy hips and big breasts.

“Because
he wanted to make our lives miserable.” Naomi rolled her eyes, staring out the
window. She had brown doe-like eyes, a heart-shape face always covered with
make-up. Her strong cheekbones were highlighted by her pixie cut. She was
pretty tall with attractive proportions, resembling a print ad model. They
passed red/white barns, cows standing in fields, and shadows of mountains at a
far away distance, which resembled a background in a Norman Rockwell painting.

Brady
decided to change the subject. “Does anyone else think it’s strange that
Marissa is bringing some stranger with us on our bonding trip?”

“What
happened with that again?” Kenan asked.

“The
sleaze picked him up in the parking lot of Dairy Queen.” Selma laughed. “I’m
sure he’s only tagging along for an easy lay.”

“She’s
not a sleaze.” Kenan’s hands gripped tighter on the steering wheel.

Selma
gave him an icy glare. “She cheated on you.”

Kenan
refused to respond; he watched the road ahead. She looked out the window and
folded her arms across her chest.

“Do
you know A-dumb?” Brady asked Naomi. She quickly shook her head, conveying that
she couldn’t bring herself to lowering her standards and talking to commoners.

Brady
thought it was strange that no one knew who this guy was. Maybe he was older or
younger than they were? Since he didn’t trust Adam, he’d interrogate him with
questions. He’d have to prove himself before Brady would sleep in the same room
as the stranger. He, Marissa, Rae, and Logan were supposed to share a room
while the couples had their own suite. Adam would have to fork over his own
money and buy his own room with Marissa at the hotel.

If
Brady had to, he’d spend the night in his own room and maybe try to persuade
Rae to join him. Nah. She wouldn’t fall for that line. He would have to try
something else.

It
sucked that she was spending three hours with Logan. She would be too nice to
tell him to shut up if he got on her nerves. Besides, he probably smelled like
a wet dog, and the storm wouldn’t allow them to roll down their windows. If
only Brady was there to intervene. It’d be cool to get Kenan’s opinion of who’d
fit better with his sister. Her friend or his roommate. Knowing him, Kenan
would probably say neither, Brady laughed to himself.

Later,
Brady continued to complain. First, it was too hot in the Jeep. Second, he
forgot his guitar at the house, said he needed something to do all weekend,
which Kenan refused to turn around—an hour already into the trip. Then he
criticized Adam’s intentions again. He was relentless, not caring if anyone was
listening to his tirade or not.

“Will
you shut the hell up?” Naomi ordered, never taking her eyes off the window. She
scooted as close to the edge of the seat as possible.

“I’m
just saying. It’s really weird that this guy tagged along, just came without
letting anyone know first. No text or call, warning anyone. What kind of loser
is he to not have any obligations for three whole days?”

“We
get it. You don’t like him,” Kenan said.

Brady
slapped his head in frustration. “Am I the only one thinking clearly? That stranger
seems suspicious, and if we don’t watch our backs, we all may be killed in our
sleep by Psycho Boy.”

“You
sound like a jealous ex. Do you have a crush on Marissa?” Selma asked,
surprisingly, as though no one could develop feelings for her ‘rival.’ Brady
didn’t understand why the two women couldn’t get along. Kenan had clearly moved
on with Selma, so why did she still feel threatened by Marissa? At least Brady
assumed that was the reason she always got her digs in.

Now
would be a great opportunity to say it was Rae, who he had feelings for. If
only he knew that Kenan would have his back. The last thing he needed was to be
dropped off on the side of the road in the country. Brady was a pretty boy, but
maybe not good-looking enough to have someone allow him to hitchhike in their
car.

If
only he was a girl, then he’d have a better chance of getting a ride. If anyone
were to pass him now, they’d probably think he was dangerous. But Brady
couldn’t hurt a fly. Or could he? He’d never been tested far enough to prove
that theory.

He
decided to play it safe. “Nah, we’re cool, but nah.”

“I
mean it would’ve worked out perfectly. You and Marissa off to do your own
thing; Rae and Logan off to do their own thing.” Selma ignored his earlier
remark. That was the thing with Selma—her focus was so narrow that once she had
an idea put into her head, it was hard for her to grasp a different outcome
even if the evidence was placed right in front of her face. There could be a ten-hour
lecture, verbalizing hardcore facts of why she was wrong, and she’d still think
she was right.

“There’s
nothing going on between Logan and my sister.” Kenan shook his head while his
girlfriend gave him a doubted glance. He ignored the gesture, looking straight
ahead. “If anything, I’d rather her and Brady get together if she dated anyone
in our group.”

Brady’s
ears perked up.

Of
course, Naomi had to rain on his parade. “Ew, never gonna happen.”

“Why
not?” Brady asked defensively.

“Because
she has taste.”

“Well,
she can’t date my boy, Logan, because I’d have to kick his ass if the
relationship didn’t work out. I’d have to pick sides and everything would get
messy. I’d lose a friend and a roommate in the process, all because he couldn’t
keep his dick in his pants.” Kenan smirked. “I’d rather she dated someone like
Brady. That way I wouldn’t feel guilty having to destroy his existence if he
broke my little sister’s heart.”

Brady
gulped, getting the message loud and clear. Kenan had implied that they weren’t
friends, weren’t boys, weren’t brothers from another mother, weren’t amigos.
Brady knew they weren’t close, but Kenan didn’t have to call him out like that.

However,
on the plus side, he gave him permission to pursue Rae. Might as well get tips.
Brady fidgeted with his hands. “How could I win her over?”

“Do
you have a crush on Rae?” Selma smiled and moved her body, so she could face
him in the back seat. She had an enlightened and accepting facial expression.

Brady’s
cheeks turned red. “What do you think?”

Selma
clapped, her green eyes widened with delight. “Oh my gosh, you do! How cute is
that?” She couldn’t stop smiling. “You know how you have a habit of flirting
with any girl who breathes. Well, you should stop that and only focus on Rae.
That way she’d take you seriously.”

He
bookmarked that suggestion in his memory like it was his favorite website on
his computer. He sneaked a peek at Kenan, who glanced at him in the rearview
mirror. Kenan looked serious, winked, then grinned, quickly eyeing the road
again.

Should
he take that as a good sign?

Did
Kenan just show happiness for Brady? Or was he plotting to embarrass Brady this
weekend?

Chapter Three

The
Jeeps were parked outside of an old-fashioned style ma and pa filling station.
At the two-hour mark, they had all agreed to stop for a restroom break and to
fill up their gas tanks. Tobey had no idea what part of Virginia he was in, but
it was more country than his hometown. Only woods covered the other side of the
road. There weren’t any houses for miles and miles. The store looked like an
old, abandoned building with gray paint chipping off the rotten wood near the
front entrance. One with two broken down pumps with nothing but dust and dead
flies on the shelves. With no concrete parking lot, the Jeeps were covered in
dust by the debris and dirt flying up from the wheels turning on the ground.

The
forest across the street reminded Tobey of his home in North Carolina,
reminiscent of a mansion with maids and servants. Coming from a huge family, he
was forced to share a room. When they were allowed to play outside, the
backyard was nothing but trees. A forest not barricaded by a fence. The porch
wrapped around the entire mansion. Tobey had been smart to find secret hiding places
among the yard, a place to sit and think for hours and hours.

Kenan
leaned against the Jeep while Tobey pumped gas. They stood alone. “Brady made a
good point in the car. What if Adam is dangerous?”

Tobey
cracked his neck. “We could take him,” he said matter-of-factly. Not cocky. Not
aggressively. He wasn’t the kind of guy to jump into random fights or shouting
matches to prove his manhood, but if he needed to protect himself or loved
ones, that wouldn’t be a problem for him.

Within
the few minutes he spent outside, Tobey hadn’t noticed any cars pull into the
parking lot or drive past. Was this a ghost town? One of those places where
crazy locals took turns tormenting, terrorizing, and murdering outsiders, who
foolishly stopped in this No Name, NoHintOfItOnAMap town? Or worse yet, what if
the town was full of racists?

He
pulled his cell phone out from his brown/blue plaid shorts pocket, and sighed
in relief when he noticed the energy bar was full. Thank God! He felt secure
knowing he had service in case rednecks or any other crazies tried to attack
them.

“Hey,
dude. Put that away; you want us to blow up.”

Tobey
laughed. “That’s only if the car engine is on.”

*
* * *

At
the checkout counter, Adam bought snacks and drinks for the ‘ladies.’ He
figured treating them was the least he could do to thank them for being so hot
and sexy. Not one ugly chick in the bunch! He’d have to introduce Rae, Naomi,
and Selma to his boys. Birds of a feather flock together—they were probably
easy like Marissa.

Boyfriend
or not, some, no all, women knew how to successfully cheat on their man. They
were clever and manipulative in that way. Guys were either too stupid or
braggarts, and that’s why they always got caught.

Adam
enjoyed being the center of female attention. Who knew? If he could please
Marissa in the sack, she may brag to her friends, then they’d want to ride him
too. He’d be sure to be cool with it, if they could sneak off. The last thing
Adam needed was to have four guys jump him. He realized since moving to West
Virginia, country bumpkins only shared one brain cell. They fought out any
problems to solve them; they were too dumb to communicate effectively.

Adam
was from Los Angeles and dreaded every second of his decision moving to the
east coast. What had he been thinking five years ago? But then again, most, no
all, girls in L.A. were fake, plastic, gold diggers who were either celebrity’s
daughters, future porn stars, or wannabe actresses too lazy to take acting
classes. Oh, he couldn’t forget supermodels. At least in West Virginia, he
could spend less money while still getting laid. It was a nice savings
arrangement. And he sensed that these Appalachian girls were not faking their
orgasms.

Outside,
he and the ladies stood under the trees for shade to escape the sunrays beaming
down on them. Adam, who wore a green Ralph Lauren buttoned shirt and khakis,
laughed to himself; he assumed the other guys were jealous of him for stealing
the females’ attention. He could picture the guys huddled in a corner. ‘Me Big
Dummy. Me Jealous Because Me Girl Is Talking To Hot Guy. No Interaction With
Opposite Sex. Me Must Pound My Chest Then Pound The Guy’s Head In.’

Girls
were gullible, so he thought it’d be a good idea to scare them. With a serious
facial expression, he said, “Marissa should have done a background check on me
before inviting me with you guys.”

“Why?”
Naomi asked, wide-eyed.

He
gave a sinister smile. “Because I’m crazy.”

The
girls shared a look of oh-no-he-didn’t. Marissa chuckled, hitting Adam on the
arm. “Stop playing like that. Don’t be a douche.”

“I’m
not being a douche. I’m being myself.”

“No
you aren’t.”

Adam
smirked. “How would you know, Marissa? You’ve known me for less than
three-hours.” He wagged his finger in front of her face, causing her to slap it
away. “Didn’t your mom ever teach you not to talk—let alone pick up—strangers?”

Marissa
rolled her eyes and folded her arms across her chest. Oh yeah, she was into
him. She was turned on right now. Adam never understood women. Why did they
want jerks when they could have a nice guy? Bad boys ruled!

Before
he could tell them he was joking, Brady, skepticism plastered on his face,
walked over and interrupted his social hour. Apparently, his boys must have
sent him over as their spokesperson. Like clockwork, Brady went into third
degree questioning. “Where are you from, Adam?” Brady stared directly into
Adam’s eyes.

“Florida,”
Adam lied, quickly thinking on his feet. He could handle this putz.

“Last
I checked, people are from cities within a state. Like me, I’m from Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania. So. You. Are. From?”

The.
Ever. Glades. Florida.” Maybe if these hillbillies thought Adam was a country
fellow, then they’d cut him some slack.

“Ever
been to a swamp tour?” Rae asked.

“A
couple of times. My uncle actually organizes tours down on the swamp.” Might as
well go all out with the lie.

Brady
cracked his knuckles. “How old are you?”

“Thirty,”
he fibbed again.

“Congratulations,
Marissa, you snagged an older man.” Naomi grabbed her friend’s hand, raising it
in mock triumph. She gave Rae a spiteful look then left.

Chapter Four

Rae
peered out the window. They were back on the road. Since she didn’t appreciate
Adam’s joke or the way Marissa stood up for him, she decided to switch rides.
Naomi had been all too pleased to join her boyfriend, Tobey. Rae rolled her
eyes because Naomi probably thought she did her a favor. Absolutely not! She
was still highly pissed; Naomi wouldn’t get out of this without an apology.

Selma
said, “Rae, doesn’t Brady have the bluest eyes you’ve ever seen? I’ve been
around him so long, but now is the first time I truly noticed how deep blue
they are, like the sea.”

That
was random.

“Thanks
for saying my eyes are unmemorable,” Brady said.

“What
do you mean?” Selma gave a questioned look. “I was giving you a compliment.”

“Not
if you’ve been around me for a while now—what, a couple of years—and only today
you notice my sexy eyes. Definitely not a compliment.”

“You
know what I meant.”

“Doesn’t
matter what you think…only what Rae thinks. She’s the only opinion I care
about.”

Rae
looked into his beautiful oval eyes. She studied them, blushing. He looked her
up and down. “I’ll give you a ten out of ten.” She smiled.

“And,
I’ll give you a twenty out of ten.” Brady winked.

“Thank
you.”

Selma
and Kenan grinned, then her brother stated, “Rae, you should show Brady the
Orgasm Tree.”

“Sounds
kinky. Is it a lover’s spot?” Selma asked.

In
fact, it was. Rae blushed. She had never visited the popular spot, but Kenan
had snuck there every so often when he was dating the neighbor’s daughter. The
spot was a few miles away from the cabin, so it was enough privacy to fool
around without getting caught. When they were teens, Rae used to cover for him,
saying he was near the lake.

What
was Kenan up to? Was this pick on Rae day?

“This
tree is wide and tall, very old. If you stand on its stump and hold on, leaning
against the bark, if it’s pretty windy, the tree will vibrate. Like. It’s.
Having. An. Orgasm,” Kenan explained.

Brady
grinned from ear to ear. “Sign me up.”

This
hour would take forever if her company kept these antics up, Rae thought. The
other vehicle ran much smoother, so much quieter. Tobey had kept his eyes on
the road, barely speaking two words the entire time. Marissa and Adam had sat
way in the back to not be disturbed. She only heard slurping from their
make-out session. Logan had been in the passenger seat while Rae enjoyed the
middle all to herself. How nice that was. She could stretch her feet and look
out the window in peace.

To
tune out the kissing noises, she and Logan had participated in light
conversation. She really enjoyed his company. Since he was respectful and
sincere, it allowed Rae to feel comfortable enough to come out of her shell a
little. She had wished she were kissing Logan. She felt like a high-schooler
developing feelings on a forbidden student aide teacher.

Rae
knew Kenan would never go for his sister dating his roommate.

The
peace and quiet in the other Jeep gave her time to collect her thoughts. To
ponder. Rae was traveling to a place where she swore she’d never return. A
place that changed her life forever. She was on an emotional rollercoaster and
needed time to process everything even if it’d be an in and out situation.

How
could Kenan remain calm, in a joking mood? He had to be hurting just as much as
her. Maybe he was better at hiding his emotions.

*
* * *

“Jealous
much?” Marissa stuck her tongue out at Brady in the chips aisle of the
convenience store. It was their last pit stop before reaching the cabin.

“Jealous?”
Brady shrugged.

Marissa
smirked. Naomi had told her how he couldn’t keep her name out of his mouth in
the other Jeep. He hated on Adam hardcore, sounded like Jealousy 101. Marissa’s
suspicions were confirmed when Naomi revealed that those words officially came
out of Brady’s mouth.

He
had said, “I have a crush on Marissa. Tell me what I can do to win her heart.”
Music to her ears, but she couldn’t let him know that. She couldn’t let Brady
have the upper hand of her feelings. That’s why she always picked on him.
Marissa couldn’t let her guard down unless he made a move first.

She
knew if she gave flirty, romantic attention to a random guy, Brady would come
crawling. Guys hated not being center of attention, she laughed to herself.
Marissa didn’t know that her plan would work this fast, but she appreciated
that it did. If Brady played his cards right, for the next three days, he’d get
laid.

Adam
had seemed uncomfortable and not thrilled by the news in the vehicle. That’s
how the cookie crumbled sometimes. They were not in a committed
relationship—they literally just met. And what was up with his behavior in the
parking lot? With Marissa’s luck, of course, she snagged a jerk.

Oh
well, he was only good for one thing, wouldn’t need any talking involved.
Besides, if Adam showed off, there were eight against one. Not good odds for
him. If he was a major douche bag, he better contain it a little bit.

Brady
was playing hardball. That’s okay; she could wait. “I see how it is…Adam and I
should win cutest couple. Do you have a camera to take pictures? I’d love to
make a scrapbook for our vacation, the very first time with my future husband.”
Marissa wanted to lay it on thick. She had to make him think he had no shot in
hell. It’d make him desire her even more.

It
was time to put Brady on an emotional rollercoaster just as he’d put her
through these past two months.

He
rolled his eyes. “Good luck with that.”

His
jealous tone was sexy. Marissa waited for a flirty reply, but none came. No ‘I
thought I was your future husband’; no ‘We can take pictures, but it wouldn’t
be appropriate for a scrapbook’; no wink, wink.

Brady
seemed like he was in inner-turmoil or something, as if something was holding
him back. What was it? Maybe he was hurt by her new love interest. To
see him in a vulnerable state would be awesome, Marissa thought. All Brady had
to do was pour his heart out to her, and she’d melt in his arms, forgetting
about her new boytoy. Who in the hell was this Adam anyway?

Brady
reached for Doritos.

“Ew,
stinky breath.”

“These
are for Rae, her favorite chips.”

“My
favorite chips are…Lays classic,” she said, licking her lips and hoping
he would catch the pun.

“You
should buy yourself some then.” Brady smirked and walked away. Marissa pouted,
fuming from ear to ear. She folded her arms across her chest. To her surprise,
he peeked his head around the shelf to produce the sexiest grin ever. “Put your
chips on the counter, and I’ll pay for them.”

“You
just made my day.” Marissa rolled her eyes. “What would I do without you,
Brady?”

He
stuck his tongue out and left again. Her knees buckled; she almost fell into the
pile of chips on the shelf. Her stomach did back flips with excitement.

When
would Brady stop being so stubborn and tell Marissa how he really felt? Maybe this
weekend?

Chapter Five

Rae
paced back and forth in the parking lot, her hands shoved in her pockets. She
counted slowly to ten, took deep breaths, and concentrated on a turtle moseying
near the road. But no matter what she did, her heartbeat wouldn’t stop
accelerating. If she didn’t calm down soon, she may die from a heart attack
before even approaching the cabin.

If
only…

Brady
interrupted her thoughts as he approached her with a bag of Doritos in his
hand. “These are for you.”

A
weak smile formed on Rae’s lips. “Thanks.”

“Are
you okay?”

She
sighed. “I need a drink.”

“If
you want a drinking partner, I’m all yours.”

“Thanks,
Brady, but I’ll be okay.”

“You
sure?”

Rae
nodded, afraid her voice would reveal her true emotions. They stood in silence
for a little while, which was comforting to her.

“Hey,
Rae and Brady, come mere for a second. We need to talk,” Kenan said. They
joined the group who stood by the Jeeps. Kenan frowned, glancing down at his
cell phone. “I just got a phone call.” He stared at his sister. “I’m sorry,
Rae, but RL just said that he can’t meet us until first thing in the morning.
Something came up.”

Sorry?
Why would he be sorry? That was good news; now, they could head to the beach
without all the drama beforehand. RL missed out by rescheduling. “You guys set
up a new date? Maybe next month?” Yes in a month or two, maybe she could
mentally prepare better.

Kenan
and Tobey shared a look “We’re meeting him in the morning like I just said.”

Rae
pouted and folded her arms across her chest. “Then we might as well drive to
our hotel and reserve our rooms. We can hang out at the beach, then head back
here early in the morning.”

Kenan
shook his head. “That’s another three hours. We might as well stay at the
cabin.”

“I’m
not staying there.” She wiped a tear from her eye. “How can you even think to
ask me that?”

Brady
wrapped his arms around her while everyone else lowered their gazes to the
ground. Kenan was the only one to keep steady eye contact with her. “Rae—“

“I’m
not staying there, Kenan.”

Naomi
said, “Maybe driving to the hotel isn’t such a bad idea. If you and Tobey are
tired, then someone else can take over.” She gave Rae a reassuring glance.

Tobey
squeezed his girlfriend’s waist, pulling her backwards into him. He was leaned
over the hood of the vehicle. “Omi, it’s not about being tired, it’s about cost
efficiency. Between all of us, we only have so much money for gas, food, and
having a roof over our heads. Driving an additional six hours isn’t in our
budget.”

This
can’t be happening. Rae’s emotional rollercoaster was about to derail.

Marissa
strode over to Rae and stood close beside her. “Maybe we can find a hotel
around here.”

Kenan
smirked. “Good luck with that. Rae can tell you nothing is around here but this
raggedy store. We’re only forty-five minutes away from our vacation home. The
only way to find a hotel would be to turn around, probably an hour ride tops.
But good luck with that too. There’s more than likely ‘no vacant’ signs. We’re
in a small town; trust me when I say we won’t find a Comfort Suites or Holiday
Inn in the mix.”

Marissa
put her hands on her hips. “We can at least try.”

Kenan
sighed, disheveling his hair. “What do you guys think?”

The
only one not to speak up was Logan. He frowned during the majority of the
conversation. Brady, Rae, and Marissa supported the idea of searching for a
hotel. Naomi changed her tune after Tobey’s rebuttal, causing her, Tobey,
Selma, Adam, and Kenan against the idea.

Rae
stared off into the distance with a lost, defeated expression. There was no
point arguing. The most she could do was throw a temper tantrum and refuse to
leave the parking lot, but Kenan would just drag her into the Jeep. Then her
friends would think she was crazy. Actually, she needed to rethink her
friendships. The only people who seemed to care about her were Brady and
Marissa; everyone else would be on her shit list. Definitely Kenan for putting
her in this position in the first place.

“There’s
a lake. We can hang out there for most of the night, then before we know it,
it’ll be morning. We’ll sign the deed over to RL, then Rae and me can finally
have closure.” Kenan smiled at Rae. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you? That was
the whole point of doing this.”

Rae
stormed off. He sprinted after her. He grabbed her arm, but she yanked it away.
“Get off of me!”

“I’m
sorry, Rae.”

“No,
you’re not. You could care less. I told you I didn’t want to come, but you
promised me we’d be in and out.” She covered her mouth with her hand to hide
her lips quivering. “I’ll never forgive you for this, Kenan. Never.”

He
flinched.

Chapter Six

Kenan
handed Selma the keys, so she led everyone, except him and Rae, into the cabin.
He had pulled Rae away by the arm. She sat on the vehicle’s hood, with her
brother following her lead. He had wanted to make sure she was okay. He
wasn’t—he could break down and cry any minute—but he had to fake the funk; he
had to be strong for his little sister.

The
outside looked exactly the same. The same woods. The same grass. The same tall
and thin trees. The same dirt paths. The same wooden cabin. There were no cracks
or cobwebs. Nothing to indicate that the place had been abandoned ten years
ago. Kenan believed the family in Virginia took care of the property. As far as
he was concerned, after it was all said and done, anyone could take over for good.
They could own it—burn it, chop it down, or live in it.

He
wouldn’t be around to care.

They
sat in awkward silence, not knowing what to say to each other. Just being in
the yard rushed back all the gruesome memories Kenan had tried to suppress. He
could only imagine how it would feel to step inside the house, especially the
living room where the nightmare happened. If he could’ve, he would’ve slain
those intruders.

Unfortunately,
his grandfather snuffed them on their way to trial right outside the
courthouse. He had snapped, wanting revenge for them killing his baby girl. He
didn’t trust the justice system to convict the two males, who terrorized his
family.

So,
all at once, Rae and Kenan lost three family members. Their parents, they could
never see again; their grandfather, they could only see behind a stained-glass
window in prison.

Kenan
looked over at Rae, who had a blank stare. What was she thinking about this
very moment? She obviously hated his guts for talking her into coming here, but
it was necessary. They needed closure, needed that final moment of peace before
the end. Smiling, Kenan closed his eyes. He couldn’t wait. He’d dreamt of it
since the age of eighteen, Rae fifteen.

“Why
are we doing this again?” she whispered.

He
took a deep breath. “Because we’re brave, and we can do it.”

Rae
nodded, only looking half convinced.

It
was now or never to see if she recalled when they were teens. “Remember what we
said in the attic?”

She
wrinkled her nose and looked down to the ground. “Of course. No one forgets
things like that.” She frowned. “But we were young and depressed. We didn’t
mean it.”

Kenan
glanced at Rae, but she continued to lower her gaze. He squinted, reflecting on
what she said. He had meant every word, and so did she. She shouldn’t downplay
it now. “Suicide letters don’t have an expiration date.”

Rae
looked at him, then hurriedly looked away. She was wide-eyed with an open mouth
expression. That was the ticket. Linger on that a bit. All actions had
consequences, whether it was right away…or later.

*
* * *

When
Rae reached the living room, it took all her willpower not to collapse on the
wooden floor that had random rugs spread throughout. She shouldn’t be there; it
was too much. Too much drama. Too much heartache. She pouted, breaking into a
sweat.

Marissa
and Adam French kissed on the couch.

The
couch. The spot where Rae and Kenan watched two men torture, gut, and slice
their parents. The smell of blood and bile flooded her nostrils to the point
she gagged. Her father’s pleas for mercy and her mother’s painful screams
echoed once more through her brain. She immediately fled the room. When Rae ran
into Logan in the hallway, the startling bump sent her flying backwards; she
landed on her butt.

Logan
took her by the hand to help her up. “Whoa, are you okay?”

Rae
fought back tears and set foot into an empty bedroom. Not being able to control
herself, she broke down and wept. Her body trembled; she couldn’t get rid of
the knot in her throat. Logan entered the room without knocking first. She
didn’t know if she could hold it together tonight. He slowly wrapped his arms
around Rae as if he was afraid she was made out of glass and would break.

Even
though Logan said nothing, just being there, he was very supportive. It meant
everything to Rae that he let her cry on his shoulder. She tried to be silent,
but it came out as loud wailing—sounding like a ghost shrieking through the
house.

Marissa
sprinted into the room. She stood beside Rae and gave her a hug from behind.
“I’m so sorry, Rae.”

A
few moments passed, and Rae eventually composed herself; she wiped her eyes.
She managed to squeak out a whisper, “I’m okay now. I promise.”

Marissa
said in a soothing voice, “Did something happen?” She furrowed an eyebrow. “We
thought it’d be a good idea to leave you and Kenan outside for a while. Maybe
it was too much to deal with, but you know you can always count on me. I’ll be
attached to your hip if you need me to be.”

“No,
enjoy yourself. That’s why you guys came here.” Rae shrugged her shoulders. “I
guess it all hit me at once, and I wasn’t prepared, but I’m fine now. Really.”

Marissa
and Logan looked like they had their doubts.

*
* * *

“I’ll
room with you,” Marissa offered.

“Don’t
you want to room with Adam?” What was the point in bringing him here if she
wasn’t going to spend the night with him? Rae wondered.

Marissa
looked at Logan. “Can you give us a minute?”

Logan
nodded then left, probably waiting right outside the door. He had looked like
he was agitated by her request.

Marissa
whispered, “I don’t care about Adam. I just brought him along to make someone
jealous.”

What?
That was a lot of effort to make a guy jealous. Did she develop feelings for
Kenan again? That would be weird, especially for him and Selma. Did Marissa
have a crush on Tobey? That would start World War III—the wrath of Naomi. Oh
no, what if she had a crush on Logan? What if they liked the same guy?

Rae
was too shy to make a move first; since Logan never had, she figured he only
thought of her as a friend. Then again, they had deep and meaningful conversations
where they could talk for hours and hours, so that had to mean something.
Right?

Marissa
was sexually aggressive. If she wanted a guy, it wasn’t hard for her to put
herself out there. It was already a pain being in Virginia; Rae didn’t need any
more heartache by watching her crush and best friend hit it off. Talk about a
disappointment. Rae frowned. She would have no one to blame but herself, for
not telling Logan how she felt, for not taking a chance.

Marissa
was one of those people who shared a question with you that was intriguing,
have you excited about hearing the answer, but then she would never reveal it.
The more you’d ask, the easier it’d be for her to keep it to herself. She
enjoyed having that mind power over others. Reverse psychology didn’t work
either. If you pretended not to care, it was easier for her to change the
subject, so Rae knew better than to ask whom Marissa wanted to make jealous.

She
reasoned it couldn’t be Brady. Marissa wouldn’t have to go to such lengths to
get his attention. All she needed to say was, “Hey, wanna have sex?”, and
before she could blink her eyes, his pants would be off.

Rae
hoped it wasn’t Logan. Tobey was out of the question, so that left Kenan. Why
didn’t he ever tell her that his ex was hitting on him? No wonder Selma
disliked Marissa. A girlfriend knew which women to watch around her man.

“Now
this mystery will give your mind something else to occupy it with. You can
thank me later,” Marissa continued.

Rae
smiled weakly. “Can’t make the guy jealous if you sleep with me.”

“Good
point.” Marissa held her hand, then wrapped her arm around her shoulder. “Are
you sure you don’t need me to stay with you?”

“Yeah,
I’m fine.”

“Well,
if you need to talk, come knock on my door. I don’t care how late it is.”

“Thank
you.”

Marissa
sighed. “I mean it, Rae.”

“I
will, Mar.”

Marissa
grinned. “Then again, if he thinks I’m bisexual, it may turn him on even more.”

Rae
shook her head, smacking her friend on the butt. “Try that mess with Naomi. Not
me.”

“Will
you ever talk to her?”

“All
she needs to do is apologize, then we can talk.”

Marissa
gave a never-going-to-happen look. Naomi was too self-centered to apologize by
actually saying the words. Her pride wouldn’t allow her to admit any
wrongdoing, but if she truly cared about Rae, then she’d apologize in another
way. By doing a nice gesture. Approaching her with small talk, making her
breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Something.

Rae
didn’t want to stay a Negative Nancy and decided crying in the bedroom was
exactly that. She figured it was time to leave, so they ended their
conversation and left the room. As long as she’d stay in other areas, steering
clear of the living room, she may be fine. Rae could enter and leave the cabin
through the back exit connected to the kitchen. Easier said than done.

Chapter Seven

Naomi
felt an eerie sense being in Kenan and Rae’s parents’ master bedroom. She and
Tobey had decided to take the biggest room to celebrate their two-year
anniversary. It was lame sharing the special occasion with their friends, but
her boyfriend had wanted to support Kenan. What about her? Besides this trip,
which was already off course in the worst way possible, he had better buy an
extravagant gift that she could cherish forever. A Tiffany bracelet. An
engagement ring. A Coach bag. Diamond earrings. The list could go on and on
till the end of time.

Naomi
sat on the bed, shivering. Even though the air conditioner wasn’t on, it was
rather cold in the cabin, due to the electricity being off all this time. It
would take a while for the generator to kick in. She was tempted to open a
window to let in some heat.

Tobey
put their clothes in a gigantic dresser that covered the entire bottom of the
wall. With a three-day weekend, Naomi brought plenty of outfits; she planned to
wear a different one for each activity. She brought about six outfits for each
day—not including Friday—so that left eighteen ensembles total.

Besides,
she didn’t know how many times she’d have to wash. She didn’t want to stink,
smell like salt water, glisten from being out in the sun all day, or have sand
lodged in areas even where her boyfriend couldn’t reach. She also despised
ticks and other bugs. Naomi planned to bathe quite a bit in case any fell on
her. She never understood why the concept of a shower was so popular among
people; she’d rather take a bubble bath because she deserved her beauty
treatment.

Naomi
had just washed herself. She hated the woods. She couldn’t believe she let
Tobey talk her into this. Wrapped in a towel, she rubbed lotion over her legs.
She glanced over at him, hoping he’d be aroused. She sighed when he never
looked up from his task.

How
was Rae holding up? Naomi had witnessed her almost faint when she walked
through the door, probably, no definitely, to cry. She wanted to be there for
Rae, but assumed her presence would just make her best friend feel worse.

As
if reading Naomi’s mind, Tobey said, “Sweetie, you should sit down and talk with
Rae. I know you miss her.”

“How
do you know?” Her ego tried to play it off, however, she did not sound
convincing.

Tobey
turned around with a seductive smile. “Because you haven’t tried to jump my
bones since you’ve been sitting there naked. It would’ve been a great
opportunity to ask me to massage lotion all over your beautiful body.”

Or
he could’ve just offered, she thought. Would have been more romantic that way,
but it didn’t matter now; she was ready to get it on. Naomi stood up and let
her towel fall on the wooden floor. Dust flew everywhere, kicking up
mini-tornados. Tobey licked his lips while admiring her body.

She
winked. “It’s never too late. I’m sure I missed some spots.”

“Well,
then, I’d be more than happy to oblige,” he quickly responded with a devilish
smirk.

After
their rendezvous, they both lay in bed under the purple satin sheets and a
weird thought ran through Naomi’s head. What if Kenan and Rae’s parents’ ghosts
witnessed their lovemaking? Naomi could honestly say they put on a show.

Tobey
ran his finger tantalizingly slow up and down her body. Naomi inhaled a breath
of ecstasy and moaned his name. He grinned and kissed her belly. “We should
probably go.”

Way
to rain on her parade. “Can’t we just stay locked in this room all night? We’ll
socialize tomorrow.” Naomi pouted.

“We
shouldn’t be rude,” he rebutted and planted another kiss on her tummy, running
his tongue up a slippery trail between her exposed breasts, up the side of her
neck, past her chin, to the tip of her nose.

“You
can’t do things like that, turning me on, and expect me to want to leave.”

“You’ll
be all right.” He stood, grabbed her clothes off the dresser, and placed them
on the bed beside her. “I’ll meet you downstairs.”

Naomi
sighed. “Stay with me. It won’t take long for me to get ready,” she lied. She
still needed to blow dry and flat iron her short haircut, reapply her make-up,
all the while trying to put the clothes on without causing wrinkles. She was
worth the wait though.

He
grabbed the doorknob. “How do you expect me to behave myself when you’re
completely naked?” He placed his hand over his heart and left, shutting the
door behind him.

*
* * *

Brady
and Logan sat on the porch in old, crusted rocking chairs. The two guys waited
for everyone to join them outside. Logan couldn’t believe Marissa had kicked
him out of the room. It was unlikely that she and Rae would engage in women
gossip, so why did a guy have to leave? He was offended. He could be trusted.
If they brought up Rae’s parents or something, then he could’ve handled it.
Kenan probably already told him all the grueling details, so they didn’t need
to keep it a secret.

Logan
already knew that Kenan and Rae were depressed; Kenan had confided in him.
Instead of college, Kenan had moved in with his grandma, so he could start
fresh and learn to breathe again in a new environment. He never stated he
attended therapy sessions in North Carolina, but Logan always assumed that was
part of the package deal.

Brady
placed his hands behind his head. He didn’t seem nervous at all. Would his mood
change if he found out how Rae reacted earlier? Probably. Brady seemed to have
a thing for her, but then again, he flirted with anything in a skirt and he
would stick his penis in any willing girl.

They
wore t-shirts, swimming trunks, and sandals. Brady even went as far as having
orange, puffy floaties surrounding his arms since he couldn’t swim. The plan
was for everyone to head to the lake. Luckily, the sun was shining because
Kenan had told them it was about a mile away. The last thing they needed was to
get stuck in a storm.

Please
no emergencies. Their cell phones didn’t get service up there—at least Logan’s
didn’t. He had the newest Sprint model; it wasn’t like his phone or plan was
cheap. Logan wondered if everyone else realized they were isolated from the
outside world. Of course, Rae and Kenan knew, but did they warn anyone? They
certainly hadn’t told him, leaving Logan to enter the situation blindly.

He
scanned the area and realized there were many hiding places for someone creepy
to hide in the forest nestled in a valley. Logan grew up in the woods, so he
knew how to navigate—his Boy Scout training came in handy. He knew how to set
up a tent, obviously they weren’t camping though. The Scouts also taught him
how to start a fire without matches, catch fish with a stick, and how to follow
the North Star and use the flow of the creek to seek civilization. Not only did
he possess many skills; he also had instincts, and he knew that if someone were
familiar with this area that they would strike at night. He was well aware that
under the cover of darkness combined with the element of surprise, individuals
meaning harm would be more successful.

Just
in case, Logan should suggest keeping doors locked at all times, especially
when no one was inside.

“Did
Adam seem creepy to you in the Jeep?” Brady asked. Apparently, he had
suspicions too. Minds tended to wander with no music, TV, or internet for
distractions. Boredom could definitely play tricks on a person.

“Couldn’t
tell. Him and Marissa made out the entire time,” Logan answered.

Brady
smirked. “Of course, they did. Great, he’ll gut us and leave her last.”

Logan
leaned up in his chair to be closer to him. He whispered, “Have some
consideration. Don’t say ‘gutted.’ Come on now.”

“All
I’m saying is I don’t trust him, and I’m not sleeping here.”

“Where
are you going? It’s not like there’s a Holiday Inn nearby.”

“Sleeping
in the Jeep.”

Logan
laughed condescendingly. “Instead of relaxing in bed, you’d rather sleep
upright in a car seat? Talk about uncomfortable.”

“I
brought my sleeping bag. When everyone gets their stuff out, then I can fold
the back seats for more space. Enough room for me to lay down and even have a
sleeping bag partner.” Brady grinned. “I bet Rae would like to sleep with me
instead of in the cabin.”

Logan
gave him a quick glance then looked away, trying to hide his impatience and
jealousy. He could picture Brady convincing her to stay in the Jeep with him by
bringing up the past as a way for her to agree. Then using Rae’s vulnerability
to have sex with her. She may be down, if private with no fear of someone
hearing through the walls or seeing through the window. It’d get pitch dark at
night, especially if no full moon.

Logan
would have to stop this elaborate plan. Cock-block if you will.

“I
see the wheels turning in your head. You got it bad for her, huh?” Brady
smirked.

Logan
figured it was best to shrug the comment off, to play it cool. “Rae’s like a
little sister to me.”

Brady
rose in his chair and leaned closer to him. “I know you’re from West Virginia
and all, but come on, the things you dream about doing to her isn’t sibling
related. At least say distant cousin or a step-sister.”

Logan
gulped. Brady was on to him, which was the last thing he needed. Brady was
notorious for causing trouble. It was time to fight fire with fire. “If anyone
has a crush on Rae, it’s you.”

“Nah,
I’m not crushing. I graduated school a while ago. I have feelings for her.
There’s a difference.”

Logan
wished he could shout the truth from the rooftops, but too many consequences
were involved. Even though he cherished every moment with Rae, he didn’t know
if she felt the same way. As if it would matter. He couldn’t go there, although
his heart wanted to. To add more insult to injury, Brady revealed that Kenan
would approve of him dating Rae instead of Logan.

Brady
must be lying. How could his roommate think that? Kenan would rather send Rae
over to the womanizer instead of the sweet, romantic guy who would put his
sister high up on a pedestal that she deserved. Kenan knew that Logan wasn’t
the type of guy to bring random girls home every night. He would be way more
respectful than Brady could ever pretend to be.

If
people wouldn’t come outside soon, then Logan would go back into the kitchen to
wait. He couldn’t handle his temper being around this jackass any longer. How
could Rae lower her standards and be friends with this creep?

Chapter Eight

The
area could have been a perfect back setting to a summer camp horror movie where
a psychopath terrorizes counselors and teens. Even the water offered itself
where a group of friends could be attacked by sharks, piranhas, or any other
Hollywood fabrication to boost high ratings and create a Blockbuster hit, Tobey
thought.

There
was an open field with low cut grass; obviously someone had mowed it recently.
Random flowers and weeds blossomed through the ground. The water was clear blue
so when people swam, they could see the bottom of the lake. At the back
terrain, different size trees rose to the sky, inviting people to join the
woods again.

Naomi
tanned on a long, beach towel in the grass. She wore a pink bikini, leaving
very little to the imagination, and she had worn a pink wrap dress on the hike
to the lake. She swatted at random bugs flying in the air. Selma sat on Kenan’s
lap, while Tobey sat beside them with their feet dangling into the water—they
were on the side of the dock. Rae sat on the bottom rung of the dock ladder.
Farther out in the lake, Adam and Marissa kissed, while Logan and Brady stayed
closer to land. They conversed with their friends who didn’t get in the water.
Brady kept teasing that he’d pull Rae into the lake. Even though she told him
not to, it seemed like she was ready for it. That Rae was kind of disappointed
that he hadn’t done it yet. It was good that she seemed in a better mood, but
then again…maybe she was just like her brother and was good at faking the funk.

Kenan
hadn’t exaggerated that this spot was about a mile or two away; the distance
didn’t bother Tobey or any of the other guys, except Brady. It hadn’t bothered
Rae either, but the other women nagged and complained. They weren’t told to
wear flip-flops. Hello, sticks; high, pokey grass; uprooted tree roots to
accidentally trip over. What if they had to outrun a bear? Definitely couldn’t
do that in sandals or bare footed. And what if they needed to hide from a
psychopath? The loud crunching sounds coming from their shoes would give away
their location.

Tobey
glanced over at Naomi, who listened to her iPod. He should go over and hang out
with her. He missed her company; Tobey loved his girlfriend. Their friends
joked that she was a handful, but not to him. He adored someone who challenged
him and kept him on his toes.

“Woods
is the perfect scene for horror movies,” Brady said. He looked like a ten-year
old in the public swimming pool—the one people didn’t get near because there
would be a yellow liquid ring around him resembling a force field, which kept
his popularity to a bare minimum. Tobey really didn’t think Brady had a chance
with any of the women here, looking like an imbecile. Then again, maybe he
could be trying the “help me act.” Tobey wouldn’t put it past him to try and
scheme his way into a woman’s heart.

“Nah,
I think abandoned buildings, especially warehouses. They’re always haunted,”
Tobey said.

“All
I know is if I was in charge of my scary movie, the black people wouldn’t die
first.” Kenan laughed.

Logan
chuckled too as if sharing an inside joke among their ethnicity.

Brady
raised an eyebrow. “Oh I see, so all the white people would die?”

Kenan
smirked. “What you scared of, Brady? You’re half Cherokee; that’ll save you for
a while.”

“Would
you have any of the black characters die?” Logan asked as if mentally noting if
he’d be safe.

Kenan
closed his eyes; he cracked his neck then looked at his friend. “No one would
make it out alive.”

Rae
stood up quickly and climbed up the ladder to walk away. What were they
thinking? Of course, she couldn’t deal with that type of conversation. Tobey
lowered his shoulders, flinching. Boys could be asinine sometimes; he knew
because he was one.

“I’ll
go talk to her,” Brady offered.

“No,
give her space. She needs it,” Kenan ordered.

No
one said anything, causing awkward silence.

Eventually,
Logan and Brady swam further out into the water, even Selma ended up going with
them. They splashed each other while Selma tried to teach swimming lessons to
Brady. What a sucker, Tobey laughed to himself.

He
peeked back again; this time Naomi was missing. She had been so silent that he
hadn’t heard her leave. He assumed she went to check on Rae, which was the
decent, friendly thing to do. Tobey would’ve followed Rae if Kenan hadn’t
suggested giving her space.

That
left Tobey and Kenan alone on the dock. He couldn’t believe Naomi disappeared
without anyone acknowledging that fact. Weren’t woods supposed to be loud when
people walked through them? That was the whole point—no one should be able to
sneak up on someone else. But apparently, they could be as quiet as a granny
knitting a sweater with her hearing aide off.

Tobey
rubbed his eyes. He prayed the girls wouldn’t get lost.

“Do
you think Naomi will apologize to Rae?” Kenan asked.

“Yeah.
I told her that she should.”

“Like
she listens to you,” he teased.

“She
can’t deny all this.” Tobey held his hand up and down as if he was auctioning
himself off as a prize.

Kenan
laughed. “Please.”

“Don’t
believe me, then why did we make love before heading here?”

Kenan
frowned. “Ew, you two did it in my parents’ room?”

“Sorry.”

“It’s
not like they can use the room,” he whispered, staring blankly off into space.
“Besides, you should get it on as much as possible since you don’t have much
time left.”

“Neither
do you.”

“A
little more than you.” They looked at each other in agreement. Thank goodness Tobey’s
best friend didn’t hold a grudge about the hook-up situation. Now, Rae may be a
different story.

Changing
the subject, Kenan said, “I’m happy that Naomi and Rae will be able to make
things right. I want Rae’s time to be the best it can be under the circumstances,
and Naomi should enjoy her time too. It’s your anniversary after all.”

Tobey
nodded.

*
* * *

Crackle.
Crackle. Snap. Snap.

Who
followed Rae? Quick, steady footsteps trailed behind her, but no one grabbed
her attention by screaming her name or asking her to stop so they could catch
up. In a panic, Rae strayed off sideways to lose her stalker. Before witnessing
her parents’ murders, she wouldn’t have thought anything of it, but after that
atrocious act, she knew anything horrendous could happen, especially if one was
not prepared for it. The acres of land creeped her out. They hadn’t even been
here for more than three hours and she was ready to leave.

After
picking up the thickest stick and biggest rock she could find, Rae ducked
behind a tree and feared the worst. She was ready to use violence if need be.
Sounds of footsteps came nearer. Nearer! She took a deep breath and gripped the
stick with all her might. The stalker strolled past the tree. It was Naomi!
Christ! She looked scared and lost while holding herself. Rae sighed, then
quietly followed her on the path. She knew how to creep without making a sound
because she once enjoyed many hunting seasons with her dad and brother.

Ten
years ago, Rae and Kenan experienced the most horrible event possible. How
could he joke about it? She had almost thrown up in disgust over their dreaded
conversation at the lake. No consideration whatsoever.

Rae
shadowed Naomi for a good couple of minutes, which she didn’t notice. It’d
definitely be easy to sneak up and attack her; Naomi better gain awareness if
she wanted to survive the wilderness.

Rae
hollered “Boo” to get her frenemy’s attention. Naomi spun around. She
seemed startled then relieved while tears fell from her eyes. She ran to Rae to
give her a hug. “You have no idea how good it is to see you. I was scared that
I was lost!”

Caught
off guard, Rae wrapped her arms around Naomi. She could relate. The first time
she got lost in the woods, she was ten. It had taken her parents two hours
before they could find her. “What made you go off by yourself?”

“I
wanted to check up on you. Are you all right?”

“Better
than you at the moment.” Rae smiled weakly.

They
let go of each other.

“No
seriously. Are you okay?” Naomi wiped a tear.

Rae
took a deep breath. Why did Naomi act so caring? As if she’d actually support
her.

It
was more than watching their parents being brutally murdered in front of her
and her brother. The two men took turns raping Rae and their mother. All the
while, Kenan and their father, tied up, were forced to watch helplessly. No one
should have to witness that. Their mom had whimpered barely above a whisper to
remain strong for her family. However, Rae let out blood-curdling screams the
entire time. She endured hours of so much pain due to the monsters’ violent
thrusts. They bruised and tore her virgin insides.

Rae
tried so hard to forget, but she would always remember that she had lost her
most precious possession to two older men who then killed their parents. Some
things were meant to be kept secret, to be taken to the grave. No wonder Kenan
was so overly protective of her.

Rae
nodded. If she responded to Naomi’s question, then they both would be crying.
She kept her composure as best as she could.

“I’m
sorry for everything,” Naomi continued. She eyed Rae’s weapons cautiously and
took a step backward.

“No
need to apologize out of fear.” Rae tossed the rock and stick to the ground.

“I’m
serious, Rae.”

“I
know. I just…” She sighed, fidgeting with her fingers. “I heard you,” she
whispered.

Naomi
gulped. “What do you mean?”

“I
heard you, Naomi.” Rae frowned. “I know it’s your anniversary, so I can
understand why you don’t want to be here. Heck, I don’t want to be here either.
But…I heard you joking with Tobey when you thought I couldn’t hear.” She paused.
“You know what you said, and it hurt me deeply.”

If
she mentioned it to Tobey, then she would’ve ran her mouth to everyone and
probably would’ve acted offended if they didn’t laugh, Rae reasoned.

“Rae—“

“How
could you say that you would never visit here with me because you’d be scared
that I’d snap and kill all of you?”

“You
know I didn’t mean it, Rae. I was being stupid.”

“That’s
an understatement.”

Naomi
pouted. “How can I make it up to you?”

Rae
shook her head. “I honestly don’t know.”

Chapter Nine

People
packed their towels, lotion, and wet clothes into book bags to leave the lake
and return back to the cabin, but Marissa didn’t want their lack of judgment to
ruin her fun time. It was still bright outside. She wanted to continue playing
in the water. “I’m not leaving yet,” she announced to her friends. They stared
at her as if she were crazy.

“Babe,
we gotta stick with the group,” Adam said.

Marissa
drifted further into the lake. “What? You scared?”

“Not
scared, just smart.”

“Really?
Because I don’t remember you speaking up about us needing food before
coming here.”

Brady
laughed. Marissa’s face beamed with pride. She felt good when he got her
sarcastic sense of humor.

Adam
obviously wasn’t amused. “You didn’t either.”

“Never
claimed to be smart.” She chuckled, joining the chorus of Brady’s laughter.

“Adam’s
right. We shouldn’t split up,” Tobey said.

Kenan
squeezed his shoulder. “Nah, it’s okay. Let her stay if she wants.” He focused
his attention on Marissa. “Promise to stay here. Don’t venture off anywhere.
When we get back from the store, I’ll walk over with a flashlight. I’m not
kidding; it gets pitch dark out here, and there’s no streetlights or anything.
Please stay here, so you don’t get lost.”

Marissa
smirked. “I promise.”

“I
mean it.”

“I’ll
stay with her, Kenan, to keep her in check. Unless Adam wants to stay?” Brady
offered.

Adam
gave him an icy stare. “I’m going with the group.”

Everyone
turned to leave, but Kenan faced Marissa and Brady. “I’ll be back as soon as I
can.”

He
could take his time as far as she was concerned. She had Brady all to herself
for at least one-hundred plus minutes, and she desired to please herself with
every single one. She knew eventually that he would come to his senses. If he
pretended to play hard to get, it wouldn’t take long to reel him in. Brady was
a horny dog after all.

Brady
sat on the edge of the dock. “Trouble in paradise?”

“Ha.
Ha. So original. Told you, you were jealous.”

“Of
A-dumb, please. He won’t last past the three days.”

“Really?”
Marissa challenged.

“Yeah,
I see the way you keep checking me out.” He grinned seductively.

Marissa
rolled her eyes. “A-dumb. I’d love to hear you say that to his face.”

“No
death wish today.”

“Do
you think he’d try to kill you if you hooked up with me?” It was time to put
Brady to the test. He liked to dish it out, but could he take it. He could
flirt non-stop with a woman past the uncomfortable stage and keep going. He was
used to women ignoring or dissing him. Brady once said when dissed, that’s an
even bigger turn-on for him.

Marissa
had yet to see how he reacted when the girl flirted back. He’d probably pee his
pants or faint in surprise. If he’d act nervous, she’d eat him alive.

“Is
that an invitation?” Brady asked.

“Hey,
dumbass, what do you think?” Marissa swam to the dock and climbed up the
ladder, splashing Brady with a little water. He eyed her up and down with
desire while licking his lips.

She
smiled as she dried off with a towel.

Marissa
wasn’t a prude by any means, but she didn’t want to have sex with other people
around. She knew the walls were thin in the cabin because she had heard Naomi
and Tobey getting it on. Marissa was sure that Adam had heard it too. He fell
silent, resembling a voyeur wanting to catch every moan escaping lovers’ lips,
every bed creak, and finally, the loud panting.

Brady
scanned the area and then watched Marissa. “Why did you invite A-dumb in the
first place? I don’t trust him. He’s sketchy. The douche lied when I asked him
about his past. He’s totally hiding something, but what? Has he revealed
anything to you in between you sucking each others’ tongues?”

She
walked over to him, slowly dropping her towel to expose a red bikini.
“Seriously, you want to talk about Adam at this moment? If I was alone with
him, we’d be down to business by now. He’d have me all wet,” she cooed.

Brady
sighed. “I’m preoccupied, and it’s your fault.”

Marissa
squatted down to face him sideways. He grinned. She looked down at the front of
his swimming trunks and rubbed his package. He immediately popped an erection.
“Is that for me?” she asked, while licking her lips.

“Marissa,
I don’t want a relationship.”

“Don’t
worry, I won’t be clingy,” she promised. “Oh, and if you tell anyone, I’ll deny
it.”

Once
Brady lay on his back, Marissa pulled down his swimming trunks. He tried to get
comfortable on the stiff wooden planks. She planned to please him to the point
that he would feel like he was in a cozy, five-star bed, with silky sheets and
fluffy pillows.

She
proceeded to give him the best oral sex he ever had, while he massaged her
scalp with his hands in a circular, slow, relaxing motion.

*
* * *

Rolling
his eyes, Adam sighed. Maybe it was insensitive for him to leave Marissa like
that. It didn’t sit right that Brady had offered to stay. Did they scheme this
since the beginning? If they thought they could play Adam for a fool, then they
were sadly mistaken. He put in all the efforts of making out with Marissa,
getting her in the mood, and he’d be damned if Brady got the full benefits of
his hard work.

Putting
girls in the mood was irksome, having to listen to them talk and talk about
nothing interesting at all. Having to pretend to listen, so they don’t get
upset. Adam folded his arms across his chest and tapped his foot impatiently.

Adam,
Tobey, Naomi, and Logan lined up by the front door in the living room. They
waited on Kenan and Selma to return. Rae had stayed in the Jeep. Why did she
have issues with this place? The cabin sitting in this picturesque forest was
absolutely stunning.

Even
though Adam came with Marissa, Selma was more of his type. He knew he couldn’t
get ‘alone time’ to work his magic because she seemed clingy and never left her
boyfriend’s side. The lucky bastard. That chick was hot!

Kenan
and Selma entered the room; he placed the flashlight on the coffee table.
“Okay, you guys ready?”

Adam
took a step sideways to distance himself from the group. “Actually, I’m gonna
stay here.”

“But
you were gung-ho on us all staying together. What made you change your mind?”
Selma looked at him suspiciously. Hopefully, that joke in the parking lot
wouldn’t back fire on him.

“I
feel sticky and yucky, so I want to take a shower. I trust that you guys will
bring me back food,” he lied. He planned to sneak off to the lake to spy on his
jump-off and her dumbass friend.

“We
can wait for you,” Tobey offered.

“Nah,
man. You know how cranky ladies get when they’re hungry. PMSing. Heck, just
breathing.”

Selma’s
cheeks were red with anger. “Change your tone or get your own damn food.”

Adam
smirked. If he were in a bad mood, then he’d make sure to have his company in a
bad mood too. If they all knew from the beginning that Adam would get played,
then something would be in store for them.

To
create peace, Kenan said, “We’ll be back soon. Any food allergies or anything
you refuse to eat?”

“Nah,
I’m not picky.”

“I’ll
stay with you.” Tobey took a step towards the couch.

“No,
come with us, baby.” Naomi grabbed him by the arm. She sounded as though she
thought Adam might corrupt her boring-ass boyfriend. A painting on its final
leg to dry was less dull than Tobey was. “If you go through my stuff and steal
anything, I’ll personally hunt you down myself.”

Adam
chuckled. “Where could I go? You guys are stuck with me until Monday.”

Finally,
the group left. He didn’t feel comfortable stepping outside until he heard both
engines start and drive away. Adam grabbed the flashlight; he set out towards
the lake. Like Hansel and Gretel, he left a trail of candy wrappers. He wasn’t
dumb enough to use real food. Wouldn’t want to attract bears.

He
stopped short when he came across Marissa and Brady in the near distance; he
hid behind a tree, peeking his head to continue watching.

Marissa’s
legs were spread while Brady thrust inside her. He kissed her breasts and neck,
never reaching her lips. They were naked on the dock. Adam could hear groaning
in the distance.

How
dare Brady get to her first! Adam better get his turn sometime tonight. Heck,
he could probably walk right over there, pull down his swimming trunks, and
take her from behind. Marissa was nothing but a slut, who was probably used to
being sandwiched by two guys.

Adam
should’ve known she was worthless. Who asks a stranger if they want a three-day
hook-up? A prostitute, that’s who. Brady saved him money because he was sure
once they finished, she would demand to be paid. Who was her pimp? Probably all
those guys.

Made
sense, Adam reasoned. Each pimp assigned to a girl, and Brady was testing out
his while Adam was supposed to be the willing client.

No
wonder they all came to an isolated location. The crying temper tantrums were
probably a part of role-playing. If Adam searched hard enough, he’d probably
find hidden cameras in all the rooms. Heck, the bedrooms probably had regular
video cameras set up, aimed at the bed. The girls didn’t look filthy, so maybe
they only occasionally dabbled in porn. Adam could get down with that—making a
profit from this weekend.

But
then again? Maybe Marissa wasn’t a prostitute. Or porn star. Maybe she was just
a cheating whore. The eyes didn’t lie. Obsessed, Adam couldn’t gaze away from
his hook-up sexing someone else.

Fuck
Brady. Fuck Marissa. And, most importantly, fuck their light source. Adam glanced
down at the flashlight in his hands. It took all of him not to smash it against
the tree he was leaning against; instead, he had a better idea. He’d hide it,
so no one could use it. If they wanted to wander in the dark, oh well.

Actions
had consequences. It just so happened that Marissa and Brady’s vile behavior
would affect the group in the worst way.

Adam
spat on the ground, walking away. He needed to find a suitable hiding place, a
place only he knew where it was. The flashlight would be useful to spy on
people. He hoped Marissa and Brady would get lost in the woods, eventually
starving or freezing to death. Or better yet, attacked by a bear. That would be
a fair judgment for bruising his ego.

Not
paying attention, Adam got lost. Somehow he must have went right instead of
left, or left instead of right, because he thought he’d be at the cabin by now.
He didn’t think he was anywhere near. Adam came across a broke down building
with rotten wood, the door hanging off the handle, and tall grass blocking the
entranceway, daring trespassers to trek into tick territory.

This
would be a great place to hide something, then reality hit Adam in the face.
How would he get himself out of this lost predicament if he didn’t have light
himself? He cast an eye over the area. “Damn, why did I let that bitch talk me
into entering Wrong Turn territory?”

His
mind ran with fear. What if a crazy cannibal family lived nearby and planned to
eat him? What if they wanted Hawaiian dark meat? Having good taste, he knew
they’d find him delicious. Damn his attractive looks and clean hygiene. The
one-tooth, three-eyed monster would probably kidnap Adam, force him to marry
his five-breasted daughter with webfeet and half-formed ears with no upper lip.
Yuck! What would their kids look like? Then again, they probably married inside
the family. Those sick bastards!

Adam
wished he had stayed with the group inside an air-conditioned Jeep. Not out in
the boondocks to burn up. He sweated like a pig. Why didn’t he stay at the
cabin to take a shower?

Letting
curiosity take over, he entered the shed. Why would Kenan lie and say neighbors
weren’t close by? Then whose shed was this? It had all new and shiny tools—hammers,
slicers and dicers, axes-- hanging on the wall for a masked or scarred psycho
killer. Everything looked like it would be painful in an attack.

Someone
was lying. Why?

Adam
went back to his original plan of hiding the flashlight. He liked to think he
had brain cells, so he should be able to find his way back to the cabin. He had
left a trail of candy wrappers for a reason. Hopefully, there’d be a full moon
tonight.

He
searched for the perfect hiding place; he looked inside a huge cabinet. Once he
opened it, he found a masonry jar containing Moonshine. Adam smiled and grabbed
it. He took a sip, feeling warmth through his veins immediately. It probably
wasn’t wise to drink liquor without eating or drinking plenty of water first,
but with the predicament Adam was in, he needed to get tipsy.

He
chugged some more, not being cautious of slowing down. Free liquor was always
the best. He sat on a narrow, red toolbox that he wiped off with an old pair of
dungarees; no way was he sitting on the dusty floor.

Chapter Ten

Where’s
the flashlight? Kenan recalled setting it down on the coffee table. The damned
thing did not grow legs and march itself out of the room. He rolled his eyes.
All during the trip, he had to hear everyone say they didn’t trust Adam,
questioning Kenan why he let him stay in the cabin alone.

What
could Kenan have done? It’s not as if this weekend was a dictatorship where
he’d coerce everyone into submission. Was he supposed to knock Adam over the
head and drag him into the Jeep? Or was he supposed to bribe him with doggy
biscuits?

Kenan
looked at Naomi; of course, she had to put in her two cents. “Told you he
couldn’t be trusted. He’s probably long gone with all our stuff.” She darted
upstairs.

He
shook his head. How could Adam carry it all, genius?

Naomi
came back to the first floor. “All our stuff is still here, but Adam’s gone.”
Wide-eyed, she continued, “With our flashlight!”

“Don’t
worry. There’s two more.” Kenan found the other flashlights in the same
location as the first one. He tried to turn them on, but they wouldn’t work.

Naomi
pouted. “Great. No batteries. We were just at the store.”

“You
act like there’s no double AA batteries around.” Selma came to her boyfriend’s
rescue.

Naomi
crossed her arms over her chest. As if that wasn’t enough, she then put her
hands on her hips. “Well, are there?”

Kenan
shared a look with Rae. He had no idea, but he was leaning toward the answer of
no. “Listen, Adam probably went back to the lake to hang out with Brady and
Marissa. You guys put the food away, and I’ll go get them.”

“Not
by yourself?” Logan asked.

“I
need to make things right. Trust me. I know these woods like the back of my
hand.”

Selma
pouted, grabbing Kenan’s hand and leading him outside to the porch. All he
noticed was her shadowy figure, then his eyes adjusted to the dark. “I don’t
want you to go by yourself. You could get hurt.”

“I’ll
be fine.”

“Baby,
I don’t want you to go.”

“Sel,
I promised them. Am I supposed to leave Mar and Brady out there all night?”

“Mar?”

“What?”

“You
called her Mar,” Selma said in an accusatory tone. “I don’t want you alone with
her!”

“How
am I alone if Adam and Brady are with me?” Kenan grabbed her hand and kissed
it. “Stop acting jealous. You don’t have to be. I’m with you, Sel, and I’m not
looking for anyone else.” He held her in his arms and kissed her on top of the
head.

Her
body relaxed. “I’ll go with you.”

Kenan
wasn’t really in the mood to keep track of someone else on the journey as well
as having to look out for himself. Besides, he didn’t trust that Selma wouldn’t
instigate something with Marissa, and his ex didn’t deserve that. “Stay with
Rae.”

“Why?
She doesn’t even like me.”

“What?
Yeah she does.”

“Well,
she has a funny way of showing it.”

“You
know Rae is quiet.” He tapped his foot impatiently. “That’s just her nature,
doesn’t mean she doesn’t like you.”

“I
bet Marissa dissed me in front of Naomi and Rae. That’s probably why they never
gave me a chance.”

Kenan
sighed and put on his hoodie. “Sel, we’ll talk later, but I really should go
get them. It’ll be freezing soon.”

“Whatever.”
She turned to walk away, but Kenan grabbed her hand. She yelled, “What?”

“I
love you.”

“I
love you too,” Selma’s voice softened.

Kenan
hoped for the best while hiking the trail from earlier. What if they didn’t
listen and went off somewhere? How in the hell was he supposed to find them
now, without a flashlight? And why didn’t he ask another guy to tag along?

Deep
down, he knew the answer to the last question. He hoped to get Marissa alone,
to get inside her head for a bit. He thought it’d be best if they got closure,
then he wouldn’t get caught calling his ex by a pet name—Mar really? Did he
really utter that in front of his girlfriend? What a slip-up in the worst way.

*
* * *

Standing
against a tree, Kenan spotted Marissa and Brady’s shadows at a distance. The
moon and stars illuminated the open area. Tall trees didn’t block the natural
light.

At
least, they were smart enough to get out of the water to have time to dry off,
but where the hell was Adam? Kenan definitely only caught a glimpse of two
bodies. Maybe Adam brought them the flashlight and then walked back to the
cabin? They would’ve crossed paths. Right?

Kenan
stopped spying; he headed towards the lake.

Brady
stood up from the dock. “Hey, stranger.”

“You
guys missed me?”

“Not
that much.” Brady grinned.

Kenan
browsed the area. “Where’s Adam?”

“I
thought he was with you,” Marissa said.

“No,
when we got back, he said he was staying to clean up, but he wasn’t there when
we got back from the store. And the flashlight’s gone. I assumed he came back
here to hang out with you guys again.”

“We
never saw him.” Marissa interweaved her fingers nervously. “Do you think
something happened to him?”

“Nah.”
Adam was a big boy; he should be all right. If not, he should’ve listened. No,
Kenan couldn’t justify him getting hurt. “I didn’t pass him, so—“

“Wait.
A-dumb did mention that he liked hiking in Colorado. That’s probably what he’s
doing…I’m hungry. Can we head back now since you didn’t bring food with you?”
Brady asked.

“Yeah
let’s go.”

Marissa
remained seated. “I’m not ready yet.”

“Are
you serious?” Brady asked.

“Yes.
I love the view, and I want to stay here.”

Brady
sighed. “It’s not like we can’t come back tomorrow.”

“You
guys can go.”

“And
leave you by yourself. Hell no,” Kenan said firmly.

“What
if Adam’s plotting against us? I mean, maybe he hiked back but saw something to
make him mad. Now, he wants to kill me and Marissa.”

Kenan
scratched his head, raising his brow. “What?”

“Hypothetically
speaking.” Brady was a drama king, who always made a mountain out of a
molehill. He would not let go of the theory that Adam, the stranger, couldn’t
be trusted.

Kenan
wished he’d give it a rest already. “Tell you what, if that happens, then I got
your back.”

Out
of nowhere, a glow flashed in the distance. Tobey appeared out of the shadows.

“Did
you find Adam?” Kenan asked.

“He’s
still missing?” Tobey counter-questioned.

“I’ll
find him; he can sweat a little since he didn’t listen.”

“We
found batteries, so the flashlights work…I came to get you.”

Brady
moved closer to Tobey. “Great. I can’t wait to eat.”

“You
guys coming?” Tobey asked.

“Yeah,”
Kenan answered.

Marissa
grabbed his hand, causing him to look down in her direction. “Stay with me,
just a little while longer.”

They
were not exactly on a picnic or in an amusement park. They were in the woods
where hunters set animal traps. Bears roamed around. Anything could happen, and
Marissa wanted to hang around all willy-nilly. However, Kenan never could say
no to a pretty face. “We’ll go back to the cabin later. First, we’ll look for
Adam; you two go ahead.”

“But
what about the light?” Brady asked as if there was no way Kenan and Marissa
would take hold of the flashlight.

“We’ll
be fine. I know my way around these parts.” Kenan looked at Marissa. “Do you
trust me?”

She
nodded. “Of course.”

The
boys left because they had common sense. Kenan sighed. “You’re gonna get me in
trouble with Selma.”

Marissa
locked arms with him. “She’ll have to get over it. If she allowed us to spend
time together, then I wouldn’t have to scheme.”

He
smiled. They conversed for a while; if he had a watch, he could tell that an
hour or two passed. Time seemed to stand still when he was around his ex.
Eventually, they shared silence until he broke the ice. “I need to confess
something to you.”

“What?”

Kenan
took a deep breath. “I didn’t spend time with Grandma those few years I was
away. I was in a psych ward; that’s why I wasn’t mad that you moved on without
me. I felt that I didn’t deserve you. You could do better.”

Marissa
covered her mouth. “What?”

“You
can’t tell Rae. She doesn’t know, and I want to keep it that way.”

“Are
you pulling my chain?”

He
remained silent, studying her silhouette. He could sense the wheels turning in
her head. He began laughing.

“That’s
not funny. Why didn’t you tell me? I could’ve been there for you.”

“How
sweet, but I was just playing.”

Marissa
hit his arm. “That’s just cruel.”

“Its
payback for making me stay behind with you; plus, you couldn’t keep your guy in
check.”

“Adam
is not my guy.” She rolled her eyes.

Kenan
chuckled to himself. Only Marissa would get tired of a guy in less than five
hours. “You don’t have to lie; I’m not jealous.”

“I’m
jealous of Selma. She says ‘jump,’ and you ask ‘how high,’” Marissa whined.
“She’s really trying to ruin our friendship.”

He
had refused to let Selma badmouth Marissa, so he wouldn’t let Marissa diss
Selma either. Both girls were in his heart. They’d just have to accept that.
The exes were still bonding until they were interrupted by someone approaching
them with a flashlight.

“Hey,”
the person said.

“Hey,
stranger.” Kenan smiled. “I’m leaving, so you better come on, girl.”

“Or
you can stay with me.”

“I’d
like that.” Marissa grinned to the person. Kenan strolled away.

Chapter Eleven

Brady’s
back ached. It was stuffy inside the small space, so he rolled down a window.
Who knew how many mosquitoes would bite him. Maybe he should’ve rethought the
whole sleeping in the vehicle idea.

He
tossed and turned in his camouflage sleeping bag meant for two. A-dumb hadn’t
gone to the store; did he walk back to the lake and witness them hooking up? If
so, Brady was definitely on A-dumb’s hit list. Was Marissa hooking up with
Kenan right now? It’d be beneficial for someone else to have the stranger’s
hatred too.

When
Brady heard a knock on the window, he shifted his body to take a peek at his
visitor. He was shocked that it was Rae—well her shadowy figure. She was the
only one with a wavy afro. He unlocked the Jeep door, letting her in. “Hey,
what are you doing here?”

He
couldn’t believe Rae was here, even if only just to say goodnight. The fact
that she thought he was special enough to think of before going to bed would
always be a plus in his book.

“Want
me to leave?” she asked.

“Hell
no, girl.” Brady closed the door and locked it, emphasizing how much he desired
her to stay.

Rae
smiled, blushing. “Were you asleep?”

“No,
I was thinking about you.”

She
was beautiful when she acted shy and nervous. Why did he blow it by hooking up
with Marissa? Hopefully, she wouldn’t spill the beans because their clique was
the type not wanting to date their friend’s ex—sloppy seconds. Brady should’ve
had more self-control. If he would had known Rae would come to him by the end
of the night, then he would have never jeopardized anything.

Rae
placed a strand of hair behind her ear. “So you won’t mind my company? Logan
told me where you were when I checked in your room to say goodnight. I couldn’t
sleep and thought maybe I could if I came out here to sleep with you.”

A
wide grin formed on Brady’s lips.

“You
know what I mean, to sleep next to you, not with you.”

He
laughed. She was the cutest thing clarifying things for him; he read between
the lines, but was grateful that he won over Logan and Kenan. For the night,
Rae trusted Brady. He wouldn’t let her down.

Since
she didn’t bring her own covers or sheets, she was inviting herself to lie in
his sleeping bag. No more games. Brady wouldn’t crack jokes or act unaffected
by this. He was touched by this moment, his heart skipping a beat. Maybe it was
time to see how Rae felt about him. To see if she’d make a move like rubbing
her leg against his, asking him to hold her. Maybe saying she’s cold and asking
Brady to wear his sweatshirt.

Dang
it. Why didn’t he bring his sweatshirt after taking a shower? He wore a black
long sleeve shirt and gray sweats.

Rae
leaned up against the car’s interior door, resting her back and sitting her
legs up to wrap her arms around them. She placed her head on top of her knees.
“Thanks for letting me stay with you. It means a lot.”

“Well,
how you’re sitting, it seems like you’re just here to visit instead of stay.”

“What
do you mean?” She looked curious.

“Someone
who wants to stay would lay down beside me and get comfy. Instead you’re by the
door like you could leave at any moment, like maybe you’re regretting coming
down here.” Brady was a history major, but his real passion was psychology.
Well, psychology and music.

Rae
smiled and moved closer to Brady. “I don’t regret being here.” He unzipped his
sleeping bag, so she could get in. Why did he get a gigantic one? He should’ve
brought a smaller one, so he’d have an excuse to cuddle with her. Rae zipped
the sleeping bag up and turned to face Brady; she lay on her stomach with her
head resting on her arms. “Who would’ve thought a car floor would be roomy and
cozy.”

“I
know, right?” Brady wiped sweat from his forehead. She wouldn’t take her eyes
off of him; that was his MO.

They
engaged in small talk. He didn’t know about Rae, but he was spent. She asked
him to sing her a bedtime song, which brought up the topic that he wanted to
audition for The Voice. Ever since the first season, Brady knew he was
destined to be on the show, gain fans and popularity, then become so famous
that people bought tickets to his sold-out concerts.

That’s
why he had been disappointed that he forgot his guitar; he could’ve been
practicing. He sang Civil Twilight’s “Letters from the sky.” Like predicted,
she was captivated.

“Someone
will definitely turn around for you.” Rae grinned. “All four actually.”

“Hopefully
Adam Levine. He’s the type of music career I want.”

She
drifted off to sleep. Even though he was tired, he listened to her snore
softly. He couldn’t take his eyes off of her no matter how much he tried. She
was there with him; that’s all that mattered. If Rae asked to spend every night
with Brady on their vacation, then it would be the luckiest trip ever. Could
dreams really come true?

Chapter Twelve

The
sun beat down on Tobey while he banged on the Jeep’s window in case Brady and
Rae were sound sleepers. They jolted awake in total confusion. He wondered if
they did anything last night. Any idiot with half a brain could tell that Brady
had feelings for Rae. Last night he had gotten his wish of spending the night
with her.

Did
Brady spend his time wisely, focusing on the long term? Or did he think with
his penis, messing up a great friendship? Tobey hoped he didn’t do anything
stupid. Rae didn’t need any extra stress put on her.

Groggily,
Brady opened the door; he rubbed his eyes. “Hey man, what was that for?”

Tobey
couldn’t believe he let his mind get distracted; they had an emergency on their
hands. “Have you seen Marissa or Adam?”

Brady
looked inside the Jeep. “Where would they fit?”

“Wait.
Are they missing?” Rae asked in a panic.

“I
don’t know. I mean they aren’t in their rooms. Everyone thought we heard them
come in last night before going to bed, but now we’re not sure. I mean their
bed is completely made up, suitcases not touched.”

Brady
rolled his eyes. “Aren’t we good hosts?”

“Now
isn’t the time for jokes,” Rae said.

“Sorry.”
Brady put his head down as if ashamed. So whipped.

They
went inside and found Logan, Kenan, Selma, and Naomi sitting around the
rectangular wooden kitchen table, enjoying their morning cup of coffee. “Have
you guys seen Marissa or Adam?” Selma asked.

Brady
and Rae shook their heads in unison.

“Well,
the ladies can stay here to see if they come back, and the guys can go out and
look for them. It’ll be more effective if we split up in the woods,” Kenan suggested.

“You
want me to go too?” Brady asked.

“You’re
a guy, aren’t you?” Logan said bitterly.

“It’d
be better if a guy stays with the girls. What if they need help?” Brady ignored
Logan, focusing his attention on the group.

Selma
folded her arms across her plaid tank top. “We can take care of ourselves.”

“Can’t
you help a guy out?”

“Think
less about you, Brady, and more on the task at hand.” Selma took a sip of
coffee.

He
rolled his eyes. “Oh, please, I’m sure they’re at the lake making out and
having a grand ole time while everyone else gets woken up from a peaceful
sleep.”

Tobey
hoped he wouldn’t be teamed up with Brady because he probably wouldn’t stop
griping the entire time. But Tobey was too much of a nice guy to speak up, so
that’s exactly what would happen. He sighed.

“Hopefully,
you’re right,” Naomi said.

“I
mean seriously. We don’t need chaperones; we’re old enough to take care of
ourselves.” Brady looked at Kenan. “What do you think happened to them?”

Everyone
observed Rae in silence, which caused Brady to glance at her too. She frowned.
Brady could be clueless sometimes. Of course, no one could say they thought
Marissa and Adam were dead somewhere, insinuating that this vicinity was
cursed. They couldn’t afford to upset Rae.

*
* * *

Naomi,
dressed in an off-shoulder purple top and black spandex shorts, looked out the
window in the living room. There were no blinds or anything to cover the
stained glass. It had been a while, and the guys still weren’t back. She
wondered how much ground they had to cover. She hoped that Marissa and Adam
were okay. Brady was right—the missing couple were making out at the lake. An
early rendezvous. Something she and Tobey should be doing to celebrate.

And
people said Naomi was an inconsiderate friend. Please. Marissa topped the cake,
bringing a complete stranger with them, when no one knew him at all or trusted
him. Then the douche bag had the audacity to say he was crazy. What if Adam
hurt Marissa, and they weren’t being inconsiderate buffoons by not telling anyone
they were leaving?

Selma
stood in front of the window with her hands in her blue, baggy, boyfriend style
jean’s pockets. Who was she to speak for all the women and say they could take
care of themselves? Hopefully, nothing zany happened last night. But what if it
did? What if killers or robbers busted through the door? Was Selma supposed to
save them by giving the bad guys her famous aloof stare?

A
guy should’ve stayed at the cabin too. It’d be valuable for someone to stay and
fight.

Naomi
finally noticed that Rae had never joined them in the living room. Oh no, not
another one missing. She decided to go search for her friend. She walked away
without telling Selma where she was going. Selma seemed so distracted that she
hadn’t even acknowledged Naomi leaving.

She
discovered Rae sitting at the top of the stairs. Rae looked discouraged, so she
gave her a hug before sitting closely beside her. “The guys will find them
unharmed, then we all can laugh about this later.” Naomi patted her friend’s
knee.

“You
can’t promise that. There are bears out there. Oh my gosh, what if Marissa
never got out of the water and froze to death?”

“Highly
unlikely.”

“But
there’s a possibility.” Rae fidgeted with her hands, avoiding eye contact with
Naomi. “I saw how everyone looked at me in the kitchen. I can’t go through any
more brutal attacks. I can’t.”

Naomi
grabbed Rae’s hand. “You won’t have to.”

“You
can’t promise that.” Rae pouted.

Naomi
realized there was no comforting her at the moment. Whatever she said probably
made Rae feel worse, so for once in Naomi’s life, she decided to sit in silence
with her best friend.

Suddenly,
Selma, uninvited, joined them on the steps. She didn’t bother giving any words
of encouragement or small talk to break the ice. Why did she come over then?
Naomi laughed to herself, surprised Selma hadn’t demanded to go search with her
one and only, Kenan.

Selma
glared at Naomi with squinty eyes. “She’s your friend. Next time put her in
check and tell her she needs to keep everyone updated on where she’s going. I
can think of a better way to spend my morning.”

“Don’t
talk bad about Marissa.” Rae balled her hand into a fist. “Not now.”

“What?
It’s not like anything’s wrong. She’ll come strutting in here without an
apology. She’ll blame us for overreacting because she’s unappreciative of
friends.”

“Selma,
not now!”

She
looked at Rae gobsmacked.

Rae
whispered, “Something’s happened. I can feel it.”

“How?”
Naomi asked.

“It’s
the same feeling I had right before the robbers broke in.”

“Your
mind is playing tricks on you because of what you experienced here, pretty
understandable,” Selma said.

“It’s
not in my head; I feel it.” Rae turned to Naomi with pleading eyes. “I feel
it.”

“It’s
okay, Rae. I believe you.” Naomi wrapped her arm around her friend. “Just drop
it, Selma. Why don’t you go back to the window and check on the guys?”

“No
way they’re back now. They’ve only been gone for about ten minutes,” Selma
said.

It’s
only been that long? It seemed like an eternity. “Then you can boil some
water?”

“No
one’s pregnant,” Selma snapped back. Why couldn’t she get the hint to leave
them alone in peace?

Hopefully,
their back and forth was distracting Rae from her crazy, disturbed thoughts. If
she didn’t watch out, someone may force her into a psych ward. “Then look for a
first-aid kit.”

“Why?
Kenan will know where it is. Or she will.” Selma looked at Rae. “Do you
remember where it is?”

Naomi
rolled her eyes. She hated that Selma didn’t jump on her command. How could she
uphold Queen Bee status if an opposer in the group didn’t listen, rather
questioned everything?

Chapter
Thirteen

Logan
and Kenan canvassed a part of the woods while Tobey and Brady searched the area
that had thicker branched trees and dirt paths. Brady couldn’t believe this was
happening right now. He could’ve woken up to the sight of Rae, who looked
effortless in the morning. They could’ve locked in a gaze, then had a morning
kiss. Or she could’ve woken up in his arms. He’d know if he had crossed a line
if Rae smiled or not. Now, that dream was shot to hell because attention
seekers wanted to show off. People fell right into Marissa and Adam’s trap.

And
it’s not as if Brady was salty because he was jealous of Marissa and Adam
hooking up after they did. It was the principle of the matter. At least don’t
take A-dumb to the same spot they had sex, switch that up a little bit. “I
still don’t see what the big deal is.”

“We
want to make sure nothing bad has happened,” Tobey said.

“But
they’re grown folks. I mean, say I woke up at the butt crack of dawn to go for
a jog. I wouldn’t necessarily wake anyone up to tell them that.”

“But
wouldn’t you leave a note?”

Brady
was at a loss for words; he would, he guessed. That would make sense, so people
would know what direction to focus on if he got lost, fainted from lack of
water, or sprained an ankle by tripping on a tree stump. Now, everyone’s
rationalization made sense of why they were worried.

If
they would have pointed that out to Brady in the first place, then he would had
understood sooner and not looked like a jackass in front of Rae.

To
save face that he may be wrong—he was but would never admit it to anyone
else—Brady said, “I don’t know. I’ll think about it and get back to you.”

Tobey
cracked his neck. “I’ll be waiting.”

Brady
smirked. “Am I ruining your perfect anniversary?”

“Not
at all.”

Brady
scanned the area; he didn’t see anything useful to pinpoint where Marissa and
A-dumb could be.

Tobey
threw his arm out to stop Brady from walking. “Look over there.”

He
turned, focusing on where Tobey pointed his finger. A broke down shed with the
door cracked open was in plain view. Why did Brady let his friends talk him
into coming on this vacation again? Wait, they never even invited him. He had
to invite himself. He guessed his only friend was Rae. It was things like this
Brady decided to brood over before meeting his untimely death. Who knew what or
who was in that building?

Brady
frowned. “Let me guess, you wanna look in there?”

Tobey
smiled, patting him on the shoulder. “Come on.”

Like
a lapdog, he followed Tobey into the abandoned building. Nothing but tools and
weapons hung from the walls and ceiling. This was not good. Brady could admit
he wasn’t the type of dude to know about assembling or fixing things, so maybe
he was overreacting when seeing all these objects. Maybe they were all
necessary to have. A big maybe.

Brady
stood by the door, too nervous to step any further into the kill dungeon.
“They’re not here. Let’s go, dude.”

Tobey
continued to slide his feet on the concrete floor, blowing dust balls as he
glided his hands over the tools. “Someone’s been here recently.”

“How
can you tell?”

“I
smell stale cologne. Plus, someone opened this Moonshine and almost chugged it
all.”

The
guys shared a look. “Maybe Adam and Marissa were in here,” Brady guessed.

Maybe
they got lost and went for the nearest shelter, found some booze, got drunk,
and did the smart thing by leaving this creepy place. There was no rule saying
you couldn’t get drunk or high in the morning, Brady reasoned.

“What
if this is someone else’s shed? Maybe he didn’t like trespassers and wanted to
teach the outsiders a lesson.” It seemed like Tobey watched too many horror
movies.

*
* * *

“Where
do you think they are?” Logan asked.

Kenan
sat on top of a rotted tree stump. He rubbed his forehead. “I have no idea. If
I did, we’d already be there.”

Logan
sighed. He had no choice but to follow Kenan’s lead because he knew the area
more than Logan did.

He
wanted to ask Kenan a more personal question, like did he think something awful
happened to them? Kenan was quiet during their search and had calmly taken over
this morning that Logan couldn’t tell if his friend was freaking out.

If
a tragedy happened ten years ago, it could occur again.

The
boys didn’t speak for a while. Logan tapped his sneaker between the moss and
tall grass. They should be trying to pinpoint their friends’ whereabouts. What
was Kenan doing? Every second counted. “I’m sorry. I know it must be hard for
you.”

“What?”

Logan
lowered his eyes to the ground, whispering, “Being here at the cabin.”

“I
slept like a baby last night, actually.”

“Well,
Rae was having a hard time. Last night she came to me and said she couldn’t
sleep. She asked where Brady was.”

“Why
didn’t she come to me?” Kenan frowned, standing up.

Logan
shrugged his shoulders.

He
rubbed his forehead and sighed. “Why didn’t you tell me? You could’ve woken me
up if I was asleep.”

“The
thought didn’t even cross my mind.”

“Well,
next time it should.” Kenan cracked his neck. “I’m sorry. I’m just worried
about her. It’s like she’s afraid to bring up the past because she’s trying to
protect me.”

“Just
like you’re trying to protect her.”

“She
must be really freaking out this morning. I should’ve stayed with her.” Kenan
threw on his black hoodie because a light drizzle started. Logan wished he
would have brought something to protect himself from the rain, while hoping it
wouldn’t storm. He wore a red t-shirt and red athletic shorts that went past
his knees. Even though he wasn’t afraid of thunder and lightning, Logan was
smart. There would be no protection with only trees surrounding them.

No
one could afford to get hurt at this place. Who knew how far the hospital was.

“I
can’t think of any place to cover that Brady and Tobey won’t reach in their
search, so let’s just head to the lake. We need to get back as soon as possible
because I’m the only one who can calm Rae down,” Kenan continued.

They
began walking again.

Kenan
was wrong, Logan thought. He wasn’t the only one who could calm his sister
down. Logan did a fine job last night; that’s why it pained him that she ran to
Brady. He was a jerk. She’d rather cuddle with him instead of Logan. At least,
Logan hoped that’s all they did. He wanted to beat the crap out of Brady when
they had entered the kitchen, wanted to smack that smug smirk right off his
ugly face.

Kenan
didn’t seem to mind Rae being with Brady. What was up with that? Logan glanced
over at his search buddy, who just strolled along. He felt bad that his mind
was preoccupied; he could barely focus. It wasn’t right because if Logan’s
friends worried about him, he’d want their full, undivided attention while
searching for him. Not a half-ass attempt. Logan scolded himself, checking the
right side of the foliage.

They
reached the opening field of the lake. Adam was pulling a body out of the
water. Kenan raced towards them. Logan sprinted too. Kenan’s eyes widened while
he helped Adam pull Marissa from the icy water. They lay her down in the grass.
Logan covered his mouth; she was blue all over. Her face was frozen into an
open mouth expression as if during her last few moments on Earth, she tried to
scream “help.”

Kenan
fell to his knees and whispered, “Marissa.” He placed his head on her chest to
listen for a heartbeat. Then he did mouth to mouth resuscitation.

In
a rage, Logan tackled Adam to the ground. Adam’s breath smelled like ass, and
he still wore the same clothes as yesterday. He didn’t even fight back. His
eyes were dark red, as though the devil was in him. What other reason could
explain why he killed Marissa? Caught red-handed. “What the fuck did you do?”

“Get
off of me!”

“I
will fucking kill you!”

Kenan
yanked Logan off of Adam, so Adam tried to crawl away. Kenan grabbed his shirt
collar, almost choking him. He gagged while he fell on his back. Logan, with
fists raised, tried to jump him again. Kenan stretched out his hands to stop
him.

Adam
flinched. “Keep him away from me!”

“What
happened?” Kenan asked.

“Keep
him away from me!” Adam repeated, looking at Logan.

Kenan
slapped Adam in the face. “What happened? Answer me, or I’ll let him do
whatever he wants to you.”

Adam
held his hands in surrender. “I found her a little before you guys did. She was
face down floating in the lake, so I was pulling her out when you guys
arrived.”

“You
liar! You killed her!” Logan climbed over Kenan to get to Adam again. His dad
used to beat on his mom all the time before she got the courage to leave him.
Logan hated men who were violent towards women. If it were up to him, they’d
all rot in hell.

Kenan
shoved him. “Calm down, Logan.”

Logan
marched around in circles, eyeing Kenan, feeling betrayed. How could he defend
that murderer? How could he remain so calm? Maybe it hadn’t sunk in yet that
Marissa was dead. His roommate could only be in denial for so long with her
lifeless body lying on the ground. Logan breathed fast and heavy.

“I
swear I didn’t kill her, and I know I look guilty as fuck, but I didn’t do it!
Just think about it. What if you guys came before I did? Then you’d be accused
just because someone saw you pulling her out of the water.”

Logan
looked at Kenan. “Don’t fall for that shit. He’s playing you.”

“Fuck
you, dude! I think she drowned. Think about it. If I killed her, why would I
stay and drag her ass out the water? My ass would’ve been gone.”

“No
where to go, you jackass!” Logan protested.

There
should be less talking and more ass whooping.

“If
you take a closer look at her, she’s been dead for a while. Her body is too
cold to just have died now. Maybe he’s telling the truth,” Kenan said.

Logan
shook his head and walked over to the body. Hell naw. He ran back to the
boys and tackled Adam again. This time Adam fought back. “She has strangled
marks around her neck. You’re going to fucking hell!”

To
Logan’s surprise, Kenan punched Adam three times in the face, straight at the
nose. He was knocked out with his broken nose crooked and bleeding. Pretty boy
wouldn’t look attractive any more after they’re done with him.

They
made their way to Marissa’s body; bruises around her neck were imprints of
hands. The bruise was black and blue, darker than her blue skin color. Kenan
collapsed to his knees. He held her hand, sobbing. Logan ran his fingers over
her eyes to close them and removed hair from her face.

May
she rest in peace. Logan prayed to himself while he lowered his head to the ground.
“I’m sorry, Kenan.” He couldn’t even imagine how Kenan felt right now. He lost
his friend and ex-lover in one fell swoop. Someone died at his vacation home
again. Technically, it was the lake this time, but same difference. “Maybe we
shouldn’t be touching her?”

“What?”
Kenan didn’t take his eyes off Marissa.

“When
the police come, all the evidence will be tampered with. Worst-case scenario,
they’ll blame us because our fingerprints are all over the body. Will probably
take his word over ours in this hick town.”

“I’ll
take my chances. I’m not leaving Mar like this.”

Chapter
Fourteen

All
four guys surrounded Marissa’s body. Brady had never seen a grown man cry
before, but Kenan’s eyes were bloodshot red and puffy. The rain poured down
heavily resembling standing under a waterfall. Mud soaked between Brady’s toes
through his flip-flops, and worms invaded the ground.

Marissa’s
gone. What the hell happened?

She
was there last night intimately with Brady. At the time, he could sense someone
watching from a distance. Not going to lie, it had aroused him, picturing some
female passerby taking a look, possibly masturbating to herself.

So
silly now. It made sense that it was Adam; poor Marissa died due to his
jealousy. Brady would be next on the list. He gulped. Adam couldn’t be trusted.
Why did they let a stranger come?

For
once in Brady’s life, he was speechless. He was the type to say “told you so,”
but no way would it be appropriate now. He was proud of Kenan knocking the
murderer out though. Hopefully, they’d kill Adam before he could end Brady’s
life.

Tobey
broke the ice. “Should we leave her here or carry her to the Jeep? Maybe drive
her into town to the hospital or police station?”

Cops
always harassed the witnesses, especially the first ones to report a crime
because they suspected they actually did it. Brady wasn’t going. The police
would know they hooked up last night; there’s no denying evidence. If Adam didn’t
get to him first, then Brady would end up in prison.

Brady
shook his head and said, “Driving her into town isn’t a good idea. We should
get her to the cabin though and cover her with a blanket. The rain is washing
away all forensics to nail that son of a bitch.”

Kenan
began to take off his hoodie.

“What
are you doing?” Logan asked.

“Covering
Marissa’s body.”

“Are
you crazy? You’ll be the main target of investigation if she’s left with your
clothes.” Logan frowned. “They’ll think you were the last one with Marissa.”

“But
I wasn’t.”

Kenan
and Tobey shared a look.

Logan
glared at his friend. “Do you have proof?”

“I’m
not a liar.”

“We
all know that, but the cops don’t. It’s better to be safe than sorry.”

Kenan
put his hoodie back on, this time protecting his head from the downpour. His
vacation home didn’t have a good track record; no wonder he and Rae abandoned
this cursed place.

Rae.
Oh no, she couldn’t handle losing her best friend, Brady realized. Maybe she
could deal if it was an accidental death, but not a brutal murder.

Tobey
stood. “There was plastic wrap in that shed we came across. We can cover her
with that.”

“A
shed?” Logan asked.

“Yeah,
it’s only a little ways from here.”

“No.
She deserves better than a plastic wrap,” Kenan said. “We’ll cover her with a
blanket.”

When
A-dumb woke up, Kenan punched him multiple times in the face, knocking him out
again. They decided that Kenan and Brady would carry Marissa, it’d be too
disrespectful to drag her along the ground, while Logan and Tobey would drag
A-dumb, each grabbing one arm. They made sure to make him bump into everything
on the ground. No way was he escaping; he’d get the punishment he deserved.

If
sensible Kenan hadn’t been around, the other guys would’ve exacted revenge. Eye
for an eye; tooth for a tooth.

*
* * *

Kenan
took a deep breath as he placed his hand on the doorknob. He had volunteered to
tell the ladies the news and to help them pack, so they could leave right away.
Rae needed to hear it from him. No one else.

When
he entered the living room, no one was there. The cabin was eerily quiet.
Glancing over at the couch gave him chills; Kenan envisioned his mom’s tearful
gaze before the axe came down on her chest. He shook his head, trying to hide
the pain of his past.

He
walked up the stairs and found Selma, Naomi, and Rae in Marissa’s room. They
sat cross-legged on the floor in a circle; they held hands. Naomi was the first
to notice Kenan in the doorway. He lowered his eyes to the floor and hung his
head down low.

“Where’s
Marissa? We need to tell her the rules of camping with friends. Possibly put a
tracking device on her, so we know where she is at all times because we already
know she won’t listen to our advice.” Naomi smiled.

Kenan
didn’t believe in stalling or beating around the bush, but he couldn’t bring
himself to speak up. Why couldn’t this morning be a nightmare, and he’d wake up
any second? Why did the events have to be real?

“Baby,
what’s wrong?” Selma asked.

Still
no words could escape his mouth. He continued to avoid everyone’s gaze.

“Baby,
where’s Marissa? Where’s the guys?”

Kenan
gulped. His throat felt like it would tighten and take away his breath. A knot
grew in his throat, making it hard to swallow. In any second, he might throw
up. He stared at Rae, a tear fell from his eye.

Rae
covered her mouth and shook her head, fighting back tears. “She’s gone, isn’t
she?”

Kenan
nodded. Rae cried. Her entire body trembled. He ran to his sister and held her
in his arms. Naomi and Selma joined in the embrace.

“What
happened?” Naomi whispered to him.

“If
you’re not already packed, you should do it now. We’re leaving,” Kenan said and
stood up.

The
three women stared at him in confusion, sadness, and determination in getting
the full picture. No one budged. “What happened?” Naomi repeated.

“I’ll
tell you in the car. Now get moving.” They still didn’t move, so Kenan added,
“Please.”

Simultaneously,
they rose from the floor. They watched Kenan pull a black blanket off of
Marissa’s bed.

“I
need to see her,” Rae said.

“Not
like this,” Kenan said.

“No,
I need to see Marissa.” She scurried out the door; Kenan caught her in the
hallway. “Let me go! Marissa! Let me go, Kenan!” She struggled to get out of
his arms.

He
held Rae from the back, loosening his grip when she calmed down. “It’s too much
if you see her like this. It’s too much right now. Trust me.” She fell to the
floor, causing Kenan to almost trip over her. She sobbed again. He patiently
waited for Rae to stop. His heart sank; she was reacting just as he knew she
would. Kenan grabbed Naomi’s hand. “Please watch Rae while I cover Marissa with
this blanket. Then I’ll pack your things. Just please stay together and keep
Rae in your sights.”

Naomi
nodded. Kenan didn’t think his sister would do anything drastic like commit
suicide, but she may be foolish enough to try and run outside again to see
Mar’s body lying on the porch almost near the back entrance.

He
let go of Rae. Naomi bent down to take his place. Selma walked over to Kenan,
so he gave her a hug. “It’ll be okay.” He gave a weak smile, squeezed her hand,
then left.

Once
outside, Kenan covered Marissa’s body. Rain had finally let down a little; too
bad it poured non-stop from the time they arrived at the lake to the time they
hiked back to the cabin. Couldn’t Mother Nature have helped them out?

About
a quarter mile into their hike, Adam had woken up. Instead of knocking him out,
the boys decided to let him walk on his own while Tobey and Logan guarded him.
He had seemed woozy. Who knew, maybe he had a concussion? Kenan didn’t mean to
get violent like that, but Adam had pushed his buttons. Kenan gave him the
benefit of the doubt, then he lied right to his face. Not cool to piss off the
guy who may be on his side, therefore, keeping the mob away. Tobey, Logan, and
Brady had wanted to kill him, and Kenan was sure the women would agree.

Guys
were easier to express reason with than girls. Exhibit A: the guys followed
Kenan’s orders with no hesitation even though distraught. Exhibit B: when the
girls heard the news, they acted like zombies in a daze, rebelling against his
orders, being defiant until they got the answers they wanted.

Selma,
Naomi, and Rae better straighten up in case something else endangering might
happen, or they’d get themselves, or someone else, killed.

The
four boys stood around in a circle on the porch, blocking Adam’s escape route.

“How
did they take it?” Tobey asked.

“Just
make sure they don’t see Mar’s body. I have to go back inside to pack their
bags.” Kenan walked back inside and found Selma in the living room. “I thought
I told you to stay with Rae.”

“No,
you told Naomi that. What happened to Marissa?”

“We
don’t have time for that. We need to pack then leave.”

Selma
grabbed his face with both of her soft hands. “You don’t need to protect me; I
won’t break. What happened to Marissa?”

Kenan
took a deep breath. “We found Adam pulling her out of the lake. At first, we
thought she drowned, but…” He sniffed.

“But
what?” Selma asked softly.

“She
had hand marks around her neck, like someone strangled her.”

Selma
covered her mouth, wide-eyed. She gasped. “You guys think Adam did it?”

“…He
was there.”

She
nodded and looked angry. Kenan was aware of her I-want-to-kick-someone’s-butt
expression. “Why did she have to pick that loser up at the parking lot?”

Kenan
frowned. “Don’t blame the victim.”

Chapter
Fifteen

Naomi
grew impatient inside the Jeep. Someone’s death was an emergency. Why was
everyone diddle-daddling? She refused to look out the window, refused to peek
over at Marissa’s body under the blanket. It taunted her like one of Edgar
Allan Poe’s creations. It didn’t feel right leaving Marissa alone like this.
What if a bear or wolf mauled her or something?

What
if this was all a sick prank? Marissa was under the blanket laughing her butt
off, then she’d pop up and scream “boo,” scaring the girls on purpose. That
would explain why no one hauled ass.

Naomi
rubbed Rae’s arm. She nestled her head on Naomi’s chest. Her best friend had
completely shut down. She didn’t talk to anyone, didn’t make eye contact with
Tobey or Brady, the people in the front seats of the vehicle.

“Let’s
go, baby,” Naomi ordered from the back seat.

Tobey
looked at her through the rearview mirror. “Jeep won’t start.”

“Excuse
me?” Brady asked.

“Jeep
won’t start.” Tobey exited the vehicle from the driver’s side and joined Kenan
outside. They both looked under the hood.

“What
the hell is going on?” Naomi asked, talking to herself. She wiped a tear that
strolled down her cheek.

Brady
leaned in the passenger seat. He sighed and turned his body to face the girls.
He rubbed Rae’s knee. “It’ll be okay. I promise we’ll get out of here.”

No
reaction from her whatsoever. No blink of an eye. No sniff. No nod or shake of
the head. Absolutely nothing.

It
seemed like Tobey and Kenan were outside for an eternity. “Brady, go out there
to see what they’re saying.”

He
saluted. When his fingers left his forehead, droplets of water sprinkled on
Naomi and Rae’s clothes. “Yes ma’am.” He got out of the Jeep.

Naomi
sighed, rubbing the tiny stains from her shirt. It seemed like another
eternity, then Logan, Adam, and Selma left the other Jeep to stand outside as
well. Logan had yanked Adam from his seat and was pulling him by the arm.
Unfortunately, when they joined the others in front of the popped hood, Naomi
couldn’t read any facial expressions, but she could see someone pacing back and
forth, while others had wild hand gestures.

This
couldn’t be good.

Rae
closed her eyes. “We’re not getting out of here, are we?”

“Yes,
we are,” Naomi said.

Rae
snickered. If she didn’t stop talking like that, people would think she
snapped. In fact, she scared Naomi—the way she was out of it. Being here was
too much for her, and it was all Naomi’s fault.

Naomi
opened the door to get fresh air and to eavesdrop. But, everyone stopped
chatting and went off in different directions. Tobey and Logan carried Adam
into the house.

Kenan
walked to the Jeep’s door and leaned into it. “Rae, are you okay?”

She
turned to face him. “We’re not getting out of here, are we?”

He
closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Someone took the belts out of the
Jeeps.”

“Excuse
me?” Naomi’s eyes widened.

“Someone—“

“It’s
time to tell us what happened to Marissa right now. We have a right to know.
Are we in danger?”

Naomi
wished that her boyfriend were here with her. Why did he act like Adam’s
bodyguard? A light bulb went off in her head, but she couldn’t quite put all
the pieces together. Did Adam have something to do with Marissa’s death?

“She
drowned, or someone threw her in the water after strangling her,” Kenan said.

“She
was murdered?” Rae covered her mouth, tears slid down her cheeks. “Kenan, it’s
happening again.”

He
bent down and held his sister’s hand. “No Rae. We caught Adam red-handed. He
can’t hurt anyone else.”

“You
saw him kill Marissa?” Naomi asked.

“Not
exactly.” Kenan scratched his head. “We saw him pulling her out of the lake.”

Naomi
sighed. “He warned us at the store. Why didn’t we take him seriously?”

“What
do you mean?” Kenan asked.

“We
were in the parking lot, and he picked on Marissa for trusting him. Said he was
crazy with that stupid smirk on his face. Personally, I thought he was lame,
but now I see he was hinting the truth, and I feel so bad that I didn’t
listen.”

Kenan
rubbed his eyes. “I wish someone would’ve told me or one of the other guys.”

“It’s
not like you would’ve left him in the parking lot, forcing him to hitchhike
home.”

“No,
but I certainly wouldn’t have allowed him to be alone with Mar. Maybe all this
would’ve been avoided.”

How
dare he imply it was Naomi’s fault? What if everyone did?

If
Adam killed Marissa, then he probably messed with the transportation to ensure
no one could leave. He wasn’t finished having fun yet. He would try to execute
them one by one; Naomi was too young to die. She deserved to have a peaceful
death, falling asleep and never waking up at the age of ninety-nine or
one-hundred.

In
a panic, she pulled her cell phone out of her purse. She dialed 911. No signal
bars. It took all of Naomi not to toss it out the window. “This can’t be
happening!” She began to cry. Rae enveloped her arms around Naomi.

“All
we can do is wait for RL. He should be here soon,” Kenan said.

Chapter
Sixteen

Adam
flinched in pain when he touched his broken nose. His handsome face was ruined.
He’d forever be damaged, no amount of plastic surgery could fix his nose. No
amount of therapy could restore his dignity. They thought he was capable of
murder. How dare they!

Adam
grew up around civilization and had a decent childhood. He was exposed to worldly
things and knew how to act like a gentleman. Not these West Virginia
hillbillies. If anyone were capable of murder, it’d be one of them. They grew
up in the country with nothing to do but torment animals and insects for fun.
Plus, they knew how to navigate around the woods. Adam had no idea, but these
hicks couldn’t understand logic.

It
was hard for him to breathe; if he got out of this alive, the first thing he’d
do would be visit the hospital, then go to the police. All Adam wanted to do
this weekend was have fun, party, get drunk, possibly a little high, and get
laid. Now the fate of his life was in the hands of people who probably couldn’t
count past twenty.

Tobey,
the quiet one, stared at him as though he was a piece of meat.

Please
make it out alive. Please make it out alive. Please make it out alive. His heartbeat
quickened. What if they believed in getting their own justice without going to
the cops first? If so, he was screwed. He surveyed the room, trying to find any
potential weapons, but the room was empty except for the old furniture. Not
even any paintings hung on the walls.

Even
though Kenan attacked Adam, he could probably reason with him. Maybe there was
hope. Adam doubted he could convince him that he was innocent because it was
much easier to blame ‘the stranger,’ yet he could point out that they’d all go
to prison for murder instead of him. Then maybe they’d reconsider their plan.

Adam
assumed he was dragged inside to be taken care of.

He
gulped. He was too young to die over something so wrong. He knew he couldn’t
voice it, or else Logan would pounce on him before he could get the first
syllable out of his mouth. Adam glanced over at Tobey. If only they’d speak, so
Adam could know where their heads were. Talk about a terrible hangover!

Why
hadn’t he texted, emailed, or called his friends to let them know he left the
state with strangers? At least, his friends would’ve known where to find him.
Now, the local authorities would just call his body ‘John Doe’ after stealing
his money and expensive assets.

Why
did Marissa, the reason Adam came on the trip in the first place, have to die?
No wonder he looked guilty. Someone would need to talk soon, or he’d die from a
panic attack. No one tied him up, but Adam wouldn’t dare run because he knew
these guys could catch him.

Where
could he escape to anyway? Unlikely he knew how to get to the main road or the
neighbor’s backyard. Heck, in these parts, homeowners probably shot whoever
passed their ‘No Trespassing’ signs on their property.

“Why
did you kill Marissa?” Logan asked.

The
calm before the storm, Adam assumed.

“I
didn’t.”

“Where
did you put both belts?”

“What?”

“Where’s
the fucking Jeep belts that you stole from under the hood? What did you do with
them?”

“I
don’t even know what you’re talking about,” Adam said.

“There’s
no point talking to him. He’ll deny everything. Won’t help him live though.”
Tobey cracked his knuckles. No emotion whatsoever. How could they be cool about
killing a human being? They were animals, cruel animals.

No
way could Adam get out of this predicament now. They accused him of stealing
car parts? Did it really look like he was a mechanic? Great, so if he did
happen to escape, there’d be no point because he couldn’t drive away. Who would
mess with the transportation? Probably the same person who killed Marissa, and
as long as they blamed Adam, they all were in danger.

They
blamed the wrong guy.

Sweat
dripped down Adam’s forehead; his body trembled against his wet clothes that
felt like wet cement weighing him down. “You gonna kill me, Tobey? Are you
gonna be the brave soul who ends my life? Well guess what, you’ll get life.
I’ll haunt you forever.”

“I
hope Marissa haunts your ass,” Tobey said.

“Won’t
be time for that,” Logan added.

Adam
closed his eyes, a tear rolled down his cheek. “I hope she haunts me too, so
she can tell me who really killed her.”

“That’s
rich. You’re really gonna deny it, you scumbag. They caught you red-handed!”

“No,
you saw me pulling her out of the water. I got there literally minutes before
you did. If Kenan or you would’ve found her first, then you guys would’ve been
in my predicament.”

Tobey
blinked. “Marissa.”

“What?”
Adam asked.

“Marissa.
Use her fucking name. You keep using ‘she’ and ‘her’ to put distance between
you, like killers do with their victims. Use her name. She was our friend and
deserves respect,” Tobey said.

Adam
couldn’t stop sweating, which made his body odor even worse. He needed a
shower. Why did he get wasted last night to the point he stayed in that
raggedy, old shed? He shouldn’t have let that skank upset him that much. He
wasn’t used to this. Adam was used to being primped and taking hours to perfect
his metrosexual look in the mirror before leaving his apartment.

Now,
Adam’s hair was wet and stringy, his breath and armpits stunk, his clothes were
caked with mud, and he didn’t even want to think of the possible bugs crawling
on him. He was embarrassed that he’d get bumped off this way.

“I
just met Marissa. Why would I kill her?”

Logan
raised an eyebrow. “Why would we?”

That
was a good question. Adam knew he didn’t do it, but he had no idea why her
friends would. They all seemed to get along, too well in Brady’s case. He was
desperate to get the hillbillies off his back. He’d do anything, even throw
someone under the bus. “Maybe Brady did it. He hooked up with Marissa last
night; maybe she threatened to tell, and he got carried away. Or maybe they’ve
had a love affair for a while, and she confessed to being pregnant. He flips
out, not wanting to be a dad, then bang she’s dead.” Adam frowned. “I mean,
Marissa’s dead.”

He
knew it was a long shot, but that’s all he had at the moment.

“How
do you know they hooked up?” Logan asked, out of curiosity. If it was under
better circumstances, then they all could participate in boy’s locker room
gossip. Unfortunately, it would never be like that now.

“I
saw them. That’s when I went to the shed to drink my sorrows away. I didn’t
mean to fall asleep there, but I did.”

Logan
and Tobey made eye contact. Maybe he was getting through to them. Maybe he
wouldn’t need Kenan after all. They walked away to huddle but stayed close
enough to Adam. They tried to whisper, yet he could still hear them. The
consequence of a deathly silent cabin with too much open area.

“What
do you think?” Logan asked.

“Brady
and I did come across a shed with a Moonshine jar open. It was close enough to
the lake that his story could be true.”

“Then
he blacked-out and doesn’t remember.”

Oh,
shit. Were they kidding Adam? No matter what, they’d blame him. Adam hadn’t
blacked-out since his damn fraternity days. He knew how to be more responsible
now.

“What
about Brady?” Tobey asked.

Logan
gave Adam a mean stare as if challenging him, then faced Tobey again. “I don’t
know. We should ask Brady if last night is true, but I still don’t think he
killed her. Jackass over there is just grasping for straws. He’s getting
desperate.” Logan smirked. “By the end of our conversation, he’ll have a
magical theory of why each of us did it too.”

Tobey
nodded.

Kenan
entered the living room. He rubbed his forehead and squatted down, so he was
eye level to Adam. “Yesterday did you tell the girls that Marissa should’ve
done a background check on you because you’re dangerous?”

Of
course, that idiotic prank would bite him in the ass, he scolded himself. “It
was a joke. Ask any of them; they didn’t take it seriously because it wasn’t
meant to be.”

“Well,
if they did, then Marissa may still be alive,” Kenan said.

“I
didn’t kill her. Kenan, listen to me, man; it wasn’t me. If anyone is capable of
murder, it’d be Brady.”

Tobey
tapped Kenan on the shoulder. They huddled by the front door. Logan stood as
watchdog, eyeing Adam like he was a mastermind killer.

Instead
of coming over, Tobey and Kenan went outside. What were they up to? Soon, Naomi
and Brady followed them back into the living room. Was everyone going to get
their turn? For Adam’s last minutes on earth, could he see the beautiful Selma?

Brady,
with fiery eyes, sprinted towards Adam and knelt down in his face. His cheeks
were flushed angry red. “You motherfucker, I didn’t kill Marissa.”

“You
fucked her then killed her,” Adam said.

“Did
you two hook up last night at the lake?” Logan asked.

Brady
punched his own hand. “No.”

Adam
shook his head. “You fucking liar!”

“Why
would I have sex with Marissa?”

“Naomi
told us that you told everyone you had a crush on Marissa during our ride here.
Maybe you finally decided to make your move,” Logan said.

“That’s
a lie. I never said that. Kenan back me up,” Brady pleaded.

“He
never said that.”

“And
Marissa and I talked until Kenan met up with us. When I left, she was alive.
Right?”

“Yeah
she was. In fact, Adam was the last one with her, and if he’s convinced they
hooked up, that’s motive. He would’ve been jealous, drunk, and acted on his
anger,” Kenan said.

Since
when was Adam the last guy to see Marissa? He remembered being angry. He wanted
to confront her, but liquor took care of that. He was too wasted to move. Or
was he? Oh no, what if he did black-out?

Forget
that, Adam decided. He didn’t kill Marissa. These assholes were pathological
liars, untruths rolled right off their tongues as though lying was their first
language. And they got a pass because they were buddies. No one blinked an eye
that Naomi started shit. No one cared that Brady lied. The stupid prick. Since
Brady didn’t tell the truth, he had something to hide.

Chapter Seventeen

“Why
would you do that? Why would you lie on me?” Brady asked, defeated. He looked
at Naomi, who held Tobey’s hand. She buried her face in his white/black striped
shirt. His question was met with muteness, which pissed him off. “Huh? Why did
you lie?”

“She
didn’t mean any harm.” Tobey came to the rescue. Any other time, Naomi would
have a lot to say; now all of a sudden, cat had her tongue. She didn’t mean any
harm. Whatever.

She
could have gotten Brady killed. What if the guys believed Adam because of her
damn fabrication? Then he’d be tied up alongside A-dumb. It wasn’t safe to
explode on her, not with her boyfriend there. So not fair.

He
staggered upstairs, holding onto the rail. Luckily, he made it into the
bathroom. He shut and locked the door. Brady vomited in the toilet, his body
convulsed.

Afterwards,
he made his way to the sink and knelt down, letting water splash on his face.
He looked in the mirror and panted. It was hard to breathe properly. Fun and
games were over the second they found Marissa dead. He didn’t enjoy how serious
the weekend turned. It didn’t sit right with him.

He
had to fib about having sex with Marissa to protect himself. It wasn’t even
about staying in good graces with Rae. Brady could sense everyone turning on
each other down the line when paranoia sank in, especially if A-dumb could get
inside their heads. Did he have anything to lose?

Brady
was the reason Marissa had died. That psycho had killed her out of a jealous
rage. His heart sank. Poor Marissa. She had thought he liked her as more than a
friend. Her seducing him all made sense. Her teasing about him being jealous in
the store all made sense.

Brady
covered his mouth, then spun around, aiming for the toilet. He threw up once
more. That psycho wasn’t finished because he stole the belts. He planned to toy
with them until he was ready to strike again, and there was no place to hide.

What
if they had the wrong guy? Brady doubted A-dumb could pull off destroying the
Jeeps alone. Then again, maybe he wasn’t stupid. He had hid his past for a
reason.

Brady
was terrified of dying. Someone in the cabin was a killer, and he knew it
wasn’t him. There were people downstairs who disliked him; would they even have
his back in a crisis? Was he next on the killer’s list? He remembered Kenan’s
joke about how his movie wouldn’t kill the black people first. Brady threw up
again, then sat on the tiled floor. He rocked back and forth.

He
wished he was exaggerating, but his gut instinct told him to watch his back. No
one was in the clear. He could understand Adam grasping for straws, trying to
take the blame off himself. What if he didn’t do it? What if he honestly
thought Brady had killed Marissa?

Brady
had left Marissa with Kenan. What if they hooked up, and she threatened to ruin
his relationship with Selma? What if he strangled her to death to keep his
secret?

He
shook his head. Kenan had said he left her with Adam. Unless Kenan was lying.
For survival reasons, it had been easy for him to lie. Maybe Kenan did the same
to protect himself.

Brady
didn’t feel comfortable ending Adam’s life anymore, or being a witness. He
could go to prison for that too. Heck, he needed to make it out alive first.

Brady
scanned the bathroom for any potential weapons, but didn’t see anything in
plain view. He crawled to the bottom cabinet and found nothing, not even a
toenail clipper or nail filer.

How
long could he hide? Would anyone check up on him? Or would he be forgotten like
Marissa and Adam were? How did a group of people not realize two people were
missing? Then again, Rae had managed to escape the cabin too. If Brady was
crazy, he could’ve killed her and disposed the body. No one would have been any
the wiser.

Maybe
that’s how the killer got around. Chills ran down Brady’s spine. Did the
murderer watch him and Rae sleep in the Jeep? Did he pass the vehicle to walk
inside the cabin, and if one of them happened to look up at the right moment,
they would have caught him without realizing it?

What
if a guy didn’t kill Marissa? What if a girl did? Women were irrational
nowadays; crazies had pretty good strength to fight whomever. Snapped was
a popular show for a reason. Could a female really remove the belts though?
Maybe his friend’s killer and the thief weren’t the same person?

If
the group were dealing with two different crazies, then that was even worse.
Never in a million years would Brady think he’d be afraid to be around a group
of people that he knew for a while.

Brady’s
heartbeat quickened when he thought he heard the floorboard creak outside the
bathroom door. Wide-eyed, he held his breath. What if the killer, or killers,
were outside the door, plotting to get in, so he would be the second victim?
When he didn’t hear anything else, he cursed himself for letting his mind run
with fear. He needed to man up and look after Rae. He didn’t know what he’d do
if anything bad were to happen to her.

Chapter
Eighteen

Rae
sat in the Jeep’s back seat while Selma stood by the open door. Selma was the
last person she wanted to be near. “I don’t need a baby-sitter.” In no way,
shape, or form did Selma care about Rae; besides she had hated Marissa, so Rae
knew she didn’t give a lick that she was gone forever.

Marissa.
She was there yesterday. Her best friend. Dead. Worm food. Rae wanted to cry
herself to sleep, but she wouldn’t give Selma the satisfaction of watching her
suffer. Rae swore if she saw her smirk, then she’d kick her butt.

Selma
rolled her eyes. “Tell your brother that. He’s the one who asked me to look
over you.” Really? This bitch had the nerve to be rude to someone grieving, Rae
thought.

“Great
to know it’s not on your priority list.”

“You
know what, it isn’t. Buck up. People have better things to do than watch you
mope around. I could be searching for those belts, trying to get answers from
Adam. Anything productive. Not this.”

“Get
the fuck away from me.”

“Why
do you hate me? I’ve never done anything to you.”

“Really?
You want to share an afterschool special moment with me now.” Rae slapped her
forehead in frustration. “Newsflash! My fucking best friend just died! She was
fucking killed, and we’re all gonna die! So fuck you and your questions. I’m
taking my answers to the grave.”

Selma
struck her. It felt like ten-thousand yellow jackets stung her all at once.
Caught off guard, Rae held her cheek. She punched Selma in the stomach.

“You
bitch!” Selma wrestled her inside the Jeep. They scratched each other and
pulled each other’s hair. They were relentless in their attack. Rae didn’t care
about the pain; she was getting her aggression and frustration out.

Rae
imagined her brother’s girlfriend as the stealthy killer. As far as she knew,
Kenan had spent alone time with Marissa. Selma would have been jealous. What if
she confronted Marissa? Knowing her friend, she would have been a smart ass,
causing Selma to snap and kill her. Kenan loved Selma. What if he was covering
for her?

Rae
hadn’t seen Marissa’s body, but she heard all the murmurs surrounding her. They
had said she was strangled to death. At this exact moment, Selma had her hands
around Rae’s neck. A coincidence? She didn’t think so.

Any
other time, Rae would have given up and welcomed her death, but not now. She
had to see Selma suffer, had to put her through hell. Rae let out a loud
scream, which gave her the strength to kick her opponent in the stomach. Selma
flew backwards, landing on the ground. Rae jumped on top of her.

They
rolled around in the mud; their clothes got filthy dirty. Rae snatched her hand
out of Selma’s grip and blocked her eyes from the sun. No, it wasn’t the sun
because the silver with blue specs twinkle was too low to the ground, she
reasoned. Selma kept fighting when Rae had clearly stopped, so Rae yelled,
“Stop bitch!” She whacked Selma hard, then stood to run to the light. Selma
followed her.

Behind
high grass shrubs, the belts were sliced into small cubes. The evidence, a.k.a.
knife, was placed right beside the mess. Rae wiped tears from her eyes,
dropping to the ground. Their way to escape was destroyed. Selma fell down
beside her and gasped. They held each other.

Rae’s
aggressive energy vanished.

“No,
no, no. Our only way to escape.” Selma screeched.

It
was official; she, her friends, and Selma were going to be tormented at this
very cabin. And there was nothing she could do about it. Or was there? “I know
my way around the area. I can walk or run outta here.”

“There’s
no way this is happening.”

“It
is if someone drove away for privacy. Or found a hiding place. If someone drove
away though, then that means…”

Selma
looked at Rae, waiting for an answer, impatiently. “What?”

“Unless…someone
outside our group is messing with us. If they’re locals, they know their way
around these woods too; it wouldn’t be hard for them to park off the grid, mess
with our Jeeps, ride off, and then come back. Real easy. Or it could be the guy
who led us here. It’s been way past morning, and he still hasn’t arrived yet.”
Rae scanned the area, holding herself. “What if he did come a long time ago,
but parked far away to go unnoticed? What if he’s been watching us all this
time? He never wanted to buy our land; he just wanted to torture us.”

Selma
eyed her suspiciously. “So you don’t think Adam did it?”

“I’m
just looking at all angles.”

Selma
folded her arms across her chest. “I think you did it.”

“What?”

“I
think you did it. You’re putting on an act about being sad. You killed Marissa.
You practically admitted to Naomi and me this morning. You didn’t see signs or
have visions.” She pointed an accusatory finger at Rae. “You hinted what you
did to your so-called friend.”

Rae
stood. “If you suspect someone, it’s best not to say it to their face. You’ll
be added to their list quicker.”

“Or
they’ll know someone’s on to them, so they’ll behave until they feel safe to
strike again. By then, I’ll be outta here. Don’t think I won’t defend myself.”

“You
killed Mar! You choked her to death, just like you choked me.”

“That’s
ridiculous!”

Letting
her anger subside, it dawned on Rae that Selma believed it could have been
someone other than Adam. Did the group think that too?

Rae
turned, walking away. “For future reference, don’t think I’ll have trouble
defending myself.”

“I’m
keeping my eye on you!” Leaves crushed under both their feet while Selma ran
after her. She grabbed Rae by the arm. “Wait!”

Rae
yanked her arm away. “Don’t touch me.”

“I’m
not a killer.”

“Well,
neither am I.”

Both
women put their hands on their hips and stared each other down. If it was a
Western, they’d have their guns drawn and whoever survived won. “I know a way
we can catch the person,” Selma said.

“How?”

There
wasn’t really a way to trap yourself. Of course, if Selma were the killer,
she’d want to devise a plan where no one looked at her as a suspect. Rae had
just admitted to finding her guilty, so she wanted to shift the blame to
someone else. Then again, maybe Selma was sincere. If she wanted to kill Rae,
now would be the time, while they were alone. She could easily lie and say Rae
had snapped, so she murdered her in self-defense, if Selma were clever. Rae
leaned toward no, she wasn’t that bright.

“Only
the car thief and killer, if they’re the same person, would know the hiding
place of the parts or what was used to slice everything. We don’t tell anyone,
then if we hear someone mention it, we know they’re guilty.”

“Not
even Kenan?” Rae asked.

“Not
even Kenan.” Selma held out her finger, so they could pinky swear. Rae knew she
could keep this to herself. She couldn’t trust that Selma would. For all Rae
knew, she could tell someone trying to set them up by having them say it aloud
to Rae—not knowing any better—then Rae would get off her scent. Or someone
could stumble upon it accidentally as they had. Then they’d be blamed even
though they were innocent.

“Should
we move it?” Rae asked.

“I’m
not touching it and putting my fingerprints all over evidence, but we should
buck up because that was our only way out. Do you really think you can get out
of here? Call for help or something?”

“I
don’t see why I couldn’t.”

“I
would go, but I’d just slow you down, and I want to get out of here as soon as
possible.”

Rae
nodded. “I should go.”

“Wait.
You can’t. Kenan would never forgive me if I let you out of my sight.”

Rae
smirked. “But he’d forgive you for fighting his sister?”

Selma
looked concerned and frightened. “Are you gonna tell him?”

“No
because then I’d have to explain why we stopped, which would lead to a
conversation about these bushes. Besides, I really don’t want to hear a
ten-hour lecture on the art of friendship. Do you?”

Selma
giggled, shaking her head.

“We
need to stop them from torturing Adam. If they kill him, then they aren’t any
better than those animals ten years ago,” Rae whispered.

They
treaded up towards the cabin. Selma headed for the front entrance, yet Rae
proceeded the back way. “Where are you going?” Selma asked.

Rae
paused, turning around. “I don’t go that way.”

“Why?”

“You
wouldn’t understand.” Rae lowered her eyes to the ground. She picked at dry mud
on her shirt and yoga pants. “We should really take a shower.”

“That’s
rich, trying to change the subject. You don’t know if I’d understand or not
because you won’t let me in.”

Why
should Rae? Selma had just confessed that she thought Rae had killed her own
best friend. So yeah, she wouldn’t let Selma in. She was up to something; Rae
wasn’t fooled. For someone wanting to leave this place, Selma surely talked her
out of running right this second. Someone in a panic would’ve encouraged Rae to
go. Heck, they would’ve tagged along.

But
not Selma. Probably because she’s the murderer or knows who is, so she feels
comfortable, knowing nothing will happen to her. Then again, Selma’s not an
actress; she really sold being devastated when they had found that knife and
pile of parts.

The
knife. “We should go back and get the knife as a weapon,” Rae said.

Both
ladies turned their head to look at the bushes. “Where would we hide it? It’s
not like it’ll fit in our pants.”

“Just
forget I mentioned it then.” Rae folded her arms across her chest and rolled
her eyes. Someone worried for her safety didn’t seem to want to protect herself
with a weapon. So fishy.

Chapter
Nineteen

Naomi
felt icky in this tacky, abandoned building. She could feel the creepy crawlers
and Hepatitis C entering her body. She hated it and was confused how her
boyfriend could be relaxed inside. Tobey steadily looked for rope while she
stood by the front door. “Earlier today, Brady wouldn’t leave the doorway
either,” he said.

Typical
Brady being lazy and making someone else do all the hard work. Naomi held
herself. She couldn’t believe that their friend was dead. Adam was adamant he
didn’t do it. What if he was telling the truth? Then that meant another good
friend was a killer. She shivered, trying to get that image out of her head.

Someone
destroyed their getaway. Naomi had a sickening feeling that it wasn’t some
cruel, out of hand, practical joke. The killer wasn’t finished, and he was
toying with them. Breaking them down with psychological warfare. Well, it was
working on her; she was afraid to die.

The
killer was so quiet that he could easily sneak up on people. He was able to
kill Marissa without any witnesses; plus, he was able to destroy the Jeeps
without anyone noticing. The Quiet Killer or The Silencer. If they all passed
away, Naomi could see Hollywood playing it as a horror movie trilogy.
Unfortunately, she wouldn’t be around to see if that would be the case.

How
could Rae or Brady not hear anything? How could they not feel the Jeeps moving?
Unless the killer had operated when no one was around. But how? When? If Naomi
wouldn’t get answers soon, she’d go crazy. “If Adam didn’t kill Marissa, then
who did?” she asked.

Tobey
stopped searching through the red toolbox. He walked in her direction and stood
in front of her. He stepped closer in a forward motion, causing Naomi to take a
step back. She almost bumped into the wall. Thankfully, she didn’t. Who knew
what kind of bacteria was on those walls. She couldn’t afford to get a skin
disease or stain her designer clothes.

“Of
course Adam did it,” Tobey said.

“What
if he didn’t?”

“He
did.”

Naomi
sighed. “What if he didn’t…maybe Brady did it, like Adam said.” She knew she
was grasping at straws, but maybe Adam was right. Brady was sketchy. He
could’ve hid the belts before Rae snuck out of the cabin to sleep with him. And
just because Tobey had escorted him back, didn’t mean that Brady couldn’t have
gone back to the lake after Kenan and Adam left.

Maybe
he finally snapped because he was tired of people picking on him. Naomi was the
biggest offender of that. She’d have to watch her back around Brady.

“We
can’t turn on each other; that’s what Adam wants,” Tobey said calmly. She
noticed that her boyfriend didn’t protest that Brady didn’t do it. Goodness
gracious, what if she was next on his hit list?

It
was hard for her to catch her breath. She grabbed her throat as if choking to
death.

He
ran his fingers through her hair. The gesture soothed her, so she breathed more
slowly.

“I
can’t lose you, Naomi. You’re my everything.”

“How
are we going to get out of here?”

“We’ll
find those missing parts and put the Jeeps back together, or we may have to
walk outta here. Either way, we’re escaping. I’m not letting anything bad
happen to you.” Tobey wrapped his arms around Naomi. She rested her head on his
chest. She couldn’t imagine life without him, and he couldn’t imagine life
without her. If they got out of this alive, then she planned to propose to
Tobey. Life was too short to pass opportunities up.

She
never would’ve imagined that they’d be spending their two-year anniversary in
fear.

He
was right. If they were going to make it out alive, then they had to stick
together. If they had each other’s back, then the killer couldn’t strike again.
Not with everyone on high alert. If only they would have stayed as a group at
the lake, then Marissa wouldn’t be gone right now. Everything was so surreal.

Naomi
never wanted Tobey to let her go; she could surrender in his arms forever. Now
wasn’t the time to get intimate, but Naomi couldn’t help herself. The fear
built up inside was becoming overbearing and making her aroused. It also didn’t
help that her boyfriend wore her favorite cologne.

She
raised her head to nuzzle his neck, giving Tobey sweet kisses.

“There’s
never a dull moment with you. First, you can’t breathe, now you’re horny.”

“How
do you know I’m horny?” Naomi licked his neck.

“I
know you better than you know yourself.” He backed away, holding both of
Naomi’s hands. They locked gazes. “I want nothing more than to be with you, but
not here.” He looked around the ugly space. “Not like this.”

Naomi
sniffed. “I wanna go home.”

Tobey
went back to holding Naomi, her tears soaked his shirt. “We will be soon. I
promise you, Omi.”

She
knew he was trying to help. It did work a little. As long as he was by her
side, she’d be okay. Tobey was her protector, her rock, which she wouldn’t
trade for anything else in the world.

Tobey
instructed Naomi to stay close to the group and never wander alone. If she had
to use the bathroom, take a shower, any solitary event, then take at least one
person with her. Someone she trusted. Someone who would have her back. She kept
nodding, letting the information soak in. She tried to remain strong, so he’d
feel comfortable enough to leave her side and continue looking for rope. They
needed to tie Adam up until they could figure out a permanent solution.

Adam
was off the list of people she trusted for obvious reasons. She didn’t trust
Selma as far as she could throw her, which wouldn’t be far. Naomi was petite
while Selma was curvy like J Lo or Kim Kardashian, ladies who didn’t think they
were fat. Newsflash: they were. She didn’t trust Brady either because he’d only
look out for himself.

That
only left Tobey, Logan, Rae, and Kenan. Good thing she never pissed off the
strong men, so they wouldn’t hesitate to have her back.

“Are
you scared?” Naomi asked. Someone didn’t want anyone to escape their location.
That was a big deal.

“We
caught Adam. I’m not scared. I’m pissed off.” Tobey didn’t have any luck
finding rope in the toolbox, so he moved on to the cabinets. He stopped at one
in particular and pulled an object out. “Lookey here what I found.” He turned
around, holding the flashlight in plain view.

“What
is it doing here?”

“Adam
must have hid it. It was behind some bottles and jars like he didn’t want
anyone to find it.”

Naomi
wiped tears from her eyes. “I feel so bad for not believing him when he said he
was crazy. If I would’ve told someone, Marissa would still be alive.”

“Don’t
do that. It’s not your fault. You thought he was joking. Crazy people barely
mention that, so how were you supposed to know he was serious?”

Good
ole Tobey, always trying to make Naomi feel better, but not this time. She
couldn’t erase the guilt and regret from her heart, no matter how hard she
tried.

Tobey
crossed the room and sighed. He lifted Naomi’s chin with his finger. They gazed
into each other’s eyes. “I’m sorry about Marissa; I know you two were good
friends.”

Naomi
felt a knot in her throat. She never got to tell Marissa how much she enjoyed her
company because she was busy frontin’. Now, Marissa would never know. All
because she was jealous of Marissa and Rae’s bond. So many things left unsaid.
“I’m sorry you lost her as a friend too.”

“I
know Rae and Kenan are taking it pretty hard. Kenan can barely keep himself
together, probably blames himself for leaving Adam alone with her, but he
didn’t know Adam was crazy either.”

“Yeah,
he shouldn’t blame himself.”

“You
shouldn’t either,” he said firmly, trying to get through her thick skull. Her
boyfriend knew her all too well.

Naomi
gulped. “What happens if we can’t find rope?”

“I
don’t know. We’d have to figure out something. Kenan seems to think killing him
is out of the question.”

“You
guys weren’t really planning to kill him, were you?”

Tobey’s
silence was all the answer that Naomi needed. She shivered. She wasn’t a
cold-blooded killer, revenge or no revenge. She hadn’t known the man she loved
and slept beside every night was capable of it.

Was
Tobey changing right before her eyes, or was he always like that?

Chapter Twenty

Selma
was taking a much needed hot shower, probably the same as Rae. Kenan stood over
the see-through shower curtain. “Does Rae seem okay to you?” he asked.

How
convenient that Rae had already thought of her cover story. She wasn’t fooling
anyone asking about the man who was supposed to sign the deed. If only Selma
could express her concerns to Kenan, but he wouldn’t even entertain the
thought. If anyone ever badmouthed Rae, he always acted as if it was a huge
betrayal.

“If
anything, she may be experiencing PTSD,” Selma answered.

“Like
what soldiers go through?”

“Yeah,
it can happen to anyone who experienced something devastating in their life.”

“I
should talk to her.”

Try
not to get yourself killed.

“Go
ahead.” She was tired of hearing about Rae this and Rae that. She wished Kenan
would focus more on her. He never once asked how she felt about today. How she
was holding up. Was he still mad at her for cocking an attitude about him
coming in late last night? Could he really blame her? Kenan had been out all
night with his ex. Hello, Selma was tough but it would still feel nice to know
that her baby cared about her feelings.

“I’ll
go after you get out.” Kenan hadn’t noticed the hint of frustration in Selma’s
voice, unless he chose the easy approach of ignoring it. Typical male behavior.

“I
can take care of myself.”

“What’s
your problem?”

“Oh
I don’t know. I’m stuck in this hell hole with crazy people, not only insane
but murderers.”

“We
caught Adam.”

“Do
you really think he killed Marissa?” No one could be trusted at this point, she
thought. She would have to keep an eye out for everyone, including Kenan. If he
wasn’t on the same page, then she needed to distance herself, better protection
that way. He could walk them right into a trap without him realizing it.

Rae
thought Selma was the killer. Did she already express that to Kenan? Did he
stand up for Selma, if so?

“If
not Adam, then who? I’m assuming you already have theories since you asked,”
Kenan said.

The
water falling on her felt like a warm, tickling massage. That would be the only
thing pleasant coming from this room after her comment. “Rae claims—“

“Claims!”

“Let
me finish.” Selma rolled her eyes. “Your sister claims that she left
here to sleep with Brady. Well, no one knows technically when she left. She
could have had time to see Marissa at the lake before going to him. He said
he’d been laying down, so Brady wouldn’t have noticed.”

Kenan
whipped the shower curtain back, darting for her naked body. With threatening
eyes, he grabbed Selma by the arms and pinned her up against the slippery wall.
“How dare you blame Rae? She didn’t do it.”

“You
don’t know that.” Selma refused to back down even though she never seen this
violent, aggressive side of her boyfriend. If she had to, she’d fight back
physically.

“I
swear to God, Selma, if you turn the group against Rae, I will—“

“Will
what? Kill me?” Her body tensed. “Huh? Will you kill me?”

Kenan
cracked his neck. “Rae’s not a killer. She’s been through a lot and doesn’t
need your bullshit.”

“Are
you a killer?” She noticed he didn’t object to that statement.

He
squeezed tighter on Selma’s arms. “How can you ask me that? You’re demented.”

“Let
go of me.”

“Or
what?” Kenan smirked. “Will you kill me?”

Selma
winced with disgust. “It’s funny that you ask me that because your sister
thinks I killed Marissa.” His grip didn’t loosen; Kenan didn’t change facial
expressions or anything. Of course, Saint Rae could accuse whomever she wanted.
This pissed Selma off. “Why don’t you go roughen her up? Call her demented for
giving an opinion? She took it way better than you when I accused her by the
way.”

“You
told her? She doesn’t need extra stress, you bitch!”

Bitch.
Kenan had to know that would push Selma’s buttons. She tried to slap his face,
but he wouldn’t let go. She couldn’t wiggle out of his grip, which angered her
even more, so she did the next best thing. Selma spat in his direction. Her
saliva landed on his face above his upper lip.

In
shock, Kenan stood frozen. He wiped his face; she took the opportunity with her
free arm to lift it up and smack him in the face. She closed her eyes, waiting
for his fist.

Kenan
punched the wall right near the side of Selma’s head. He grabbed her again and
lifted her off the tub floor. “You disgusting pig. Oink. Oink.”

“Let
go of me!” She turned her head to avoid his gaze.

“Mess
with Rae again and then you’ll have to answer to me.” Kenan dropped her.

Selma
slipped and fell hard on her butt with her legs open in the air. She also hit
her head against the surface. “Ouch.”

Kenan
laughed and stomped, almost crushing her vagina. “Be careful, you don’t want to
get a concussion. Who knows, since I’m a killer, I probably planned it.
Not all murders have to be bloody and gruesome.”

Selma
held the back of her head and sobbed. “We’re done!” She spat again, but it
missed him.

He
chuckled. “Oink, oink, oink.” He gave her the evil eye, then left out the door.
In frustration, Selma hugged herself. She had a headache.

*
* * *

Kenan
paced back and forth in front of Rae’s closed bedroom door. He needed to talk
to her and hoped she was still in there. She should have told him that Selma
confronted her, so he could’ve nipped that in the bud earlier. Why was Rae
keeping secrets?

He
slapped his forehead in anger, then slid down the dark brown door, landing on
his butt. What came over him in the bathroom? He wasn’t some sadistic guy. Why
did he treat Selma like that? Now, she hated him, and he couldn’t blame her.

Kenan
watched the bedroom door across the hall. He hoped Selma was okay. He’d never
forgive himself if something terrible happened to her now.

He
tapped on his sister’s door in a slow, steady motion.

“Who
is it?” she asked.

Kenan
grinned. “Your favorite brother.”

Rae
opened the door and looked down at him, smiling. “You mean my only brother.”

“Same
difference.” He stood and didn’t wait for an invitation to come inside. He
scanned the room before sitting on the bed. “Who’s in here with you?”

“Just
me.”

“Rae!”
He raised his hands in frustration.

“What?
I needed a shower, and it’s not like that’s a group activity.” Rae stood by the
dresser; she lowered her eyes. “I heard you and Selma.”

Kenan
sighed. “Why didn’t you tell me she accused you?”

“It
literally just happened.” Rae gulped when her brother looked at her like that
wasn’t a valid excuse. “I blamed her too.”

“Why?”

She
bit her lower lip. “I don’t know.”

Kenan
walked over to Rae. “No, don’t do that. Talk to me.”

“When
we got here, Marissa told me she had invited Adam to make someone jealous. I
mean, the only guy I can think to fit the profile is you, so maybe Selma
snapped out of jealousy. You were alone with Mar, Kenan. She could’ve gone out
to the lake when you left. You know you’re a heavy sleeper.”

It
seemed no one thought Adam murdered Marissa. They’d rather blame someone they
knew than a total stranger. It would make sense for Rae to think his ex still
had feelings for Kenan, but Marissa hadn’t. At least, she hadn’t acted upon
them if she did. Even though Selma acted like split personalities earlier,
Kenan didn’t think she was a killer. “You didn’t hear this because you were
outside at the time, but Naomi had told Mar that Brady had a crush on her and
was jealous of Adam. She was probably talking about him.”

“Does
he?”

“What?”

“Have
a crush on Mar?”

“He
said he didn’t, but that’s not the point.” Rae wasn’t jealous, was she? Since
when would she care about any skank Brady took an interest? “Nothing happened
between you last night, right?”

“He
was the perfect gentleman.”

Kenan
folded his arms across his chest, studying her face. No nervousness. No sweat.
No quiver of the upper lip; his sister didn’t lie. “He’s really digging you,
Rae. Listen to me. I want you to stay close to Brady.”

Rae
shrugged her shoulders. “Why?”

“Because
I know he’ll take care of you like I would if we ever get separated.”

Rae
nodded. “Speaking of separation, I should go get help.”

“Like
hell you are. No one’s leaving this cabin by themselves.”

“I
can handle it; you know I can. Let me get us help.”

“No.”

“We’re
running out of time. Mar’s corpse is rotting away outside. You know the animals
will pick at her. You know it.” Rae cried. “She was our friend, Kenan. Please.
Let me help her.”

Kenan
took a step closer and shook his head. “The ranger checks on all the homes.
He’ll be here. We have to stay together.”

She
wiped tears from her eyes, looking off to the left. “What if he comes too
late?”

“He
won’t.”

“You
can’t promise that.”

“Mar
is gone, and we can’t change that, but we can protect ourselves.” Kenan lowered
his head. “May she rest in peace; she’s in a much better place than we are.”

“She
was too young to die,” Rae whispered. Kenan looked up to make eye contact with
her.

There
was a time when she didn’t think dying in your twenties was too young. There
was a time when she’d welcome death with open arms, being jealous of who passed
away before she did. But Kenan wouldn’t bring it up; he didn’t want to upset
Rae. Not now anyway, but sooner or later, she would have to face reality.

Chapter Twenty-One

Tobey
and the rest of the group, minus Rae and Kenan, huddled in the living room,
panic in their eyes. Tobey sat in a chair while Naomi was on his lap. Selma and
Logan stood near Adam, and Brady stood by the front door.

“What
do you mean there’s no rope?” Selma asked.

“I
couldn’t find any.” Tobey patted Naomi’s knee.

“What
do we do now?” Logan asked.

Kenan
and Rae walked downstairs. He entered the living room as she stayed in the
entranceway of the kitchen. “What’s wrong?” Kenan asked.

Again,
Tobey explained how he couldn’t find rope in the shed.

Kenan
rubbed his forehead. “We can take shifts watching over Adam, or…we can let him
go. Doesn’t matter what he does, but he wouldn’t be staying here.”

Adam
became wide-eyed. “No, I wouldn’t survive out there.”

“Should
have thought about that before you killed Marissa, you prick.” Logan made his
way to stand beside Rae.

“You
survived last night; you can do it again,” Brady said.

“Why
should we let him go?” Tobey asked. What was Kenan thinking? Who knew what kind
of plotting and traps Adam could create on his own accord, he reasoned.

They
didn’t need that mystery creeping up on them.

“Because
he may not have done it,” Selma chimed in.

Adam
sighed in relief. “Finally someone believes me.”

Selma
looked at Adam. “Don’t get too excited. You’re not completely off the hook.”
She pointed towards the crowd. “If Adam didn’t do it, then one of us did, and I
know I didn’t kill Marissa, nor damage the Jeeps.”

The
others chimed in with their I-didn’t-do-it-either stances. Before long,
everyone yelled over top of one another, trying to get their point across,
ultimately not being heard at all. Tobey and Kenan looked at each other. When
would the madness stop?

“Shut
up,” Kenan screamed. Everyone obeyed and gawked at him. “The ranger should get
here to check our place by tomorrow night, then we’re outta here. Do you guys
wanna take shifts watching over Adam, or do you want to let him go? He could
fend for himself, and the cops could search for him themselves.”

“All
this having to look after him will be a waste if he just hires a good attorney
to get him off. He’s probably a rich bastard, who will bribe himself off. I say
let him suffer in the woods alone; that will probably be the only punishment he
ever comes across,” Brady encouraged.

A
couple nodded, and a few shook their heads. Were they really going to play it
as a democracy or a dictatorship? If democracy, they could be there all night,
trying to reach a decisive vote. Adam was the loudest naysayer about not being
kicked out of the cabin. That he’d gladly be watched over, that he wouldn’t try
to run away.

“It
doesn’t really sound like a suitable punishment if Adam is volunteering,” Naomi
said.

“Good
point. I say we kick him out,” Tobey agreed with his girlfriend. He wanted to support
her in any way that he could.

“I
say vote him out too. In my heart, I believe he killed Marissa, and I’ll be
damned if he kills another one of us. Kick his ass out while we’re safe locked
in the cabin.” Logan threw Adam a set of car keys. “You can even stay in the
Jeep if you want. Homeboy Brady won’t mind sleeping in here now.”

“Less
stress if Adam isn’t in here, but what if that’s what the killer wants? What if
she wants a person out, who can help fight her off?” Selma placed her hands on
her hips.

Kenan
rolled his eyes. “I told you to leave her out of it.” He stepped toward his
girlfriend.

In
a bold manner, Selma stood on the couch to grab everyone’s attention. “I know
what I saw and heard. While the boys were out searching for Marissa, Rae was in
here predicting that she was already dead. That was no prediction. That was no
feeling. That was an admission of guilt if you ask me.” Selma pointed to Rae,
so everyone turned to look at her. “Clearly she has issues. Ever since she’s
stepped foot in here, she’s been acting strange. Look at her, she won’t even
come into the living room.” She gave Rae a challenging look. “Why is that? Is
that your trigger that makes you snap?”

Kenan
grabbed Selma by the arm, forcing her to climb down. He dragged her to the door.
“Don’t feel safe here, then you can stay outside with Adam.”

“I’m
safe as long as I don’t leave the living room. Or is it you, Kenan? It’s your
cabin.” Selma pouted. “Maybe you and Rae got together to plan ending peoples’
lives because you’re both sick and twisted due to the ten-year anniversary.
Maybe you both invented this RL guy as a cover story.”

Tobey
lifted Naomi off his lap and walked over to the feuding couple. He tapped Kenan
on the shoulder. “Let her go, man.” His friend’s grip became tighter as he
stared at Selma. She didn’t back down. If looks could kill. “Come on, let her
go. Don’t feed into her drama, that’s what she wants.”

“But
she’s accusing Rae.”

“Let
her do whatever she wants. No one believes her. We know you and Rae aren’t the
killers. It’s Adam, and that’s the theory I’m sticking to. Forcing Selma
outside with him will only get her killed too. I know you don’t want that.”
Tobey pried Kenan’s hands off his girlfriend’s arm.

Kenan
looked at him. “Then you deal with Sel. I can’t stand to be around her.”

“Ditto.”
Selma’s creeks flushed angry red. “You don’t believe me, Tobey. Well, good luck
because she’s gonna kill us one by one.”

“If
you really think that, then kill me.” Rae stepped forward, pushing out her
chest, raising her fists. “Kill me right now.”

“Come
in here, and I just might,” Selma threatened.

Kenan
lunged after her again, but Tobey stood in his way. “Selma, if you threaten any
of us again, you’re outta here, so I suggest you go sit in a corner and shut
up,” Tobey said.

Selma
stuck out her tongue, raised both hands in surrender, and walked over to the
couch. She plopped down into it, sinking further and further into the cushions.

How
did it turn from Adam killed Marissa, to now it was Rae and maybe Kenan?

“Before
you kick me out, can I shower first? Brush my teeth? Possibly eat too?” Adam
asked.

Really?
He must be truly certifiable; he’s accused of killing someone, about to be
stranded in a place he has nowhere to turn to, the nearest place like thirty
miles. Good luck if he could hike that, and all he could think about was taking
a shower. What kind of person was Adam? Were they dealing with floor level six
crazy? Or floor level seven?

“Hell
naw. This ain’t the Holiday Inn, pretty boy.” Brady gave Adam an icy stare.
Adam gave one right back.

“Wait.
I have an idea.” Rae ran upstairs with Kenan following her. They came back
minutes later with a bunch of clothes.

Selma
squinted her eyes. “This isn’t a shopping spree.”

“Adam
doesn’t want to be kicked out, and it may not be safe to have him around. We’ll
tie him up with these clothes. Win-win.”

*
* * *

“Thanks
for having my back earlier. Now if only you could convince them to let me
shower, eat, and brush my teeth,” Adam joked. Even though he was tied up, it
still felt good that some people believed him. It was probably the only thing
keeping him alive, he thought.

“I didn’t do it for you.” Rae glanced
around the empty living room. Everyone else had scattered into different
groups. Some left through the back entrance of the kitchen, and some went
upstairs.

If only he could get inside her head.
“Why don’t you come in the living room?” Maybe Selma had a point earlier.

“I’m good.”

“That doesn’t answer my question.” Adam
smiled. If he were going to win her over, then he’d have to use his charms and
good looks. Good thing Rae was single.

“Why did you kill Marissa?”

“I didn’t. You know how it feels to be
wrongly accused. Your brother took it harder than you.”

Rae shrugged. “I know I didn’t do it.
That’s all that matters.”

“If only it was that simple. I know I
didn’t do it, and here I am tied up, hoping no one gets revenge.”

“Just earlier you thanked me; I guess
that was a lie.”

She was more conniving than Adam
thought. Rae would probably give him a run for his money. She was good at
twisting words.

“I’m definitely grateful to be here
instead of outside.”

Kenan strolled through the front door
and made his way to stand near his sister. “I thought you were upstairs with
Tobey, Selma, and Naomi.”

“I never said I was.”

Kenan grabbed her wrist. “What are you
thinking being alone with him?”

“Someone needs to keep an eye on him.”
She wiggled out of his grasp.

“Not you. A guy. Go ahead. I’ll look
after him.”

“No, I don’t mind.”

He rolled his eyes. “Rae.”

She put her hands on her hips. “Kenan.”

Adam thought Selma and Naomi had
feistiness, but he shouldn’t have underestimated the wallflower. Looked like
Rae didn’t need much protection. He smirked at them bickering.

Kenan stood in front of her, blocking
her view of Adam. He hovered over her. “He killed Mar.”

“Allegedly.” Adam raised a finger as if
making a point in a classroom lecture. “I allegedly killed Marissa. What ever
happened to innocent until proven guilty?”

Without turning around, Kenan said, “Now
you know how a black man feels when he goes up against a judge and jury.”

“I’m half-black. My mom is black and my
dad is Hawaiian,” Adam lied.

Kenan laughed. “So you’re one of us?
Yeah right.”

“I swear.” Adam pointed out celebrities
who were half-black but didn’t look like it.

Kenan shook his head in disappointment.
“Then this sucks even more that you’re making another brother end up in
prison.”

Adam stared at Rae when Kenan shifted
his body. It seemed like she never took her eyes off of Adam as if she was
trying to read his mind or something. Maybe there was something freaky about
her. Selma had said something about Rae having visions.

“Come on, Rae. He’s only going to try
and get inside your head,” Kenan warned.

She whispered, “Has it ever occurred to
you that I’m trying to get inside his head? Trying to get answers? He’s more
likely to open up to someone he’s not scared of. Please, Kenan, let me try
this.”

Kenan sighed. “I’ll stay with you.”

“No, I have to do this alone. He’ll shut
down with you around.”

“No way.”

“Please, Kenan. For Mar.”

“Fine, but scream if he tries any funny
business.”

She sighed in relief. “I promise.”

Kenan returned outside through the back
door.

“Why don’t you come in here?” Adam
asked.

“I’m good.” Rae smirked. “You stink.”

Adam gulped. Way to hit below the belt.
“I have a feeling whether I smelled good or not, you still wouldn’t come over.
Why?”

“Tell me why you killed Marissa, then
I’ll tell you why I avoid the living room.” She folded her arms across her
chest.

“Can I trust you?”

Rae nodded.

“No, I need to hear it. Can I trust you?”

“Yes.” She leaned closer in anticipation
to hear the secret shared between the two of them.

“I was hell bent that I didn’t lay a
finger on her until your brother said he left me alone with her. Now, I’m not
so sure. Maybe I blacked-out because I don’t remember anything; I had no idea
how I ended up sleeping in that shed last night. That night is a blur. I know I
was upset when I saw Brady and Marissa together, but I’m not a violent
person…if I did anything, I don’t remember. I was blacked-out.”

If they were to bond on any level, then
she had to trust Adam. He had to be a little honest to get leeway.

“If that’s the case and it was a one
time thing, then why did you take out the car parts?”

“I don’t remember—“

“You were blacked-out,” Rae finished his
sentence. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes. “So you don’t want to kill
any of us? You’re not some maniac on a killing spree?”

“Hell no.” Now it was her turn. Her
answer would reveal if Adam got through to her or not. “What’s up with you and
the living room?”

“You sound like a broken record, do you
know that?” She sighed and fidgeted with her fingers. Rae lowered her gaze to
the wooden floor. “Something terrible happened and whenever I step foot in
there, those horrid memories come flashing back. Even seeing you tied up like
that reminds me of what Kenan and I went through ten years ago…I guess since I
didn’t get to ask my parents’ killers any questions, I’m doing it through you.”
Rae raised her head slowly to make eye contact with Adam. She brushed her cheek
with the palm of her hand and swiped tears away.

Adam’s tear strolled down his cheek. Man
that was deep. She’d do anything to get answers from him, so she would keep him
alive. Kenan seemed to listen to her, so maybe Adam would survive this after all.
Unless she was lying and playing him. Something told him that Rae was serious
and felt relief getting that off her chest though.

“Your secret is safe with me,” Adam
promised.

A weak smile formed on Rae’s lips.
“Thank you.” He saw the wheels turning in her head. “Hey, what did you mean by
you saw Brady and Marissa together?”

“When you guys left to get food, I
wanted to clean up, but I felt bad for leaving her with Brady. When I reached
them, I hid behind a tree. It’s not like I could interrupt what they were
doing.” Rae’s brown eyes widened; he definitely had her attention now. “They
were hooking up. You know, having sex out in the open.”

“Brady and Marissa,” she whispered.

“Yep, and I accused him in front of
everyone while you were outside, but he denied it all. He’s a fucking liar.”
Adam scooted up in the chair to be a little closer to Rae. “Don’t trust him,
Rae. He fucked Marissa then probably killed her.”

Adam couldn’t tell if she believed him
or not because she produced a poker face to the news. Had something been going
on with Rae and Brady? Did he sneak behind her back?

Chapter Twenty-Two

Naomi
examined the back of Selma’s head. She felt the bump that expanded past Selma’s
hair. “Does that hurt?” she asked.

Selma
flinched. “A little.” Tobey, who appeared doubtful, caught her attention. She
had just finished telling them how Kenan had gotten violent with her, even
spitting at her three times. Selma had to lie; the more she made Kenan seem
unstable, the more eyes would be watching him.

If
the real killer thought everyone paid attention to Adam or Kenan, then they’d
get comfortable and slip up somewhere. Selma was determined to solve the
mystery by any means necessary.

“I
honestly think Rae has something to do with this,” Selma continued while Naomi
shook her head. “Before you shut me down, just listen. She never wanted to come
to this cabin in the first place. It’s probably like a big fuck you to everyone
for making her re-live her pain.” She focused her attention on Tobey. “Think
about it. She left last night without anyone noticing. She could’ve gone to the
lake, killed Marissa, and then slept with Brady in the Jeep. Who knows? Maybe
she and Kenan are in on it? They know their way around the woods.” Selma looked
at Naomi. “How can someone sleep through someone damaging the Jeeps? It’s not
like popping the hood is a quiet thing. It’s loud and shakes the vehicle. No
way anyone sleeps through that, so maybe Brady’s in on it too.”

“Adam
wants us to turn on each other, and you’re feeding right into his trap,” Tobey
said.

Selma
rolled her eyes. “Not you guys too. Open your eyes or you’ll get killed like
Marissa.”

“No,
listen to yourself. You’ve managed to blame over half of us. At this rate,
everyone had their part.” Tobey rolled his eyes and frowned. “I know you’re mad
at Kenan, but it doesn’t mean you should make his or Rae’s life a living hell
right now. They’ve been through so much.”

Selma
shook her head. “How long can that be an excuse for them?”

Naomi
and Tobey shared a look. “It’s not an excuse. It’s the truth,” Naomi said. She
held her boyfriend’s hand as if they were a joint entity, like Selma wouldn’t
be able to break them.

“Good
thing you’re on their side. Maybe now Kenan won’t get violent with you.” Selma
stormed out of the room. She was dealing with idiots, she scolded herself.

She
entered her own room—Kenan better sleep somewhere else—slammed the door, and
locked it. She should have taken Rae up on her offer to take the knife as a
weapon. Had Rae told anyone about their secret? Hopefully, she’d keep her mouth
shut.

Selma
only needed to test Adam, Logan, and Brady to see what they knew. If she got
enough accounts, then she could piece the puzzle together. Apparently, she’d
have to do it alone unless Logan and Brady came to their senses. She’d have to
be careful with Adam due to his desperation.

She
lay on her back. She closed her eyes and fell asleep.

*
* * *

Tobey
shook his head. “See, I told you we should stick together. Otherwise, you’ll be
sounding ridiculous like Selma.”

“You
don’t think there’s any truth in what she said? Not even a possibility?”

He
sat up in bed then leaned sideways to face Naomi, who lay comfortably on her
side. “I thought we already went through this in the shed. Adam did it. Case
closed.”

Naomi
knew that Tobey was right, deep down, but she also understood how Selma felt.
No one but Naomi and she were around when Rae rambled on and on about knowing
Marissa was dead. She did sound like a lunatic, however, Naomi knew her best
friend wasn’t a killer, even when Rae went on and on about knowing they’re all
doomed.

Tobey
rubbed her leg. “Omi, did you hear me?”

“Yeah,
baby. I get your point.”

“You
seem so down; you should go tanning. That always cheers you up.”

“Tanning
where?”

“At
the lake.”

“I
can never go back there, and it’s not like I can go lay out on the porch. Marissa’s
there, rotting away.” Naomi covered her mouth. “I’m sorry. You know what I
mean.”

“I
want you to relax.”

“How?
Everything’s gone wrong this weekend. People are turning on each other; I can’t
handle the stress. If you weren’t here, I don’t know what I’d do.”

“You
have me, Omi. Always. I love you, and if I could take your pain away, I would.”

Naomi
smiled weakly. “I love you too…you should talk to your boy. Violence isn’t
cool.”

“I’ll
talk to him, but I really don’t think he did what she said.”

“You
think she caused that lump on her head by herself?”

Tobey
shrugged. “Something may have happened, but I think she exaggerated to make
sure we were on her side. Not to sound sexist but beware of a woman scorned.
Revenge outweighs common sense in that scenario every time.”

Naomi
playfully slapped Tobey on the arm. “Anyways, thank you for trying to
make me feel better. Just being here helps a lot.”

“I
still wish you’d do your favorite thing. You sure you don’t want to tan? It’s
not like you’ll get in the water.”

Yawning,
she shook her head. “It wouldn’t feel right.”

“Then
take a nap. Maybe you’ll feel better once you wake up.”

She
nodded. It had been a long day; she could use some relaxation and escape for a
little while. Hopefully, she’d have pleasant dreams. Please no nightmares, she
wished. Naomi closed her eyes, almost drifting to sleep to the point she barely
felt Tobey’s tender kiss on her lips. She didn’t respond to his plea of making sure
she locked the door, so she wouldn’t be disturbed. Her body was comfortable to
the point she couldn’t get up.

She’d
just have to take her chances of possibly being awakened.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Tobey
stumbled upon Kenan and Rae near Adam. He snuck up behind Rae and put his arm
around her shoulders. “I’m sorry for what Selma said earlier; don’t worry. No
one will turn against you, no matter how hard she tries.”

“Thank
you, Tobey.” She smiled.

He
squeezed his grip, then let go. He focused his attention on Kenan. “Is Adam
acting up?”

“Nah,
Rae insists on keeping him company, so I decided to be the third wheel.”

Rae
rolled her eyes. “The uninvited third wheel.”

Kenan
stuck out his tongue. “Where’s Naomi?”

“Taking
a nap,” Tobey answered.

“And
Selma?”

Probably
no love lost there, Tobey assumed. “Upstairs I think. She left our room in a
huff, then I heard a door slam. I’m assuming that was her.”

“Yes,
her famous tempter tantrums.” Kenan pouted. “What happened?”

“You
know, same ole, same ole. Basically, what she had said downstairs. I guess she
thought we’re deaf.”

“I
don’t trust Selma upstairs with Naomi,” Rae said.

“Why?”
What happened between Rae, Selma, and Kenan? They acted as if they were
partaking in a centuries old feud instead of a one day thing, heck, hadn’t even
been twenty-four hours yet.

“She
thinks Selma was jealous that I spent alone time with Marissa and probably
killed her,” Kenan answered for his sister. Did everyone have their own wacked
out theories?

“Really?
You think Selma is capable of murder?”

“I
know it seems like I’m retaliating because she accused me, but I’m not. I have
my reasons, but I don’t think she took the belts. So either it’s not her.
Period. Or she’s working with someone.” Rae looked at Adam. “Or if he did it,
he was blacked-out and doesn’t remember.”

“How
convenient.” Kenan slapped Adam in the back of the head—Gibb’s style.

Adam
flinched. “It’s the truth, bro.”

“I
can’t stand to look at him; let’s go outside. Naomi’s not after Kenan, so she should
be safe.” Tobey chuckled, putting his arm around Rae again. “Come on, before he
gets inside your head. He wants us to turn on each other.” He led them to the
door.

“I’ll
be out. I just have to tighten the clothes some more.” Kenan meddled with the back
of Adam’s chair. Rae placed her hand on the doorknob.

Brady
and Logan were chilling on the back porch. How anyone could act as if their
surroundings were normal with a dead body under a blanket was beyond Tobey. But
there they were, sitting in rocking chairs.

Logan
shot up from his seat. “Here Rae, you can sit here.”

Brady
smirked. “After he’s farted three times in the seat. Guess to keep you warm.”

Logan’s
cheeks turned red. “He’s lying.” He eyed Brady. “Why don’t you stop acting like
a child?”

“Oh
please, get off your high horse. We’re men; that’s what we do. We act like
horny, stupid teenagers and hope that a wonderful girl like Rae accepts us for
who we are.” Brady winked at her.

“I’m
good,” Rae declined to sit, causing Brady to chuckle.

Apparently,
she wasn’t okay because she kept staring at the blanket as though she was
trying to get it to disappear. “You okay, Rae?” Tobey asked.

While
the other guys thought with their dicks, he would think with his heart and be a
good friend. He’d comfort his best friend’s sister with no strings attached.

Before
she could answer, Kenan stepped outside, closing the door. Logan sat back down
in his seat; he watched Rae’s movements, so did Brady. Was it concern, or did
they consider what Selma said?

“What
do you guys think about me going for help instead of waiting on the ranger?”
Rae asked.

“Rae!”
Kenan scolded.

She
glared at her brother with determined eyes. “Or Kenan can go. Or we
can go together while you guys wait here.”

Kenan
shook his head repeatedly. “It’s not safe.”

‘It’s
a better option than staying here with a killer.”

“No,
and that’s final. Rae, if I have to tie you up beside your best friend, then I
will to keep you here.”

Logan
shifted forward in his chair. “Best friend?”

“She
was bonding with Adam and cocked an attitude because I interrupted.” Kenan
raised his hands in mock surrender. “My bad.”

Rae
put her hands on both hips. “What’s your problem?”

“What’s
my problem? What’s my problem? I’m freaking out; that’s my problem. But I
can’t, I have to protect you.”

“I
didn’t ask for your help!”

“You
don’t have to ask for it! Ever Rae! I’ll always be there for you!” Kenan took a
step closer to her, so Tobey jumped in between them. “When I say something,
it’s in your best interest. Please stop fighting me on this.”

Rae
began to cry. “I want to go home.”

“We’ll
get there tomorrow night unless RL stops by.” Kenan’s voice softened. “I
promise you, Rae.”

*
* * *

Rae
parked herself on top of the porch step with her back facing the boys. She
tuned them out, especially her brother. She was thankful that he was there for
her, but he was suffocating her. It made her feel like a child in front of
their friends.

Rae
sighed.

Birds
chirped and hawked in the distance. A group of them, maybe vultures, circled
the sky. Rae glanced at the blanket. Those damn birds could probably smell
Marissa, and the second everyone left, they’d pounce on her. Rae needed to
guard her best friend’s body if there was any hope for an open casket.

Logan
bumped into her. “What you thinking about?”

When
did he sit there? Had he been by her side the entire time? Rae shrugged.

Instead
of letting the silence speak for itself, he pried more. “You can talk to me,
Rae. Is it about Kenan?”

Kenan.
He was acting different, way more over-productive than usual, ever since they
arrived in Virginia. The stress was getting to her brother; there was no
denying that.

It
dawned on her that she couldn’t hear any voices. She rotated the upper part of
her body. “Where did everyone go?”

“They
left. You didn’t notice? They said ‘see ya later’ and everything.”

Rae
gave Logan a questioned look. Was she in such a daze that she wasn’t even
paying attention to people anymore? Besides worrying about Kenan, she should
worry about herself too. “I didn’t hear them.”

“Are
you okay, Rae?”

No,
but it wasn’t as if she could say that. Kenan would be on her like red on
blood. “There’s a lot on my mind.”

“You
should let people in to relieve some of that pain. When I say people, I don’t
mean Adam.”

“Are
you okay, Logan? Have you talked to anyone about what’s been happening?” How
did it feel to be treated like he’ll break in a second? To be treated like he
was a depressed, sad sack of a human?

He
hesitated, blinked rapidly, and wiped sweat from his forehead. “Actually, I
haven’t really. There’s so much I’d like to say to you, but I don’t know why I
haven’t. I mean a lot has happened, yeah, but all the misery has taught me
life’s too short to not take risks.”

What
did he want to tell her? The way he seemed, it was really personal and
important. Her heart beat quickened. Was he going to say he had feelings for
her?

“What
risks would you take?” she asked.

“To
kiss you,” Logan whispered.

Rae
blushed. “Really? Since when?”

“Since
we first met.”

She
reached over and stroked his hand. “You have no idea how much that means to me.
I would like you to kiss me.” They gazed into each other’s eyes, not daring to
lean over for a kiss in case Kenan walked on the porch again.

They
had held onto temptation for so many years that a little longer wouldn’t hurt.

“You
have no idea how much that means to me…” He lowered his eyes. “I thought maybe
you liked Brady.”

“We’re
just friends.”

“Which
is usually code for friends with benefits.”

Rae
shook her head. She removed her hand from Logan’s touch. “I’m not into codes.
What you see is what you get with me.” She wanted to change the subject and get
his opinion. “Did it sink in what Selma said? Do you think I killed Marissa?”
She looked over at the blanket and sighed. What if he said yes? You could have
a crush on someone, but still be suspicious of them.

“Of
course you didn’t. She was your best friend, besides you have a good heart. You
couldn’t hurt a fly.”

“So
you don’t think me and Kenan are in on some elaborate plan to kill all of you?”

Logan
shook his head. “Hell naw.”

“Not
even a possibility?”

He
laughed. “You worry too much, Rae. We all have your back and your brother’s
back. Selma won’t change that.”

They
smiled at each other. He tucked a strand of hair behind Rae’s ear. Maybe Logan
would kiss her after all. At this point, Kenan would just have to get over it
and be happy for the both of them.

Out
of nowhere, a loud, screeching scream assaulted their earlobes, making the hair
rise on both of their necks.

Chapter Twenty-Four

The
screeching was coming from Selma, and she couldn’t stop once she saw Naomi’s
blood splattered over the cover and sheet set. The pillow was soaked, dark red.
A trail of blood led onto the floor, probably leaving a stain forever. The
sight would no doubtedly torture her dreams, haunt her memories, and torture
her psyche.

It
appeared as though Naomi was the unfortunate victim of a psychotic butcher. Her
throat was deeply slashed. She was carved open from chest to stomach, her
organs spilled out, looking like sausages stuffed in casings. She resembled a
whitetail deer that a hunter just bagged and then gutted.

But
what really freaked out Selma was that Naomi’s eyeballs were chiseled out of
her sockets, so only now deep black holes were present. The sick bastard shoved
her eyeballs inside her wide-opened mouth. On her face, two slits were etched
on her cheeks to give the expression of a sinister grin. The knife was placed
beside Naomi’s body.

Kenan,
who had been standing by Selma, held her when she collapsed in his arms.

Tobey
ran into the room followed by Brady. Wide-eyed, Brady vomited on the floor.
Tobey’s eyes bulged as his mouth fell open at the sight. “Is that…Is that…No!
Oh no! That’s…my Omi!” In a rage, he turned and yelled at Selma. “My God! What
the fuck did you do?”

“I
found her. I didn’t kill her,” Selma managed to say between sobs.

Tobey
gave her the evil eye. “I’ll fucking kill you!”

“I
didn’t do it!” Selma argued back, covering her face with her hands.

Of
course, she looked suspicious. How could she explain that she didn’t hear
anything? That she had slept through it? Selma’s body convulsed, thinking if it
hadn’t been Naomi, then it could have been her. She’d never be alone again.
That’s if the group would let her stay with them. What if they tied her up like
Adam?

Tobey
sobbed. His body quivered as he fell to the floor. Brady bent down to wrap his
arms around him.

Footsteps
hurried up the stairs. “Logan, don’t let Rae come in here!” Kenan screamed.

Brady
shut the door in Logan’s face. Someone kept knocking loudly, probably stubborn
Rae. Brady went back to holding Tobey. “I locked it in case they tried to come
in. Sorry, I panicked. Should I open the door? What should I do?”

“Keep
it locked. Rae can’t see this,” Kenan said in between sniffs. His grip didn’t
loosen up on Selma. There was no way she could deal with the image of Naomi’s
dead body. She’d need Kenan. Maybe he’d need her too.

“Omi.
My baby, my baby,” Tobey whispered to no one in particular. Poor Tobey. He
shouldn’t be in the room. In fact, no one should witness this. No one could
deal.

“Did
you hear anything?” Kenan asked.

“No,
I was asleep.” Selma blaming Rae earlier would backfire in her face. She was
the one found near Naomi’s body and hadn’t heard anything. Even that sounded
shady to Selma.

Oh,
shit. She was in trouble if the group turned on her. Would that be her karma if
they did?

Chapter Twenty-Five

Adam
stood in front of the mirror that was fogged by the steam from his hot shower.
Sweat seeped through his body, soaking his gray v-neck and navy blue skinny
jeans. In nervousness, his eyes—adjusted to the pitch dark—shifted to the lock
door.

It
was a good idea at the time to get loose and wander off alone. Some people
thought he was innocent, so their conscience wouldn’t allow him to die from
revenge. At the worst, they’d kick him out, but Adam would just sleep in the
Jeep for a night. If Brady and Rae handled it, then he could too. Now, he
regretted that decision because he could hear the ruckus across the hall.

If
something happened again, they’d blame ‘the stranger.’

Adam
prayed that no one would find him. He stood still, as quiet as possible. He
held his breath in fear of deep breathing. How could he get out of this? All he
had to do was get through tonight. The ranger would arrive by then; the
authorities could do whatever they wanted with him. Brady was right—Adam was
rich, and the family lawyer would have the charges dropped instantly. No case.
No evidence.

He
was afraid to take a step because the floorboards could creak. Why didn’t he
run away just as a sensible guy would? Damn his obsession with clean hygiene.
That one mistake could get Adam murdered. He gulped, then scolded himself for
making too much noise.

His
stomach growled. Seriously, did it have to do that now? It’s not as though Adam
hadn’t eaten breakfast. Wait, he hadn’t. He shook his head in defeat; his body
was trying to get him caught.

Sooner
or later, they would calm down, unite, and hunt Adam. He needed to get a decent
head start. It was time to take a chance on a neighbor, shotgun be damned. It
would be best to escape while they were rowdy and preoccupied.

From
what? Adam had no clue.

He
tiptoed at a turtle’s pace towards the door and unbolted it. Adam stopped and
waited. Damn that loud clicking sound. Silence came from the hall. They must
not have heard him. If he were going to make a run for it, now would be the
time. He crept as quietly as possible, damn the creaking, to the locked bedroom
door.

Adam
counted to ten, breathing slowly, trying to get his heartbeat to calm down.
Maybe this would be the biggest mistake of his life. What if they saw him? The
voices were literally outside the door. He started to doubt himself.

If
he was going to stay in the room to hide, then he needed to unlock the door.
Keeping it locked would be a dead giveaway that Adam was hiding in there. Would
they even search in the house? Wouldn’t they assume he escaped? That’s what a
normal, rational being would do.

What
to do? What to do? Every decision had pros and cons. Adam was anxious to roam
the woods alone. He didn’t know his way around; plus, it was pretty dark
outside. He knew he could not hide in the shed again.

This
decision could make or break his life, his limbs. His nose was already broken,
causing him to breathe heavily. Could he keep the noise down? If he stayed,
maybe Adam could sneak into the kitchen to get something to eat. For now, he’d
hide in the closet. That would have to do; it was too risky to attempt anything
else.

Adam
unclicked the lock then tiptoed into the closet. If the room appeared exactly
the same, no one would be suspicious or look around. He bent down and sat on
the dusty floor with his knees holding his head up. Please don’t cramp up.
Please don’t cramp up. Please don’t cramp up. He hoped he made the right
decision.

*
* * *

Logan
shivered. There had to be a valid reason why they didn’t want him and Rae in
that room. With all the commotion, it had to be devastating.

Rae
pounded on the door. “Let me in! Let me in!” He reached for her hand, but she
jerked it away.

What
if another friend was dead? No, it couldn’t be. Maybe someone got really hurt,
and blood gushed everywhere. Kenan, Selma, and Brady’s voices echoed through
the thin wall. Where were Tobey and Naomi?

“Get
Rae away from the door!” Kenan yelled.

Rae
squinted her eyes. “Let me in!”

“Get
her the fuck away from the door!”

Logan
gulped. His friend had urgency and desperation in his voice like it was an
emergency. What if it was more than someone got hurt? He touched Rae’s back.
“Maybe we should leave and give them space.”

“I’m
not leaving until someone tells me what’s going on! Let me in!” Rae didn’t even
look in his direction, leaning into the door.

“They’re
not going to open it. You screaming and banging isn’t helping. Let’s walk away,
then they’ll fill us in when they get out,” he encouraged. Maybe if Logan was
calm, he could rub that off on Rae.

She
kicked the door out of frustration. Logan understood her temperament but having
outbursts wasn’t productive. Who knew—maybe Rae’s reaction was the normal one?

Why
was he composed? Something bad happened. Maybe Selma cracked, seizing one of
the guys at knifepoint. Logan was afraid to know what happened in that room. If
he wasn’t informed, he could stay in denial, stay in the dark. If told, Logan
would have to face the problem head-on.

Why
couldn’t things be stress free until the ranger arrived?

“I
swear to God, get her away from the fucking door! Drag her ass if you have to.
She can’t see this!” Kenan yelled again.

Rae
couldn’t see it, but could Logan handle it? He doubted it. He touched her back
again. “Let’s go, Rae.”

“Why
won’t they let me in? I have a right to know what’s going on.” She sounded
defeated. “Please let me in.”

Logan’s
heart sank.

Instead
of sharing butterflies in their stomach or acting like teens falling in love
for the first time, Rae and Logan were afraid for their lives, afraid for their
safety, not knowing if they or their friends would survive this weekend.

Since
she was weeping, it was effortless leading her away. If he could relieve her
pain and suffering, then he would with no hesitation. Rae fell into his arms;
Logan led her to the stairs. They sat down on the top step.

Where
were Tobey and Naomi? Keeping an eye on Adam? Maybe the stairs weren’t far
enough away; it probably taunted Rae. Maybe they should leave. It troubled
Logan to think that Adam understood Rae and could get her to calm down. A big
possibility. “Let’s go downstairs.”

Without
hesitation, she rose, waiting for Logan to lead the way. They locked arms and
went down the steps slowly as if they were old and may break a hip. At the
kitchen table, he pulled out a chair, so she could sit down. “Want something to
eat or drink?”

She
shook her head. “How can you be so laidback? Something happened in that room.
Aren’t you the least bit curious of what happened?” She studied his reaction.

Logan
rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m being strong for the both of us, so I can’t
freak out.”

“I
wish you would. That would make me feel a whole lot better if you had my back
upstairs. Then maybe they would’ve opened the door, and we wouldn’t be sitting
here like clueless owls.”

Owls?
Logan wanted to laugh about her word choice but thought against it. “I’ll
always have your back.”

“No,
you acted like Kenan, bossing me around. He doesn’t always know what’s best for
me, you know.”

Logan
hung his head down low, looking at the floor. The last thing he wanted was the
girl of his dreams to picture him as her brother.

*
* * *

Tobey
evaded everyone’s gaze. He stood in front of the window in a daze, his back
facing the rest of the people in the room, who were by the nightstand. “Please
get out and give me a minute. I want to be alone with Omi,” he pleaded.

Kenan,
Selma, and Brady obeyed. They huddled in the hallway by the door. “Hey Brady,
can you stay here for when Tobey comes out? We’ll be downstairs,” Kenan said.

Brady
nodded, unable to speak.

Selma
and Kenan found the others sitting at the kitchen table. They held hands. It
seemed like Logan did a good job of comforting Rae. Now the hard part: telling
Rae her friend died. Not only died but someone tortured her friend like their
parents. Not only died and tortured, but it happened right upstairs, in their
old bedroom.

Kenan
took a deep breath then shared a look with Selma, who hugged herself. How could
he break the news? If only she could do it.

As
if reading Kenan’s mind, Selma whispered, “We have something to tell you.
Naomi…” her voice trailed off. She lowered her eyes to the floor.

“Naomi
what?” Rae squeezed Logan’s hand tighter.

He
sauntered over to his sister and bent down to grab her free hand. “Naomi’s…Naomi’s
gone like Marissa.”

In
an unexpected twist, Rae didn’t shatter. She didn’t shiver or break into a
sweat. She didn’t become wide-eyed or have an open mouth expression. She sat
like a zombie, staring off into space. Maybe a defense mechanism?

“What
do you mean she’s gone? She was just hanging out with us a little while ago!”
Logan’s voice rose higher and higher like an opera singer. Instead of a
beautiful melody, it was full of frustration, confusion, and anger.

Kenan
hesitated before responding. There wasn’t really a way to sugar coat this
information. He knew because he had tried to think of something. “In her bed,
someone slit her throat.”

Selma
nudged his arm. “More than that. Tell them, Kenan.”

Kenan
swallowed a knot in his throat.

Logan
and Rae waited impatiently. “Come on, man, what happened? What can be worse
than that?” he asked.

Kenan
and Selma shared a glance. “She…she was cut.”

“Like
slices on her body?” Logan rubbed his chin.

“Kenan,
tell them.” Selma elbowed him again.

Back
to reality, Rae rose in a panic. “Please, Kenan, what’s going on?”

He
took a deep breath, shaking his head. This wouldn’t end well, he thought.
“Na—Naomi’s throat was slit and she…she was gutted limb to limb.”

Rae
collapsed back into her chair.

Logan
stood and covered his mouth. “What the fuck?”

Kenan
held his sister tight. “I’m so sorry.”

Rae’s
arms lay lifeless by her side.

Logan
paced back and forth. He halted at the entrance near the living room; the
bottom of his sneakers screeched along the wooden floor. “Where’s Adam?”

Selma
ran over to him. “What?”

“Where’s
Adam?” Logan repeated.

Kenan
rubbed Rae’s back; he wanted to go over to see what they were talking about,
but couldn’t abandon her like this. She’d probably never be the same again.
Just hearing the word ‘gutted’ probably took an emotional toll on her, probably
crippled her soul.

Logan
and Selma entered the other room. Kenan looked at his sister. “Can you get up?
Or do you want to stay here?”

“I
can get up.” She sniffed, stood, then followed Kenan into the living room, not
hesitating or anything. He didn’t know what Selma meant by Rae had
issues—another exaggeration from Ms. Drama Queen.

The
chair was empty; the clothes that held Adam captive lay on the floor. Kenan
rubbed his forehead. “When did he escape?”

“I’m
going to kill that motherfucker! Torturing women!” Logan spun in circles. “Why
doesn’t he try that mess on a real man? Because he knows he’d get slaughtered!”

Kenan
held his sister’s arm for support, backing them away. Rae got out of his grip
and walked towards Logan. Maybe to try and calm him down?

Seconds
later, the window shattered. Logan’s brains splattered on Rae before he dropped
to the floor, an arrow stuck through his forehead.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Was
that glass? What happened downstairs? Brady ran to check. He figured it was
okay to desert Tobey; only crying echoed through the walls. There wasn’t much
he could do with the locked door as a barricade.

No
one in the kitchen, everything in place. In the living room, Kenan, Selma, and
Rae stretched out on their stomachs, shielding their heads with their arms and
hands. “What’s going on?” Brady asked.

“Get
down,” Kenan whispered.

He
didn’t hesitate when he spotted Logan dead on the floor, glass near the window.
They waited what felt like an eternity for any kind of noise outside to
indicate that the killer was still out there. “We can’t stay here.”

“Brady’s
right,” Selma yelled.

“Keep
your voice down.” Kenan took a deep breath, keeping his eye on the front door.
“Okay listen, we’re crawling ourselves out of here. Me and Selma will look for
Tobey. Brady, please help Rae get cleaned up.”

Rae
cleaned up? Please God don’t let her be wounded. Brady peered in her direction;
red chunks dyed her hair. Her head was buried onto the floorboards as though
she was afraid to look up. What if she was decorated with Logan’s blood and
guts? That had to take an emotional toll. Could she even function?

Brady
lay still while Kenan and Selma slinked past him. Rae didn’t budge. The others
rummaged through the kitchen, opening cabinets and getting frustrated with
finding nothing.

“Rae?”
He made sure to keep his voice low.

She
didn’t acknowledge his presence, so he slid his body like a worm over to her.
He patted her hand. “Rae, we have to go. It’s not safe down here.”

“What’s
the point? It’s safe nowhere; we’re gonna die, Brady.”

“I
won’t let anything happen to you.”

“You
can’t promise that.”

“Please,
Rae. Don’t give up. It’s a group versus one.”

“Then
why does the killer keep winning?”

“Please,
Rae, come with me. We’ll talk while we get you cleaned up. Please.”

“There’s
no point.”

“Come
on, or I’ll drag you upstairs. Either way you’re coming with me.”

Rae
lifted her head, and Brady involuntary threw up. Pieces of brain and blood
oozed down her face. She looked like a zombie who had just finished a human
meal.

Brady’s
cheeks turned red. How could she see him as a protector if he vomited all over
the place? No wonder Rae gave up.

She
proceeded to stand.

“No
crawl,” Brady said with urgency in his voice. They crept to the stairs, passing
the other survivors, and went upstairs on their hands and knees.

They
made their way to Brady and Logan’s room. Brady bolted the door because they
couldn’t be too careful. Then they proceeded to the bathroom, once again
locking the door. It’d be much safer there—no windows.

Rae
stood at the sink to wash her face with soap. She hadn’t waited for Brady to
hand her a washcloth, instead she used it as a towel. He gargled with mouth
rinse and spat in the toilet, which reminded him of earlier. He covered his
mouth, fighting the urge to throw up again.

A
weak smile formed on Rae’s lips. “Are you pregnant?”

“Haha,
very funny.”

“Might
as well have fun before we die. I even cleaned myself, so you wouldn’t get sick
again.”

How
thoughtful. Brady was bummed that he missed the opportunity to have that
special moment with Rae, taking care of her, wiping her down. He focused on her
cleavage. Right dab in the middle of her bra was a red chunk of Logan’s gore.
“Missed a spot.”

Rae
lowered her sight to the spot where Brady stared. She frowned, picked up the
nasty thing, and flung it in the sink. It made a thud sound. She took her shirt
off, tossed it on the sink, then plucked chunks out of her hair. Rae seemed
oblivious, standing only in a bra in front of Brady.

He
was only human, so of course, he got an erection. Embarrassed, he spun around.
In better circumstances, he would have made a move on her, but not like this.
If only she knew how much she affected him. He stripped off his long sleeve
shirt and passed it backwards to Rae. “Here you go. Wear this.”

“Thanks.”

Brady
tugged at his wife beater and wiped sweat off his forehead. He may die at any
second, yet all he could think about was sex. He was a horny guy; he couldn’t
help it.

Sex
was probably the furthest from Rae’s mind. She hadn’t even bothered asking why
his back faced her. Maybe she already knew.

Think
about baseball. Think about grandma. Think about anything except Rae’s banging
body.
Imagining grandma helped. Brady sighed in relief and turned to face Rae.
“Where’s Adam?”

She
shrugged her shoulders. “He was gone. Maybe the killer took him.”

“It’s
him. It has to be him.”

“Where
would he gave gotten all these weapons? It’s not him. It’s killers outside our
group. They’ll torture us. I can’t go through this again.” Rae’s voice trailed
off through her sobs.

Brady
walked over to her and wiped her tears. “I can’t even imagine what you must be
going through right now, but I promise I’ll get you out alive.”

“Don’t
say that. Please don’t say that. We’re all being wiped out right after each
other. I can’t take anymore.” She fell into the sink. “Please, Brady, I can’t
lose you too. I can’t lose anyone else.”

He
enveloped his arms around her; she placed her head on his chest. If only there
wasn’t a mystery surrounding this killer, then they’d have a chance of
outsmarting him. Of winning. “You won’t lose me, Rae.”

“You
can’t promise that.”

Brady
couldn’t promise, but he’d try his darnedest to make that statement true. Would
that be enough?

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Selma
searched in the den. She slammed the cabinet. “How the hell is there nothing in
this God forsaken place? No guns! No nothing! How can we protect ourselves?
Huh! How—“

Kenan
grabbed her arm, turning her around. “Selma, calm down.”

“We
can’t stop looking! He’s gonna kill us!”

“Keep
your voice down, or he may find us.”

Selma
knew he was right, but she was in panic mode. She didn’t want to die. Whom to
trust? Did she even have that much time to decide? The killer was wiping them
off like a Call of Duty game, except this wasn’t a game where you could
renew lives after hitting the restart button. This was real life. “We have to
get out of here.”

“I
know. It’s not safe to spend the night. We’ll have to walk out of here.”

Selma
nodded. “I’m sorry for accusing you and Rae.”

Kenan
caressed her cheek. “You should tell her that.”

“All
hope isn’t lost.” She rushed upstairs, tailed by Kenan. She shook the doorknob
on Tobey’s door, but it was locked. She banged on it. “Tobey, let us in.”

Within
minutes, a grief-stricken Tobey answered the door. No time for condolences or
to see if he was okay; she needed that knife placed on the bed. She grabbed it.

Kenan
jumped. “Hey be careful.”

“I
got this. We need to find Rae and Brady, then get the fuck out of here.” Selma
marched over to Rae’s room. The door was open with no one inside. She took off
for Marissa’s room—empty. She tried to open Brady’s door, but it was locked.
She pounded on it. “Let me in!”

Before
long, Brady opened it, ushered everyone in, peeked in the hallway, then quickly
shut and locked the door behind them.

“No
time for locked doors. We have to get out of here,” Selma demanded. “Where’s
Rae?”

“I’m
here.” Rae walked out of the bathroom. She gasped, staring at the bloody knife.
“Is that—“

“Yes,
it killed Naomi; now, we’ll use it on the murderer,’ Selma answered.

Rae
covered her mouth, and Brady wrapped his arms around her.

“What’s
going on?” Tobey asked.

“Logan’s
dead,” Kenan said.

Tobey’s
eyes widened. “What?”

“It
just happened. We were downstairs. Adam’s gone, and an arrow shot through the
window, through Logan’s head. No time to suffer, died instantly.”

“May
we all get that opportunity,” Rae mumbled. There was no time for her mumbo
jumbo.

“No
giving up, Rae.” Brady squeezed her.

“We
need more weapons,” Kenan said like captain obvious. No duh!

Brady
looked at Tobey. “You remember that shed? It’s Weapons-R-Us.”

“Let’s
go,” Selma ordered.

BANG.

They
covered their mouths in shock. Tobey, Brady, and Rae darted into the bathroom
while Kenan and Selma hid in the closet. Someone had kicked the front door
open. Heavy footsteps, like someone wore boots in the summer, inched up the
steps in a slow fashion, taunting them.

Selma
gripped the knife in her hand, ready to attack. It had to be the killer toying
with them. It had to be.

The
floorboards creaked, and the doors squeaked every time the killer opened one.
The footsteps got louder, then stopped in front of the bedroom. Selma held onto
Kenan’s hand. Why didn’t they hide in the bathroom too? Now, the killer would
get them first, but she wouldn’t go down without a fight.

She
looked at Kenan. Hopefully, they were on the same page as pouncing on the
killer. The outsider kicked the door in, and Selma transformed into Xena the
Warrior Princess. She yelled as she stabbed him in the heart. He managed to
fire off a shot, barely missing her. A bullet hole decorated the wall.

Selma
sat on top of the killer’s thighs and repeatedly jabbed the knife in and out of
his chest. Blood spurt everywhere. “Die! Die! Die!” All she spotted was red
from blood, from rage. She sought revenge for making her weekend hell.

Kenan
knelt down to the floor on the other side of the dead body; he looked in despair.
“Selma, stop.”

“He
killed our friends, and tried to kill us!”

“Selma,
stop!” Kenan raised his voice. “He’s the fucking ranger. He could’ve helped
us!”

Out
of her black-out, Selma noticed the light green uniform. She covered her mouth.
Oh no. She’d get jail time for this. Why hadn’t he introduced himself?

Wait,
he probably drove. In urgency and panic, Selma searched the guy’s pockets and
found the keys. She ditched the knife in his chest, opting to take the gun as
she sprinted down the stairs.

Kenan
chased after her. “Selma!”

She
hopped in the driver’s seat while he opened the passenger’s side door. “I’ll
radio for help.”

“No
time. We have to get outta here!”

Kenan
folded his arms across his chest. “I’m not leaving Rae.”

“Then
get out of my way!” Selma started the car engine.

He
jumped in. He reached for the steering wheel to prevent her from leaving.
“It’ll take me a second to get everyone.”

“No
fucking time!” It wasn’t Selma’s problem that they didn’t rush out the other
room when they heard all the commotion. She put the car in drive and sped off
without waiting for Kenan to close the door.

He
touched the wheel again.

“Try
that again, and I swear I’ll shoot you!”

He
glared at Selma with fiery eyes. “What’s your fucking problem?”

Not
enough time to answer that question. Selma turned on the high beams, so she
could see the path clearer. She was used to driving on paved roads, not beat
down, dirt trails. Too many curves and deep dips caused the car to rock back
and forth. She was getting carsick; it’d probably help if she’d slow down, but
Selma’s foot refused to ease off the pedal.

The
ranger wasn’t the killer, so there was still some sick bastard out there with a
bow and arrow. Or worse yet—a sniper gun. This moving vehicle was probably his
target. She had to get the hell out of dodge.

Rae,
Tobey, Kenan, and Brady would just have to understand, she reasoned.

Selma
kept her eye on Kenan, at least his shadow, through her peripheral vision in
case he tried something funny.

He
snatched the microphone from the center of the console. “Hello, hello. We need
help. A killer is stalking me and my friends. Hello.” They waited for a
response. When none came, he threw the device at the window. “Damn it!”

Mr.
Calm, Cool, and Collected seemed on the verge of a mental breakdown. “Don’t
break it; we need it.”

“Says
the person who killed the fucking ranger!” Kenan punched the dashboard. “Selma,
pull over! Stop the car!”

Out
of defiance, she pressed harder on the pedal. She went too fast during a curve,
almost rolling the car over.

“Stop
the car! We need to go back for Rae!”

Forget
Rae, she’d have to take care of herself. If she had stolen the car, would Kenan
pressure her to go back for Selma? Hell no.

They
drove a good distance—probably twenty miles or so—before Kenan lost his patience.
Instead of verbally pleading for Selma to turn around, he decided to go after
what he wanted. Grabbing the wheel and forcing a sharp turn took Selma by
surprise. They veered and crashed into a gigantic tree; the air bag knocked
Selma unconscious.

*
* * *

“They
left us! They left us!” Rae looked around the room in bewilderment. She knew
they were in trouble, stranded once more. The ranger dead. Maybe she had been
right all this time—Selma was the killer. Otherwise, why would she eliminate
the only person who could help them?

Selma
had a partner, maybe missing Adam. It was no coincidence that he disappeared,
unless an outsider, like RL, really did capture him.

Never
in a million years would she think Kenan would desert her, even if to get help.
Not only did he abandon her, but also he ditched his best friend, Tobey. He
chose love over family; Rae frowned.

She
shook her head. No more being wimpy. No more woe is me crap. Rae’s friends
needed her assistance to flee these damn woods. She’d fight to protect them. She
should’ve executed what she set out to do earlier in the day. She probably
would’ve been to a neighbor’s home by now. She could have traveled in the day
instead of nighttime. “Does anyone have a flashlight?”

“Why?”
Tobey rubbed the back of his neck, glancing out the window.

“We
have to walk outta here.”

Brady
grabbed Rae’s hand. “Do you think that’s a good idea with a lunatic carrying a
bow and arrow out there somewhere? The light will make us easy targets.”

“Well,
we’re sitting ducks if we wait here. You were right, Brady, no giving up.” Rae
held hands with Brady and Tobey. “We have to try for Naomi, Logan, and Marissa.
They need a proper burial. To make sure that happens, we can’t be laying down
next to them.” Her frustration and anger over being left fueled her
determination to make it out alive.

The
guys shared a look.

“The
flashlight?” Rae repeated.

“I
think it’s downstairs,” Tobey answered.

“Good.
We need to put on layers of clothes to keep from freezing. Wear sneakers if you
have any, and whoever makes it downstairs first, grab bottles of water.”

“We
need weapons,” Brady said.

Tobey
released his friend’s hand, bent down, and yanked the bloody knife out of the
ranger’s chest. “Here’s something.”

“And
there’s weapons in the shed,” Brady added.

“Then
we’ll have to make our way over there first. It’s closer if we try a neighbor,
but if no one’s home, we’re out of luck.” Rae gulped. Her decision could make
or break the escape plan.

Was
it wise to try neighbors she hadn’t seen in years? Would they even be the same
people? What if the locals were torturing her friends, and she’d walk them
right into a trap? Maybe instead of going the shorter, easier route, she should
suck it up and go the distance to ensure getting out the woods completely. Then
they’d be at a highway.

Rae
wanted to hide the doubt in her facial expression but didn’t know if she
succeeded. To get more time to think in private, she urged the guys to be
productive and complete the tasks she asked of them earlier.

Brady
touched her cheek. “I’m not leaving you alone.”

“We’ll
finish faster if we split up,” Rae said.

“Brady’s
right. We can’t leave each other; Kenan would never forgive us if anything
happened to you,” Tobey said.

Tears
formed in her eyes; she avoided their gazes. If that were true, she would be
sitting in that car, counting down the minutes before seeing a police or park
ranger station.

They
took turns adding layers of clothing in each bedroom. During Tobey’s turn, they
made her wait in the hallway. Brady was the only one who didn’t have sneakers.
Rae felt bad for him because he’d have blisters the size of Montana. She kicked
the side of the bed; there was no way he could make a thirty-mile hike.

“Wait.
Logan wore New Balance. I don’t know if you two are the same size, but it’ll have
to do.” Tobey was a genius.

Rae,
Tobey, and Brady cautiously made their way into the living room, crawling on
all fours, knowing full well the killer could be waiting to strike again. The
door off the hinges didn’t help any.

Brady
leaned over Logan’s body, held his nose, then sat on the floor. He turned away
from the corpse and gagged. “I can’t…I can’t touch him.”

Poor
Logan. He had expressed his feelings to Rae. Now, he was gone, never to
remember any of it. She eyed his body like someone witnessing a horrific
accident. So many things she wished she could’ve said to him. She prayed for
her friends; hopefully, they were in Heaven and not stuck in Purgatory. Would
this be the last time Rae would ever see them? Could the rest of the group make
it out alive, or was it just a hopeless dream?

Tobey
inched over to Logan’s legs and pulled socks and sneakers off his feet. He
handed them to Brady, who gagged again, while taking them.

Hesitantly,
he put the belongings on his feet. “Sorry, Logan,” he whispered.

Rae
felt a lump in her throat, glancing over at the empty couch. She had to hold it
together. “Water, then we can go.”

The
guys nodded. They followed her into the kitchen. She grabbed all the water
bottles out of the refrigerator and put them in her empty book bag. Tobey took
it, so she wouldn’t have to carry anything heavy.

“Wait,
the flashlights.” Brady crawled back into the living room then returned. Rae
and Tobey were already by the back exit. Brady held a flashlight and handed the
other one to Rae. She reached for the doorknob.

“Wait.”
Tobey lowered her hand. He took a deep breath, then peeked his head out the
glass pane. Scanning outside, he must not have seen anything suspicious because
he said, “Coast’s clear” after opening the door.

He
left first, then Rae, last was Brady, who closed the door behind him. The full
moon and stars illuminated white light in the yard. Beyond the trees, total
darkness.

Rae
looked at the blanket still in the same spot. Brady tapped her arm as if
pleading for her to lead the way. She stepped low in front of Tobey and crept
to the Jeeps.

They’d
need another weapon, and she knew exactly where to find one. She maneuvered
behind the Jeeps. Tobey and Brady shadowed her moves; they formed a single line
like kids in elementary school. Rae crawled on her knees. She made her way to
the bushes and pulled the knife out of its hiding place. “Found it.”

“Found
what?” Brady whispered.

“A
knife.”

“How
did you know it’d be here?” Tobey asked.

“Earlier
today, Selma and I found it. A long story that I can share on our hike outta
here.” She curled her fingers, urging them to follow her. They could stop
walking low to the ground once trees could hide them a little. Once they
weren’t out in the open.

Rae
would have never imagined the dark shadows would scare her, but there she was
terrified, pretending to put on a brave face. Tree branches looked like
skeletal, pointy fingers willing to snatch them. She listened closely for
leaves crackling or tree limbs snapping, anything to indicate someone or an animal
may be following or approaching them.

Eventually,
they reached the shed. She remembered this place; it was her family’s. She
scanned the room; the flashlight revealed sharp objects hanging. Whoa, who
stocked it with all this stuff? Brady wasn’t lying when he had said it was full
of weapons.

Tobey
shut the door. “Each grab something, then let’s go. Right, Rae?”

“We
should stay.”

“What?”
Tobey asked as him and Brady turned to face her simultaneously.

“Just
for a little while to rest.” She breathed heavily. “You have no idea how
daunting this hike will be.”

Brady
nodded. “I’m hungry. Damn, why didn’t we think to grab something to eat?”

A
sly grin formed on Tobey’s lips. “I don’t know about you guys, but I brought
snacks.” He dug candy bars, protein bars, and small bag of chips from his
hoodie pocket. “There’s more where this came from, so dig in.” He handed each
of them something, and they devoured their snacks as if they had no home
training.

“We
need to sit and rest our legs just for a little bit. Try to sit on the floor
away from the windows.” Rae gulped once she realized there were no blinds. All
the killer had to do was approach the shed and they’d be visible, but they had
to take the chance. She switched off their only light source just in case. Brady
winced before he joined Rae on the floor. He patted her knee, so she returned
the gesture. Tobey was across from them; he played with his knife.

“I’m
sorry about Naomi,” she whispered.

Tobey
wiped a tear. “She was my life. Whoever killed her will get what’s coming to
him. I’ll have no mercy on Adam.” Rae and Brady looked in each other’s
direction. “I suppose it was him. He got loose, right?”

“I’m
sorry, Tobey, but…I don’t think it’s ever been Adam.” Tears formed in Rae’s
eyes. “I think it’s an outsider, a local, or neighbor. I mean, how could Adam
have gotten a bow and arrow? Sure, he could hide a knife in his bag, but a bow.
No way…that’s why we should get some rest. I mean, we shouldn’t attempt to go
to a neighbor’s cabin anymore. We should make our way out of the woods
entirely.”

“Maybe
someone will come looking for that ranger. Maybe we should stay put,” Brady
said.

“No,
we have to escape like Kenan and Selma did,” Rae said.

“I
trust you, Rae. Do you trust me and Brady?” Tobey held his breath, waiting for
an answer.

“Of
course.”

“Then
tell us how you knew where to find a knife.”

She
lowered her gaze to the weapon. She explained how earlier she and Selma fought,
then came upon the knife and shredded pieces of the Jeeps’ belts.

“And
you’re just telling us now?” Brady asked in a panic.

“I’m
sorry.” Rae pouted. “It was our way of trying to narrow down the killer.”

Tobey
crossed his arms over his chest. “And how did that go for you?”

If
she wasn’t careful, she may have a mutiny on her hands. “I’m sorry. I wish I
would’ve done things differently.”

Brady
caressed her hand. ‘We all do.”

“You
two should take a power nap while I’ll be watchman. Maybe we each take twenty-minute
intervals? That gives us enough time to take it easy and see if someone comes
looking for the ranger. How does that sound?” Tobey proposed.

“How
can I sleep in here?” Brady asked in disgust.

“Trust
me, Brady, just close your eyes. You’ll wish you had once we start our journey.
I’m talking at least three days. I mean the whole nine yards.” Rae squeezed his
hand.

She
had to put her trust in Tobey since her eyelids felt heavy. She was sore. If
she got some shuteye, the pain would go away temporarily.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Adam
finished inspecting the entire cabin. He had came across Naomi and a
stranger—must have been when he heard the gunshot—upstairs, while Logan, at
least he thought that was him; his face was partly removed, lay downstairs.
Bloody footprints painted the floorboards. All this happened while he hid in
the closet? Would he have died if he hadn’t gotten loose?

Adam
recalled overhearing people say they should get layers of clothing, so he ran
back upstairs for extra clothes. He wasn’t staying in haunted central. Probably
nothing but vengeful ghosts. At least in their last moments Marissa, Naomi, and
Logan realized Adam wasn’t really the killer.

He
bounced up and down to hype himself up. Grow a set. Be a man. He’d have to
enter the woods alone in the complete dark, at least until he bumped into
someone else. He’d have to take his chances with the group, well, of who was
left.

Adam
strolled into the hallway; he stopped in front of Naomi and Tobey’s old room.
He cringed at the sight of her corpse. How did he not hear anything? He had
been next door. Adam tried to come up with any clue—a cough, a sneeze, a
voice—but he couldn’t wrap his brain around anything. The killer was a silent
one, even more scary and creepy.

He’d
probably regret it, but he needed to get a closer look. Lowering his eyes to
the stained floor, Adam spotted something silver under the bed. As if calling
his name and putting him in a trance, he entered the room, bent down, and
retrieved the mysterious object.

A
tape recorder? Finally a clue unless Naomi and Tobey were one of those kinky
couples, who recorded and videotaped their sexual fantasies. He rewound a
little bit then pressed play. A guy crying. The same sound from earlier.

Did
he record himself, or was he never there in the first place? The clever fucker.
Silent killer indeed. Adam could be a jerk, and not warn anyone about this new
evidence. He could say “fuck you” for accusing him. However, if he wanted to
survive, then he needed other people. Couldn’t help Adam if they’re all dead,
and they wouldn’t stop dying if they didn’t wise up. This clue would finally
help them do that.

If
only he could get to them in time, Adam thought.

He
sprinted downstairs and out the door. He knew how to get to the shed and lake;
if they weren’t in one of those areas, then they were all out of luck. Adam ran
like an Olympian track star. His eyes adjusted to the darkness. Maybe it’d be
best to sneak up on them. He slowed down to a speed walk. Almost to the shed,
he could hardly breathe, panting while crouching down with his hands on his
knees.

But
he couldn’t afford to take a break. Seconds couldn’t be wasted. He crept on his
tiptoes toward the shed. What was he getting himself into? Adam approached the
window and peered inside. Tobey, who stared at Brady and Rae, held a knife in
his hand. They seemed to be sleeping, unless they were already dead, and he was
admiring his work.

Tobey
turned his head. They made eye contact. Adam could tell that Tobey’s eyes were
full of evil and hatred.

In
fear, Adam backed away from the window and ran. So much for being a hero, he
scolded himself.

Crackle.
Crackle. Snap. Snap.

He
suspected Tobey wasn’t far behind. Why didn’t he grab a weapon earlier?

Tobey
jerked Adam backwards by his hoodie, gagging him like yesterday. Adam choked
and reached out for his throat to loosen the grip. Tobey spun him around. “Why
are you running?”

“Why
are you chasing me?” Adam moaned, trying to measure Tobey’s strength. If he
could strike his opponent where it’d count the most, then maybe Tobey would
drip the knife. Wide-eyed, he gasped for air.

“Because
you’re a fucking killer, and everyone else may be on board about letting you
go, but I’m not a supporter of that.”

Adam
gulped. “Tobey, I didn’t kill her. I promise you.” He raised his hands in
surrender.

“There
you go again with ‘her.’ Say Naomi’s name.”

“Naomi!
I’m sorry. Please don’t kill me!”

Tobey
shook Adam. “Keep your voice down.”

“Sorry,”
he mumbled.

Tobey
grinned. “It’s funny that you’re begging for your life when you’re the fucking
killer.”

“I
didn’t kill anyone and deep down you know that.” Adam raised the tape recorder
in the air.

Tobey
snatched it, laughing like a hyena. He cracked his neck. “You’re right. No more
pretending. It wasn’t supposed to be this way, you know. No one else was
supposed to come. Only friends.” He stared off into the distance with a blank
stare. “I tried to get you to leave, but you’re a dumb fuck. Why you stayed is
beyond me. A fatal mistake.”

Fatal.
Oh, shit. “You were gonna let me leave. Well let me. I promise I won’t tell
anyone. Please let me go. Follow through with the plan.”

“It’s
too late.”

“It’s
never too late,” Adam pleaded, a tear slid down his cheek.

“Tell
everyone I said ‘hi.’ I’ll be seeing you guys soon.” Tobey stabbed him in the
chest multiple times then slit his throat. Adam threw up blood. He gasped for
his last, final breath.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Brady
woke up with no idea what time it was. He looked up at the window. Still
darkness. Thankfully, no one was peeking in. He glanced at Rae, who rested on
his shoulder. He could treasure this moment forever.

Where
was Tobey? He was absent from the dingy shed. Brady decided to check things
out. Maybe Tobey heard something? Maybe the killer got him? How could Brady
protect him? He gazed down at his axe and machete. One of these would have to
do. He moved slowly and placed Rae’s head near the wall to not disrupt her
sleep.

Brady
took a deep breath, calling himself an idiot for going into a possible line of
fire. He manned up and walked outside. Tobey stood with his back from the shed.
His white hoodie looked like a gigantic marshmallow floating in thin air. Brady
snuck up on him. “What kind of watchman are you?” Brady asked while Tobey
hurriedly placed something into his hoodie pocket. “How you gonna keep an eye
out on things if you’re facing the opposite direction?”

Brady
stood in front of Tobey, so his eyes could stay on the shed.

Tobey
sniffed. “I’m sorry. I thought I heard something, but it was nothing. And I
can’t stop thinking about Omi. She’s gone. The love of my life is gone…”

He
patted Tobey’s hand, not knowing what to say. He couldn’t be a heartless douche
bag and tell Tobey to stop grieving, to stay focused so he could protect him
and Rae. Between Rae and Tobey, Brady would have to be the strong one. Yeah
right, he was scared shitless.

Tobey
looked off to the side. “I was thinking you two should stay here. I’ll go for
help. That way if the police come, you won’t miss them.”

Brady
shook his head. “We should stick together.”

“Not
when there’s a faster chance for us to get help. Stay with Rae and keep her
protected. I’ll keep going straight—will end up somewhere eventually. Please
let me do this…I have nothing to lose, nothing to live for, so if something
happens to me, you guys will be safe.”

Tobey
had nothing to live for? That was the grief talking, exactly why he shouldn’t
go alone. He had no fight left. He could die or give up, and they would never
know. It wasn’t a good idea by any means.

Kenan
and Selma escaped; they arrived at the police station by now. The cops were
probably on their way right this second. No point getting exhausted trying to
walk out of here when they could just wait it out a little bit longer.

“So
what do you think, dude? Will you make sure Rae stays safe?” Tobey asked.

Brady
shook his head.

“Come
on, dude. I’m telling you what I’m doing. It’s not like I’m asking. It’s not
like you can stop me. I’m leaving now.” Tobey patted Brady on his shoulder.
“It’ll give you enough time to come up with a story for Rae before she wakes
up. I can trust you, right?”

Brady
nodded. It’s not as if he could tie Tobey up; his friends used that tactic on
Adam, and look how that worked out.

He
raised his eyebrow. What didn’t Tobey want him to see in his pocket? “Need
anything?” He fished for information on the sly.

Tobey
lifted his weapon in the air. “No, I think I got everything.” He laughed. “Not
everyone can be fully loaded like you.”

“It’s
not funny; I’m protecting myself.”

“And
that’s a good thing, but you better protect Rae. If something happens to her,
then Kenan will kill you.”

In
a defensive tone, Brady said, “Then he shouldn’t have left her.”

“I’m
sure that wasn’t a part of the plan. He had his reasons.”

“Is
that a phone?”

“What?”

Brady
pointed to Tobey’s pocket. “Is that a phone?”

“Uh...yeah.
When I’m out far enough, I’ll be able to call for help.” Tobey wiped sweat from
his forehead. “Speaking of that, I should head out.” He left in a hurry. Brady sighed,
praying his friend would have good luck.

*
* * *

Kenan
watched Selma sleep. He fiddled with the gun in his hands. She’s lucky it
didn’t go off during their impact, he thought.

Why
did Selma have to be stupid and split the group up?

He
couldn’t bring himself to leave her alone, even if she wasn’t aware of her
surroundings at the moment. He’d wait patiently for her to wake up, hoping
Tobey and Brady had his sister’s back. He removed his hoodie and placed it over
her cold body. Wearing a short sleeve shirt, Kenan shivered. His stomach
growled.

Kenan
stopped staring at Selma long enough to look straight ahead into total
blackness, then glanced up at the moon. He had no idea where they were, no
visible landmarks, and neither brought a flashlight. If she woke up tonight,
they’d have to navigate in the dark just like when he had to venture off alone
the first night to grab Marissa and Brady.

A
slight smile formed on his lips. He had gotten closure from his ex, and it felt
so good. Back to reality, Kenan grimaced. Mar was dead. He imagined her ghost
appearing in front of the car, not in color, in black and white, possibly gray.

Kenan
could barely keep his eyes open. He blinked rapidly, hoping that spark of
energy would help, but it didn’t. He closed his eyes, only to rest for a few
seconds. Only a few seconds, he promised himself.

*
* * *

The
sunrays beaming down on Kenan awakened him. It felt like he was stranded on
Mars. He glanced over at Selma, who rubbed her forehead as if she was in
excruciating pain. Bruises and dried blood covered her face, giving the
illusion of chicken pox.

“Good
morning,” Kenan said.

She
rose in her seat; his hoodie fell to her lap. “Did we sleep here all night?”

“It
looks like it.”

She
reached for the microphone. “We need to call for help.”

Kenan
snatched it away. “It doesn’t work, remember? We have to go back for them. I
hope you know that.”

“I’m
not going back there.” Selma folded her arms across her bloodstained tank top.
“It’s not safe, Kenan. We’re so close; we have to keep moving.”

“Not
without Rae, Tobey, and Brady.”

“They’re
probably dead by now.”

Kenan
dropped the gun on his lap and grabbed both of her shoulders. He shook her.
“Take it back!”

“Get
off of me!” Her eyes widened, and she flinched.

“Take
it back! You better pray Rae isn’t hurt!”

“I’m
sorry. I didn’t mean it.”

Kenan
took a deep breath and cracked his neck. He looked relieved, releasing Selma.
He picked the firearm back up. “I have the gun now, so it looks like I’m
calling the shots, but unlike you, I’ll actually give the other person a
choice. I’m going to find them. You can stay here and wait or try to make it
out of the woods alone.”

“Kenan—“

“What’s
your decision?”

She
rubbed his arm. “I know you don’t want to hear anything I say because I left
Rae, but please think logically instead of emotionally. Going back would be
suicide.”

Kenan
touched the side of Selma’s face gently then gave her a tender kiss. “Goodbye,
Selma.” He opened the car door and walked away.

Selma
opened the door. She chased after him, pleading, “Please don’t leave me alone.”

He
turned around. “Come with me, then you won’t be alone.”

She
cried, a truly vulnerable moment. She unraveled right before his eyes, no
longer the feisty badass she claimed to be. “I can’t. I don’t want to die.”
Selma lowered her eyes to the ground. “The way you’ll do anything to protect
Rae, is the same way I feel about seeing my mom again. Please, Kenan. We’re the
only family we have left. I can’t leave her.”

“I
understand…if you keep straight, you’ll be out of here in no time.” Kenan wiped
a tear. “Pace yourself; there’s probably like ten miles left.”

“Kenan,
please,” Selma whispered.

“Keep
straight and you should be fine.”

“At
least give me the gun.”

Kenan
looked down at the weapon in his hands. “I can’t do that, Sel. I need it for
protection. You’re heading to safety while I have to backtrack towards the
danger zone; all because you left people behind.”

Selma
frowned. “I said sorry.”

“And
hopefully one day you’ll actually forgive yourself.” He gave a weak smile then
left.

Crackle.
Crackle. Snap. Snap.

Kenan’s
grin grew wider—maybe he’d get closure as he did with Mar.

Chapter Thirty

Selma
dreaded every second hiking back into the ‘danger zone.’ If only she had a
weapon. She and Kenan had slept the night away. Who knew if the killer found
them? He probably waited at the end of the woods, so close to freedom, ready to
kill them with a knife or bow and arrow. Selma wasn’t stupid. This maniac was a
smart psychopath. He loved toying with them.

If
only they hadn’t had that lovers’ spat that led to her kicking Kenan to the
curb. If that nightmare never happened, then she could have used her womanly
charms to get her way. Kenan loved Selma; there was no way he’d fall out of
love easily, right?

Maybe
it wasn’t too late. They were probably only a mile or two away from the car.
Women won when guys were swayed by their small brain, a.k.a. penis.

A
squirrel ran past her feet. She licked her lips. Mashed potatoes with gravy
teased her taste buds. Her mouth felt dry, and she held her stomach when it
roared.

“I
admire you and your mom’s close bond. I often wonder how different my life
would’ve been if I hadn’t lost my mom,” Kenan whispered. When Selma didn’t
respond, he stared at her then playfully bumped into her shoulder. “I’ll get
you out of here. I promise.”

Selma
nodded, wiping a tear away. This was the sweet, romantic guy she fell in love
with. The guy who put other people’s needs first. She wrapped her arm into his.
“I’m sorry for everything.”

“Me
too.” He touched her arm and squeezed it.

They
both remained silent until Kenan broke the ice. “I’m surprised Rae took
everyone’s deaths so well. I thought she’d try to end her life just to join
them. That’s why I had such a tight grip on her this weekend. I couldn’t afford
to lose her yet.”

Yet?

“She’s
stronger than you think.”

Kenan
smiled. “She’s very unpredictable, but not a killer.”

“I
know. There’s no way she was capable of this,” Selma agreed even though in the
back of her mind she figured Rae could have pulled it off with the help of Adam
or RL. She couldn’t afford to say that though and have a repeat of the bathroom
fight. Selma frowned and stepped to the side, creating distance between them.

He
snatched her by the arm, pulling her closer. “No stay close, Sel…I admire that
you’re strong and have a mind of your own. There was never a dull moment in
dating you.”

“Was?”

“Yeah
past tense. You dumped me, remember?” he said matter-of-factly like a robot. No
hint of disdain or sadness.

“People
say things they don’t mean out of anger.”

“So
we’re not broken up?”

“Not
if you don’t want to be,” she reasoned. She’d say or do anything to stay on the
good side of the person with the weapon.

“If
only it was that simple to go back to how things were.” He shook his head.

“Why
can’t it?”

“I
can’t forget that you didn’t trust me or Rae this weekend. You even tried to
turn everyone against us. Spit in my face…I love you, Selma, but I can’t look
at you the same way. You’re not ride or die like I thought.”

Selma
frowned. “You can’t forgive me, but you can forgive Marissa. She cheated on
you.”

Kenan
stopped abruptly. “Did you hear that?” He scanned the area.

She
strained her hearing. In the near distance, leaves crunched under someone’s
foot, also a low whistle escaped someone’s lips. She widened her eyes, moved
closer to Kenan, and squeezed his waist. “It’s the killer.”

Kenan
guided them to a tree to stand behind. Selma leaned her back against it while
he stood in front of her. He held the gun and steadied his feet in case he needed
to use it. Selma quivered with nerves. They weren’t going to make it!

They
anticipated the killer coming from the right side of the woods, so they both
stared intensely in that direction. She covered her mouth, so she wouldn’t make
a noise and blow their cover.

To
Selma’s surprise, Tobey, with a pep in his step, sauntered past the tree as if
he was carefree. He held a knife loosely to the side, blood all over it. She
flinched, probably the same one that slain Naomi and the ranger. Selma burned
so many bridges that no one would have her back now. They’d all rat her out,
and she’d have to spend her prison sentence in some small town.

Kenan
did a double take, flabbergasted. He caught her gaze. He followed Tobey. She
took off after her boyfriend. They tiptoed for a minute or two.

Kenan
said, “Hey, Tobey, you’re an easy target, not even realizing people are
sneaking up on you.” Tobey turned around, and the boys shared a pat on the
back.

Tobey
hugged Selma and planted a kiss on her cheek.

“Where’s
everyone?” Kenan asked in a somber tone.

Tobey
lowered his eyes to the ground. “I’m sorry, man. We thought you guys got of
here to get help. I told them to wait at the shed while I got help too, at
least out far enough to get cell phone reception.”

“Rae’s
at the shed?”

“Yeah.”

“How
can you be so sure?”

Tobey
gulped. “I told them to stay put.”

Kenan
slapped his forehead. “Geez Louise, we’re talking about my sister here. She’s
probably convinced Brady to leave; you know he can’t say ‘no’ to her.”

“She
didn’t think it’d be safe to try a neighbor, so she wanted to walk outta here.
They could very well be on their way.” Tobey looked at Selma. “Why aren’t you
guys safe somewhere?”

“We
crashed a couple miles back. Speedy Gonzalez wouldn’t turn around to get you
guys.”

“That’s
why you’re backtracking?” Tobey asked as if contemplating a mystery.

Enough
of the reunion, they had to get out of there. “Can we walk and talk at the same
time?” Selma asked.

“I’m
going back for Rae; you guys go ahead without me. Selma really wants to get out
of here. Tobey, will you go with her? Protect her?”

Tobey
nodded.

Kenan
stepped closer to Selma and gave her a hug. “You misunderstood. I already
forgave you a while ago. See you soon,” he whispered in her ear.

She
smiled then let go even though she didn’t want to. Kenan was making a mistake
going back. A deadly mistake.

He
left. Selma and Tobey watched him disappear off into the distance. Tobey
glanced at her. “Let’s get out of here,” he said.

She
sighed in relief. “Please.”

They
headed in the opposite direction. A knife wasn’t particularly better than a
gun, but a knife was better than no weapon at all. Or was it?

Chapter Thirty-One

Rae
loathed being told what to do. Of course, there was a difference between asking
politely and ordering someone around. The latter was unreasonable in her mind;
that’s why the second Brady revealed that Tobey demanded they stay at the shed,
she said,” Hell no.” They needed to search for him. He shouldn’t be by himself.
Plus, they were stronger in numbers. She grabbed a hammer while Brady insisted
on keeping his two weapons.

All
night, Brady had stayed at the same pace as Rae with hardly any complaints. She
was worried about him because constant complaining was his MO. He seemed like a
pod person.

“Do
you need a water break?” she asked.

“Nah,
I’m good. The sooner we get of here, the better.”

“Hate
to break it to you, but we still have a ways to go.”

Brady
panted, wiping sweat from his forehead. “A water break sounds good then.”

Rae
smiled and locked arms with him, leading him to a huge tree stump. He leaned up
against it and slid down to bend his knees. Rae pulled a bottle out of her
backpack and handed it to him. Brady splashed water on his face, moaned in
ecstasy, then gulped down his drink. “That felt so good.” He closed his eyes to
enjoy the moment. He opened them, looking at Rae. “I’m sorry I’m slowing you
down.”

She
slid down to be eye level with him. “Thanks for not leaving me.”

He
touched her cheek. “Never.”

Rae
closed her eyes and knew he was speaking the truth. The wind vibrated the tree
under them like a bumpy car ride; they gazed at each other.

The
Orgasm Tree. Brady got to visit after all.

“You
sly girl. I knew you wanted to take me here.” Brady gave a wide grin. “Can you
imagine making love and feeling this at the same time? Talk about a double
whammy.”

Rae
blushed. He thought she planned this, which wasn’t the case at all. She was
surprised just like him.

“Kenan
was right; the Orgasm Tree is awesome.” He closed his eyes.

She
didn’t want to burst his happy bubble, but she needed to know the truth.
“Speaking of orgasm, did you and Mar have sex the night she died?”

Brady
sighed, splashing water on his face again. “Adam told you that, didn’t he? He
just wanted to turn everyone against me.”

“So
it’s not true?”

Brady
bit his bottom lip. He avoided eye contact with Rae. “I don’t want to lie to
you.”

She
stood up and glared down at him. “Oh my God, you did. You did sleep with her.
Adam wasn’t lying.”

Rae
ran as fast as she could while Brady chased her. “Rae, wait! Please wait! Let
me explain!”

The
one person she could trust, besides her brother, was a liar. A convincing
liar—who knew what else Brady faked? He was waiting for her to put her guard
down, then he would strike. She shouldn’t have fallen for his charms.

The
trees and shrubbery were a blur as she sprinted past, making sure to zigzag, so
he couldn’t follow closely behind. Sooner or later, Brady would tire out,
especially since he kept yelling. That’s right buddy—use all your energy.

“Rae,
please! Rae!”

She
moved faster; it was a matter of life or death. She ignored her back pains
caused by the backpack slamming into it. Unfortunately, Brady didn’t show any
signs of slowing down soon. She felt dehydrated; she should have drunk water
and ate a protein bar when she had the chance. Rae hid behind a tree, holding
her hammer in an upright position, in case she needed to strike Brady. Tears
strolled down her cheeks. What if Tobey didn’t flee on his own? What if Brady
murdered him while she was asleep? That’s why there was no trace of him. If Rae
wasn’t alert, she wouldn’t make it either.

Brady’s
footsteps calmed down. He was walking instead of running. He was too smart to
fall for her trick. It’d be better to emerge so she could see his whereabouts,
instead of him sneaking up on her. Rae treaded to the side, away from her
hiding place. He dashed towards her.

“Stop!”

He
paused. “Rae, let me explain. I’d never hurt you.”

Only
her close friends.

Rae
aimed her hammer at him. “Prove it.”

“What?”

“Prove
it. Drop your weapons and step aside.”

Brady
released the axe and machete then stepped forward. He didn’t even glance down
at them. Rae circled him and kicked the weapons behind her. He put his hands up
in surrender. “Can I talk now?”

“You
got five seconds before I bash your face in.”

“It’s
like that. Really, Rae? It’s me. It’s Brady. I don’t have a violent bone in my
body.” He placed his hands in his pockets, shaking his head.

“But
you’re a liar.”

“I
had to lie about hooking up with Marissa. You didn’t see everyone’s paranoia.
They were gonna kill Adam until Kenan stopped them. If they believed Adam, then
I’d be next. I lied to protect myself. You, of all people, should understand
that. I lied to them, but I can’t lie to you. I trust you even though you don’t
trust me.” Brady gulped. “Put the hammer down, please.”

Rae
ignored his request.

“Damn
it, Rae. Really? When I left the lake, she was alive. Kenan was left alone with
her, then Adam. Why would I kill Marissa? Or anyone for that matter?” Brady
smirked and wiped a tear from his eye. “If I’m gonna die, I’d rather it be by
your hands. At least I hope you’ll make it quick and won’t torture me.”

“That’s
not funny. This is no time for jokes.” She frowned.

“Well,
what am I supposed to do?” He scratched his head. “You went all Selma on my
ass. It hurts that you, of all people, think I’m capable of murder.”

“Walk
in my shoes for a minute. You tell me that Tobey left to get help, but there’s
been no sign of him. He couldn’t have gotten that much of a head start on us.”

“He
did leave, Rae, and he said I couldn’t stop him. What did you want me to do,
tackle him?”

She
cocked her head to the side like a chicken, then grabbed Brady by the collar of
his shirt. She pushed him backwards toward a tree. She put her finger to her
mouth, signaling him to be quiet. She could hear footsteps, and since he was
wide-eyed, he could hear someone approaching too.

The
person was on the other side of the woods. It was as if someone, possibly the
killer, was jogging or something. “We have to keep moving. If we follow that
path, it’ll lead us to higher ground, then we can probably find Tobey faster.
If the killer hasn’t gotten to him first,” Rae whispered.

Brady
looked hopeful. “So you believe me now?”

She
had no choice but to trust him. Brady was all she had, and he sounded sincere
when he had pleaded his case.

*
* * *

Tobey
and Selma made good leeway, walking at the same pace. They hiked the two miles
to reach the car. There was a dented bumper and cracked windows. Both doors
remained open. “How did the crash happen?” he asked.

“Kenan
grabbed the wheel.”

“Why?”

“He
wanted me to turn around for Rae.”

“If
you would’ve waited for us, that never would’ve happened.”

She
rolled her eyes. “Not you too.”

“The
truth hurts, sweetie.”

“Don’t
call me sweetie.” Selma paced faster.

Tobey
grinned. What a bitch. It’d be fun killing her. “Hey wait up. I have the knife,
remember?” He caught up to her. “How does it feel to be wrong about this whole
trip?”

She
crossed her arms over her chest, making eye contact with him. If looks could
kill. “I don’t follow.”

Tobey
laughed. “You were wrong about the killer. How does it feel?”

“I
apologized to Kenan already, but at least I made guesses. At least I was
proactive in finding the killer.”

“Like
coming up with that idiotic plan with Rae to keep the hidden belts a secret.”

Selma
sighed, rolling her eyes again. “Of course, she told you. I knew she couldn’t
keep her mouth shut.”

He
smirked. “You know, if you weren’t such a bitch, the other girls would’ve given
you a chance.”

Selma
stopped in her tracks. “Excuse me?” She put her hands on her hips.

“You
heard me; I didn’t stutter. If you weren’t such a bitch then Naomi,
Marissa, and Rae would’ve given you a chance.” Tobey walked away. He kicked a
rock out of his way.

“Since
we’re giving tips, how about you hear this? If you weren’t a boring asshole,
you’d have more friends.”

“Has
anyone ever told you not to insult the person with a weapon?” Tobey pointed the
knife at Selma in a mocking way.

“Don’t
talk to me.”

“Fine
with me.” He smiled when she rushed to get away from him.

Boring?
Not him. Tobey’s quiet nature was a blessing. If he wasn’t always thinking,
then he couldn’t be plotting. Then he couldn’t rise to the occasion and devise
a plan B, C, or D when plan A went down the drain. Extroverts didn’t have the
discipline such as he; that’s why they couldn’t get anything accomplished.

When
Tobey was about ten years old, his favorite spot was near the train tracks in
an open field. He would bribe cats to follow him, dropping bits of food on the
ground. Sometimes he’d tie the animals on the train tracks; at other times,
he’d wait for the perfect timing and push them in front of the train. Either
way, they’d be flat like a pancake. One day his five-year old neighbor caught
him. Tobey didn’t have problems killing him to protect his secret. That was his
first murder.

He
had been pretty crafty getting people to let their guards down, then striking
violently. He killed all the way up to his teenage years before getting caught.
His damn older sister had witnessed him suffocating their mother with a pillow.
Tobey would’ve killed their father too, but the bastard had left them when he
was a baby. His sister had called 911 unbeknownst to him. As punishment, she
was his last victim before the police knocked the front door down.

How
did Tobey get away with all of that? By being quiet. By not bringing attention
to himself in the boring neighborhood. He played the system and managed to get
the judge to place him in a psych ward. Therapy sessions were a part of his
treatment, but his sexy therapist only wanted to jump his bones. Not that Tobey
complained. By his request, she convinced the head honchos to allow him to
spend quality time outside on the wraparound porch. There he would stare at the
woods, plotting his next serial killing. He was patient and could wait.

Since
Tobey was under the age of eighteen, his records were sealed. It was pretty
easy to make a new life for himself in West Virginia. If only his old therapist
could see him now. He couldn’t wait for the world to know what happened here,
to make a name for himself. At the age of twenty-eight, he was old enough so
his name could be released. No more hiding from sealed records. He was ready to
leave this world with a bang.

They
strolled with silent tension for a while before Tobey decided it was time to
push Selma’s buttons again. “You’re not a very trusting person, huh? Did
something happen in your childhood?”

“I
asked you not to talk to me.”

“I
just want to understand you before you leave.”

Looking
puzzled, she stared at Tobey. “Where am I going?”

He
patted Selma’s shoulders. “You’ll know soon enough.”

It
wasn’t in her nature to let things slide, so she followed that remark with,
“You shouldn’t talk like that, Tobey. It’s not funny. It makes you sound like a
murderer.”

“If
I am a killer, you’re up shit creek.” A wide grin formed on Tobey’s lips.
“Selma, come on. I’m just kidding; loosen up.”

She
squinted her eyes, full of rage. “Well, don’t play like that.”

“Have
any idea what happened to Adam?”

“If
he’s smart, he escaped this hell hole.”

Adam
wished he would’ve escaped, but it wasn’t in the cards for him. Kenan would
probably pass him hung up on a tree near the lake. Who knew? Maybe Rae and
Brady didn’t stay put. Maybe they found Adam first.

“How
long do you think we have left?” Tobey cracked his neck.

Selma
sighed. “Maybe eight or nine miles. Can you hang?”

“I
can definitely hang. Can you?”

“I
guess we’ll see.” She frowned. “Tobey, I’m sorry about Naomi. I never got a
chance to tell you that.”

“Thanks,
but I’m at peace with it.”

“What?”

“I
accepted that Omi is gone, probably helped that it felt good killing Adam.”

Selma’s
green eyes widened. “Please stop playing.”

“He
got loose and killed my baby. I found him and got revenge.”

Selma
gulped.

“You
understand, don’t you? I couldn’t let him get away with killing Omi and Marissa.
Please don’t judge me. I never judged you for killing the ranger. You thought
he was the killer and wanted to get revenge too. It’s just that I happened to
get the right person.”

She
nodded, smiling weakly. “I understand.”

Tobey
could tell she was just saying what he wanted to hear. What a judgmental bitch.

For
now, he would play along. “Thank you.” They walked a few more steps; he studied
Selma. She wobbled on her feet like they hurt. She tried to act as though she
was comfortable, but he could tell it was all a ploy. She wasn’t a good faker,
as he was. Now, it was time to up the ante. He grabbed her by the arm. Selma
slightly jumped then composed herself. “Watch your step. Kenan would never
forgive me if something ever happened to you.”

“I
think you have me and Rae mistaken.”

“Perhaps
I do.” She gave Tobey a stern look. “Just kidding. Take a chill pill.”

Selma
made an effort to wiggle her arm out of his grip, but he wouldn’t let go,
pretending he hadn’t noticed. “How can I chill when someone’s trying to kill
us? You’re acting worse than Brady.”

“Brady’s
not that bad. You may want to rephrase that comment because a boring asshole
like me took it as a compliment.”

“You
can’t take to heart when I called you an asshole; you had just finished calling
me a bitch. Of course, I’m gonna retaliate,” Selma said. “Tobey, can you let go
of me? I can walk on my own.”

“Not
yet. There’s bumpy ground ahead.” He stared at her, who avoided eye contact. He
could see the wheels turning in her head. He beamed with triumph.

“How
do you know what’s ahead?” she whispered.

“I’ve
been here before. Who do you think stocked the shed? I had to canvas the area
to know all the nooks and crannies to successfully accomplish my task.”

Selma
gasped. “What task?”

“Killing
you all.”

“Stop
playing, Tobey! This isn’t funny!” She wiped a tear.

“Deep
down, you know I’m not joking. That’s why you’re crying.”

Vultures
pecked at a dead deer in front of their path. Weeds sprouted against rotten
tree stumps.

Selma
slapped his hand away. “Let me go!” She jerked out of his grip. It’d be more
fun to chase her. Deep down, she’d want o get caught because it was in her
nature to fancy hearing answers.

She
sprinted away; Tobey trailed her. It didn’t take long for him to seize her from
the back.

“You’re
sick!”

“I
take that as a compliment too. Rephrase.” He grinned. “You know, Kenan left me
alone with Marissa, but he was scared the group would turn on me. He wanted to
protect me, makes Kenan a great best friend.”

“No.”
She crumpled in his arms.

“Yes,
dear. It was easy killing Marissa, Omi, and Logan. Plus, Adam. I’m on a roll.
Lesson learned: never trust the quiet ones or leave a person alone when people
are dying. Duh! So once again, how does it feel to be wrong about everyone?” he
asked.

“No,
no, no.” So disappointing. Tobey thought firecracker Selma would have more
fight than that. What a wimp. “Somebody help me! Help me!”

Ah,
there’s the fight. Good times. Good times.

Chapter Thirty-Two

“Did
you hear that?” Brady asked. He and Rae hadn’t spoken since the accusation, so
he was happy to find any excuse to communicate with her again.

“What?”

Screams
parroted in the distance.

Wide-eyed,
Brady faced the direction the sound was coming from. “That.”

“Be
careful, Brady, animal traps are set out here. I think.” She ran off and Brady
followed. At first, she went a straight line then zigzagged close to the
cliff’s edge.

“Be
careful, Rae.”

“Shush!”
She pointed down. “Tobey and Selma are down there.” She grinned at Brady. “I
told you we’d find him if we came up here.”

“What
is he doing?” Brady whispered. Things didn’t look quite right down below. Why
was Tobey holding Selma by the wrists while she tried to get away? He stepped
backwards and ushered Rae to do the same. She was probably two seconds away
from yelling their names. For some reason, that didn’t seem like such a good
idea. A pit formed in Brady’s stomach.

Why
was Selma there in the first place? Wasn’t she and Kenan supposed to be long
gone in the car, getting help by now? Brady frowned. What if Tobey and Selma
were the killers? What if she killed Kenan? Rae would never be the same again.

But
why murder everyone? It didn’t make sense. Something shady was going on the way
they argued. Brady looked at Rae and grabbed her arm. He wouldn’t allow her to
jump in case she got any bright ideas. She glanced at him for a split second,
but he was too focused on the lower ground to enjoy the moment. Rae looked back
down.

Tobey
pushed Selma to the ground. She crawled away. He slit her Achilles heel—both of
them. Rae covered her mouth, trying to make a run for it, but Brady held her
from behind. He was frozen in fear. However, he was smart enough to say, “Be
still. He can’t know we’re here, or we’re next.”

“We
have to help,” she whispered.

“It’s
too late.” By the time they would make it down the cliff, Selma would be long
dead. If they made any noise to grab his attention, Tobey would still kill her.
Then he’d be after them, and Brady was pretty self-aware to know he was too
exhausted to run or fight back.

Selma’s
screeches would haunt Brady for the rest of his life. Tobey sliced her open
like a pillowcase, waiting for feathers to fly out. Instead of feathers, it was
blood, dark red blood. She had let out loud yelps before her final breath.

Not
being able to digest anymore, Brady let go of Rae and regurgitated. He bent
down, his body convulsed. Unfortunately, he gagged too loudly, so Tobey glanced
up and saw them. Rae stood there hopeless while Brady continued to be sick.

Oh,
shit. Once again, he let Rae down, he scolded himself.

Tobey
rose to his feet, wiping the knife off with his shirt. “Hey, I thought I told
you two to stay at the shed! It pays to listen!” He headed towards the trail
that led to the top level.

Rae
was wide-eyed; now, she was frozen in fear. “I told you we’d die, Brady.”

“No,
it’s two against one; we can take him.” He wiped his mouth. “Until then, run
like hell!”

Instead
of rushing straight to get out of the forest, she went towards the back of the
woods. “Our only chance is to catch a neighbor!”

Without
hesitation, Brady ran as fast as he could. He was never a track star though. He
was medium built, looked good with a nice physique, but definitely not in shape.
His laziness would come back to haunt him.

*
* * *

Rae
and Brady hid inside a mini-cave. They huddled, holding each other. They had to
make quite a leap to reach the ground below, but it was worth the effort
because it had thrown off Tobey. His footsteps quickened as he whistled above
their heads.

Rae
handed Brady a bottle of water. “Drink and rest your legs,” she whispered.

He
drank a sip. “I’m sorry—“

“Shush,
he may still be near.” She touched his knee. “There’s nothing to apologize for.
We’re in this together.”

He
placed his head near hers; they shared a gaze.

Rae
fought back tears. Kenan was gone; she couldn’t imagine life without him. How
could Tobey kill his best friend? That could be the only explanation why he
wasn’t around Selma and Tobey. Kenan’s last few moments on earth were filled
with betrayal.

For
that, Tobey would have to pay.

If
they wanted to kill Tobey, then they had to think smart. No more mistakes like
bringing attention to themselves when they should’ve been hiding. What if that
wasn’t an accident? Or gag reflex? What if it was done on purpose? Rae could
outsmart Tobey all day, everyday, but it wouldn’t make a difference if he and
Brady were working together.

Brady
frowned. “Not again, Rae.”

“What?”
She bit her bottom lip.

“You’re
looking at me like you don’t trust me. I’d never hurt you.”

The
last thing an obsessive psycho says before murdering his lover after she dumped
him or disappointed him in some warped, twisted way. “You have to admit, it’s
sorta suspicious that you told me to be quiet, then you did everything in your
power to get us noticed anyway.”

His
cheeks flushed red. “Sorry I couldn’t hold it in. It’s not like I’m used to
watching people be tortured and brutally killed.” Brady flinched. “Rae, please
forgive me. I had a brain fart. Just know, I’ll do everything in my power to
protect you, and I’ll spend the rest of my life apologizing until you forgive
me, which isn’t a long shelf life so please forgive me soon. Pretty please with
sugar on top.” He placed both hands together, pleading.

Damn
his charms. It wasn’t productive to stay mad for something he didn’t mean. It
wasn’t Brady’s fault that Rae was over-sensitive on matters like that. Plus, he
could get one dig in. She had accused him of murder twice after all. She couldn’t
verbalize that she forgave him, but hopefully the smile was a great
representative.

After
figuring enough time had passed for it to be safe to leave their hiding place,
Rae took the lead again. They both climbed up sharp boulders to reach higher
ground. She had been right. Tobey was up ahead, searching for them. He turned
his head side to side in a rapid motion.

As
long as they stayed clear of the path and crept behind trees, then they’d stay
hidden and could sneak up on him. Tobey stopped. Rae pulled Brady by the
collar, pushing him up against a thick branch. She stood in front of him,
holding her breath. Did Tobey sense he was being followed?

Even
though she was curious about what he was doing, she wouldn’t dare peek her head
at Tobey. All they needed was for him to notice her. She stared into Brady’s
beautiful blue eyes and heightened her hearing. If Tobey stepped foot near her,
she’d smash his head in.

If
he stayed on the same path, Tobey was heading toward a neighbor’s cabin; he
probably assumed that’s where Brady and Rae ran. That would have been the best
decision, but Brady had ruined that.

*
* * *

They
pursued Tobey a good two miles without him realizing. Rae looked like a covert,
sexy spy, maneuvering behind trees while Brady probably looked like a goofball.
He was excited that the attacking-Tobey-from-behind scheme might actually work.
He prayed to God that it would. Ironically, the birds on the ground didn’t fly
away, almost as though they didn’t want to give away Rae and Brady’s location.
Like the birds wanted them to succeed as well.

Brady
couldn’t believe how strong Rae was being. He knew her brother was on her mind.
She probably questioned when did Kenan pass away? Was it brutal like Selma’s
death? Did he fight back against his best friend? Brady felt sorrow for her; he
wished he could tell Rae all those things, but he couldn’t afford to have her
lose concentration.

Rae
stopped moving. “This is our chance to take him. I’ll lure him out, then you
get him from behind.” She pointed to a path Brady should follow in order to
successfully get behind Tobey without being seen.

Brady
shook his head. “No, it’s too dangerous.”

“Any
plan is too dangerous. We can only follow him for so long. If we do make it to
another cabin, do you really think he’s gonna let us go in and call the cops?
It’s now or never.”

Damn
it. She had more balls than he did. He promised himself he wouldn’t let her
down this time. He gulped. Life was too short. It was time to see if Rae could
ever love him as much as he loved her. And no, not in a friendly way. It was
now or never.

Brady
stepped forward and kissed Rae passionately. To his surprise, she melted in his
arms. This was the happiest moment of his life; he never thought sleeping in
the Jeep could be topped, but he was wrong. He held her in his arms, and she
touched her lips, smiling. “Good luck, Brady.”

He
grinned, winking. “Good luck to you too.”

Before
he could say anything else, Rae left her hiding place. He made his way to the
dirt path to get in his position.

Please
work. Please work. Please work.

Rae
whistled, causing Tobey to spin around. “Rae, there you are. I’ve been looking
for you all over,” he said as if nothing ever happened. He began walking
towards her.

Not
backing down, she headed towards Tobey. “Been following you for a good two
miles.”

“Didn’t
hear you.” Tobey shook his head. “How do you stay quiet in these damn woods?”

“Seriously,
that’s what you’re asking me!” Rae slammed the hammer into the ground. “Why did
you kill Selma?! Why did you kill my brother?!”

“You
don’t understand. You weren’t supposed to see that.”

She
stuck out her middle finger. “Fuck you!”

“Where’s
Brady?”

“Calling
the fucking police!”

“You’re
lying.” Tobey smirked. “He wouldn’t leave your side.”

“Oh,
really. We found the abandoned car and radioed for help. I told him to stay, so
they could find him.” She copied his smug facial expression. “I knew I could
take you, you fucking wimp. Besides you know Brady does whatever I say.”

Clapping,
Tobey grinned. “Bravo! You’re still not leaving this place, so you can wipe
that smug look off your face.”

“You’re
not making it out of here either.”

He
shrugged his shoulders. “Has it ever occurred to you that I don’t want to?”

Huh?
Rae was supposed to get the best of Tobey, distracting him, but he was
confusing the hell out of both of them. He didn’t want to leave? Well, his wish
would come true soon. Maybe Tobey wouldn’t fight back?

While
tiptoeing slowly, Brady held his axe in position to strike. He held his breath,
afraid any noise would tip Tobey off. He was so close that Brady could smell
his body odor. Brady brought the axe down violently on his shoulder.

Tobey
jerked back. “You fucking asshole!”

Brady
raised the machete in his other hand; Tobey stabbed him in his upper arm and
cut through his main artery.

“No!!!”
Rae ran to both of them.

Brady
stumbled back. Blood poured out like a waterfall. He was always an idiot and
certainly not a hero, he scolded himself.

Rae
smashed the hammer into Tobey’s skull repeatedly. “Die! Die! Die!” She wouldn’t
stop even though his face was already bashed in, looked like road kill
flattened by a car tire.

Brady
didn’t have enough energy to stop her; he lay on the ground. “Rae,” he cried.

Out
of her black-out, she crawled to kneel beside Brady. She held his hand and
caressed his face. “Brady, I’m so sorry. I have to get help,” she said in
sorrow.

“Please
don’t leave me.” He wasn’t stupid. He’d be dead before help would arrive. If
anyone had to be by his side for his last moment on earth, he was honored that
it was Rae. Beautiful Rae, who would survive all this. That’s all that
mattered. “I love you, Rae.”

She
squeezed Brady’s hand. “I love you too.” She kissed his lips. Her tears fell on
his face. Brady’s heart beat quickened. What triggered Tobey’s killing
spree? His heart stopped.

Chapter Thirty-Three

It
would have been logical to continue on the trail to a neighbor’s house, but Rae
didn’t want to take a chance that no one was home. Now, she sat in the driver’s
seat of the ranger’s car, crying into the dispatcher. How was she supposed to
get out of here? The car wouldn’t start, and she was too afraid to pop the hood
to realize there was another missing part.

Rae
held the button. “Please help me. My friends are all dead…my friends are all gone.
It’s only me.” She released it; she tapped her foot, waiting for a response.
“Please. Somebody. Anybody.”

“Where’s
your location?” Static filled the other end. Rae explained her location, and
the lady promised to bring help soon. She told Rae to stay put, not even asking
what happened. How the others died. Nothing.

She
probably assumed that Rae was the killer, who was turning herself in.

Rae
held herself for comfort; her legs burned from all the hiking she did since
last night. She was all alone. Tobey should’ve killed her and put her out of
her misery.

Why
did he do this? Now, she would never know.

She
felt so weak that her head hung low. She smeared her hands with Brady’s blood
that painted her knees. If only they would’ve went to the beach instead.

The
back of her head stung. Someone had hit her hard with something. Rae’s eyes
felt heavy. She fell out of the car, landing on her stomach, her vision too
blurry to see who it was. Before she knew it, the person struck her again. She
blacked out.

Chapter Thirty-Four

Kenan
sat on the dusty floor of the attic. He blocked the door. His sister, knocked
out, lay on the other side of the room. The sunrays poured through the large
window.

He
watched Rae sleep peacefully and smiled to himself. People kept her safe just
as they had promised. Rae returned to Kenan—all was right in the world again.

She
opened her eyes and sluggishly positioned herself to sit upright. She rubbed
the back of her head, her facial expression showed pain. She didn’t have to
worry any longer because soon there’d be no more suffering.

Rae
blinked, wide-eyed. “Kenan!” She crawled over to him, and they hugged. “I
thought you were dead. I’m so happy to see you.”

“Why
did you think I was dead?”

“Tobey—“

“Where
is he?”

Rae
lowered her eyes. She grabbed Kenan’s hand and paused. “I killed him.”

“Why?”

“Be—because
he attacked Brady.” Rae wiped tears from her eyes. The color red emerged on her
face. “He killed our friends. I’m sorry, Kenan…Tobey was the killer.”

Kenan
stared at her.

“Did
you hear me, Kenan?”

He
nodded. “I heard you, but Tobey didn’t kill everyone.”

“I’m
sorry, but I saw him murder Selma. She’s dead.”

“Was
it brutal?”

“Yes.”

Kenan
grinned. “Good.”

Rae
looked shocked, backing away from her brother. “How could you say that?”

“She
made your weekend miserable, so she had to pay. I asked Tobey to be rough with
her.” Kenan could tell the wheels were running in Rae’s head. She was trying to
take precaution but was never a poker player. “You’re wrong. He didn’t kill
everyone. I admit I left Tobey alone with Mar—“

“But
you blamed Adam?”

“I
lied, Rae. I left Tobey alone with Mar, then I turned right back around. She
was so happy and trusting. It wasn’t difficult strangling her to death.” He
smiled. “Yes, Tobey watched, but he didn’t participate. So get your facts
straight, Tobey didn’t kill everyone.”

“How
could you?” Rae stood up to leave, but Kenan gripped her arms and forced her
away from the door. She wiggled out of his grasp and ran to the other side of the
room.

Kenan
sighed. “You have no room to be judgmental. You definitely didn’t take it easy
on Tobey, poor buddy.”

“You
were there?”

“You’re
not the only one who can trail behind someone without getting caught.” He gave
a smug smile. “I followed you and Brady from the Orgasm Tree.” He frowned.
“What’s wrong, Rae? I orchestrated this all for you.”

“No,
Kenan! Don’t you dare put me in this demented mess! You’re fucking sick!”

“I’m
your fucking brother. Show me some respect.” He stomped over to Rae; he slapped
her. “How can you not appreciate what I’ve done? I made sure our friends went
to Heaven, so we won’t be alone.” He backed away from her. Crying, she held her
arms. He blocked the door again. “You ungrateful bitch! Don’t act like you
don’t know what today is!”

Ten
years ago, this date to be exact, they had promised each other in this very
attic in ten years if one of them wasn’t living a happy life, then they both
would end their lives to join their parents and not make the other one enter
Heaven alone.

Kenan’s
stint in the psych ward in North Carolina made him obsessed with today. His
therapist had said he needed to face the past to get closure. Well, today he’d
finally get closure. Kenan’s sister had never known he had been hospitalized.
She always believed he stayed with their grandma. So naïve. He would tell Rae
now, but she was acting out of line. How dare she not appreciate his sweet,
brotherly gesture!

Tobey
had lived down the hall from Kenan. He was fascinated that Kenan volunteered to
stay in the psych ward instead of being forced. They became best friends after
he revealed how his parents were murdered in their vacation home. Tobey would
let him vent all day; he even had a sympathetic ear when Kenan cried about
letting his sister down.

Per
Tobey’s request, the therapist convinced the head honchos that Kenan and Tobey
were mentally stable to go out in society again. They were both twenty-five,
just in time for Rae to head home from her four years away at college. It
wasn’t hard to convince Tobey to move to West Virginia, to pretend to be normal
until he could strike again.

Over
the years, they elaborated a detailed plan of convincing Rae to follow through
with the suicide pact. Kenan had thought it should only be those two to visit
the cabin this weekend, but Tobey changed his mind. If the group tagged along, then
he could have his fun too. The perfect place where no one could escape.

The
only catch: Tobey couldn’t lay a finger on Rae. Kenan didn’t care who he
tormented or tortured as long as it broke Rae down emotionally to the point
she’d be ready to die. But he absolutely could not hurt her physically. Kenan
was lucky to have a best friend like Tobey, someone who helped his dreams become
a reality.

Rae’s
body trembled. She pleaded, “Please, Kenan, I don’t want to die.”

“You
can’t just change your mind. How selfish.” He pulled the gun out of his belt
buckle. Rae gasped. “I guess we won’t be committing suicide the easy way,
always picking the hard way, making things difficult for yourself.” He took a
step towards Rae.

“Wait.
Please. No, Kenan, please. You need help.” She stretched her arms out to keep
distance between them. She took a step back but went up against the wall.
Trapped. Nowhere else to go. Well, unless she opened the window and went down
the water pipe like Tobey had done.

So
clever. It worked out by Kenan stalling the group to give Tobey enough time to
shoot Logan and climb back up. Kenan knew Brady only looked out for himself, so
wouldn’t dare enter the room with Tobey crying. Too much work to comfort
him.

Kenan
sighed. “Are there any questions for me?”

“Why?”
Rae placed her hand over her heart.

“I
already told you. Come on, Rae. Don’t you want to know something exciting? Like
how did Tobey kill Logan? Wasn’t that awesome? I didn’t know he had good aim
like that. Sorry that Logan’s brains splattered all over you. I tried to pull
you back, but you’re so stubborn.” Rae cried, trying to cover her face with her
hands, so Kenan talked louder. “Rae, do you have any questions?”

Since
she wasn’t the least bit curious, he might as well end their lives now. He took
another step toward her.

“Please,
I don’t want to die.”

“Then
ask me a question.”

“How
did we get back here?”

“I
drove. The car was drivable if you knew how to fix it. I was going to carry you
here, but time is of the essence since you radioed help. I knew I should have
smashed that stupid thing last night.”

Rae
shook her head. “Kenan, please. You need help. Let RL sign the deed then we’ll
get closure. We’ll never have to come back here again.”

“Come
on, Rae. Deep down, you know RL never existed. I set up a fake account with a
second phone, making sure to dial the number when no one was looking. It was
the only thing I could think of to get you here.” Kenan smiled. “We’ll be
seeing all our friends soon. I know you want this, just as much as you wanted
it when you were fifteen.”

It
was time.

“I
love you, Rae.” Kenan also loved their parents and couldn’t wait to reunite
with them. Rae would be happy too; she was just in denial about it.

He
sprinted towards her, grabbed her by the waist, and they flew out the third floor
window.

Total
darkness.

Epilogue

Detective
Brown examined the crime scene; he felt disgusted to the point he needed to
throw up. The sight was sinister. Who was capable of a killing spree like this?
His stomach ached and a knot formed in his throat. He had a young daughter and
couldn’t even imagine if something tragic like this happened to her.

There
was a strangled woman lying on the porch, half decapitated due to the animals
feasting off her rotten remains. A girl and guy lay beside each other, she on
her back and he on his stomach. She had a dread expression as if she had screamed
“No” while he looked at peace, almost as if smiling. They had landed on stakes.
If not for that, probably would’ve still died instantly from plummeting at that
height. Detective Brown assumed they were thrown out the window because of all
the glass covering the ground.

Jeeps
were filled with bags and suitcases, so they had tried to leave. Unfortunately,
not in time. If he thought it looked bad outside, it looked even worse inside.
One of their own, Ranger Kirby, stabbed upstairs, a woman gutted in bed, and a
guy’s face destroyed by an arrow.

Detective
Brown shivered, kneeled down to get a closer view of the guy and girl before
the coroner would put their bodies into the black bags. They looked so familiar
that he couldn’t quite put his finger on it, then it hit him all at once.

They
had been brother and sister tortured in this cabin many years ago.

Detective
Brown fell back, landing on his butt.

“Sir,
are you okay?”

In
a daze, he turned to face the police officer. “Yeah, I tripped.” He got back on
his feet and dusted himself off. He whispered, “I’ll make the sick fucks pay
for what they did to you.”

Detective
Alvarez stood beside him. “This place has to be cursed. A tragedy like this
happened ten years ago.”

“It
took the town a very long time to move on.”

“And
now this.”

Detective
Brown shook his head in anger. “We’ll get the sick fucks like we did ten years
ago.”

His
partner nodded. “Maybe friends were here for a getaway, and robbers came in.
Someone was able to call for help, but Ranger Kirby was killed too.”

Call
for help. That’s the only reason the police knew to come to this address; a
young lady had radioed them. Was she still alive? Had she got away from this
hell?

As
if there wasn’t enough on their plates, the cops searching through the bags
found nine driver licenses total. Where were the other four people? Was it a
fight gone deadly wrong and the other friends ran after murdering these people?
A deadly feud?

That
theory wasn’t able to form in his mind for too long because Detective Brown
kept getting dispatched. First, they found a body hung from a tree. Then, one
by one, three were mentioned being dead throughout the woods.

Both
detectives shared a worried look. He couldn’t stop covering the case until it
was solved. The victims’ families deserved to get closure for their kids.

Forensics
bagging up evidence from the ground, officers canvassing the area for any clues
all resembled a surreal blur. This would definitely be a high profile case, and
he couldn’t wait to get these kids’ stories told. They deserved that much for
all the torture they had went through.

Crackle.
Crackle. Snap. Snap.

The
detectives and officers quickly turned around, pulling out their revolvers,
aiming at a potential suspect. It was only a deer. Everyone, except Detective
Brown, relaxed and put their guns down. They laughed about how they got
startled so easily. But Detective Brown couldn’t relax. There was a killer, or
possibly killers, out there who needed to rot in prison until he, or they,
received the death penalty. No way could Detective Brown put his guard down.
The killer, or killers, could still be out there ready to attack again.

Was
this a one time incident or did they have a serial killer on their hands?

THE END

About The Author

Yawatta
Hosby resides in the eastern panhandle of West Virginia. She teaches creative
writing through the Adult Community Education program, and she enjoys
connecting with other writers through blogging. With a desire to escape every
day life, she creates short stories, novellas, and novels. She’s always had a
fascination with psychology, so she likes to focus on the inner-struggles
within her characters. Yawatta is also an avid reader, favorite genres:
mystery, thriller, horror, and women’s fiction.

She’d
love to hear from her fans and readers:

Blog:
http://yawattahosby.wordpress.com

Twitter:
http://www.twitter.com/yawatta_hosby

Author
Page on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/YawattaHosby

Table of Contents

Copyright

Dedication

Acknowledgments

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter
Twenty-Three

Chapter
Twenty-Four

Chapter
Twenty-Five

Chapter Twenty-Six

Chapter
Twenty-Seven

Chapter
Twenty-Eight

Chapter
Twenty-Nine

Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty-One

Chapter Thirty-Two

Chapter
Thirty-Three

Chapter
Thirty-Four

Epilogue

About the Author

Table of Contents