until the very end

part 2

That very same night I stopped by her house. I waited for the sky to turn dark and for my anger to cool down. I knew Skyler was close with Drake and Caine and I didn’t feel like ruining my already poor relationship with them even further. It was never a good idea to get on bad terms with the most influental and dangerous people of a certain place, especially a place like this.

I knew where she lived with her ‘best friend’ Hope Davids. And so, I silently climbed up to their window and waited outside, listening. I smirked to myself when I could hear faint voices coming out the room next to the window. Bingo.

“I just don’t understand why you’re staying with him.” Skyler. I would recognize that voice anywhere. She sounded frustrated, speaking with a growl.

“It’s obvious that he doesn’t care about you,” Skyler continued. I heard the sound of a lighter being clicked open and she was quiet for a moment as she lit her cigarette. “Yes, he flirts with you when there’s no one else around, and you kissed in the backyard yesterday. So what? He’s not going to leave Diana for you, Hope.”
I couldn’t believe my own ears. Was this about Caine?

“What do you want me to say?” I heard another voice yell out. Hope. Another person who had not exactly been one of my closest friends at Coates. “He is the only one who ever listened to me. Like, really listened to me, without judgment. The only one who seems to understand me. He’s the only one I have,” she added, softly.
“What about me?” Skyler sounded offended.
“It’s not the same, and you know that. Besides, you’re one to talk. Why are you still with that psychopath Drake?!”
“I don’t know!” Skyler yelled back.
“You don’t know,” Hope replied sarcastically. “Well, maybe that’s my answer too.”

I felt a smirk creep around the corner of my lips. So Skyler really was dating Drake, good to know. And Hope kissed Caine yesterday… Diana would not be pleased to hear that.
Both girls were silent for a moment. I just started to wonder when would be a good moment for me to show up, as Skyler continued, softly.
“You know he’s had sex with her, right?”

“What.”

“Caine. He has had sex with Diana. And there are rumours.” I heard Skyler chuckle, and when Hope didn’t reply, she continued: “There are rumours that the fucking idiot forgot to put on a condom and got her pregant. And those rumours say… you have heard about this mysterieus thing in the mineshaft, a couple miles away from Perdido Beach? The monster that is said to be made out of radiation as a result of the nuclear crash thirteen years ago? What did they call it again… The Gaiaphage?”
I felt a shiver creep up my spine at the name. I had heard the rumours about the Gaiaphage. No one seemed to know exactly what it was, but a number of kids had been in direct contact with it.

They all returned deeply traumatized.
“Just get to the point,” I heard Hope snarl.

“So, Caine got Diana pregnant... And then the Gaiaphage sped up their pregnancy and took their baby, possessed it, and made it grow at unnatural speed, to carry out its monstrous plan to kill us all.” She grinned. “So supposedly, we have a teenage girl running around murdering people, possessed by a mutating monster in the mineshaft because it took Caine and Diana’s kid when they forgot to wrap it when getting dirty. Isn’t that hilarious?”
“Who, Skyler?” Hope replied softly. “Who told you all this?”

“Oh, just a whisper I heard on the…”
“WHO!” Hope suddenly screamed.
“Drake,” Skyler answered after a short hesitation. “He… he was there when it happened. He helped the… thing kidnap Diana.” She was silent for a second. “He says it’s the same thing that gave him his whiphand.”
“Great,” Hope replied in the most sarcastic voice. “So your psychopatic boyfriend, who has a fucking whip for an arm, now serves the radiation-fed mutant thing in the mineshaft that is said to kill all of us? And this same thing apparently now roams the FAYZ using a body that is made by Caine and…” She took a deep, shaky breath.
“Hope…” Skyler said softly and I heard the sound of something moving, followed by Hope, sharply: “Don’t fucking touch me.”

I decided I had collected enough information and jumped through the window, my knife pointed at Skyler.
“What the fuck!” Skyler yelled out, immediately drawing her own knife. Hope just stared at me, wide-eyened, and instinctively raised her hand.
I shook my head, smiling sweetly. “Oh, no. I wouldn’t do any of that if I were you.”

“What are you doing here, Gwen?” Hope glared at me, but didn’t put her hand down.
“Caine and Drake asked me to look for food and dead people,” I said dryly, as I gave Skyler a nasty look.
“Oh, right.” The girl grinned. “That was your brother. I may have… scared him a little.”

Hope took a threatening step towards me. “Don’t even try anything, Gwen. It’s two three-bars against a two-bar who hasn’t even figured out her power yet. You know there’s no way you can win this fight.”
“I don’t need to.” I smiled sweetly. “What do you think Diana will say when she hears about your little encounter with Caine yesterday? Hm?”
Hope froze in her place. It was very satisfying to see how all the colour left her face.

“That’s what I thought.” I raised an eyebrow at Skyler. “And what an interesting source of information your boyfriend must be, Skyler. I figured there’d be more to him than just good looks and a sexy whip for an arm.”
Hope sighed. “What do you want, Gwen?”

“You leave my brother alone. Both of you,” I added, glaring at Skyler. “You don’t try to hurt him. You don’t steal his food. You don’t break into his house. You don’t even tell him any more fucking stories about cursed doors. Because if you do, and if I find out about this, I can assure you, Caine and Diana will hear about every single thing you just discussed while I was outside, listening.”
Skyler narrowed her eyes, clutching the knife more tightly. “You know, none of this matters if I just kill you right now.”
“Kill me? Really?” I raised an eyebrow. “Two months into the FAYZ and you are already thinking of killing your former classmates?”
“Stop it, both of you,” Hope snapped. “We will leave your stupid brother alone.”

“Hope, what the hell!” Skyler looked at her, angrily. “We can’t let her win!”
Hope sighed in frustration. “None of us wins anything if my only friend turns into a fucking murderer, Skyler. Is it really that hard for you not to torment a kid that’s already broken?!”
“But he’s just so fun to torment,” Skyler pouted. “Kidding, kidding,” she added with an exaggerated sigh upon seeing my expression.
“That’s… surprisingly mature of you, Hope.” I frowned, not expecting this conversation to go by as smooth as it did. “Well, now that this is settled. It was great seeing you.” I took a step back and reached behind me to find the window seat.
“You know, we have a door,” Hope said dryly.

“I prefer the window. Just in case the door is, you know, cursed.”
Skyler still didn’t put down the knife. “This isn’t over,” she said threateningly.
I flashed her an innocent smile. “I would hate for it to be.”
Just before I swayed my legs over the window seat, I casted one look at the two of them, smiling slowly. “You know, I agree with both of you. Caine and Drake aren’t shit. The two of you would just look much better together.”

Their shocked expressions were a very satisfying last thing to see before I jumped back out of the window.