BODYS ; M. MUNROE

CHAPTER EIGHT

★彡

CASSANDRA WASN'T sure how long the two walked through the catacombs of the sanatorium, each turn looked like the last; and with every other step, Cassandra would look over her shoulder, frightened whomever took her, and killed Jess, was right behind them.

"What do you think Will meant?" Mike said, his sudden voice startling her, he looked down at Cassandra and mildly frowned, noticing she was tightly hugging herself to bat off the cold.

She blinked up at him. "What do you mean?"

"About Jessica saying we were pranking her..." He rubbed the back of his neck, still frowning. "You don't think one of us did that, do you?"

Cassandra's brows furrowed. "No! No of course not, it was the guy that took me, he-he was the one that killed her." Her eyes shut tightly, the image of Jessica's face flashing across her mind, blinding her. "I don't know how he did it, why he did it... But we know where he hides out, we'll figure out what to do when we're back at the lodge."

Mike nodded, the revolver had stayed in his hand as they walked, Cassandra had slotted machete into the gap of her belt and jeans. Every small noise caused Cassandra to jump, she'd lean close against Mike's side, his free arm protectively wrapping around her.

"I mean..." Cassandra began, the idea of one of her friends doing something like this still shaking her. "How would anyone do this? Who could?"

Mike blew out a breath, shrugging. "I guess, if we're being hypothetical... Josh could-"

"Josh wouldn't." Cassandra interrupted, looking down at her boots.

"I know, I know... Just hypothetically." Mike said, nodding, aware how close the two had become over the last few years.

~

Silence draped over the two once more, Cassandra's feet had started to drag under her, steps becoming chores, she tapped her fingers against her palms to keep them from going stiff.

"Hey," Mike said, voice uncharacteristically nervous, Cassandra looked up at him, doe eyed and tired. "there's something I've been meaning to talk to you about, tonight's not gone as anyone could've expected, but uh—"

"Who the hell is that?" Cassandra blurted, in front of them, a few feet away, was a high grate in the wall, displaying someone sat in a chair; their legs exposed.

Mike swallowed the rest of his words, brows pinched at the sight before them. Carefully, the two got closer, peering up into the grate, Cassandra gasped, seeing a tied up, and unconscious Sam across the room. The pair looked at each other confused, how had that maniac managed to get here too? Who else had been hurt or killed?

"Sam..! Sam, hey!" Mike whispered, eventually, Sam awoke, frantically searching for the location of the voice, but she soon relaxed, seeing both Mike and Cassandra looking up at her.

"Mike? Cassandra?" Sam sighed with relief.

"Keep your voice down!" Cassandra whisper yelled, looking over her shoulder for what felt the millionth time that night. "Come over here." She pushed herself onto the tips of her toes to get a better look at Sam.