The Winning Shot

CHAPTER NINE

XANDER

I don't think I've ever felt more sick than right now, staring at the sign that says The Haunted Manor in a ghastly-and therefore barely readable-font.

Good vibes already...

"Damn, you actually showed up!" Everly shouts behind my back, scaring the hell out of me.

When I turn around, I notice genuine surprise on his face, telling me how spineless he thinks I am without actually saying those words.

Motherfucker.

Even if he's one hundred percent right...

"Was I not supposed to?" I try to force a smile, but I come up short. There's no point.

"I hoped you would." Everly's voice is warm and welcoming. For a split second, I actually believe it's real and not just an act. I'm not that delusional, though, I know he has no desire to be here with me. "But for the record, I was sure you wouldn't."

But neither of us will say it out loud. No, we're going to add fuel to this fire till it turns us into ashes.

"Can we just go and get it over with?" Damn, I sound bored already and we haven't even started. "I'd rather not spend more time here than necessary."

Be nice, you moron, Cassie's voice roars in my head, reminding me of our earlier conversation.

I suppose there exists an in-between where I can talk to him like a civilized human being and not act like he has the plague, but don't give him the wrong idea. Hopefully, I'll figure it out soon enough.

"You might wanna fix your attitude 'cause I already bought the tickets, and I may or may not have picked the hardest option," he says confidently, as if he really believes this joke of an idea will bring results. "Allegedly."

"I'm assuming 'the hardest' just means 'the longest'?"

Of course. Me and my fucking luck.

"Maybe." There's a playful note to his tone. "But aren't we here for that very reason? To, you know, learn how to work together without tearing each other apart?"

"No. We're here because you could easily pull the plug but didn't for some reason and thought giving us a puppy puzzle would fix everything." I bite my tongue before I say anything else, hoping that I can still reverse the damage.

Everly looks both pissed and disheartened, both of which make perfect sense. The hint of sadness, though, is confusing to say the least.

"I...can't keep having the same conversation with you." He deflates in an instant. "Are we doing this or not?"

"Yeah, Alex, are you?" I hear his voice taunting me. "Or is he going to see what a coward you are?"

Not a coward, just someone who's had enough pain and humiliation for three lives. But also someone who's been stuck in constant fight or flight mode for way too long.

"We are."

I don't get any response from Everly, unless you can call that cold look a response.

He moves past me and enters the building, so I just follow him in silence, bracing myself for the worst.

The minute we cross the threshold, we're welcomed by tons of tacky decorations that somehow fit pretty well together. I'm not exactly a fan of Halloween-I'd even call it pointless-but this place really lives up to its name, giving me a "low-budget horror movie set" vibe rather than "Walmart trick-o-treating gear section".

The brick walls are barely visible because all the fake cobwebs create a makeshift wallpaper, and the lighting is practically non-existent. Every window is bricked-up, and most of the light bulbs hanging freely from the ceiling don't work.